Scandalous
by L.J. Shen
Series: Sinners of Saint #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance Standalone
Release Date: September 29th, 2017
by L.J. Shen
Series: Sinners of Saint #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance Standalone
Release Date: September 29th, 2017
Blurb:
They call him The Mute for a reason.
Hard, cold and calculated, he rarely speaks.
When he does, it’s with disdain.
When he does, his words aren’t meant for me.
When he does, my stomach flips and my world tilts on its axis.
He is thirty-three.
I am eighteen.
He’s a single dad and my father’s business partner.
I’m just a kid to him and his enemy’s daughter.
He’s emotionally unavailable.
And I am…feeling. Feeling things I shouldn’t feel for him.
Trent Rexroth is going to break my heart. The writing isn’t just on the wall, it’s inked on my soul.
And yet, I can’t stay away.
A scandal is the last thing my family needs. But a scandal is what we’re going to give them.
And oh, what a beautiful chaos it will be.
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Excerpt:
Trent’s gaze cut to mine and stopped when his grays met my blues. The fading noise of Vicious barking at people to move along, and my father finally letting go of my arm to move toward Jaime and Dean—probably trying to gain both allies and sympathy—died down.
“I don’t like you,” Rexroth whispered under his breath, his voice harsh.
“I never asked you to.” I shrugged.
“You won’t be working here.” His arm brushed my shoulder, but I didn’t think it was by accident. I let loose a sugary smile, scanning his face and torso for no other reason other than to taunt him. “Good, you’ll be doing me a favor. My father is the one forcing me to work here. He’s pissed I turned down five Ivy League colleges. Remind me, Mr. Rexroth—which top tier university did you attend for your degree?”
The low blow was supposed to retrieve some of my lost dignity, but bile burned my throat, shotgunned from my stomach. Trent Rexroth was known in Todos Santos as an exhilarating success story, rising from the gutters of San Diego. He went to a shitty state college that accepted even the illiterate, working as a janitor on campus after hours. Those were given facts he’d recited himself in an interview for Forbes.
Had I really just tried to make him feel less worthy because he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth? It made me sicker than wearing my mother’s designer garbs.
Trent smiled, leaning into my body, into my soul. His smirk was more frightening than any scowl, frown, or grimace I’d ever seen. It threatened to tear me apart and sew me back together however he pleased.
“Edie.” His lips were dangerously close to my ear. A delicious shiver moved down my spine. Something warm rolled inside of me, begging to unknot and flower into an orgasm. What was happening, and why the hell was it happening? “If you know what’s best for you, you will turn around and leave right now.”
I elevated my head to meet his gaze and showed him my version of a grin. I was born and raised in a world of intimidating rich men, and I’d be damned if I go down like my mother—addicted to xanax, Gucci, and a man who paraded her on his arm for a short, glorious decade before keeping her solely for public appearances.
“I think I’m going to go find my desk now. I’d wish you a good day, Mr. Rexroth, but I think that ship has sailed. You’re a miserable man. Oh, and one for the road.” I fished for a Nature Valley bar in my mother’s purse and plastered it to his hard, muscled chest. My heart slammed into my neck, fluttering like a caged bird.
I hurried after my father as he glided down the vast, golden-hued hallway, not daring to look back. Knowing I’d started a war and arrived unequipped. But I also knew something else that gave me a surfer’s rush—if I could slam the final nail in my employment coffin and make Rexroth vote against me, I’d be off the hook.
I had just the plan for it. All I had to do was act like a brat. Game on.
“I don’t like you,” Rexroth whispered under his breath, his voice harsh.
“I never asked you to.” I shrugged.
“You won’t be working here.” His arm brushed my shoulder, but I didn’t think it was by accident. I let loose a sugary smile, scanning his face and torso for no other reason other than to taunt him. “Good, you’ll be doing me a favor. My father is the one forcing me to work here. He’s pissed I turned down five Ivy League colleges. Remind me, Mr. Rexroth—which top tier university did you attend for your degree?”
The low blow was supposed to retrieve some of my lost dignity, but bile burned my throat, shotgunned from my stomach. Trent Rexroth was known in Todos Santos as an exhilarating success story, rising from the gutters of San Diego. He went to a shitty state college that accepted even the illiterate, working as a janitor on campus after hours. Those were given facts he’d recited himself in an interview for Forbes.
Had I really just tried to make him feel less worthy because he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth? It made me sicker than wearing my mother’s designer garbs.
Trent smiled, leaning into my body, into my soul. His smirk was more frightening than any scowl, frown, or grimace I’d ever seen. It threatened to tear me apart and sew me back together however he pleased.
“Edie.” His lips were dangerously close to my ear. A delicious shiver moved down my spine. Something warm rolled inside of me, begging to unknot and flower into an orgasm. What was happening, and why the hell was it happening? “If you know what’s best for you, you will turn around and leave right now.”
I elevated my head to meet his gaze and showed him my version of a grin. I was born and raised in a world of intimidating rich men, and I’d be damned if I go down like my mother—addicted to xanax, Gucci, and a man who paraded her on his arm for a short, glorious decade before keeping her solely for public appearances.
