From bestselling author L.J. Shen, comes a new, standalone, contemporary romance. “BEST BOOK OF 2018!” – Sophie, Bookalicious Babes Blog.“Honestly the best novel L.J. has written to date.” – Ratula, Bookgasms Book Blog. Roman ‘Bane’ ProtsenkoNaked surfer. Habitual pothead. A con, a liar, a thief and a fraud.Last I heard, he was extorting the rich and screwing their wives for a living.Which is … the rich and screwing their wives for a living.
Which is why I’m more than a little surprised to find him at my threshold, looking for my friendship, my services, and most puzzling of all—looking humbled.
Thing is, I’m on a boycott. Literally—I cut boys from my life. Permanently.
Problem is, Bane is not a boy, he is all man, and I’m falling, crashing, drowning in his sweet, perfect lies.
Jesse Carter
Hot as hell, cold as ice.
I wasn’t aware of her existence until a fat, juicy deal landed in my lap.
She’s a part of it, a little plaything to kill some time.
She is collateral, a means to an end, and a side-bonus for striking a deal with her oil tycoon stepdad.
More than anything, Jesse Carter is a tough nut to crack.
Little does she know, I have the teeth for it.
*This book contains material that might be offensive for some or elicit a strong emotional response.
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Bane’s name defines his entire existence. He was born to cheat, raid and break hearts. And he found his next perfect target.
Jesse has given up boys for life. She wants not one thing to do with their frivolities. Well good for her because Bane is no boy. He’s all man and ready to wreck havoc on her entire life.
Honestly, I should have expected this book to hit me harder than a mofo but I didn’t so all the emotional turmoil is on me. Serves me right for being that idiot.
I keep saying this on and on and it never seizes to be untrue – L.J. Shen knows how to write the fuck out of a story, she bloody knows how to make you fall in love with every character she creates and she knows just how to coerce you into abandoning your life and just read. Frankly at this point she can ask for my soul and I’d be like ‘did you need it yesterday, too?’
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD BANE!!!! This man gave me all sorts of heart aches. At one point, I had to put the book down and walk away cuz let me tell you I WAS NOT EQUIPPED!!! I just want to read this book forever and ever. *ugly crying*
5 Megawatt Stars
Well I’m not sure how others feel but LJ Shen has knocked the ball right out the park with this one. I was hooked and even though it’s a spin off from the Sinners of Saint Series, Roman Protsenko AKA Bane has just become my number one guy of this series. Now I am pretty sure there has been and will be more of you ladies whom also lay claim to our resident bad boy so buckle up and get ready for one heck of a ride with Bane.
Bane is a resident bad boy surfer/criminal who has the local sheriff in his pocket, in fact he even does his wife every Tuesday for him, so getting into trouble for anything he does is pretty slim. Bain needs a hefty loan in the sum of six million to bid for land and develop his dream of a surf park and mall, so when the perfect deal lands in his lap with conditions of befriending Jessie Carter attached he believes it will be as easier than anything he has ever done, Right!
Now as much as I love a good angsty book with a total alpha male which this has in abundance, for me the heroine in this one stole the show slightly. Jessie’s backstory is totally gut wrenching but you see how much of a fight she puts up throughout the book to try become the person she once was and to leave the past behind. She is an awesomely inspiring heroine and the fight and spirit she gains is one that would inspire women with the most tragic of pasts to pick themselves up and win the battle with whatever demons they may have.
Bane himself is everyone’s dream character, Alpha, Surfer, Protector, Dominating, fearless and extremely full of hotness, I mean what more could a girl want in a book?
All in all I could read stories with these characters for the next year and not get bored at all. This book will have you shaking with anger, laughing, gasping, shouting at fictional characters, definitely swooning and above all will most definitely leave you wanting more. For me I think this is now my favourite LJ Shen book and I believe this author has come a long way in not just her writing but in giving readers a great story they can sink their teeth into without doubting if it will leave them with a satisfactory smile on their faces. Now Ms Shen please can we have a Novella for Hale and one for Beck pleaseeeeeeeee and Thank You?
Bane is live! I’m a huge fan of LJ Shen’s Sinners of Saint series. Highly recommend grabbing a copy of this enemies-to-lovers story!
