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Brooklyn Sinners #1
Love the Sinner
Detective Gabriel Ashby has never looked twice at another man, yet the criminal across from him, the man he's interrogating, isn't like any other. Gabe can't deal with the sudden, intense need he has for one of NYPD's Most Wanted. Everyone close to Angelo Pagan ends up dead, with the smug gang leader standing amid the rubble. Gabe would love nothing more than to bust Angelo's ass and lock him up. So why is he seeing the bastard in his dreams at night? Angelo Pagan knows attraction to Gabe is suicide. He's resolute to ignore the chemistry...until a police raid goes wrong. He critically injures Gabe, changing the trajectory of both their lives. Now the two can't get close enough. They settle into a forbidden affair threatened by lies and betrayal, living on different sides of the law with no way of breaching the gap between them. With the authorities looking to make an example of Angelo, Gabe has to decide if it's really worth it to hate the sin but love the sinner. Reader Advisory: This book contains brief scenes of gang-related violence.
264 pages, Paperback
First published May 9, 2012
226 people are currently reading
3159 people want to read
About the author
Avril Ashton
77 books1,662 followersA Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Stone Mountain, GA., with a tolerant Spousal Equivalent. Together they raise an eccentric daughter who loves reading and school (not so much school anymore). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing plot points of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother
Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.
Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 454 reviews
July 9, 2021
⭐️ 2.4 “why keep your brain cells when you can read this book” stars ⭐️
So this happened. And I read it, HATED it for the first sixty percent or so… and then was sort of entertained by the sheer ridiculousness? This could very well be me deluding myself, but hey, stranger things have happened.
The lack of intelligent life forms I encountered, however…
Yet it was so horrendous it became laughable, so there’s that!
********************************
Full disclosure: I decided to start my way from the very bottom of Avril Ashton’s interconnected universe… for the sole purpose of getting to Call the Coroner.
Yet as my buddy reader for this, Florence, repeatedly said: If that book doesn’t end up being an instant favorite, Avril Ashton will be getting some strongly worded emails from the both of us. Because believe me, despite my “lax” 2.4-star rating, the first 60 percent of this tale?
‘Twas the stuff of nightmares.
There were some positives (aka ridiculously entertaining) aspects I salvaged from my experience, but instead of starting by listing them, I’ll reserve that spot for the horrible experience that was thetraumatizing first half of this book.
Now brace yourself and gather ‘round for…
— The Horrendous and Completely Gratuitous Spanish (and the issues with fetishizing a language)
As a native Hispanic speaker myself, I couldn’t help but cringe. Truthfully, the Spanish included here was the toe-curling, nose-scrunching, closing-my-eyes-and-oh-god-make-it-stop kind of cringe. It’s, as with a lot of other unfortunate cases, the underwhelming outcome of somebody not fluent in a language trying to forcefully insert it.
Think gratuitous uses of “Sí” every few dialogues, translated Spanish phrases that flowed terribly (I’m half convinced Avril Ashton used Bing Translate, since Google couldn’t have failed her this much), and words applied as synonyms that made zero sense in the context of the story.
For example, Angelo kept calling Gabe, the other MC, “amante” and “amado” as if they were interchangeable and had the same significance, when in reality amado means beloved and amante is widely used to signify side chick/side dude.
So...
Quite the stark difference indeed.
But following through on the ridiculousness that was the gratuitous(ly bad) Spanglish, let’s continue focusing on the man himself…
— Angelo Pagan, The Worst Gang Leader In The History of Gang Leaders.
For perspective, if Angelo actually had the job he was assigned in the story, Florence and I concluded that he would’ve died within the first week. In case you were wondering the extent of his ineptitude, which far extended past his “professional life” by the way, a brief breakdown of it below:
⤇ He flirted and prepositioned a cop while getting interrogated in a police precinct… on the very first page of the book.
⤇ Used the female “hangarounds” that frequented the gang’s headquarters for sexual favors… despite identifying as a gay man? I couldn’t help but wonder, wouldn’t it be easier to jerk off instead of getting a blowjob from someone you aren’t attracted to?
But again, keeping in mind how this book was narrated and the crazy subsequent developments, he could’ve easily revealed he had a hook for a hand that justified his actions and I wouldn’t have blinked twice.
How I choose to picture Angelo in my head. Instant improvement of my reading experience, lemme tell you.
⤇ An unimportant point perhaps but… he kept calling his mother Mami. Let’s take a moment to let that sink in. A grown-ass man who calls his mother Mami. As in Mommy. Now, I’m not saying he gave off Norman Bates levels of creepiness necessarily, but I would also not risk taking any showers in his vicinity.
That is all.
⤇ Later on decided to MURDER a fellow gang member out in the open, touching him and his surroundings with bare hands and surely leaving enough DNA evidence for law enforcement to clone his ass and arrest him twice over.
Although this was not even the best part, because his murder weapons of choice?
Now those boots must’ve been incredibly spacious, as in humongous, as in…
Which was perfect because he kept acting like a damn fool so might as well wear the uniform.
⤇ Later on, he is frankly baffled when Gabe learns of the murder he committed, despite having full knowledge his boyfriend's precinct was the one tasked with investigating said crime.
And again, we’re supposed to believe Angelo is an experienced gangster who has somehow evaded both the law and the sharp end of a knife?
By now, I was already wondering how Los Pescadores, which Angelo was the useless leader of, hadn’t already become the defunct Blockbuster of street gangs.
⤇ While describing in length how he is a terrible guy, lamenting that he belongs to a gang and is a murderer and etc etc etc (Sorry, I kept checking out at this part), he also adds that he will never sell drugs because “he isn’t willing to go that far.”
This implies that dealing drugs is worse than distributing military-grade guns, which Angelo does regularly, AND the repeated murders perpetrated by both him and the rest of his criminal squad.
Won't even try and explain why the logic continues to shine in its absence.
⤇ Lastly, as the final cherry of idiocy on top of this mess of a cake, Angelo was so useless that when he chose to quit his “illegal lifestyle” in order to be with Gabe (who also abandoned the police force because why not), his solution was giving himself over to law enforcement, pleading guilty to some bogus crime, and facing two years in prison. Yet after that, he still faked his death and created a whole ass new identity to escape scrutiny.
So my question: why not fake your death before and, I don’t know, avoid wasting years of your life behind bars?!
@ Angelo, this one's for you:
He might have not dealt any drugs himself, but he sure as hell had to be consuming them.
Finally, moving on…
— Period Accurate 2012 Misogyny.
Sexism in early 2010’s MM romance? It’s more likely than you think. As in rampant, really.
Outside of Angelo's mother (sorry, "Mami"), all the other women present here were referred to as —and I'm quoting the book here— goldigging bitches, whores, and my personal favorite, throwaway pussy. All of whom, of course, were there to lust after our protagonists and do everything in their power to gain their attention.
Meanwhile, all I gotta say about this…
But oops, call that my hot take of the day I guess.
And now, onto our last but still incredibly eye-rolling point...
— New Levels of Insta-ness Were Uncovered.
Actual relationship development? That bitch was kidnapped and held at gunpoint. The search is still ongoing, but the likelihood of success nonexistent.
These two, you see, met each other once, exchanged barely three sentences, and were subsequently consumed by that single 0.2-second encounter for the next SIX MONTHS. Only for then, as soon as they met again… proceed to jump immediately into fucking, professing their adoration the next day, meeting the parents in two, even talking about being soulmates, "the most important person in each other’s lives" and more.
All of this in the span of a week and about… sixty pages give or take.
The summary of the so-called romantic progression.
Now moving onto the (briefest) of highlights, because y’all can’t accuse me of being negativity personified.That’s a weekend-only activity, after all.
— MCs that felt equal.
And by that, I mean equally dumb. But you had to admire their commitment to the cause, tenacity, and gumption to uphold it. It takes a special kind of character to continue lowering the bar of intelligent human behavior, yet Gabe and Angelo were the ones to look beyond the common TSTL affliction, and dive headfirst into TSTEB (Too Stupid To Even Breathe, in case anyone was wondering).
But regardless, you know what they say about couples that [display the brain patterns of a sponge] together… They stay together 😌🤚
Indeed, no couple therapy could achieve this level ofdysfunctionality
And at last…
— The Unrealistic But Still Hot Smut.
Suspension of disbelief is the name of the game. And a palpable aversion to lube and prepping is Avril Ashton’s preferred manner to challenge it. From sticking three dry fingers in a virgin ass, to the old "spit as lube", and crowned by men in their thirties with the refractory period of a hormonal teen.
The methods were questionable, that’s true. Nonetheless, if you can ignore that (and this is porn we’re talking about, so let's)... the result was still sorta hot.
As a final conclusion…
And that, folks, is the true reason why this got rated two stars instead of one.
********************************
Now, will I continue with this series? Yes, because I’m a masochist and Florence and I might or might not have already finished book two, which I’ll be reviewing in the upcoming days while I try and recuperate the brain cells Love the Sinner cost me.
Yet, I also have to admit, this was still kind of entertaining at times. Plus there’s the fact that the last stretch was legitimately fun to read too (even if a lot of that was due to the sheer OTT-ness). So, all in all, if unwittingly hilarious is your brand of enjoyment, believe me when I tell you this will deliver in spades.
Otherwise…
'Cause you'll need it.
********************************
Brooklyn Sinners series by Avril Ashton (Full reading order of her Interconnected literary universe here)
Love The Sinner— 2.4 ⭐
Sinner, Savior— RTC.
A Sinner Born— TBR.
Sinner’s Fall— TBR.
So this happened. And I read it, HATED it for the first sixty percent or so… and then was sort of entertained by the sheer ridiculousness? This could very well be me deluding myself, but hey, stranger things have happened.
The lack of intelligent life forms I encountered, however…
Yet it was so horrendous it became laughable, so there’s that!
********************************
Full disclosure: I decided to start my way from the very bottom of Avril Ashton’s interconnected universe… for the sole purpose of getting to Call the Coroner.
Yet as my buddy reader for this, Florence, repeatedly said: If that book doesn’t end up being an instant favorite, Avril Ashton will be getting some strongly worded emails from the both of us. Because believe me, despite my “lax” 2.4-star rating, the first 60 percent of this tale?
‘Twas the stuff of nightmares.
There were some positives (aka ridiculously entertaining) aspects I salvaged from my experience, but instead of starting by listing them, I’ll reserve that spot for the horrible experience that was the
Now brace yourself and gather ‘round for…
— The Horrendous and Completely Gratuitous Spanish (and the issues with fetishizing a language)
As a native Hispanic speaker myself, I couldn’t help but cringe. Truthfully, the Spanish included here was the toe-curling, nose-scrunching, closing-my-eyes-and-oh-god-make-it-stop kind of cringe. It’s, as with a lot of other unfortunate cases, the underwhelming outcome of somebody not fluent in a language trying to forcefully insert it.
