From USA Today Bestselling Authors, A.M. Hargrove and Terri E. Laine, comes a standalone, taboo love story about a virgin priest who is forced to choose between his faith and the woman he falls deeply in love with. HavenI am a sinner.Or rather my stepfather branded me as one.The bruises hidden beneath my clothes prove it.The first time I tried to run, The beautiful boy with a chiseled face and … run,
The beautiful boy with a chiseled face and steely eyes turned me away, sending me back to the hell I was living in.
Finally free, I cross paths with that boy, who is now a man.
The tragedy in his eyes is no match for the rage that has brewed inside me and the misery he condemned me to.
Yet, he elicits a sinful fire within my body and soul I can’t ignore.
He fills me with lust … because I am a sinner.
Canaan
I am a sinner.
The word echoes through me as I’ve heard it a thousand times.
No punishment is severe enough to cleanse me.
Not even those that fuel my nightmares.
I’ve given my life to atone for my sins.
But it’s not enough.
It will never be enough.
The soul I tried to save so long ago from my personal hell, was sent to a different monster.
The harshest penance can’t erase my mistake.
Worst of all … I shouldn’t want her, need her, or dream of touching her.
My vows have forbidden it.
Only she fills me with lust because I am a sinner … and one moment with her would be a beautiful sin.
This is a full-length stand-alone, forbidden, contemporary romance. If you like slow-burn, angsty reads, with emotionally broken characters that steal your heart, then download A Beautiful Sin today.
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Terri E. Laine and A.M. Hargrove show us again how believable their well created characters are. They feel so real to me and that’s one of many reasons why their stories are amazing. It’s like I am a part of it.
A Beautiful Sin is told from a dual POV. It’s about finding a way to deal with ones past of abuse and fear and to find a way to live a life the way it makes oneself happy.
I wasn’t bothered by the religious part in this book even though I am not a religious person myself. I really liked to read Canaan’s story because he seemed so authentic.
The Story:
Haven had a tough life and so did Canaan, but they both have had different evil done to them. When they meet again after some years, Haven can’t control her anger towards him for sending her away all this years ago, back to her personal hell when all she wanted was help.
Canaan had his reasons for having sent Haven away. He did it because he was afraid that something bad would be done to her by someone. What he kept so long as a secret becomes more and more a burden for Canaan as he learns that his actions took devastating effects on others.
Her growing artistic career brings Haven back to her home town and even though she is furious at Canaan, she can’t help but notice how humble and nice he is, and also really good-looking.
Conclusion:
Oh what I would give to see Haven paintings – they sounded incredible.
I absolutely loved Canaans character. I felt horrible for what he had experienced.
Anyway, the ending was lovely but it was something that I probably wouldn’t have chosen myself though I absolutely loved the epilogue.
The rating of this book was not an easy task for me because I really enjoyed reading this story but I did not love it like I did other books by those authors.
I loved the characters and couldn’t put the book down but for me it seemed like not all of the potential of this story was used up especially in the first half of the book. I feel bad for saying that because it’s still such a beautiful story.
A Beautiful Sin is beautiful, indeed! Canaan and Haven are broken people who meet again as adults. They had known each other when they were younger, but their actual meeting back then ended up with Haven going back to her home to live with her abusive uncle and with Canaan living the rest of his days tormented and feeling as if he were a sinner undeserving of forgiveness.
Canaan is now a priest and Haven is back in town for a gallery showing of her art work when she happens upon Holy Cross Church where she originally met Canaan. Canaan is back to take over as priest after the previous priest died. Canaan is such a beautiful soul that it’s hard to reconcile knowing how beautiful he is with how Haven sees him and treats him when they meet again. But, considering how her life developed, in part because of Canaan’s unknowing actions, it’s a little understandable how she reacts to seeing him again. She doesn’t know his secret, no one knows his secret, though, and if she had known, I have a feeling her reaction upon seeing him again, would have been much different. His secret is just as heart breaking as her abuse, if not more so. If abuse, physical and/or sexual, is a trigger for you, then be forewarned to stay away from A Beautiful Sin.
They slowly develop a relationship and it’s hard going at first because the two are so broken on the inside. That slow burn is beautiful, though, and when the intimate moments happen, they’re tender and much less explicit than I had been expecting. So, if you’re looking for a taboo, erotically charged, graphic and dirty, forbidden priest story, then this is not the story for you. If, however, you like the slow burn kind of love, with emotional, heart tugging moments, then this is definitely one for you!
I think what I like most about Canaan and Haven’s story is that their journey is emotional and healing, and the character development is top notch. No two characters seem so inexplicably out of place together, yet fit together so perfectly than Canaan and Haven. Thank you Terri and A.M. for this beautiful, emotional story.