Another fantastic book! And it tackled a very tough subject, rape! And more importantly, surviving rape. Bane, being the scary crazy looking guy that he is, would be the last person you would think a rape survivor would befriend when she has a hard time trusting anyone else. That’s exactly why it works! He’s blunt and has no problems talking about sex like it’s nothing. He’s safe. So she allows herself to trust him. The wait for these 2 to finally actually get together is excruciating! There is so much foreplay with these 2! (I say thing as a great thing). A lot of the time you will have these “slow burn” type books where there is a lot of tension with no relief at all. Not here. These 2 fool around like teenagers! I was so excited to read this book and it was totally worth the wait! It was great and the characters were so easy to get behind! Absolutely one-click worthy! So you all should go do that now!
The Sinners of Saint series is one of my favorites because all of the lead male characters are so obnoxious yet so sexy you develop a love/hate relationship with them and are affectionately referred to as the Hotholes. Bane is no different. He’s no holds barred and takes no crap and he intrigued me from the start flaws and all. Roman “Bane” Protsenko gets what he wants no matter how he has to get it done. But there’s a softer side to him too – one that loves his mother and doesn’t want to repeat the sins of his father. Jesse Carter has been through hell and back. But she is one tough chick. With a mother that doesn’t care about anyone but herself and a stepfather that cares a little too much, Jesse has to be her own savior. She and Bane see each other, have great banter and have more than just physical chemistry going for them. Their story takes on not only love but healing and redemption. I can only describe the writing as being right there in their thoughts or as part of the scene – so natural and realistic. Bane is a fantastic addition to the series and ends it on a high note. But have no fear, we get to meet the children of those Hotholes soon and I’m really looking forward to that.
Hold on to your surf board because Bane is here!!! Catching the waves and living the high (literally) life in Todos Santos. He’s hot, sexy, tattooed up pro surfer looking to open a new business to add to his coffee shop and hotel in Todos Santos. He’s been in this town long enough to know everyone and anyone. Until he was given the name of a new guy who’s been recommended to help with funding….
Jesse is the gal who has been dealt the crappy life. One thing after another has dropped like a bomb in her so messed up life. She has taken to becoming the recluse.
So when you mix the “Cocky as a rooster” and “The girl who is quieter than a dead cheerleader in a horror flick” you are setting yourself up for quite a ride!
Exposing your inner demons that these two have, it’s a story that no one should ever have to tell. The emotional ride while reading this story was at an all-time high.
To.Fix.You.
In the long run, isn’t that what we all want to do for those that we care for? But is it the ones we care for or the ones we are paid to fix…that we strive to fix the best?
The truths come out, the lies come out, the friends who you thought were your friends come out, the parents who you thought would be there through thick and thin come out and in the end, we find out who are the players and who are the ones that need to be punished for what they’ve done. Justice for all!!!
Whollyturlymadly this was Leigh Shen’s best work! Loved the strong character that she created in Bane. Loved the sassy, loving, caring character in Jesse. Between these two riding the waves, there shouldn’t be any issues in small town Todos Santos!!!
#BookBistroBlogApproved
Can I just say I love this cover
I do love this authors books, but to me, this is my all-time favorite. This book was everything and more.
Of course, I had very high expectations of this book and the author blew me away!
I did not know what to expect going into this book, I went in blind and I am so glad I did.
Bane and Jesse are perfect together. I have laughed, I cried, I swooned. I did not want this book to end much!
Bane, I was not sure if I was going to like him, but hell I loved him and his banter.
Jesse I really liked her character, she is strong and brave I just loved her.
The characters are not just characters. They feel like real people who come alive as you get to know them.
This book is so well written, you feel like you are right there with them. It draws you in and doesn’t let go. That is how good Leigh words affect you.
« Love is like death. It’s inevitable. »
She did id again! I think I could start all my reviews for Leigh’s book the same way!Every. Single. Time. She. Does. It! Mark my word : every single damn time!!!
Bane was one of my most anticipated read of 2018. I love all the books in the Sinners of Saint series. I can’t say who I love the most because it could be Vicious, Dean, Jaime or Trent, all of them are different and I enjoyed their books tremendously for different reasons.
This series is one of the best I’ve EVER read Bane is just the cherry on top of an already fantastic cake!
L.J. Shen changed her traditional enemies to lovers trope to something more emotional. Bane is not about hiding your love for someone with condensing words. No Bane is about making friends with the one you didn’t expect. It’s feeling confortable with the one you wouldn’t have known if not for a business transaction. It’s letting your walls crumbling without knowing it. It’s about trust, it’s about making someone laughs, it’s really about small meaningful things we all do in life but don’t pay enough attention. And this ladies is Bane. Plain and simple. Forbidden, yet an evidence all at one.
« The only man I felt safe with. If it wouldn’t be him, it wouldn’t be anyone—and that thought scared me. Everyone needed someone. »
Bane. Roman Protsenko. Everybody wants a piece of him, most already have but only one knows him truly. Until Jesse.