Think gratuitous uses of “Sí” every few dialogues, translated Spanish phrases that flowed terribly (I’m half convinced Avril Ashton used Bing Translate, since Google couldn’t have failed her this much), and words applied as synonyms that made zero sense in the context of the story.
For example, Angelo kept calling Gabe, the other MC, “amante” and “amado” as if they were interchangeable and had the same significance, when in reality amado means beloved and amante is widely used to signify side chick/side dude.
So...
Quite the stark difference indeed.
But following through on the ridiculousness that was the gratuitous(ly bad) Spanglish, let’s continue focusing on the man himself…
— Angelo Pagan, The Worst Gang Leader In The History of Gang Leaders.
For perspective, if Angelo actually had the job he was assigned in the story, Florence and I concluded that he would’ve died within the first week. In case you were wondering the extent of his ineptitude, which far extended past his “professional life” by the way, a brief breakdown of it below:
⤇ He flirted and prepositioned a cop while getting interrogated in a police precinct… on the very first page of the book.
⤇ Used the female “hangarounds” that frequented the gang’s headquarters for sexual favors… despite identifying as a gay man? I couldn’t help but wonder, wouldn’t it be easier to jerk off instead of getting a blowjob from someone you aren’t attracted to?
But again, keeping in mind how this book was narrated and the crazy subsequent developments, he could’ve easily revealed he had a hook for a hand that justified his actions and I wouldn’t have blinked twice.
How I choose to picture Angelo in my head. Instant improvement of my reading experience, lemme tell you.
⤇ An unimportant point perhaps but… he kept calling his mother Mami. Let’s take a moment to let that sink in. A grown-ass man who calls his mother Mami. As in Mommy. Now, I’m not saying he gave off Norman Bates levels of creepiness necessarily, but I would also not risk taking any showers in his vicinity.
That is all.
⤇ Later on decided to MURDER a fellow gang member out in the open, touching him and his surroundings with bare hands and surely leaving enough DNA evidence for law enforcement to clone his ass and arrest him twice over.
Although this was not even the best part, because his murder weapons of choice?
“Bending at the waist, Angelo pulled a knife and garrote wire from his boots.”
Now those boots must’ve been incredibly spacious, as in humongous, as in…
Which was perfect because he kept acting like a damn fool so might as well wear the uniform.
⤇ Later on, he is frankly baffled when Gabe learns of the murder he committed, despite having full knowledge his boyfriend's precinct was the one tasked with investigating said crime.
And again, we’re supposed to believe Angelo is an experienced gangster who has somehow evaded both the law and the sharp end of a knife?
By now, I was already wondering how Los Pescadores, which Angelo was the useless leader of, hadn’t already become the defunct Blockbuster of street gangs.
⤇ While describing in length how he is a terrible guy, lamenting that he belongs to a gang and is a murderer and etc etc etc (Sorry, I kept checking out at this part), he also adds that he will never sell drugs because “he isn’t willing to go that far.”
This implies that dealing drugs is worse than distributing military-grade guns, which Angelo does regularly, AND the repeated murders perpetrated by both him and the rest of his criminal squad.
Won't even try and explain why the logic continues to shine in its absence.
⤇ Lastly, as the final cherry of idiocy on top of this mess of a cake, Angelo was so useless that when he chose to quit his “illegal lifestyle” in order to be with Gabe (who also abandoned the police force because why not), his solution was giving himself over to law enforcement, pleading guilty to some bogus crime, and facing two years in prison. Yet after that, he still faked his death and created a whole ass new identity to escape scrutiny.
So my question: why not fake your death before and, I don’t know, avoid wasting years of your life behind bars?!
@ Angelo, this one's for you:
He might have not dealt any drugs himself, but he sure as hell had to be consuming them.
Finally, moving on…
— Period Accurate 2012 Misogyny.
Sexism in early 2010’s MM romance? It’s more likely than you think. As in rampant, really.
Outside of Angelo's mother (sorry, "Mami"), all the other women present here were referred to as —and I'm quoting the book here— goldigging bitches, whores, and my personal favorite, throwaway pussy. All of whom, of course, were there to lust after our protagonists and do everything in their power to gain their attention.
Meanwhile, all I gotta say about this…
But oops, call that my hot take of the day I guess.
And now, onto our last but still incredibly eye-rolling point...
— New Levels of Insta-ness Were Uncovered.
Actual relationship development? That bitch was kidnapped and held at gunpoint. The search is still ongoing, but the likelihood of success nonexistent.
These two, you see, met each other once, exchanged barely three sentences, and were subsequently consumed by that single 0.2-second encounter for the next SIX MONTHS. Only for then, as soon as they met again… proceed to jump immediately into fucking, professing their adoration the next day, meeting the parents in two, even talking about being soulmates, "the most important person in each other’s lives" and more.
All of this in the span of a week and about… sixty pages give or take.
The summary of the so-called romantic progression.
Now moving onto the (briefest) of highlights, because y’all can’t accuse me of being negativity personified.
— MCs that felt equal.
And by that, I mean equally dumb. But you had to admire their commitment to the cause, tenacity, and gumption to uphold it. It takes a special kind of character to continue lowering the bar of intelligent human behavior, yet Gabe and Angelo were the ones to look beyond the common TSTL affliction, and dive headfirst into TSTEB (Too Stupid To Even Breathe, in case anyone was wondering).
But regardless, you know what they say about couples that [display the brain patterns of a sponge] together… They stay together 😌🤚
Indeed, no couple therapy could achieve this level of
And at last…
— The Unrealistic But Still Hot Smut.
Suspension of disbelief is the name of the game. And a palpable aversion to lube and prepping is Avril Ashton’s preferred manner to challenge it. From sticking three dry fingers in a virgin ass, to the old "spit as lube", and crowned by men in their thirties with the refractory period of a hormonal teen.
The methods were questionable, that’s true. Nonetheless, if you can ignore that (and this is porn we’re talking about, so let's)... the result was still sorta hot.
As a final conclusion…
And that, folks, is the true reason why this got rated two stars instead of one.
********************************
Now, will I continue with this series? Yes, because I’m a masochist and Florence and I might or might not have already finished book two, which I’ll be reviewing in the upcoming days while I try and recuperate the brain cells Love the Sinner cost me.
Yet, I also have to admit, this was still kind of entertaining at times. Plus there’s the fact that the last stretch was legitimately fun to read too (even if a lot of that was due to the sheer OTT-ness). So, all in all, if unwittingly hilarious is your brand of enjoyment, believe me when I tell you this will deliver in spades.
Otherwise…
'Cause you'll need it.
********************************
Brooklyn Sinners series by Avril Ashton (Full reading order of her Interconnected literary universe here)
Love The Sinner— 2.4 ⭐
Sinner, Savior— RTC.
A Sinner Born— TBR.
Sinner’s Fall— TBR.
February 23, 2020
2nd read: Loved it, even more than for the first time. 5 stars now, and highly recommended! 
I love when some external reason makes the relationship difficult. Gabe being a detective at NYPD, and Angelo being a criminal, precisely the head of Los Pescadores, one of Brooklyn’s most notorious gangs, are definitely dealing with this kind of problem. They are perfect together, their chemistry is sizzling hot, and uncontrollable.
Gabe is an open-minded person: he feels natural being attracted to a man, and refuses to freak out.
I loved the way Gabe dominated over Angelo, the feared gang leader, in bed, taking control of him, and how Angelo enjoyed that. It was perfection. The erotic scenes are breathtaking and inspirational.
Angelo is amazingly self-giving and I appreciated that he tried to be honest. But it simply was not in his nature to be completely open about his ‘occupation’. He needed time for that, and it was nicely done. His character is well-developed, and every aspect of it, even the ugliest, is presented without glamour.
There is a perfect amount of drama, suspense, and violence in the plot for an erotic romance.
The secondary characters are intriguingly done too.
All in all
The story is sometimes unrealistic, here and there sugary sweet, but still enjoyable, with great characterization, well-built plot, and decent romance. The main appeal of the story is the steamy and intense erotica.
My favorite quotes.
“I need you alive. I need you breathing.” He took in a breath then let it out in a rush. “I need you.”
I love when some external reason makes the relationship difficult. Gabe being a detective at NYPD, and Angelo being a criminal, precisely the head of Los Pescadores, one of Brooklyn’s most notorious gangs, are definitely dealing with this kind of problem. They are perfect together, their chemistry is sizzling hot, and uncontrollable.
He stroked his tongue over Pagan’s teeth and tongue, searching deep, needing more of that taste. That indescribable taste of Angelo Pagan he was quickly getting drunk on.
“Oh my God.” Gabe didn’t recognize the words falling from his lips. They sounded wrecked, ravaged. Like his insides. Staring at Pagan’s lips, red and glistening from his kisses, he couldn’t catch his breath.
Rough fingers palmed his throat. “Can you forget that, amante?” Soft kisses brushed his forehead, nose and eyes. “I can’t. I dare you to try.”
Gabe is an open-minded person: he feels natural being attracted to a man, and refuses to freak out.
“Sometimes it scares me how natural this is,” Gabe whispered. “How I don’t question the way I feel about you. I don’t think anyone else can make me feel like I’m fucking melting every time I look into their eyes. But you do.” He grabbed a fistful of Angelo’s hair and yanked his head back. “Every single time, you do.”
I loved the way Gabe dominated over Angelo, the feared gang leader, in bed, taking control of him, and how Angelo enjoyed that. It was perfection. The erotic scenes are breathtaking and inspirational.
Angelo is amazingly self-giving and I appreciated that he tried to be honest. But it simply was not in his nature to be completely open about his ‘occupation’. He needed time for that, and it was nicely done. His character is well-developed, and every aspect of it, even the ugliest, is presented without glamour.
Angelo Pagan leaned against the archway leading into his living room, arms crossed, relaxed sensuality oozing from his every pore. Clad in head-to-toe black, the man looked like the sexiest freaking burglar ever.
There is a perfect amount of drama, suspense, and violence in the plot for an erotic romance.
The secondary characters are intriguingly done too.
All in all
The story is sometimes unrealistic, here and there sugary sweet, but still enjoyable, with great characterization, well-built plot, and decent romance. The main appeal of the story is the steamy and intense erotica.
My favorite quotes.
