Bane by LJ Shen

NEW ADULT ROMANCE

Publication date: 05/06/2018
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

This was TOTALLY not what I was expecting. After reading about Bane in Scandalous, I was prepared for a sexy surf bum, and while Bane WAS a sexy surf bum, he was much, much more than that. So, so much more. Honestly? I’m still having a little bit of a book hangover from this one, mostly because of how much MORE Bane was than what I was expecting. Gah!

First of all, Bane’s an anti-hero with a twist or two (or ten). Like all of the Hotholes, Bane is confident and magnetic and powerful. He’s also a jerk with loose morals. (Super loose) But underneath all of that (and the beard and tattoos and attitude) is a pretty freakin’ awesome romantic hero who is just as broken and in need of repair as his heroine, Jesse.

Jesse...ah, poor Jesse. My heart just broke for her. She’s been through so much in her short life—stuff that no one should EVER have to go through. She’s a true survivor who didn’t really need Bane to save her. All she really needed was for someone to remind her who she was. And who she was was KICK ASS!

I don’t want to say too much about the plot because there’s a bunch of intricate twists and turns that I wouldn’t want to spoil. But long-story-short, fans of suspense and angsty, emotional, character-driven, slow-burn, super-sexy romances will LOVE this one. (Which covers pretty much...everyone, right? That’s intentional.) I’m pretty sure Bane is my favorite LJ Shen read so far, and that’s saying A LOT since they’re all completely awesome.

So, before I fangirl in an embarrassing manner unbecoming of someone my age, I’ll leave you with this advice: 1-click the crap out of this book. That is all.    

Full disclosure: We received an ARC (free of charge) from the author.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
There’s nothing stigma-y about any of LJ Shen’s books. This one’s clean and sober. No rehab needed.

Other reading suggestions
Read everything this author has ever written. You won’t regret it. ​

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