« “What’s the antonym of hate?”
« Jesse. »
Roman was such a complex but oh so interesting character. He’s trouble, he’s a bad boy, he’s tough and you wouldn’t want to mess with him but when you scratch the surface, you see the layers, you see his motives, you see his ambitions and you see who he is behind it all.
« “You’re poisoned. Sheltered. Yet, you’re no Snow White. Wanna know why?”
“Why?”
“Snow White waited for the prince. You’ll be the one saving yourself in this story. »
Jesse Carter has been burned badly in her past. What happened to her is intolerable. It left her with no friends, no family – at least not what a family should be like – and no future perpective. Until a meeting, until someone gives her the « tool » to survive. By herself.
I admire her strength even when she felt weak and how she grows from a girl to a woman.
All of Leigh’s female characters have a lot of backbone. Jesse is probably the one with the most of it. Her story is really painful and could be a trigger for lots of readers.
« no one said we needed to touch each other to get off. »
Jesse & Bane together was torture for a long time! L.J Shen knows how to give angst, how to give unbearable sexual tension. It was everywhere! I couldn’t believe this was a slow burn. Bane’s story is a slow burn, you read that right! It was incredible because you know the reward at the end will be fantastic.
The day that I thought would never happen has arrived. Bane has officially knocked Nate (Blood To Dust) off his spot as my book husband. Roman ‘Bane’ Protsenko is everything!! Everything I knew I wanted and everything I didn’t even know I was hoping for. He is the most perfect book boyfriend of all time.
I’m a massive fan of LJ Shens and have read and loved all her previous books but Bane is something else completely. It’s like LJ Shen kicked it up a gear and the result is a truly unputdownable book. The story, characters, chemistry and banter are all perfect and I found it to be a lot more grittier and emotional than her other books. The prologue was completely unexpected and certainly packed a punch and gets Bane and Jesse story off to a great start.
As much as I loved Bane (and I do. I’d have his babies if that was remotely possible) the star of this book for me was Jesse. She is unbelievably easy to like from the start. I couldn’t help but empathise with her. Her story is gut wrenching at times but she’s stronger than she knows and with Banes help, a new Jesse starts to appear. So many times in romance books it’s the man that comes to the heroines rescue but Jesse doesn’t need anyone to save her and I loved that about her. Her character grows so much during this book. She’s resilient and sassy and so very strong. I have a massive crush on her. She may have been knocked down but once she’s back on her feet she’s stronger than ever.
LJ Shen has a talent of not only writing a book that’s so very hard to put down with characters you soon start obsessing about, but she manages to find the perfect balance between emotional, angsty and tense and knows just how and when to break up the tension with some humour and more light hearted moments. This book is fantastic. Buy it. Read it. I doubt you’ll regret it.
5 HEARTBREAKING STARS!! Hold on to your heart, Bane is about to steal it from your chest. Bane is a bad boy with a beautiful heart that you will fall in love with. Bane and Jesse’s story is not your traditional love story, it is heartbreaking, difficult, beautiful and loving. L.J. Shen stories are so gripping and perfectly written for a fantastic read. Please do yourself a favor and 1-click this book. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
L.j. Shen did it again: created an addictive story, with complex characters, flawed and fascinating full of mystery, revelations and I loved each written page.Bane is the fourth book from my favorite series: Sinner of saint, with each book having your own story, characters and plot never ceasing to amaze us and deliver an addictive and engrossing story.
You know those heroes who are jerks, has a dubious character are male but with alpha they have your redemption and become good guys?But isn’t the case with the heroes of this series, here The author here shows them as they are, without losing the essential oils and makes us love them anyway.The heroes are jerks, alpha male, and has questionable attitudes and are imperfect .And Yes I love each one of them.
Bane and Jesse, the main characters here are great. The are fragile, strong, passionate and captivating and perfect for each other.Along the journey with these characters I laughed, I cried, I rebelled, and I was surprised by the twists and turns that I honestly didn’t even realize that was possible.
Bane is a story that has a beautiful romance, complex characters, human and imperfect,but it’s also a story which shows the strength of these characters, it is a story where addresses a sensitive topic and the author had the courtesy to treat with subtlety and importance it deserves.It’s a book where the girl is your own hero, where the hero of this story showed her that she didn’t need anyone to be saved, but sometimes we need someone just to hold our hand.Is a story about love, about having knowledge of your own strength and a story about heal and move on. Another great story written by that author.