Scandalous, the highly anticipated next standalone in the Sinners of Saint Series by LJ Shen is available NOW!
Scandalous by LJ Shen
Publishing Date: September 29th, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance
They call him The Mute for a reason.
Hard, cold and calculated, he rarely speaks.
When he does, it’s with disdain.
When he does, his words aren’t meant for me.
When he does, my stomach flips and my world tilts on its axis.
He is thirty-three.
I am eighteen.
He’s a single dad and my father’s business partner.
I’m just a kid to him and his enemy’s daughter.
He’s emotionally unavailable.
And I am…feeling. Feeling things I shouldn’t feel for him.
Trent Rexroth is going to break my heart. The writing isn’t just on the wall, it’s inked on my soul.
And yet, I can’t stay away.
A scandal is the last thing my family needs. But a scandal is what we’re going to give them.
And oh, what a beautiful chaos it will be.
“I should stay away from you, but I want you too fucking much. And when it’s all over, when all that’s left of us is sweaty flesh, and shattered minds and torn hearts, you will remember me as the man who made you cry, and I’ll remember you as the girl I had to break to stay afloat”.
I’ve always known of the saying “Save the best for last” and up until this very moment, I can honestly say without a doubt that this author did this quote justice. She didn’t just save it and gave us what we were praying for because we wanted this story wrapped up in a little nice bow. No, she stole our breaths with her words, and made us an addict with constantly falling in love with these broken ass hole heroes. And at the end of the day whether we want to admit to ourselves, we love a tortured hero but not just any. We love a HOT HOLE tortured hero and Trent Rexroth, was no exception.
Known for being the silent one, Trent Rexroth is a man who doesn’t need to say anything to get what he wants because he always does. Money, cars, women at his disposable, he has it all and he knows it. But life wasn’t always that way for him and knowing that he’s worked hard to get to there, only makes it that much sweeter. Caring for his four year old daughter who doesn’t speak is his number one priority and nothing and no one is going to take that away from. But when you’re the king of your castle and you think that you have everything on lock, a stranger will sneak in to your kingdom and give you the reality check of your life and for Trent, that reality came in the form of a blue eyed blonde who is about to set his world a blaze.
“You make me feel wild. Fearless. Like I’m someone. Someone strong”.
Edie Van Der Zee has done a lot of things in her short eighteen years of life but nothing could compare to coming face to face with the infamous Trent Rexroth. Wise beyond her age but with enough baggage to alert the TSA, Edie encounters her most challenging task of all. Trent is not only going to be her enemy in the making, but he’s also her endgame and when those two enter the room, sh*t is going to get burned down! Who will be left standing when chaos and betrayal becomes a work of art in their world?
I loved that this story wasn’t just about Edie and Trent’s relationship. This was about a father doing everything in his power to be there for his daughter and making her happy. This story was about a son who rose from having nothing in his childhood, to becoming a man who had Everything. This was a story about a brotherhood that span over the years and now became a united family. Every single one of these characters made an impact in this story and even though some voices were louder, we still heard them and we listened.
It’s going to be hard saying goodbye to these guys and as I sit here and write this review with tears in my eyes, I know that it was worth it. From getting to know Jamie with his laid back personality and defying the odds with his one true love, to Vicious and his unapologetic words, Dean “Ruckus” who made the most noise and certainly shook things up, to the final man of the hour. Trent was Scandalous in his own right and I loved that everything came full circle for him. I have the biggest smile on my face and for that I’m grateful.
We will NEVER forget these characters no matter how hard we try and that’s a bitter sweet feeling. They made us laugh with their indecency, cry with their stupidity, and swoon when we realized they were falling in love for the very first time. Four men shook up these pages in the literary world when we didn’t expect it and those same four men,became our EVERYTHING.
Whether you were looking for an escape by just reading the first book or immediately fell in love three stories later, this author made an impact on us and she showed us that it was ok to fall in love with someone unconventional, it was ok to be a strong heroine but have a soft side as well, and it was ok to love a hot hole. And indeed we did….
