I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

We all are in agreement that men like Bane are assholes, yes? We do not want them in real life, as they are a work of fiction, yes?
Good. Glad we got that settled.

That being said, they make for great dark romance main characters and add just the right amount of bad boy to the series. LJ Shen is a master at writing a dickwad of a male character that you can't help but root for just a little bit, and a female main character that is destined to give him hell.

If the ending on this would have been fleshed out a little more, it would be a perfect 5-star read. The spice and character development were really great!

So I didn't realize this was part of a series, although a standalone essentially, so I might need to explore the previous books later.

"snow white waited for the prince. you'll be the one saving yourself in this story."

to put it bluntly, this took me by surprise and was phenomenal. It felt different to me. more raw, real, entirely emotional in a deeper sense. The characters went through so much and really developed their relationship from friends and more.

BANE Sins of Saint Book 4 by L.J. Shen
The Sinners of Saint is such an excellent series and this installment is no exception to this world. Bane is so good! It is absolutely one of the best of L.J. Shen’s career. This is the story of Bane and Jesse. He is the bad boy prostitute for his rich cliental, a dealer, a surfer who loves to surf in the buff. Jesse is beautiful, broken, with a lot of traumas in her past. He gets the task from her step dad of bringng her out of her shell without getting too close to her.
Their story is heart wrenching, emotional, angst filled, addictive, intense, passionate, and one that is impossible to put down. This is 5 stars.

This wasn't bad at all, but I don't think it was for me. I found it to be a little boring and predictable, but I'm sure there are others out there who will love it.

Thank you so much to the team at Bloom and NetGalley for the final installment in the Sinners of Saint series! I have enjoyed every book in this series and really love finally being able to read all the books that are connected to the All Saints High series. This is the fourth book in a series. The first being Vicious then Ruckus and Scandalous being third. You can also read the Defy novella at the end of Vicious. I think I loved Bane the most out of all in this series because he wasn’t as mean as the other MMCs. The FMC in this book was more fearless than the others in the series as well. LJ Shen did a great job in concluding this series!

Dual POV, Spicy, Mental Health Rep, Family Dynamics, Bad Boy x Rich Girl

I was a little hesitant given the way Jesse's father hires Bane to get Jesse out of her 'shell' after her sexual assault but this book was so damn good and the way LJ Shen handled her recover was so refreshing. This wasn't a case of Bane coming to the rescue and instantly 'fixing' everything the way her father wanted. The romance between Bane and Jesse builds slowly and is messy, real, and authentic with witty banter that will have you laughing out loud.

L.J. Shen’s books will always have a special place in my heart. When it comes to writing books, she can do no wrong.
This book was filled with lots of love and tragedy and it was written in such a beautiful way.

When tragedy takes away your will to live, there are a few things that will give it back. And that's where Bane comes in, lighting up light after light in a dark tunnel for a business deal. Jesse begins to feel again, but what will happen when the truth comes out? A story of tragedy, family drama, and, in the end, a love that conquers all. It was an interesting read, although I didn't find the actions of the two h/h very likable, or by my standards.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgalley

LJ shen killed it with this book.. no spoilers but this is going to be a top read and will have it as out book club of the month book!

I loved Bane. I didn't think I would because he was a new character brought in in the last book (he was Edie's ex) I'm worried this series might be over and that makes me kinda sad. But I did really enjoy this. I won't spoil it but it turns out this is more taboo than Defy. There's also TW for rape, sexual assault, child abandonment, mutilation.

This is my first LJ Shen book, but I know so many people who are obsessed that I knew I had to give it a shot. While this isn't a new book, it is a refresh and reprint. Honestly, this was a hard read for me. The trigger warnings are real. Please pay attention to them before you read. No shade to LJ Shen or her fans. This one just wasn't for me.

Will I be cancelled if I say I loved this one more than Vicious and Ruckus?! Ahaha, I don't know what's wrong with me but Bane is my fave HotHole even if he's not really part of the OG crew! This series continues to get more emotional with each book and the characters really resonated in this particular installment. I do think the writing and the romance felt a bit dated sometimes, which makes sense as this is a 7-year old re-release but I hope it's a sign to the author to relax on the pop culture references because it doesn't make for long-lasting storylines. The writing does seem a bit cliche from the author's previous books so I hope she lets go of the formulaic style she's locked into and tries to explore other genres and character archetypes that are more original and less boxy! But this book really hit me in my Russian lit-loving heart! *gonna go hide in a cave from Vicious now*

✨ Publication date: April 3, 2024✨

Bane is the 4th hook on the Sinners of Saint series by LJ Shen. This is a refresh and republish. Bane can be read standalone (I actually haven’t read any of the others) and is a dark spicy romance. Please read trigger warnings before diving into this book!

