Title: Sparrow
Author: L.J. Shen
Designation: Full-Length Standalone Novel, NO Cliffhanger
Reading Platform: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: #Romance #Mystery #Suspense #Thriller #CrimeDrama
My Rating: Five 'Now-That's-What-I'm-Talkin'-About' Stars*****
OMG! Now that's what I'm talking about! I'm just so excited about this book; I'm literally bouncing in my seat! This was my first experience with L.J. Shen and had no idea what to expect but I saw a great review from a friend on Goodreads and de...

Title: Sparrow
Author: L.J. Shen
Designation: Full-Length Standalone Novel, NO Cliffhanger
Reading Platform: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: #Romance #Mystery #Suspense #Thriller #CrimeDrama
My Rating: Five 'Now-That's-What-I'm-Talkin'-About' Stars*****
OMG! Now that's what I'm talking about! I'm just so excited about this book; I'm literally bouncing in my seat! This was my first experience with L.J. Shen and had no idea what to expect but I saw a great review from a friend on Goodreads and decided to give it whirl....and so glad I did! It was only 99 pennies for a full-length standalone novel which I thought was an excellent bargain and sounded exactly like my cup of tea. I purchased it on a Sunday evening just before bedtime with the intention of reading it later in the week. I decided to read the first few pages, you know, just to get a feel for the book. But folks, I could not put the darn thing down. A few minutes turned into an almost all night read-fest and this book was AMAZEBALLS...and totally unlike anything I've ever read! I LOVED it! It's very seldom an author can lead me on a merry chase without me being able to figure out who is who and what's gonna happen but Shen kept me on my toes and screaming "What the heck" through the entire book. It was magnificent. Sparrow is a realistic, thrilling, emotionally gripping and highly imaginative contemporary crime drama filled to the brim with mystery, suspense, danger, drama, violence, angst, sex and romance. It's exceptionally well-crafted and edited with a beautifully written clearly defined his and her first person narrative. The dialogue is smart, seductive, easy to follow, well executed and flows effortlessly. But without a doubt, my favorite component of this story is the cast of intriguing, well-developed, realistic and very engaging larger-than-life characters. They are magnificent. Have you ever read a book where you thought you had all the good guys and bad guys all figured out, only to discover you were completely wrong??? Well, prepare yourself because this is one of those books! I fell head over heels in love with the not-so-nice Troy Brennan aka The Fixer which is totally out of character for me because he's one very bad man. And Sparrow Raines is a breath of fresh air and completely delightful. Their sexual chemistry was off the charts sizzling hot. It's hard to talk about this book without giving spoilers so I will simply say, expect the unexpected!

Sparrow Raines could not believe the nightmare her life had become. In only a matter of hours, she had gone from being an aspiring chef to a prisoner in a gilded cage. For some ungodly and completely unknown reason, her father had literally given her to the worst criminal in Boston, Troy Brennan... and she was to become his bride. What? She didn't even really know the man but she knew his reputation and it wasn't pretty. He was feared by everyone in Boston...including her. She'd seen him a few times growing up because her father had worked for his father, deceased former mob boss Cillian Brennan. She didn't think Troy was actually in the mob but he was still the most dangerous and feared man in all of Boston. He was known as The Fixer, and he...well...he fixed things and I don't mean the plumbing. He fixed situations, as in got rid of people...um...problems. Yup, he's a dyed-in-the-wool, stone-cold killer and soon to be her new husband. What the heck? He doesn't even know her and it certainly couldn't be because he was enamored with her brain, body or beauty because she wasn't smart, didn't have a great body and certainly was not beautiful. He had simply come to her dad's house,made a deal with her father, collected her, taken her to his penthouse, literally imprisoned her and then promptly left. Now, only a few days later, she's in a church with hundreds of guests and about to be married to a complete stranger. None of it made any sense at all. Well, she may have to marry him but if he thought she was going to bow down to him, he better think again. She would never allow him to touch her. Good grief, she was twenty-two and still a virgin. She had no experience with men at all and he was at least ten years her senior. He was handsome, filthy rich, dangerous and feared by all...even law enforcement. He was also rude, crude, entitled and downright mean. She'd seen pictures of him all over the media with nothing but beautiful sophisticated women hanging on his arm. She wore ragged jeans, hoodies, and tennis shoes, so what the heck did he want with her? Hmm...I guess we'll see. No spoilers from me but I will say this... Smart, sassy, aspiring chef who refuses to be a victim-check! Handsome ruthless criminal with ulterior motives-check! Danger, drama, deceit, lies, manipulations and a plethora of unexpected plot twists that you'll never see coming-check! Heated attraction, fiery passion, steamy sex and not-so-sweet romance-check! Hang on to your hats, folks! This is one wild, wicked ride!

Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! Would I recommend it? You bet and I am but only for adults since it contains violence, profanity, and explicit sex. Will I read this author again? Abso-freakin-letely! Was I entertained? Totally and completely! If you're looking for dark, dangerous,thrilling, delicious, can't-put-down romance that will keep you glued to your ereader from the first page until the very last line with your heart fluttering wildly in your chest, then this is definitely the book for you! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read.

***Warning***
There are two scenes which may be considered by some readers as cheating.

I was torn between giving this 4 or 5 stars. I wish the app allowed for half-star ratings. I docked half a star for Sparrow because the overall structure was unoriginal and it was a tad repetitive at times. BUT ...

This was well-written and well-edited. The characters were interesting and the plot twists did have me guessing at times. I appreciated that, within the alternate universe of a romance novel, the characters’ actions were believable.

But the most important and unique aspect of...

I was torn between giving this 4 or 5 stars. I wish the app allowed for half-star ratings. I docked half a star for Sparrow because the overall structure was unoriginal and it was a tad repetitive at times. BUT ...

This was well-written and well-edited. The characters were interesting and the plot twists did have me guessing at times. I appreciated that, within the alternate universe of a romance novel, the characters’ actions were believable.

But the most important and unique aspect of this story was the way the author crafted Sparrow’s character. The author never betrays the character’s spirit of resilience and fortitude.

I get so super annoyed with the tired trope of the supposedly “feisty” heroine subjecting herself to one abuse after another at the hands of the bastard anti-hero because her body inexplicably can’t resist his touch. So sick of it to the point that I have given up on many books after the first few chapters. It kills any titillation or arousal I may have had. It’s boring because there are no stakes and I feel lied to. Rather than “feisty,” the heroine turns out to be an unreliable, flaky, spineless twit. I end up feeling duped by the author when they go in this direction, and they do it a lot because they can’t seem to think of a more creative lead-up to sex.

But LJ Shen subverts this trope by having Sparrow back up her thoughts and words with action. Sure, she may be seriously turned on by her alpha man even when he’s a jerk, but instead of just lying down like a horny doormat, she gets control of herself and acts like a grownup to get the upper hand. She takes very real action: avoiding and dismissing him, freezing him out, or using his desire for her to improve her situation and negotiate a positive outcome for herself. And she influences Troy by often taking the high road and showing compassion to others. The good-hearted, fierce and loyal woman that the author sets up stays true to her character and her principles. Yet she has moments of vulnerability and she makes mistakes or miscalculations so she feels real. She has layers and she has to learn to forgive. It kept me engaged, because I cared about Sparrow and wanted to know what she would do next.

And that’s also what made the chemistry between Sparrow and Troy so good. The sexual tension and the verbal sparring were believable and fun. And the sex scenes are so hot and well written. Take it from me - I’m picky and have high standards with regard to the hotness of an erotic novel.

Also her sexual inexperience was satisfyingly offset by her emotional maturity, wisdom and street smarts. (A small note: I appreciated the omission of any reference to the myth of the virginal “barrier.” I get so disappointed in authors who continue to perpetuate misinformation about girls’ and women’s anatomies.)

First I must say that I had to wait to write this review for about 8-10 hours. I wasn’t prepared going in for the emotional ride that this story offered. I’ve read my fair share of arranged marriage stories but this wasn’t like any I’ve read before.

The FMC is Sparrow. Her father is lower on the scale if people working for the crime family, but our MMC Troy Brennan forces her to marry him without reason. Sparrow is scared of this monster but refuses to be a meek individual and wants to be ...

First I must say that I had to wait to write this review for about 8-10 hours. I wasn’t prepared going in for the emotional ride that this story offered. I’ve read my fair share of arranged marriage stories but this wasn’t like any I’ve read before.

The FMC is Sparrow. Her father is lower on the scale if people working for the crime family, but our MMC Troy Brennan forces her to marry him without reason. Sparrow is scared of this monster but refuses to be a meek individual and wants to be freed and/or respected by Troy. He looks at her like a child because of their age gap and truly hates her because he has to marry her.
The MMC is Troy. He is a fixer. Has been for his father and after his father’s death he does it for the rich and powerful. He was forced into this marriage and knew about it since he was 18-19 years old. Sparrow was 10 years younger. Troy knew he had to marry Sparrow but he has a lot of secrets that will not on,y break this arrangement but break the girl who is trying to be strong against him and by his side.
Mistress and secrets have a way of being revealed and Sparrow can take a lot but how much can she stay strong for? This story is told with both POVs which give you an idea of what’s going on from their perspective and in their head. The steamy scenes are there, but they don’t overtake the story.
This story is a must read. It will break you apart and put you back together. I disliked Troy for probably 70% of the story. He was mean to be mean, cruel to be cruel. This author does an excellent job building the characters so you can not only visualize but actually have a like or dislike for them.
There used to be an epilogue which is always a bonus for me. A few triggers so check them out. Well done and a hard copy will be bought for my shelf.