July 13, 2013
Gimme an H! Gimme an A! Gimme a W! Gimme a T! What does that spell??? Well, it doesn't really spell anything but you get the point when I say that...
This book is on FIYAH!!!!!!!!
My eyeballs have scorch marks on them and my eyebrows have been singed completely off.
And the sound effects! All the "hmms" and "unghs" and the "fuck, fucks!" And Gabe's dirty talk.
Oh.
Em.
Gee.
I wish I could hear them out loud... WAIT!!!!! HOLD THE PHONE!!!! Does this book come in audio book format? Is there an audio book??? Please, for the love of GOD, please tell me there is!
Avril Ashton has now been declared the master of sex scenes.
This book is on FIYAH!!!!!!!!
My eyeballs have scorch marks on them and my eyebrows have been singed completely off.
And the sound effects! All the "hmms" and "unghs" and the "fuck, fucks!" And Gabe's dirty talk.
Oh.
Em.
Gee.
I wish I could hear them out loud... WAIT!!!!! HOLD THE PHONE!!!! Does this book come in audio book format? Is there an audio book??? Please, for the love of GOD, please tell me there is!
Avril Ashton has now been declared the master of sex scenes.
July 23, 2017
3.5-3.75 Stars
To be honest, it was a 3 stars for me if it wasn’t for those last chapters! I loved them and they higher up my rating. This story was about two guys; one a cop and the other a gang leader. They met each other in an interrogation room and fell in love instantly. I think their insta-love (or I should say insta-lust) wasn’t my thing. It was a forbidden love; one cop, one gang leader! For God’s sake! I expected some angst, or something like cat and mouse/hide and seek game! But nope! They were so lovey-dovey, so cozy that I wanted to punch them in the head! But I say again that last 40% was amazing! Another thing that I liked was about the characters. Pagan was a gang leader, out of the house he was a little scary, powerful and all the time he was in charge but in the house with Gabe, he lets Gabe takes charge and taking decisions! I loved this about his character!
The story is told in dual POV, 3rd person. It’s the first installment in the "Brooklyn Sinners" series but it can be read as a stand-alone novel and I’d like thank to my dear friend, Karla for telling me about this series! Thanks, darling! I’ll definitely continue reading this series. Over all, it was an enjoyable read for me, hope you like it as well!
To be honest, it was a 3 stars for me if it wasn’t for those last chapters! I loved them and they higher up my rating. This story was about two guys; one a cop and the other a gang leader. They met each other in an interrogation room and fell in love instantly. I think their insta-love (or I should say insta-lust) wasn’t my thing. It was a forbidden love; one cop, one gang leader! For God’s sake! I expected some angst, or something like cat and mouse/hide and seek game! But nope! They were so lovey-dovey, so cozy that I wanted to punch them in the head! But I say again that last 40% was amazing! Another thing that I liked was about the characters. Pagan was a gang leader, out of the house he was a little scary, powerful and all the time he was in charge but in the house with Gabe, he lets Gabe takes charge and taking decisions! I loved this about his character!
The story is told in dual POV, 3rd person. It’s the first installment in the "Brooklyn Sinners" series but it can be read as a stand-alone novel and I’d like thank to my dear friend, Karla for telling me about this series! Thanks, darling! I’ll definitely continue reading this series. Over all, it was an enjoyable read for me, hope you like it as well!
July 4, 2021
0 stars for the first 60% of this book and 5 stars for the last 40%, which evens out to 3 stars rounded up
This was a buddy read with Candy. Candy and I really want to read Call the Coroner and we know it is better if we read all the Avril Ashton books in order, so we had the brilliant idea to do just that (we definitely do not regret it or anything). I was ready for this book to not be very good and unpolished, but I did not expect to hate it as much as I did, well for the first 60% of it anyway.
I honestly do not have any idea what happened. Up until 67% I was hating this book so much it was giving me nightmares and then the end of chapter 10 happened, and I fell in love with the book. I enjoyed the last part of this book, so much.
Candy and I went through so many emotions while reading this. This was such a ride. We started kind of hopeful, thinking it couldn’t be THAT bad, then we were shocked at how bad it was and we hated everything about the book, then we miraculously got invested in the book and couldn’t put it down and then we fell deeply in love with the book.
Brief summary
Gabriel is 35 and he is a detective. Angelo is 32 and he’s a gang leader. They meet because Gabriel is interrogating Angelo because they are trying to find who killed Angelo’s sister. They started lusting after the other and then get together and have an insane amount of sex and fall in love.
Since my feelings about this book changed so much through the book, I will do my review in different chapters and my feelings during those chapters.
Chapter 1 to 10
When it comes to the insta love
I’m not even sure if we can call this book insta love, it’s even faster than insta love. At the end of chapter 2 after one interrogation, one bullet in the arm of Gabriel, shot by Angelo, one kiss, and one blowjob during which Gabriel, a straight man who’s an anal virgin, got fingered by tree fingers, without any lube, these people were already planning a life together. All this totaled out to about 2 hours spent together. Oh and after that, they called on the phone once, for about 5 minutes, and they were in love.
When it comes to how realistic the cop and gang aspect of the book were
This book felt like a comedy of a cop and a gang leader because there is no way everyone would act this way in real life, if they did, they would have died from their own stupidity 20 years ago. They were bad at their job. Angelo was an awful gang leader, who’s actions didn’t make any sense and he was way too soft for the job. And Gabriel was such a bad cop, I don’t think he did his job properly once in the entire book. It’s truly shocking they’re still alive and didn’t get killed in their line of work yet.
When it comes to the gang aspect of the book
None of the descriptions of the gang Angelo led made sense or were realistic. At one point he killed someone and touched him before killing him, without gloves on. How is this supposed to make any sense? Why do you want to be caught? Also, why are you doing your own killing, you are the gang’s leader, can’t you find a hitman? No gang leader would ever act this way unless they want to end up in prison for life.
When it comes to the relationship between the main characters
Angelo is a gang leader and Gabriel is a cop. They hadn’t even spent an entire day together yet and Gabriel was pissed out that Angelo was keeping really private things from him. But like Gabriel is a cop and could have put Angelo in jail if he knew those things, so it made sense for Angelo to not want to tell him. How are you meant to trust someone after so little time? You are not, no one trusts that fast. Especially not in this situation.
Gabriel and Angelo have no chemistry. It was painful reading about them talking to each other and being with each other because they just painfully did not fit together. These people were unable to have a conversation. They always went from super serious conversation to sex. One time Angelo was saying how he was raped as a teen and two seconds after, without ending the conversation, they were having sex. I had so much whiplash. If only the sex scenes were good, but they were awful, so it was not even interesting to read about. Also, the dirty talk was worst than bad porn from the 60s.
Also, Angelo and Gabriel were always mad at each other for no reason, they were always rude to each other, they never had a regular conversation, which always turned into rage.
When it comes to the plot of the book
This book was so confusing that even if Candy and I talked about the plot, I am not sure I understood anything that was happening. Everything about this book is ridiculous. None of it makes any sense or was enjoyable to read about, up to this point.
When it comes to the vibe of the book
There was so much casual misogyny in this. The only women who were the main character's sister and mother were shown as only being useful for sex or catty exes. Angelo was a gay man who got blowjobs from women and said how he had to imagine Gabe so he could get off. Couldn’t he… I don’t know… jerk off? The book doesn’t mention that he is missing his hands, so it would have been easier for him to jerk off. Instead of using women, for no reason at all.
Also, this book had a really strange homophobic vibe to it. There were so many stereotypes, in everything they did. I do not really know how to explain it, but it was there in everything the characters did.
Also, there were Spanish words randomly used everywhere because Angelo also speaks Spanish. No one just says one random Spanish word in the middle of a sentence, it made no sense to do it this way.
Chapter 11 to the epilogue
I have no clue what happened here but it took me about 5 minutes to fall in love with Gabriel and Angelo, so much. Everything in this part worked for me. There were finally real feelings and emotions. I could finally feel how much Angelo and Gabriel love each other. The story started making sense, for once. The sex got really damn good. Every just did a 180 and turned a story I hated into a story I love.
When it comes to the story
Everything started making sense here. It wasn’t about their jobs anymore, it mostly was just about Angelo and Gabriel and their feelings about each other, which I preferred way more.
When it comes to the main characters and their connection
I started loving these two so much. I connected with them and their struggles so much. I finally understood why they love each other and why they are perfect for each other. I went from hating everything about Gabriel and Angelo to loving them, dearly, in this part of the book.
When it comes to the vibe
The weird homophobia totally disappeared, so did the misogyny and the weird use of Spanish words everywhere. It was definitely a nice change.
When it comes to the emotions
I cried for most of this part of the book, it was so damn emotional.
When it comes to the sex scenes
The sex scenes got so good in this part. They were actual feelings between the characters, and you could feel it in all the sex scenes. The sex scenes were really damn hot and were perfect to me. Also, Angelo had nipples piercings and those are just so damn hot.
When it comes to the break up at 80% and the reunion
I’m not the biggest fan of breakups at the end of books but I really enjoyed the one here. It made so much sense with the story and I loved everything that had to do with the breakup, all of it was realistic and made perfect sense. The reunion in this book was so fucking perfect, there were so many emotions and a good amount of groveling.
I still have no clue what happened, how I went from hating this book so much and wanting the two main characters to disappear, to loving them so much I was cheering for them to get their happily ever after. But now I’m so invested in this series and I cannot wait to read more of it. In fact, Candy and I already started book 2 because we were too curious and just had to read it.
This was a buddy read with Candy. Candy and I really want to read Call the Coroner and we know it is better if we read all the Avril Ashton books in order, so we had the brilliant idea to do just that (we definitely do not regret it or anything). I was ready for this book to not be very good and unpolished, but I did not expect to hate it as much as I did, well for the first 60% of it anyway.
I honestly do not have any idea what happened. Up until 67% I was hating this book so much it was giving me nightmares and then the end of chapter 10 happened, and I fell in love with the book. I enjoyed the last part of this book, so much.
Candy and I went through so many emotions while reading this. This was such a ride. We started kind of hopeful, thinking it couldn’t be THAT bad, then we were shocked at how bad it was and we hated everything about the book, then we miraculously got invested in the book and couldn’t put it down and then we fell deeply in love with the book.
Brief summary
Gabriel is 35 and he is a detective. Angelo is 32 and he’s a gang leader. They meet because Gabriel is interrogating Angelo because they are trying to find who killed Angelo’s sister. They started lusting after the other and then get together and have an insane amount of sex and fall in love.
Since my feelings about this book changed so much through the book, I will do my review in different chapters and my feelings during those chapters.