Bane is a habitual bad boy. Surfer, criminal mastermind, con, liar and thief. He doesn’t date but he often gets paid for sex and a lot of it so he doesn’t need a relationship. Bane is also a businessman so when an opportunity he can’t refuse lands in his lap, he introduces himself to Jesse Carter.

Jesse has sworn off all men. After being drugged and gang raped by a group of boys from school including her boyfriend, Jesse kept to herself. Especially when the boys parents wrangled some deal that allowed them to stay free and Jesse to be forced back to school to see them day after day.

For the last two years she’s been avoiding life until Bane happens to be the one to help her when her car has trouble. Then Bane is everywhere all at once and she can’t get rid of him and can’t get enough of him. Bane just might be the man to pull her back out into the world.

Bane and Jesse just might need what each other needs but what if Jesse finds out the real reason they met? Why Bane happened to be there when she needed him? Bane has given up his entire lifestyle for Jesse but is it enough to keep her?

I really enjoyed this book. I like this author and will definitely go back and read the other instalments of this series. This was a 4 star read for me!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #ljshen #bane

Bane by L.J. Shen is a rollercoaster of emotions, an arguably darker tale than the others in the Saints series that'll leave you breathless. The story delves into the complexities of love, loss, and redemption, wrapped in a that same upper crust society we know and don’t always love.

Roman "Bane" Protsenko is a man shrouded in mystery, a hardened criminal with a heart of gold buried beneath layers of scars. Jesse, a resilient survivor, finds herself drawn into his dangerous world, their connection as intense as it is forbidden.

L.J. Shen's writing is captivating, her characters relatable. The plot twists and turns, keeping you guessing until the very end. While the story is not for the faint of heart, it's a thrilling ride that explores the darker side of human nature. I found Jesse’s development as her own hero particularly compelling.

If you're looking for a passionate, heart-wrenching romance with a touch of darkness, Bane is a must-read.

Thank you NetGalley and xxx for the arc of Bane by LJ Shen.
4🌟

The last book of the Sinners of Saint and what an ending to the series! Jesse was such a strong powerhouse and I loved the way the story handled the difficult past of her. Bane was such an amazing source of comfort and one of my favourite MMCs of the entire series.

This book has a bit of everything - a sexy, angsty, wild ride. Jesse and Bane are one of my favorite couples. Bane is a reformed bad boy who helps Jesse come out of her shell after a difficult past. Check the trigger warnings.

This story was something else. This story dealt with SA in such a heart wrenching, real way. The FMC in this story was utterly brilliant. I don’t have the right words to express this story right now... . Bane was such a smudge of a human in previous books but he is quite easily the man of the series.

Bane is a bad boy. He smokes and curses. He surfs when he’s not making trouble. He is going to make a name for himself. But will it be because he’s broken all the rules or because he’s made a success of himself? Jesse is a good girl from a good family. She survives a horrifying experience that changes the trajectory of her life. Now she might just want to take a walk on the wild side. Will she crash and burn because she can’t get past tragedy or will she rise above to become everything she can be?

This book is anther installment of life in Todos Santos. Some of the people have a lot of money and some of the people work for the wealthy. I found Bane to be mostly unlikeable. Of course, the author doesn’t really want readers to like him until the end because he is the broken bad boy. I really like that the author showed how hardened he is by life, the impact that Jesse had on him and how it is possible that Bane will be a success later in life. He gets a satisfying growth curve. Jesse gets a devastating story. She is protected and pampered by her family so when a terrible thing happens to her, she is transformed into something different. If you are sensitive to abuse stories, you might want to skip this one since the abuse Jesse suffers drives a huge portion of the story including Bane’s actions. Jesse doesn’t not become the same carefree girl but the author does give her back her joy. The author does not give Jesses back her joy in the obvious ways.

This is a contemporary romance that takes place in Todos Santos in California. If you have not read any of the other books that take place in Todos Santos, that’s okay but characters from the previous series do appear in this book and their actions might seem odd or misplaced if you haven’t read the other books. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.