“I think I’m going to go find my desk now. I’d wish you a good day, Mr. Rexroth, but I think that ship has sailed. You’re a miserable man. Oh, and one for the road.” I fished for a Nature Valley bar in my mother’s purse and plastered it to his hard, muscled chest. My heart slammed into my neck, fluttering like a caged bird.
I hurried after my father as he glided down the vast, golden-hued hallway, not daring to look back. Knowing I’d started a war and arrived unequipped. But I also knew something else that gave me a surfer’s rush—if I could slam the final nail in my employment coffin and make Rexroth vote against me, I’d be off the hook.
I had just the plan for it. All I had to do was act like a brat. Game on.
ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE SINNERS OF SAINT SERIES:
Vicious
by LJ Shen
Series: Sinners of Saint #1
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Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2xdCsQ6
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2jzngb4
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2xdCsQ6
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2jzngb4
Free in Kindle Unlimited
About the author:
L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.
Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.
She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram / Newsletter / Website:
L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.
Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.
She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram / Newsletter / Website:
My review:
I might be in the minority with my dislike of
this book, although it’s probably too strong a word for my feelings
since the book had a lot of potential, but especially Edie’s character
ruined it for me. The story per se was good and kept my interest until
the end.
I don’t know why I didn’t pay more attention
to the blurb. Maybe because I liked the author’s previous book so much
that I was really excited for this one and skipped the part about him
being thirty-three and her being just 18 years old.
Would I have
known of her childlike behavior I’m sure I wouldn’t have picked up this
book. The story might not have been that bad but the h just made
everything so much worse. Also Trent’s treating her like a child didn’t
help much in warming up to the characters.
It wasn’t
all bad though because I loved the moments when I could see Trent trying
really hard to be a good parent and caring so much for his girl that
he'd give up everything and do anything for her in a heartbeat.
'My daughter was beautiful and the world was ugly and I didn't know how to help her. And it killed me like cancer. Slowly. Surely. Savagely.'
Reading
about his emotional struggles and also his plot against Jordan was what
I liked. He was a complex character and I did like him at times but I
wondered what he wanted from Edie Van Der Zee when he thought of her as a
child, because he already had one and didn’t need one as a girlfriend
as well. So what was so special about her?
'She was young. So, goddamn young. And even if I didn't care about the age – which I did, her body was straddling the rope between ripe and juvenile.'
The Story:
Just
because Jordan Van Der Zee has too much money to count doesn’t mean
Edie has too. Having no other chance she starts working at her dad’s
company, even though she’d rather spend her time surfing.
When she
thought that this alone is a pain in the ass, she has another thing
coming because Trent Rexroth and the hidden agenda of her dad will have
her right in the middle of a war between her father and the man she
can’t seem to stay away from.
It’s time for Edie to choose between love and love -> because there’s a difference when you look closely.
'He was pungently masculine and intimidating in his looks, but that was not what made me recognize him immediately. It was what rolled off of him in dangerous quantities, the menace and ruggedness. He was a dark knight made of coarse material. Cruel in his silence and punishing in his confidence. I'd only met him once, at a barbecue at Dean Cole's house a few weeks ago, and we hadn't spoken a word to each other.
He hadn't spoken a word to anyone.
Trent Rexroth.'
Thoughts:
I
wished for the h to be more mature, 21 years would probably have helped
and would have made a huge difference to the story I believe. She was a
total brat and I’m just not into those daddy stories because this
really felt like one at times.
'I wanted what was forbidden, and wrong, and fucking crazy. I wanted my partner's daughter, who was nearly half my age.'
After
half way through the book I was getting more and more into the story.
But I still didn’t get their attraction toward one another. Ok, I did
understand Edie’s attraction to him because who wouldn’t be drooling all
over this guy. Trent on the other hand I didn’t get, because what was
so attractive about Edie? She was an adolescent brat that served her
father for ruining Trent. So what was so appealing that he didn’t care
about all of that? She didn’t like money (although she needed it badly)
and she cared for Luna. But that was it with the commonalities. He
didn’t even like her most of the time because of her childlike behavior
and I really didn’t understand where the sexual desire came from.
And
the ending?! Ugh. Normally I'd be all for that but in this case I'd
rather have her grow up first. Their big age difference was something I
couldn't overlook especially with her behavior and I was bothered by all
the problems they'd faced and didn't sort through but had just swept
under the rug.
What shocked me most was Edie’s father.
Jordan seemed like the worst father ever but after a while it turned out
he was not just the worst, he was evil. I wondered why he didn’t send
Edie to boarding school to be rid of her while he could when she was
still underage.
There was one thing in the story that
held most of my attention. It was all the secrecy about Theo. I was
wildly guessing what’s going on and this was one of the main reasons
(apart from Luna and Edie’s thing going on with Trent) that kept me
reading and glued to the pages.
“If you want to be strong, be.”
Recommendation:
If
you don’t mind or even like young girls and older men, then go for it.
This will be your read because the story was really good. I just wasn’t
into the age difference and the adolescent behavior.
'”Seahorses are Luna's favorite animal because the male seahorse is the only animal in nature to carry the baby and not the mother. The male seahorse is the one to incubate the offspring. To fall pregnant. To nest.”'
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
View review on goodreads
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