Chapter 1 to 10
When it comes to the insta love
I’m not even sure if we can call this book insta love, it’s even faster than insta love. At the end of chapter 2 after one interrogation, one bullet in the arm of Gabriel, shot by Angelo, one kiss, and one blowjob during which Gabriel, a straight man who’s an anal virgin, got fingered by tree fingers, without any lube, these people were already planning a life together. All this totaled out to about 2 hours spent together. Oh and after that, they called on the phone once, for about 5 minutes, and they were in love.
When it comes to how realistic the cop and gang aspect of the book were
This book felt like a comedy of a cop and a gang leader because there is no way everyone would act this way in real life, if they did, they would have died from their own stupidity 20 years ago. They were bad at their job. Angelo was an awful gang leader, who’s actions didn’t make any sense and he was way too soft for the job. And Gabriel was such a bad cop, I don’t think he did his job properly once in the entire book. It’s truly shocking they’re still alive and didn’t get killed in their line of work yet.
When it comes to the gang aspect of the book
None of the descriptions of the gang Angelo led made sense or were realistic. At one point he killed someone and touched him before killing him, without gloves on. How is this supposed to make any sense? Why do you want to be caught? Also, why are you doing your own killing, you are the gang’s leader, can’t you find a hitman? No gang leader would ever act this way unless they want to end up in prison for life.
When it comes to the relationship between the main characters
Angelo is a gang leader and Gabriel is a cop. They hadn’t even spent an entire day together yet and Gabriel was pissed out that Angelo was keeping really private things from him. But like Gabriel is a cop and could have put Angelo in jail if he knew those things, so it made sense for Angelo to not want to tell him. How are you meant to trust someone after so little time? You are not, no one trusts that fast. Especially not in this situation.
Gabriel and Angelo have no chemistry. It was painful reading about them talking to each other and being with each other because they just painfully did not fit together. These people were unable to have a conversation. They always went from super serious conversation to sex. One time Angelo was saying how he was raped as a teen and two seconds after, without ending the conversation, they were having sex. I had so much whiplash. If only the sex scenes were good, but they were awful, so it was not even interesting to read about. Also, the dirty talk was worst than bad porn from the 60s.
Also, Angelo and Gabriel were always mad at each other for no reason, they were always rude to each other, they never had a regular conversation, which always turned into rage.
When it comes to the plot of the book
This book was so confusing that even if Candy and I talked about the plot, I am not sure I understood anything that was happening. Everything about this book is ridiculous. None of it makes any sense or was enjoyable to read about, up to this point.
When it comes to the vibe of the book
There was so much casual misogyny in this. The only women who were the main character's sister and mother were shown as only being useful for sex or catty exes. Angelo was a gay man who got blowjobs from women and said how he had to imagine Gabe so he could get off. Couldn’t he… I don’t know… jerk off? The book doesn’t mention that he is missing his hands, so it would have been easier for him to jerk off. Instead of using women, for no reason at all.
Also, this book had a really strange homophobic vibe to it. There were so many stereotypes, in everything they did. I do not really know how to explain it, but it was there in everything the characters did.
Also, there were Spanish words randomly used everywhere because Angelo also speaks Spanish. No one just says one random Spanish word in the middle of a sentence, it made no sense to do it this way.
Chapter 11 to the epilogue
I have no clue what happened here but it took me about 5 minutes to fall in love with Gabriel and Angelo, so much. Everything in this part worked for me. There were finally real feelings and emotions. I could finally feel how much Angelo and Gabriel love each other. The story started making sense, for once. The sex got really damn good. Every just did a 180 and turned a story I hated into a story I love.
When it comes to the story
Everything started making sense here. It wasn’t about their jobs anymore, it mostly was just about Angelo and Gabriel and their feelings about each other, which I preferred way more.
When it comes to the main characters and their connection
I started loving these two so much. I connected with them and their struggles so much. I finally understood why they love each other and why they are perfect for each other. I went from hating everything about Gabriel and Angelo to loving them, dearly, in this part of the book.
When it comes to the vibe
The weird homophobia totally disappeared, so did the misogyny and the weird use of Spanish words everywhere. It was definitely a nice change.
When it comes to the emotions
I cried for most of this part of the book, it was so damn emotional.
When it comes to the sex scenes
The sex scenes got so good in this part. They were actual feelings between the characters, and you could feel it in all the sex scenes. The sex scenes were really damn hot and were perfect to me. Also, Angelo had nipples piercings and those are just so damn hot.
When it comes to the break up at 80% and the reunion
I’m not the biggest fan of breakups at the end of books but I really enjoyed the one here. It made so much sense with the story and I loved everything that had to do with the breakup, all of it was realistic and made perfect sense. The reunion in this book was so fucking perfect, there were so many emotions and a good amount of groveling.
I still have no clue what happened, how I went from hating this book so much and wanting the two main characters to disappear, to loving them so much I was cheering for them to get their happily ever after. But now I’m so invested in this series and I cannot wait to read more of it. In fact, Candy and I already started book 2 because we were too curious and just had to read it.
August 17, 2016
Written June 3, 2014
3 1/2 Stars - Sentimental and bloody boiling intensively - and after all, extremely captivating with a good topic with a few flaws
At some point —quite long ago— was this a freebie at Amazon and a few days ago I added it with the audio book for just a few dollars.
..and a halfWhen I'd listening to the last page (a sweet epilouge)
I'd to think a few moments about what I actually felt for Love the Sinner. I knew that I should point out that this novel is incredibly erotic and that those parts (many) actually are really well done (at least in the narrated audiobook).
....But what about the story? There was a good, great actually, plot and story-line. My question was if it was here with us often enough and in an expected (by me at least) moderate part? I'm not sure...
***********************************************
Love the Sinner is an Brooklyn, NY pretty erotic M/M romance about the (until now straight) Detective Gabriel (Gabe) Ashby and his huge attraction and need for one of NYPD's Most Wanted. From their first meeting in the interrogation room is the smug gang leader Angelo Pagan in Gabe's dreams day and night.
Shortly after their first meeting becomes Gabe shot in the shoulder in an attempt to frame Angelo Pagan and some gang members. During Gabe's convalescence from the hospital stands there suddenly Angelo one evening in his doorway. An intense, steamy hot and partially forbidden story takes off...
“Tell me what you want.”
“To kiss you.” The words tumbled from his lips, harsher than he intended. “Just once. To know what it's like. What you taste like.”
Pagan's eyes darkened.
“Maybe then I'll be able to forget you.”
Pagan arched an eyebrow and stepped forward. “You think it's that simple?”
Gabe held his ground. “Yeah.”
***********************************************
This book is really tough to rate for me...
The characters were interesting and I really liked these two men. The audio narration was always captivating intense but it was still, after all, far too many (long) —with short intervals for other stuff— amazing tiny kinky sex scenes, for my taste. I wanted more time and a lot more space for much else that was also very interesting here.
When it is a story with both insta-love, a GFY character, and to that also a closeted criminal gang leader and a recently single cop as MC's, then it becomes easy a lack of credibility. Love the Sinner could have been an fantastic romance if the substance and intrigue (the intriguing questions, the problems, the unlikely severe, etc) here had been given just a little more space and opportunity for development.
Anyway, I couldn't but enjoy to listening to Cop & Angel's lovely romantic love tale. I'll try to find time for book #2 as well some time not too far away (Sinner, Savior - about another interesting (closeted) gangster character who showed up here sometimes. A stand alone sequel with a higher average ranking).
“I can’t change it and I don’t want to. You’re it for me.” Angelo’s body shook between Gabe’s legs. “I gave you my heart in that fucking interrogation room, cop, yet you’ve been holding yours hostage from me.”
***********************************************
If you have a thought of downloading (I shook up $ 4) and listen to the audiobook edition (9 hours) then let the book get a little time before you start to roll your eyes too much. There is no denying that some of the characters is told by the narrator Renard Pasquale with pretty silly voices here. But don't worry to much you will (I did anyway) get used to it after a while.
I will not forget it in a hurry stuff and moments:Imagine a horny sexy black hairded intense lover, with a husky Brooklyn dialect (added with Spanish accent), whispering:
"Kiss me, cop. Then try to forget me.”
Overall, was in the end, this narrators way to tell it all quite nicely done. I was, perhaps first reluctant, finally wholeheartedly captivated by it all. ...and it's a lot of yummy stuff for all you smut ladies.
***********************************************
Perhaps not a must-read M/M, or particularly unique or brilliant, but still tantalizing hot and exciting to be enjoying.
My opinion; amusing to read (...listen to).
I LIKE - good enough - a smut read...
****
Next: #2 - Sinner, Savior about Pablo Castillo & Devon McGhee.
Two free short stories about this couple, #1.5 Always a Sinner and #1.7 Sinner's Knot, to get here: http://avrilashton.com/books/free-reads/.
December 22, 2014
1.5 Stars
Gabriel Ashby is a straight NYPD cop. Angelo Pagan is the leader of the Los Pescadores, one of Brooklyn's most notorious gangs. The two meet, fall in lust and then immediately in love. Despite their obvious differences, they buck impossible odds to make their relationship work.
I recognize that many of my GR buddies enjoyed this book and I'm happy for them. I can say that the smexy scenes were pretty hot and the editing was good for Ellora's Cave. That said, I could not get past this sad excuse for a story line. First, a totally straight (never even fantasized about men ... ever) cop suddenly and inexplicably falls head over heels for another man, who is a known crime lord and public enemy number one. After one meeting ... count 'em O-N-E ... the two are hopelessly attracted to each other. In fact, their very next encounter becomes physical. Um, what!?! Second, their relationship starts out with a level of caring and trust that was totally unbelievable (did I mention that Gabe's a cop and Angelo is a criminal? Oh yeah, and ). Despite this obvious setback and the fact that they don't know each other from Adam, both Gabe and Angelo cover for and protect the other. Um, why!??!?!? Third, they immediately start a steamy love affair ... yes, LOVE ... casually ignoring their respective roles (again: cop, criminal). Lastly, they then establish a routine of fuck - bicker - fuck - get pissy and possessive - fuck. Lather, rinse, repeat. Mind you, the sex is pretty hot. But, alas, not even hot sex could save this sad puppy.
Bottom line: hot sex notwithstanding, this one was a bust.
Gabriel Ashby is a straight NYPD cop. Angelo Pagan is the leader of the Los Pescadores, one of Brooklyn's most notorious gangs. The two meet, fall in lust and then immediately in love. Despite their obvious differences, they buck impossible odds to make their relationship work.