“I should stay away from you, but I want you too fucking much. And when it’s all over, when all that’s left of us is sweaty flesh, and shattered minds and torn hearts, you will remember me as the man who made you cry, and I’ll remember you as the girl I had to break to stay afloat”.
I’ve always known of the saying “Save the best for last” and up until this very moment, I can honestly say without a doubt that this author did this quote justice. She didn’t just save it and gave us what we were praying for because we wanted this story wrapped up in a little nice bow. No, she stole our breaths with her words, and made us an addict with constantly falling in love with these broken ass hole heroes. And at the end of the day whether we want to admit to ourselves, we love a tortured hero but not just any. We love a HOT HOLE tortured hero and Trent Rexroth, was no exception.
Known for being the silent one, Trent Rexroth is a man who doesn’t need to say anything to get what he wants because he always does. Money, cars, women at his disposable, he has it all and he knows it. But life wasn’t always that way for him and knowing that he’s worked hard to get to there, only makes it that much sweeter. Caring for his four year old daughter who doesn’t speak is his number one priority and nothing and no one is going to take that away from. But when you’re the king of your castle and you think that you have everything on lock, a stranger will sneak in to your kingdom and give you the reality check of your life and for Trent, that reality came in the form of a blue eyed blonde who is about to set his world a blaze.
“You make me feel wild. Fearless. Like I’m someone. Someone strong”.
Edie Van Der Zee has done a lot of things in her short eighteen years of life but nothing could compare to coming face to face with the infamous Trent Rexroth. Wise beyond her age but with enough baggage to alert the TSA, Edie encounters her most challenging task of all. Trent is not only going to be her enemy in the making, but he’s also her endgame and when those two enter the room, sh*t is going to get burned down! Who will be left standing when chaos and betrayal becomes a work of art in their world?
I loved that this story wasn’t just about Edie and Trent’s relationship. This was about a father doing everything in his power to be there for his daughter and making her happy. This story was about a son who rose from having nothing in his childhood, to becoming a man who had Everything. This was a story about a brotherhood that span over the years and now became a united family. Every single one of these characters made an impact in this story and even though some voices were louder, we still heard them and we listened.
It’s going to be hard saying goodbye to these guys and as I sit here and write this review with tears in my eyes, I know that it was worth it. From getting to know Jamie with his laid back personality and defying the odds with his one true love, to Vicious and his unapologetic words, Dean “Ruckus” who made the most noise and certainly shook things up, to the final man of the hour. Trent was Scandalous in his own right and I loved that everything came full circle for him. I have the biggest smile on my face and for that I’m grateful.
We will NEVER forget these characters no matter how hard we try and that’s a bitter sweet feeling. They made us laugh with their indecency, cry with their stupidity, and swoon when we realized they were falling in love for the very first time. Four men shook up these pages in the literary world when we didn’t expect it and those same four men,became our EVERYTHING.
Whether you were looking for an escape by just reading the first book or immediately fell in love three stories later, this author made an impact on us and she showed us that it was ok to fall in love with someone unconventional, it was ok to be a strong heroine but have a soft side as well, and it was ok to love a hot hole. And indeed we did….
Because while Vicious made a lot of noise, Trent Rexroth was the silent hunter who would circle you for hours, striking when you least expected it.
FUCK ME IN THE ASS! SIDEWAYS HARD! Trent Fucking Rexroth will be the death of me. And Scandalous? This book is my ruin! Leigh Shen and her brilliance will be the culprit of my swamped books because there's no fucking way I can move on and read another book after my massive Scandalous hangover!!! Lawd have mercy but this book is PERFECTION!I never thought I will love Trent more than I did Ruckus. And it's legit, I'm up for threesome because I am selfish like that. I already called dibs on Ruckus but fuck off bitches because I am claiming my stake with Trent too! All hell may break lose but this man is MINE come hell or high water!!!!
Leigh Shen's words are my kind of drug. The way she weaved Trent and Eddie's story with her brilliant writing skills is addicting. I'm on a high. Admittedly, I am really at loss for words. The emotions of the book and the after effects of it that resonated in my system is so hard to let go.It's beautiful in more ways than one and I am forever in awe with Leigh's brilliance! She did not disappoint Trent and Eddies's journey, in fact she exceeded my expectations.