I recognize that many of my GR buddies enjoyed this book and I'm happy for them. I can say that the smexy scenes were pretty hot and the editing was good for Ellora's Cave. That said, I could not get past this sad excuse for a story line. First, a totally straight (never even fantasized about men ... ever) cop suddenly and inexplicably falls head over heels for another man, who is a known crime lord and public enemy number one. After one meeting ... count 'em O-N-E ... the two are hopelessly attracted to each other. In fact, their very next encounter becomes physical. Um, what!?! Second, their relationship starts out with a level of caring and trust that was totally unbelievable (did I mention that Gabe's a cop and Angelo is a criminal? Oh yeah, and ). Despite this obvious setback and the fact that they don't know each other from Adam, both Gabe and Angelo cover for and protect the other. Um, why!??!?!? Third, they immediately start a steamy love affair ... yes, LOVE ... casually ignoring their respective roles (again: cop, criminal). Lastly, they then establish a routine of fuck - bicker - fuck - get pissy and possessive - fuck. Lather, rinse, repeat. Mind you, the sex is pretty hot. But, alas, not even hot sex could save this sad puppy.
Bottom line: hot sex notwithstanding, this one was a bust.
May 25, 2017
4 amado stars!
My first book by this author. Found her book randomly in GR and right form the start it became a challenge. The reason why? Because I couldn't find it anywhere and you know how it goes the more you can't find a book the more you want to read it. But finally I got my hands on it and it was worth all the hassle.
"Love the sinner" (book #1 in the Brooklyn Sinner series). I really enjoyed this book and I was really intrigued by the blurb a "forbidden love between NYPD detective Gabriel and Angelo the leader of a notorious Latin gang". Their first meeting was intense and they both felt the attraction even though Gabriel tried to denied it since his never felt attracted to a man before.
These guys fell into a insta lust tuned to love pretty fast, but I didn't mind at all considering how hot their chemistry was it played out well. Add to this the fact that they shouldn't be together that they are in different sides of the law.
I loved both guys, but my favorite was Angelo his sexy, but also a ruthless killer, and he did everything necessary to protect Gabriel, and his mama. Gabriel I liked well enough he was also protective, and fierce about his feelings for Angelo but I just annoyed me some when those doubts and righteousness started creeping in.
I have to say I was a bit scared I thought this book was going to be dark but I was surprised by how emotional it was. Which I didn't mind since I haven't read a dark book in a long time and I've become a bit of a scary cat.😱
But anyway I'm glad the story went the other way I enjoyed it. It still had plenty of violence, drama, twists and turns, betrayals and new allies. And the sexy scenes between Gabriel/Angelo were off the chart sexy I think my favorite part about their relationship was how they took turns being the dominant, and when Angelo spoke Spanish to Gabriel, swoon!!
Can't wait to read Pablo's book which is book 2 in this series.❤
Big shout out to my dearest Exina! Thanks so much for helping me find this book and putting out with all of my annoying PM's. Lol! xoxo
My first book by this author. Found her book randomly in GR and right form the start it became a challenge. The reason why? Because I couldn't find it anywhere and you know how it goes the more you can't find a book the more you want to read it. But finally I got my hands on it and it was worth all the hassle.
"Love the sinner" (book #1 in the Brooklyn Sinner series). I really enjoyed this book and I was really intrigued by the blurb a "forbidden love between NYPD detective Gabriel and Angelo the leader of a notorious Latin gang". Their first meeting was intense and they both felt the attraction even though Gabriel tried to denied it since his never felt attracted to a man before.
These guys fell into a insta lust tuned to love pretty fast, but I didn't mind at all considering how hot their chemistry was it played out well. Add to this the fact that they shouldn't be together that they are in different sides of the law.
I loved both guys, but my favorite was Angelo his sexy, but also a ruthless killer, and he did everything necessary to protect Gabriel, and his mama. Gabriel I liked well enough he was also protective, and fierce about his feelings for Angelo but I just annoyed me some when those doubts and righteousness started creeping in.
I have to say I was a bit scared I thought this book was going to be dark but I was surprised by how emotional it was. Which I didn't mind since I haven't read a dark book in a long time and I've become a bit of a scary cat.😱
But anyway I'm glad the story went the other way I enjoyed it. It still had plenty of violence, drama, twists and turns, betrayals and new allies. And the sexy scenes between Gabriel/Angelo were off the chart sexy I think my favorite part about their relationship was how they took turns being the dominant, and when Angelo spoke Spanish to Gabriel, swoon!!
Can't wait to read Pablo's book which is book 2 in this series.❤
Big shout out to my dearest Exina! Thanks so much for helping me find this book and putting out with all of my annoying PM's. Lol! xoxo
November 9, 2014
Why, oh why do so many romance/erotic novels (of any kind) have to start in the same unrealistic fashion? All it takes is one look, one eye to eye contact and suddenly..
BOOM!!
Lust, desire, unbearable attraction to one another, cocks filling and twitching at the littlest mention of the name of the new object of one's every wet dream, electricity crackling during the slightest touch... All that, from 1 to 100 in 0.001 seconds. Truly amazing.
Gah.
If all these novels were to believe it'd be hard not to come across guys with raging boners bulging their trousers every few minutes in RL. It really must be so hard to be a member of the male species...
It's really sad that that many books get spoiled because of this kind of utter, unbelievable insta-everything, which is overdone to such a degree that I can't possibly find anything remotely believable in the whole setup of said romance.
I need build-up, god damnit. A more realistic setting. And in this particular book: a little bit more brain and common sense. Because, really? Tossing your whole set of principles over board, risking your career and your life (because prison becomes a very likely option here) in favour for a quick fuck, because lust is clouding your brain? Not a thing any halfway decent cop or detective would go for if his object of desire was not only a criminal--a gang leader with dozens of murders under his belt--but also the person who shot said cop just a few weeks ago. I believe that men are a little bit more in control of themselves than that. Or am I that wrong, that delusional?
I was about to give the book and its author brownie points for, at least, settling for overdone insta-attraction instead of the whole insta-love thing (which is even worse)... but I was wrong about that, too. Insta-love, hello my dear friend, how have you been??
I can't even decide what's most ridiculous here: that they're agreeing on some rules regarding their relationship according to which they have to leave all gang and cop business out of their love affair, thinking that that will actually work out, that they call it a relationship pretty much after their first shared kiss, that they trust each other immediately (hello? Gang leader? Cop?), or that the great Detective Gabe constantly tries to comfort Angelo regarding the hard and difficult gang-related decisions that he has to make, like making an example of one of his gang members whose loyalty wasn't a 100% with the gang by torturing and killing him. Gabe constantly tells Angelo that he's there for him and that he can talk to him about anything... which, what? Rules! Have they really already forgotten about them after like 10 seconds?
That being said, this book's setting/premise had potential. If done well, in a more realistic and believable way, I find myself enjoying the bad boy – cop liaison (even if this setting is actually rather unrealistic in RL, I'm well aware of that.. I'm merely asking for a more realistic execution).
The action part didn't hurt either. Long time since I read suspense and, yeah, it was time to go there again.
But this book was definitely the wrong choice. Or rubbish. That little word sums it up nicely.
BOOM!!
Lust, desire, unbearable attraction to one another, cocks filling and twitching at the littlest mention of the name of the new object of one's every wet dream, electricity crackling during the slightest touch... All that, from 1 to 100 in 0.001 seconds. Truly amazing.
Gah.
If all these novels were to believe it'd be hard not to come across guys with raging boners bulging their trousers every few minutes in RL. It really must be so hard to be a member of the male species...
It's really sad that that many books get spoiled because of this kind of utter, unbelievable insta-everything, which is overdone to such a degree that I can't possibly find anything remotely believable in the whole setup of said romance.
I need build-up, god damnit. A more realistic setting. And in this particular book: a little bit more brain and common sense. Because, really? Tossing your whole set of principles over board, risking your career and your life (because prison becomes a very likely option here) in favour for a quick fuck, because lust is clouding your brain? Not a thing any halfway decent cop or detective would go for if his object of desire was not only a criminal--a gang leader with dozens of murders under his belt--but also the person who shot said cop just a few weeks ago. I believe that men are a little bit more in control of themselves than that. Or am I that wrong, that delusional?
I was about to give the book and its author brownie points for, at least, settling for overdone insta-attraction instead of the whole insta-love thing (which is even worse)... but I was wrong about that, too. Insta-love, hello my dear friend, how have you been??
I can't even decide what's most ridiculous here: that they're agreeing on some rules regarding their relationship according to which they have to leave all gang and cop business out of their love affair, thinking that that will actually work out, that they call it a relationship pretty much after their first shared kiss, that they trust each other immediately (hello? Gang leader? Cop?), or that the great Detective Gabe constantly tries to comfort Angelo regarding the hard and difficult gang-related decisions that he has to make, like making an example of one of his gang members whose loyalty wasn't a 100% with the gang by torturing and killing him. Gabe constantly tells Angelo that he's there for him and that he can talk to him about anything... which, what? Rules! Have they really already forgotten about them after like 10 seconds?
That being said, this book's setting/premise had potential. If done well, in a more realistic and believable way, I find myself enjoying the bad boy – cop liaison (even if this setting is actually rather unrealistic in RL, I'm well aware of that.. I'm merely asking for a more realistic execution).
The action part didn't hurt either. Long time since I read suspense and, yeah, it was time to go there again.
But this book was definitely the wrong choice. Or rubbish. That little word sums it up nicely.
August 3, 2016
This book is so bad, it ends up being good.
The sappiness! The cheesy lines! The bad sex! The narm!
It burns. It burns so good (sic).
The sappiness! The cheesy lines! The bad sex! The narm!
It burns. It burns so good (sic).
January 2, 2020
I rather enjoyed that! There's loads of reviews out there already so I'll leave it there apart from to say ... Angelo 💖
January 15, 2020
I know this one got some great reviews, but I just didn't feel it. I loved the premise of two total opposites, a cop and a gang leader falling for each other, but this one just felt to pat, too easy. They meet across an interrogation table, and BAM! that's it, twu wuv. Never mind that the cop was straight and never even thought about a man in that way, or that the gang leader was being questioned for murder.
I found these two supposedly tough guys to be too sweet, and they cried too much. The sex was hot, and there was a LOT of it. I actually found myself skimming the scenes, something I rarely do.
All in all, a really great idea, really well written, but it just missed the mark for me.
I found these two supposedly tough guys to be too sweet, and they cried too much. The sex was hot, and there was a LOT of it. I actually found myself skimming the scenes, something I rarely do.
All in all, a really great idea, really well written, but it just missed the mark for me.
October 19, 2016
This author isn’t new, but she is for me as this was the first of her books that I’ve read. But ironically it’s not the only book of hers I own. I bought a different series but have been hesitant to read it because I have seen many say her books need to be read in order since a majority of her characters and some events in her other books bleed into her following stories. I guess this makes some of her stories feel confusing and incomplete. So I am starting at the beginning in hopes I will be able to enjoy the rest of her writing as much as I did this story.
This story… I’m not going to lie; the quickness of the relationship between these men threw me off of the story a bit. But a part of me was also thinking that it was a bit refreshing that I didn’t have to wait half of the book for these guys to hook up. So in other words, I got over it pretty quickly. Lol
I liked how emotional these two men were for each other. I admit I got a little teary eyed there at the end when Gabe was pleading to Angelo. Usually all the crying is a big pet peeve of mine, but in this case it didn’t because it fit the moment.
The chemistry and the sex were on point between these guys. I think it was the chemistry between Gabe and Angelo that had me getting over the quickness of their relationship so fast. The sex was pretty steamy and the whole alpha thing really worked for these guys.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
What really worked for me with this story is how this author just didn’t wrap up the ending with Angelo miraculously getting out his gang and outta trouble with law so easily. I liked that she had him doing some time. Also that she had Gabe testing the waters with another man even if it was futile. It just made it a better reading experience for me.
END OF SPOILERS
If you enjoy great chemistry between characters, steamy lovin’, and a good story with some insta love thrown in it, this is a book for you.
Enjoy, Dolls! xx
This story… I’m not going to lie; the quickness of the relationship between these men threw me off of the story a bit. But a part of me was also thinking that it was a bit refreshing that I didn’t have to wait half of the book for these guys to hook up. So in other words, I got over it pretty quickly. Lol
I liked how emotional these two men were for each other. I admit I got a little teary eyed there at the end when Gabe was pleading to Angelo. Usually all the crying is a big pet peeve of mine, but in this case it didn’t because it fit the moment.
The chemistry and the sex were on point between these guys. I think it was the chemistry between Gabe and Angelo that had me getting over the quickness of their relationship so fast. The sex was pretty steamy and the whole alpha thing really worked for these guys.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
What really worked for me with this story is how this author just didn’t wrap up the ending with Angelo miraculously getting out his gang and outta trouble with law so easily. I liked that she had him doing some time. Also that she had Gabe testing the waters with another man even if it was futile. It just made it a better reading experience for me.
END OF SPOILERS
If you enjoy great chemistry between characters, steamy lovin’, and a good story with some insta love thrown in it, this is a book for you.
Enjoy, Dolls! xx
November 4, 2012
THREE & A HALF STARS--M/M romance between a gang leader and a detective in the streets of BK (NYC stand up!!)
At times the sex scenes felt repetitive (I do not need to see the word "ridge" or "underside" for awhile after this book). It did become mushy at times and...*sigh* there was some excessive crying at times. Also sometimes the words from the male characters had a feminine tone, like I couldn't imagine the characters that were originally presented speaking or reacting that way. But the premise is pretty solid (I do like crime love stories) The epilogue was a bit boring and sugary.
But it was a decent read and I think most of the secondary characters are interesting (*cough*possibly a Kane and Mr. S pairing?*cough*)
At times the sex scenes felt repetitive (I do not need to see the word "ridge" or "underside" for awhile after this book). It did become mushy at times and...*sigh* there was some excessive crying at times. Also sometimes the words from the male characters had a feminine tone, like I couldn't imagine the characters that were originally presented speaking or reacting that way. But the premise is pretty solid (I do like crime love stories) The epilogue was a bit boring and sugary.
But it was a decent read and I think most of the secondary characters are interesting (*cough*possibly a Kane and Mr. S pairing?*cough*)
Want to read
October 14, 2013OMG killer freebie today at Amazon US today, 10/14/13! It was $5.38 when I added it!!
http://www.amazon.com/Love-the-Sinner...
http://www.amazon.com/Love-the-Sinner...
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July 7, 2022
MM Erotica
Cop/Gang Leader Fuckfest
1.5 Stars ⭐️
This has been rotting in my ku library since March and I’ve started and stopped it a ridiculous amount of times. I should have returned it ages ago but decided today would be the day I’d suffer through the rest of it as I procrastinated cleaning my house. I should have just cleaned or DNF’d or like literally done anything other than read this book. 🤦🏻♀️ This is supposedly an enemies to lovers dark romance. HAHAHA 🤣🤣🤣🤣 In what world is this book either of those two tropes? In reality, this is instalove, the most insane, ridiculously fast paced love at first sight book I’ve ever read. We’re talking about falling in love within the first 5% of this book, instalove. It’s also not dark and it’s basically just porn with a tiny bit of convoluted dumb AF plot. Both of these men are TSTL. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Gabe is a cop trying to put gang leader, Angelo, away for gang related crimes but during their interrogation, Gabe has chills and is attracted to the rugged man wondering what his lips feel like. He’s alarmed because he has a girlfriend, has never wanted a man before and most importantly Angelo is a gang leader. Duh 🙄. 3 days later during a botched raid, Angelo shoots Gabe in the arm saving his life from one of his men but putting him on medical leave. Angelo then starts showing up in Gabe’s house where they have copious amounts of sex and Gabe is so eager he’s able to take 3 fingers without lube during their first encounter. Ouch 🤕 But his inner monologue mentions he’s not ready yet for “the full Monty”. 🤣🤣 They fuck, then fuck some more, meet up at different places to talk and fuck and then realize they are in love with each other. Every other page is a sex scene it seems and there were only so many times I could read about Gabe taking Angelo dry before wanting to die. Angelo is definitely going to need to see a doctor. 👩⚕️😂
“He loved Angelo’s mouth on him and his fingers foraging deep inside, but Gabe still wasn’t ready for the full monty.”
At 65% I was all set to DNF this because it wasn’t dark, it was all sex and nothing was happening but then in chapter 11, I found myself start to get weirdly invested. Yes, they were still both absolute dumb fucks but I actually could see they had real feelings and they have some fucking hot angry sex in that chapter that somehow made me want to read more? I just figured that soon something depraved had to happen like a kidnapping at gunpoint, betrayal within the gang or someone would find out about this torrid romance since neither one was shy about flaunting their shit around. Sigh 😔 I should have just DNF’d because from there we go to sex, even more sex, sex again, crying, lots and lots and lots of crying. OMG the crying 🤣🤣 Angelo as a gang leader? LMAO. Gabe as a cop? HAHAHAH 🤣🤣 This is quite the comedy. Why didn’t I DNF?
1.5 Stars ⭐️ for the sex scenes as the majority were hot and the only reason I kept reading. This was one of those train-wreck type books where I couldn’t put it down despite knowing it was an absolute dumpster fire because I thought there had to be some kind of gang drama or near death or something OTT about to happen but spoiler alert, there wasn’t. I lost brain cells reading this book. 🤦🏻♀️
Cop/Gang Leader Fuckfest
1.5 Stars ⭐️
This has been rotting in my ku library since March and I’ve started and stopped it a ridiculous amount of times. I should have returned it ages ago but decided today would be the day I’d suffer through the rest of it as I procrastinated cleaning my house. I should have just cleaned or DNF’d or like literally done anything other than read this book. 🤦🏻♀️ This is supposedly an enemies to lovers dark romance. HAHAHA 🤣🤣🤣🤣 In what world is this book either of those two tropes? In reality, this is instalove, the most insane, ridiculously fast paced love at first sight book I’ve ever read. We’re talking about falling in love within the first 5% of this book, instalove. It’s also not dark and it’s basically just porn with a tiny bit of convoluted dumb AF plot. Both of these men are TSTL. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Gabe is a cop trying to put gang leader, Angelo, away for gang related crimes but during their interrogation, Gabe has chills and is attracted to the rugged man wondering what his lips feel like. He’s alarmed because he has a girlfriend, has never wanted a man before and most importantly Angelo is a gang leader. Duh 🙄. 3 days later during a botched raid, Angelo shoots Gabe in the arm saving his life from one of his men but putting him on medical leave. Angelo then starts showing up in Gabe’s house where they have copious amounts of sex and Gabe is so eager he’s able to take 3 fingers without lube during their first encounter. Ouch 🤕 But his inner monologue mentions he’s not ready yet for “the full Monty”. 🤣🤣 They fuck, then fuck some more, meet up at different places to talk and fuck and then realize they are in love with each other. Every other page is a sex scene it seems and there were only so many times I could read about Gabe taking Angelo dry before wanting to die. Angelo is definitely going to need to see a doctor. 👩⚕️😂
“He loved Angelo’s mouth on him and his fingers foraging deep inside, but Gabe still wasn’t ready for the full monty.”
At 65% I was all set to DNF this because it wasn’t dark, it was all sex and nothing was happening but then in chapter 11, I found myself start to get weirdly invested. Yes, they were still both absolute dumb fucks but I actually could see they had real feelings and they have some fucking hot angry sex in that chapter that somehow made me want to read more? I just figured that soon something depraved had to happen like a kidnapping at gunpoint, betrayal within the gang or someone would find out about this torrid romance since neither one was shy about flaunting their shit around. Sigh 😔 I should have just DNF’d because from there we go to sex, even more sex, sex again, crying, lots and lots and lots of crying. OMG the crying 🤣🤣 Angelo as a gang leader? LMAO. Gabe as a cop? HAHAHAH 🤣🤣 This is quite the comedy. Why didn’t I DNF?
1.5 Stars ⭐️ for the sex scenes as the majority were hot and the only reason I kept reading. This was one of those train-wreck type books where I couldn’t put it down despite knowing it was an absolute dumpster fire because I thought there had to be some kind of gang drama or near death or something OTT about to happen but spoiler alert, there wasn’t. I lost brain cells reading this book. 🤦🏻♀️
October 30, 2016
Awful. I don't even know what to say about how bad this one is. I see it has a lot of 5 star ratings so I guess I am wrong on this one. I am a romance fan; I just like to read romance novels and don't care if they are gay or straight as long as there is genuine love to be found. I don't like 'gangsta' sex books. And this book is about a 'gangsta' who has gay sex period. And the 'gangsta' is weak and unrealistic, and the cop is weak and a loser and unrealistic.
But besides all that fake 'gangsta' stuff is the bad writing and awful character development. I don't like the "heroes". They are trash. I wouldn't want to be caught in the same room with either one of them. A dirty cop and a murderer. Isn't it romantic? Can't you just feel the love? Not!