Yes! Scandalous is orgasmic as it's cover. The Prologue hit my heart so hard I was crazily turning the pages and devouring every inch of it. Words per words will not feel sorry because start to finish I savoured each. It was wonderfully written and brilliantly crafted. The connection I had with the characters was so strong.They aren't just the perfect pair. They're more than that. Trent...a single dad, a father....calculated, a jerk, an A-hole, rarely speaks but when he does, you gotta listen. It speaks with power, authority and dominance. Hell! Every words he's spoken made my body tingle. I ached all over in the most beautiful way. I love him! I love how Leigh portrayed his character. Then there's Eddie. Damn! This woman is my kind of chick. Bad ass in all ways. Her strong nature got me. Among all the women in this series, she's my favorite!
Together, they're broken and flawed... Together, they are explosive as beautiful fireworks gracing the night sky. The sparks, the tension... I was squirming in my seat all throughout. The forbidden vibe was killing me. Leigh did not hold back with Trent and Eddie. Every scenes was calculated. Every scenes was written with excellence. It's a work of art! They are perfectly impectly woven that reading their road to HEA seems like reading a modern fairytale. Filthy, hot, angst-filled, emotional, mind numbing, toe-curling and earth shattering. In the end, I felt contented and satisfied yet I am still craving for more.Craving for more Eddie and Trent, craving for more of their flawed yet perfect journey. You cannot blame me, they both rocked my world.
And that ending? Gahd!!! That was just soooo beautiful I wanna beg Leigh to give us more of this Hotholes.To give us more of this family, because in reality? I might have almost came late in the party but these characters, their journey... they became a part of me.
To end, I would love for you to read this book. You will not be disappointed because Leigh will never disappoint you. Scandalous? Hell!! It's scandalous in all ways!
Kudos Leigh Shen!
I am an unapologetic cover whore. Always have been. Always will be. I picked up Sparrow by L.J. Shen last year because of that fact, and after I finished reading it, I’d never been so thankful for my whorish ways! From the moment I delved into that book, I knew I had found something special…someone special. Alphas and assholes are my favorite kinds of heroes, and it was obvious to me that I had met their master. Making a true asshole hero that you can fall in love with can’t be an easy feat, but Leigh does it every. single. time. Scandalous was no different!
Trent Rexroth, a.k.a. The Mute, loves his daughter Luna more than life itself, and that’s why it kills him that he can’t reach her. He doesn’t grace many people with his words, but he freely gives them all to her and never receives any in return. Being deprived of the kind of father/daughter communication most people take for granted guts him completely.
Edie Van Der Zee lives in a mansion, but her life is anything but luxurious. She spends her days taking care of her mentally ill mother and trying to collect as much money as she can in any way possible. She needs money desperately despite her insanely rich parents, because at the age of 18, she is helping to take care of someone else, and that someone else is not living in her home and is at the mercy of her father’s whims.
Edie’s father, Jordan Van De Zee, is a cruel man that is anything but a good husband and father. He barely acknowledges Edie unless he wants something, and she should have known he wanted something when he forced her to come work for him. Using the only leverage he has over her that would make her do absolutely anything, he drops the bomb on Edie that he expects her to steal from Trent for him.
To say that Trent Rexroth and Jordan Van Der Zee don’t get along would be an understatement, so when Jordan brings Edie to work and demands that she be allowed a job, Trent’s first reaction is to fight him on it…that is until he sees her with Luna. Because Trent spends a huge chunk of his time at the office, Luna’s therapist suggested that he take her to work with him sometimes. Edie happens to run into her and her nanny in the breakroom which is where he sees the thing that changes his mind about Edie’s employment completely. Somehow she manages to have Luna smiling and engaging in a way that he only dreamed of. He knows right then and there that he can’t let her go.
Something else draws Trent to Edie though, and it drives him crazy. They don’t get along in any way. Every verbal exchange they have becomes a sparring match, but underneath it all is a burning desire that neither of them can extinguish. In fact, over time it becomes increasingly apparent that they will inevitably combust.