But besides all that fake 'gangsta' stuff is the bad writing and awful character development. I don't like the "heroes". They are trash. I wouldn't want to be caught in the same room with either one of them. A dirty cop and a murderer. Isn't it romantic? Can't you just feel the love? Not!
August 7, 2019
I lived for Renard Pasquale saying “Amado” and “Cop”. Also, Avril Ashton so AMAZING!!!
That is all...
May 21, 2013
In my quest to experience new authors, Avril Ashton is my pick from Ellora’s Cave. While there are numerous good reasons why EC is not a publisher I go to when choosing books (esp m/m books) this particular choice wasn’t horrific. As that’s not a ringing endorsement, I found the writing to be standard if unimaginative, the characters to be stereotypical and predictable, the story littered with clichés, and a plot that didn’t always make much sense. Yet I found the book ok and finished it without having to force myself. I like the concept of the characters and the plot more than the actual execution. I know there are 2 more books in the series that tempt me because I like the potential of the characters and the situations. I’m just not entirely sure the writing can execute them.
In the opener of the series straight cop Gabe interviews notorious gang leader Angelo about the death of his sister. Supposedly sparks fly immediately and the two are instantly in love and obsession. This is a tough sell and the story doesn’t really try to get the readers to buy it. Once the two men are in love, the rest of the story is about the push and pull of opposing dynamics. The set up is that as a cop, Gabe must set aside his beliefs to be with Angelo. While Angelo the gangster is more than what he appears.
I like the concept of the story and although it’s nothing original, I am fine to read such a story. Unfortunately the plot doesn’t really do anything with the idea. Gabe isn’t an active cop for the entirety of the story so there’s very little, if any, real conflict there. Angelo is working the entire time with secret goals – the gangster with a good heart and morals. I would have liked it a lot more if Gabe had to accept the reality of a gangster with no golden ulterior motives. That would have been more conflict and genuine drama. Instead Gabe pulls a fit at random intervals and breaks up with Angelo for no real reason. He creates some big scene so the story can prolong the happy ending but the two immediately get back together after Gabe pouts for a short while how much it hurts but it’s the right thing to do.
The problem with this is that the behavior never made any sense. Gabe would be 100% supportive then out of the blue flip out and leave. Angelo always justified the behavior but I found these rationales to be weak and usually untrue. The two men could have a passionate dynamic and while they have quite a lot of graphic sex, I never found these scenes to be that hot or romantic. I couldn’t buy into the instant, life-changing love the two felt; partly because the two characters are one dimensional and often predictable. They never lived up to the potential within the stereotypes, similar to the plot also lacking any additional depth beyond the basics.
There are numerous secondary characters that suffer the same problem. They could be interesting but they stay very safe and easy without any added work or help. I’d say that’s the biggest overall problem with the story itself. For example the story is set in Brooklyn but I had no sense of the city and it could have been set anywhere in the US. The urban background is missing entirely and is replaced with a bland, non descript, unimportant feeling of random houses the characters shift in and out of.
All of these problems mean the story is not that great, however, it’s not horrible. I found it easy to read and the writing is pretty standard. I kept wanting the plot to go somewhere new and interesting, although when it finally did (the ending) it made absolutely no sense and actually created so many questions. I liked the secondary characters that star in the sequels but I have little confidence the plot and characterizations are any better. So I’m on the fence. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this as something to buy but I didn’t mind reading it on a slow night.
In the opener of the series straight cop Gabe interviews notorious gang leader Angelo about the death of his sister. Supposedly sparks fly immediately and the two are instantly in love and obsession. This is a tough sell and the story doesn’t really try to get the readers to buy it. Once the two men are in love, the rest of the story is about the push and pull of opposing dynamics. The set up is that as a cop, Gabe must set aside his beliefs to be with Angelo. While Angelo the gangster is more than what he appears.
I like the concept of the story and although it’s nothing original, I am fine to read such a story. Unfortunately the plot doesn’t really do anything with the idea. Gabe isn’t an active cop for the entirety of the story so there’s very little, if any, real conflict there. Angelo is working the entire time with secret goals – the gangster with a good heart and morals. I would have liked it a lot more if Gabe had to accept the reality of a gangster with no golden ulterior motives. That would have been more conflict and genuine drama. Instead Gabe pulls a fit at random intervals and breaks up with Angelo for no real reason. He creates some big scene so the story can prolong the happy ending but the two immediately get back together after Gabe pouts for a short while how much it hurts but it’s the right thing to do.
The problem with this is that the behavior never made any sense. Gabe would be 100% supportive then out of the blue flip out and leave. Angelo always justified the behavior but I found these rationales to be weak and usually untrue. The two men could have a passionate dynamic and while they have quite a lot of graphic sex, I never found these scenes to be that hot or romantic. I couldn’t buy into the instant, life-changing love the two felt; partly because the two characters are one dimensional and often predictable. They never lived up to the potential within the stereotypes, similar to the plot also lacking any additional depth beyond the basics.
There are numerous secondary characters that suffer the same problem. They could be interesting but they stay very safe and easy without any added work or help. I’d say that’s the biggest overall problem with the story itself. For example the story is set in Brooklyn but I had no sense of the city and it could have been set anywhere in the US. The urban background is missing entirely and is replaced with a bland, non descript, unimportant feeling of random houses the characters shift in and out of.
All of these problems mean the story is not that great, however, it’s not horrible. I found it easy to read and the writing is pretty standard. I kept wanting the plot to go somewhere new and interesting, although when it finally did (the ending) it made absolutely no sense and actually created so many questions. I liked the secondary characters that star in the sequels but I have little confidence the plot and characterizations are any better. So I’m on the fence. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this as something to buy but I didn’t mind reading it on a slow night.
November 7, 2014
Argh.
1 star, maybe 1.5 stars, I'm not quite sure I feel generous enough though.
Gosh, this was just so entirely unrealistic and full of vomitingly pathetic moments that I just don't get the consistently high ratings.
It began relatively promisingly (crime lord and cop, deliciously impossible situation) - and whilst there was some solid writing it unfortunately became increasingly hidden in cliches and just wildly uninspiring stereotypes.
The characters know each other for about 5 minutes before they succumb to the sexual tension between them; after a handful of encounters, and despite being 'enemies', they manage to build complete trust in each other. What the actual f*$k?! The plot line was weak, and the character development was even poorer.
On to the next thing - sex. I was bored. I mean, everything was thrown in there, hot and smutty, but I found myself skipping these parts and, as a result, that was pretty much the whole story over (plus point?). There was nothing sensual, sexy or even particularly hot after the first sexual encounter. It was repetitive and felt as though these moments were drawn out to fill pages. And I didn't get the whole condom deal given they been coming in each other's mouths the whole time. Sorry - these small details just bugged me.
This whole story bugged me.
Ugh, maybe I was just put off by the fact Angel passed Gabe the enchilada after having his fingers up 'his man'. Ha, maybe I'm just a prude. Eugh.
On a positive, cop and crime lord is kinda hot. And I liked the gay bro. Oh, and it was free.
1 star, maybe 1.5 stars, I'm not quite sure I feel generous enough though.
Gosh, this was just so entirely unrealistic and full of vomitingly pathetic moments that I just don't get the consistently high ratings.
It began relatively promisingly (crime lord and cop, deliciously impossible situation) - and whilst there was some solid writing it unfortunately became increasingly hidden in cliches and just wildly uninspiring stereotypes.
The characters know each other for about 5 minutes before they succumb to the sexual tension between them; after a handful of encounters, and despite being 'enemies', they manage to build complete trust in each other. What the actual f*$k?! The plot line was weak, and the character development was even poorer.
On to the next thing - sex. I was bored. I mean, everything was thrown in there, hot and smutty, but I found myself skipping these parts and, as a result, that was pretty much the whole story over (plus point?). There was nothing sensual, sexy or even particularly hot after the first sexual encounter. It was repetitive and felt as though these moments were drawn out to fill pages. And I didn't get the whole condom deal given they been coming in each other's mouths the whole time. Sorry - these small details just bugged me.
This whole story bugged me.
Ugh, maybe I was just put off by the fact Angel passed Gabe the enchilada after having his fingers up 'his man'. Ha, maybe I'm just a prude. Eugh.
On a positive, cop and crime lord is kinda hot. And I liked the gay bro. Oh, and it was free.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2014
Ridiculous.
Over the top.
Overwrought.
Soap-operatic.
Lips clash, bodies writhe together and are wrenched apart, cocks twitch, throb and weep and the emotional intensity - whoo - is akin to a teenage schoolgirl's.
The plot is completely unbelievable. A cop and the leader of a local gang? Who fall into insta-lust? And the cop is, until he meets the gang leader during an interrogation, straight? Nuh uh. Not buying it.
I made it to page 187 but this sucker is over 400 pages long.
Sorry. Can't do it.
Over the top.
Overwrought.
Soap-operatic.
Lips clash, bodies writhe together and are wrenched apart, cocks twitch, throb and weep and the emotional intensity - whoo - is akin to a teenage schoolgirl's.
The plot is completely unbelievable. A cop and the leader of a local gang? Who fall into insta-lust? And the cop is, until he meets the gang leader during an interrogation, straight? Nuh uh. Not buying it.
I made it to page 187 but this sucker is over 400 pages long.
Sorry. Can't do it.
May 17, 2016
I'd rate it with 1 star, but I actually managed to finish it -and in short time I must admit- so I raised it to 2 stars.
Plainly speaking it's bad: it's corny, sappy, unrealistic, an Harlequin on steroids. It's also love at first sight, for those who detest that thing. As for the cop/mafia conflict, it was non-existent, except in the very end. And still -I'm ashamed to admit- it's readable. I hope I eventually find the courage to go on with the series, but right now I'm not that brave.
Plainly speaking it's bad: it's corny, sappy, unrealistic, an Harlequin on steroids. It's also love at first sight, for those who detest that thing. As for the cop/mafia conflict, it was non-existent, except in the very end. And still -I'm ashamed to admit- it's readable. I hope I eventually find the courage to go on with the series, but right now I'm not that brave.
March 8, 2014
There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews for Love The Sinner and while it’s not without its faults it worked for me so Yay. The story piqued my interest immediately with its intriguing premise; that of a notorious gang leader and a NYPD detective getting together.
Talk about your forbidden love, how the hell is this relationship ever going to get a HEA? I’m also a bit of a sucker when it comes to the gay-for-you romances and ‘Gabe’ as our cop hero has never even looked at another man ”like that” let alone one of his collars. Their first meeting in the interrogation room is all kinds of hot; these polar opposites have sparks and chemistry literally jumping off the pages and I was excited to see where this attraction would go.
Unfortunately that’s where the author missed a fantastic opportunity because instead of drawing out this delicious spark our boys get very familiar very fast. Too fast. She pulls the insta-love card, so that by chapter 2 our straight cop and his Latin lover have not only got it on but are falling in love too. What?!
As well as being a wasted opportunity I had a tough time believing that a man who has never even thought about gay sex would suddenly be up for… anything. Wouldn’t he be weirded out a bit at first and need to take things slowly? I mean his world has just imploded. Yeah their first rough kiss is smoking hot but some pages of foreplay before they humped each other would have been a good idea too. On that note the sex scenes are steamy and plentiful.
There were also moments when both men got a little too bitchy for the tough guys they were meant too be, a few too many tears, emotion and waxing poetic while they were establishing their relationship I sometimes felt like I was reading about girls not cops and gang leaders but whatever.
I did like this book though, the writing is good (there was editing) and I enjoyed the plot even if it wasn’t that deep. There are some decent action scenes and the ever present forbidden love aspect carried through. I wasn’t sure how our couple was going to be able to have a future together and enjoyed how Ashton pulled that together even if the last pages were a little sweet for my taste, it still made me smile.
Detective Gabriel Ashby is straight. But his whole world is about to get rocked when he steps into the interrogation room and locks eyes on Angelo Pagen, one of NYPD’s most wanted and leader of the infamous Los Pescadores gang. There is no explanation for the sudden intense attraction he feels for this criminal staring back at him, taunting him and ultimately haunting his dreams. Living on two different sides of the law this attraction spells suicide for both men. When they meet again it’s during a police raid, Gabe is going to take down his target and send him to jail for a long time and that’s when Angelo locks eyes with the Cop from across the warehouse and shoots him. Which I suppose is one way to start up an illicit affair.
Talk about your forbidden love, how the hell is this relationship ever going to get a HEA? I’m also a bit of a sucker when it comes to the gay-for-you romances and ‘Gabe’ as our cop hero has never even looked at another man ”like that” let alone one of his collars. Their first meeting in the interrogation room is all kinds of hot; these polar opposites have sparks and chemistry literally jumping off the pages and I was excited to see where this attraction would go.
Unfortunately that’s where the author missed a fantastic opportunity because instead of drawing out this delicious spark our boys get very familiar very fast. Too fast. She pulls the insta-love card, so that by chapter 2 our straight cop and his Latin lover have not only got it on but are falling in love too. What?!
As well as being a wasted opportunity I had a tough time believing that a man who has never even thought about gay sex would suddenly be up for… anything. Wouldn’t he be weirded out a bit at first and need to take things slowly? I mean his world has just imploded. Yeah their first rough kiss is smoking hot but some pages of foreplay before they humped each other would have been a good idea too. On that note the sex scenes are steamy and plentiful.
There were also moments when both men got a little too bitchy for the tough guys they were meant too be, a few too many tears, emotion and waxing poetic while they were establishing their relationship I sometimes felt like I was reading about girls not cops and gang leaders but whatever.
I did like this book though, the writing is good (there was editing) and I enjoyed the plot even if it wasn’t that deep. There are some decent action scenes and the ever present forbidden love aspect carried through. I wasn’t sure how our couple was going to be able to have a future together and enjoyed how Ashton pulled that together even if the last pages were a little sweet for my taste, it still made me smile.
Detective Gabriel Ashby is straight. But his whole world is about to get rocked when he steps into the interrogation room and locks eyes on Angelo Pagen, one of NYPD’s most wanted and leader of the infamous Los Pescadores gang. There is no explanation for the sudden intense attraction he feels for this criminal staring back at him, taunting him and ultimately haunting his dreams. Living on two different sides of the law this attraction spells suicide for both men. When they meet again it’s during a police raid, Gabe is going to take down his target and send him to jail for a long time and that’s when Angelo locks eyes with the Cop from across the warehouse and shoots him. Which I suppose is one way to start up an illicit affair.
October 8, 2012
We have the leader of a gang and an NYPD cop. This is a gay-for-you story with Gabe, the straight police officer, falling for Angelo. It's kind of a love/lust at first sight sort of affair where they just fall into bed together.
I didn't really get any sense of jeopardy with these two being involved together and while there was some mild angst, things fell pretty much into place for them.
Regarding Gabe, for someone who has never slept with a man before he had some pretty smooth moves. ;)
I didn't really get any sense of jeopardy with these two being involved together and while there was some mild angst, things fell pretty much into place for them.
Regarding Gabe, for someone who has never slept with a man before he had some pretty smooth moves. ;)
October 5, 2017
Overall book rating: 4 Stars
Audio book: Narrator Renard Pasquale 5 freaking amazing stars
Book Cover:4 Stars
MC1: Gabriel Ashby
MC2: Angelo Pagon
I don't know how in the hell did I miss this series in my audio library but, somehow I did. I really loved this book and the Narrator was absolute fan-fucking-tastic!!!
I am so BAD!!!! and I don't care LOL
I love these tattered don't mess with mine gang members. They are not afraid to get their hands dirty and oh hell do thy like it messy.....
Audio book: Narrator Renard Pasquale 5 freaking amazing stars
Book Cover:4 Stars
MC1: Gabriel Ashby
MC2: Angelo Pagon
I don't know how in the hell did I miss this series in my audio library but, somehow I did. I really loved this book and the Narrator was absolute fan-fucking-tastic!!!
I am so BAD!!!! and I don't care LOL
I love these tattered don't mess with mine gang members. They are not afraid to get their hands dirty and oh hell do thy like it messy.....
October 19, 2013
This is a difficult book to rate for me. The writing in and of itself was good, compelling; lots of emotion jumping at me off the pages with not too much purple prose, hot sex scenes, interesting action.
The plot though....
Gabe and Angel lay eyes on each other for the first time in an interrogation room and are immediately in lust. A cliche, though one I could've bought, but then their "relationship" progressed at lightning speed to love and commitment. The allegedly straight cop acts like a horny teenager if he doesn't right away throw temper tantrums; the supposedly powerful mob boss--who, literally at the risk of his life needs to keep his involvement with a cop hidden--takes Gabe out to dinner and pouts when Gabe points out their need for secrecy.
The sex scenes, though hot and well-written, were interspersed with sparse bits of other stuff (mostly Angel being a bad boy, his mom being sweet and his uncle being an asshole), and the legal and illegal goings-on required considerable suspension of disbelief. I couldn't help thinking that this book might've worked a lot better with werewolves, or at least in an urban fantasy setting. As a supposedly realistic contemporary thriller/ mystery (take your pick) it was just porn with a little bit of plot. Well written porn, but... well.
The plot though....
Gabe and Angel lay eyes on each other for the first time in an interrogation room and are immediately in lust. A cliche, though one I could've bought, but then their "relationship" progressed at lightning speed to love and commitment. The allegedly straight cop acts like a horny teenager if he doesn't right away throw temper tantrums; the supposedly powerful mob boss--who, literally at the risk of his life needs to keep his involvement with a cop hidden--takes Gabe out to dinner and pouts when Gabe points out their need for secrecy.
The sex scenes, though hot and well-written, were interspersed with sparse bits of other stuff (mostly Angel being a bad boy, his mom being sweet and his uncle being an asshole), and the legal and illegal goings-on required considerable suspension of disbelief. I couldn't help thinking that this book might've worked a lot better with werewolves, or at least in an urban fantasy setting. As a supposedly realistic contemporary thriller/ mystery (take your pick) it was just porn with a little bit of plot. Well written porn, but... well.
March 9, 2014
Listened to the Audible on this one and I liked the narrator when he was just narrating, but his voices for Gabe and Angelo were a little meh for me. It made the characteristics of each MC that I didn't really like stand out more.
Gabe came across as whiny when he was bitching about Angelo making the "wrong" choices. Ummm, he's the leader of a gang and you're a cop, you knew that, stop being surprised that his moral compass is a little skewed compared to yours. Stop trembling and shaking and stop punching Angelo in the head.
It really bugs when two alpha type MC's brawl as they are getting together and finding their way. I get that they are "passionate" and "establishing dominance" and "manly men" and whatever other drivel, but the violence always bothers me a lot and kills it for me.
I liked the voices the narrator uses for Kane and Juan Pablo. Since JP is up next in book 2, I'll definitely listen to the next one as I think I'll like that one better.
Gabe came across as whiny when he was bitching about Angelo making the "wrong" choices. Ummm, he's the leader of a gang and you're a cop, you knew that, stop being surprised that his moral compass is a little skewed compared to yours. Stop trembling and shaking and stop punching Angelo in the head.
It really bugs when two alpha type MC's brawl as they are getting together and finding their way. I get that they are "passionate" and "establishing dominance" and "manly men" and whatever other drivel, but the violence always bothers me a lot and kills it for me.
I liked the voices the narrator uses for Kane and Juan Pablo. Since JP is up next in book 2, I'll definitely listen to the next one as I think I'll like that one better.
October 10, 2016
I'm new to the m/m romances. After reading my first one, I find that I'm hooked. Whether I'm reading an m/m or a m/f romance, I am turned off by sappiness. Gabe, the straight cop who falls in love with Angelo, was seriously sappy. I can't understand how someone who is trained as a police office didn't seem to have any control over his emotions. I felt so sorry for Angelo having to put up with Gabe's dramatic attitude. Gabe was all about acting first and thinking later, and he was physically abusive towards Angelo. There's passion and there's abuse. Gabe dished out abuse. Again, this is a guy who is supposedly a cop. Overall, I was not impressed with the relationship development between Angelo and Gabe, It was rushed and not very believable.
did-not-finish
July 3, 2021You're telling me, when you see your significant other sitting on a chair with their fucking ex on their lap, AND you don't have the right to get mad?
And on Date Night for fucks sakes?!
I don't care if it was a misunderstanding on the spectator part. That person deserves a fucking apology, an explanation and fucking respect.
Who the fuck lets their ex sit on their lap anyway?! Whether they've broken up 3 days ago or 3 fucking months ago. That's just not cool.
Dnf at 55%
So fucking close.
I really liked this story (despite the corny insta love) and the direction it was taking, however Gabe was just too fucking narrow minded for my sanity.
And on Date Night for fucks sakes?!
I don't care if it was a misunderstanding on the spectator part. That person deserves a fucking apology, an explanation and fucking respect.
Who the fuck lets their ex sit on their lap anyway?! Whether they've broken up 3 days ago or 3 fucking months ago. That's just not cool.
Dnf at 55%
So fucking close.
I really liked this story (despite the corny insta love) and the direction it was taking, however Gabe was just too fucking narrow minded for my sanity.
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