Scandalous is well written, sexy, heartbreaking and heartwarming. It’s a book that I wanted to go on forever, because aside from how phenomenal of a story it is, the reality that Trent was the last hothole I would read about broke my heart. This series will go down as one of my favorites of all time. I adore it, and it solidified L. J. Shen’s spot in my heart forever. It is no secret that she has become my favorite author. I fangirl for her like a teenager over their favorite boy band, and I will never be ashamed of it. Amazing talent like hers is rare, and the fact that it comes in the form of an equally amazing human being is the icing on the cake.
There were two little words in this book that caused tears to unexpectedly burst from eyes, and once you read it maybe you will know what I’m talking about. Of course, there is a chance you won’t, but I can guarantee you that you WILL be touched by something. This is a book about people that have never had an easy time in this world, but they survive and they thrive, and it’s an incredibly beautiful thing to witness. If you haven’t read this one yet, drop everything else you’re doing and one-click it now! If you haven’t started this series yet, rectify that immediately! The Sinners of Saint series is one that no romance fan should miss!
Excerpt:
Trent’s gaze cut to mine and stopped when his grays met my blues. The fading noise of Vicious barking at people to move along, and my father finally letting go of my arm to move toward Jaime and Dean—probably trying to gain both allies and sympathy—died down.
“I don’t like you,” Rexroth whispered under his breath, his voice harsh.
“I never asked you to.” I shrugged.
“You won’t be working here.” His arm brushed my shoulder, but I didn’t think it was by accident. I let loose a sugary smile, scanning his face and torso for no other reason other than to taunt him. “Good, you’ll be doing me a favor. My father is the one forcing me to work here. He’s pissed I turned down five Ivy League colleges. Remind me, Mr. Rexroth—which top tier university did you attend for your degree?”
The low blow was supposed to retrieve some of my lost dignity, but bile burned my throat, shotgunned from my stomach. Trent Rexroth was known in Todos Santos as an exhilarating success story, rising from the gutters of San Diego. He went to a shitty state college that accepted even the illiterate, working as a janitor on campus after hours. Those were given facts he’d recited himself in an interview for Forbes.
Had I really just tried to make him feel less worthy because he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth? It made me sicker than wearing my mother’s designer garbs.
Trent smiled, leaning into my body, into my soul. His smirk was more frightening than any scowl, frown, or grimace I’d ever seen. It threatened to tear me apart and sew me back together however he pleased.
“Edie.” His lips were dangerously close to my ear. A delicious shiver moved down my spine. Something warm rolled inside of me, begging to unknot and flower into an orgasm. What was happening, and why the hell was it happening? “If you know what’s best for you, you will turn around and leave right now.”
I elevated my head to meet his gaze and showed him my version of a grin. I was born and raised in a world of intimidating rich men, and I’d be damned if I go down like my mother—addicted to xanax, Gucci, and a man who paraded her on his arm for a short, glorious decade before keeping her solely for public appearances.
“I think I’m going to go find my desk now. I’d wish you a good day, Mr. Rexroth, but I think that ship has sailed. You’re a miserable man. Oh, and one for the road.” I fished for a Nature Valley bar in my mother’s purse and plastered it to his hard, muscled chest. My heart slammed into my neck, fluttering like a caged bird.
I hurried after my father as he glided down the vast, golden-hued hallway, not daring to look back. Knowing I’d started a war and arrived unequipped. But I also knew something else that gave me a surfer’s rush—if I could slam the final nail in my employment coffin and make Rexroth vote against me, I’d be off the hook.
I had just the plan for it. All I had to do was act like a brat. Game on.
Read Today!
(Free in Kindle Unlimited)
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2fN06df
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2whiZeq
Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/rBwXhs
Start the Series of Standalones Today!
(Free in Kindle Unlimited)
Vicious
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2xdCsQ6
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2jzngb4
Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2hUo31f
About LJ Shen:
L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat. Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards. She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.Connect with LJ Shen:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorljshen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lj_shen
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorljshen/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorljshen/
Stay up to date with LJ Shen by signing up for her mailing list:
Post a Comment