From USA Today bestselling author A. Zavarelli comes an enemies to lovers romance full of blackmail, emotional twists, and explosive chemistry.From the shadows, I’ve tracked her every move.I was just supposed to watch her. But now, I can’t stop. She’s my obsession. My addiction. My poison.Watching her isn’t enough.The savage in me won’t be satisfied until I take her and make her mine.One taste … me won’t be satisfied until I take her and make her mine.
One taste and I’m hooked. Too bad for her… I’m never letting her go.
***
Stalked. Hunted. Captured.
He took me from my life and locked me away in his compound.
The ex-con. The big bad biker. Inked, bearded, and inhumanely sized.
And yet, every time he looks at me, I melt.
This broken beast hides demons behind those brutal eyes. I hate him… and I crave him. His touch, his words, his lips.
When my enemies come for me, he vows to protect me as long as I do what he says. I’ll be secure in this prison he created for me.
But who will protect me from him?
Convict is a full length standalone within the Sin City Series and has a complete ending.more
Holy moley!! Talk about a wild ride!! I was so thrilled when I heard about this book, I could hardly wait to get my hands on it. And the author didn’t disappoint. It was twisted and angsty and oh so swoon worthy. Action packed with so many exciting twists & turns.
“Surrender, Birdie. I fucking own you now.”
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Convict. Ever since Confess I have loved the idea of Birdie and Ace together. Birdie is a smart, beautiful independent young women that lives by her own rules. Ace is a aloof rugged biker with a unexpected darker side. He is not use to emotion or dealing with feelings but Birdie seems to bring out every emotion possible from him.
“Obsession. I could feel it breeding. Overtaking everything. I hadn’t been able to admit it, but I was intoxicated by her.”
Both have lived through some horrific tragedies that left them no choice but to build walls around their hearts. This is a raw, dark and gritty read that will shock you at times. I loved seeing Lucian and Gypsy along with some new characters that I would enjoy learning more about.
“Someday, everything will be perfect.”
~ Read on behalf of Two Darlin Dolls and a Book Review Blog
CONVICT by A. Zavarelli is book 2 in the Sin City Salvation series. This is Birdie Blue and Ace Fallon’ story.
OMG- Birdie and Ace are broken souls who are living in the past of their pain. How they met and then how they come together is painfully gripping, gritty, intense and poignant. They become beautifully crafted together by their past and their pain. It’s intense, forbidden, steamy, heartbreaking, dark, raw, yet full of feels, love and hope. Yes, this is what I crave when I read a book by Ms. Zavarelli and she delivers so beautifully. Ace and Birdie are the couple to watch!!!
My Rating: 4.5 stars *******
Eek! A. Zavarelli is back with a beautiful addition that takes us again into a dark, twisted world. This is Gus and Birdie’s story. It amazes me how misunderstood both of these characters are especially Birdie. My heart broke multiple times as I experienced the injustices that happened to Gus and Birdie. They are true survivors to have lived through the horrific childhoods they had.
This book is not an insta-love kind of think but you definitely feel the heat between these two. There is plenty of dark and a lot of it is the telling of these characters youth. Ugh I teared up with Gus’ story. Yikes this guy is A-MAZ-ING.
So if it sounds like I am talking in circles, well I am a bit. I want to sing this story’s praise but I don’t want to give anything away. You need to go in blind and experience it all.
If you like dark, sexy, and angsty books then this is the one for you. I loved every five delicious stars it earned.
Happy Reading!
This author never seize to amaze me!
She wrote the first book, Confess which was in my opinion, her best yet but then she wrote Convict , and unbelievably, she topped it!
The writing and story was raw and heart-crushing at some point. If you’ve read the first book, this interconnects to it and you will just feel the passion this author put in her words. It bleeds in every page turn and it was so all-consuming.
Birdie, the heroine, is one tough character. She has a fighting spirit that will make you cheer for her, but like every normal human being, the girl has got some limits and she almost, almost reached it. I love her outer and inner strength. She possesses a good and fragile heart and you’d be blind not to notice that. And she fell for our bearded, brooding hero, Ace.
Ace is not your typical everyday hero. He’s got demons lurking around his head; a past that he cannot run from but he’s loyal and that loyalty got him in a position that he doesn’t know if will end well.
The way A. Zavarelli woven the story from the first book up to this book is simply fascinating. Both sisters have gone and went through hell. They’ve dealt a bad hand in life but that didn’t hinder them from living their lives, even if to some it seems like they’re just surviving. And then the author gave them both someone like them, broken yet beautiful. Someone that they can see the scar but appreciate the war it went through.
Ace is a broken knight in tainted armor who exquisitely blends with Birdie’s seemingly flawless appearance. They’re both hunted by their past. But in each other’s arms they found solace and peace. They’re each other’s strength and weakness and motivation. I love how this two learned how to love and appreciate it.
Convict isn’t just a love story. It’s also a story of survivors of life who found love in an almost hopeless place. It’s a story of opening up of one’s self to betterment, kindness, appreciation and most of all, love. It’s the story I would recommend to read to all readers who loves reading broken book boyfriends, jaded heroine and how these characters will find each other. It’s the story I’m proud that I’ve read first.
A well written and enjoyable read
Birdie and Ace really called to me in Confess, Sin City Salvation #1, and whilst I still loved them in this story, at times they felt like slightly different people to the ones I’d met before. However we viewed them both through the eyes of others, and their misconceptions were part of the explanation for that. I also thought Birdie and Ace’s story overlapped more with Gypsy and Lucian’s story, but we didn’t get to see any of that part.
Ms Zavarelli is the master of writing broken and damaged characters. Protagonists whose very existence is filled with darkness, whose innocence was ripped away far too early in their life. Both Ace and Birdie will make your heart bleed when you learn of their pain and suffering. A lot of the book deals with this pair trying to understand and accept their OWN feelings, never mind negotiating the minefield of forming a relationship with another damaged soul.
My attention never wavered as I read Conflict. There was never a point where I felt bored, was tempted to put it down and read something else or wanted to skim parts. The author writes with such practised ease and in a way that holds your interest. There were a couple of things I would have liked to be different, but these are more along the lines of personal preference than a criticism of the book.
Personally I wanted more of the ‘suspense’ element woven through the central sections of the book. That part of the story felt just a little shoe-horned in at the end, just a touch too rushed and easily resolved in some ways. It would also have stopped that same chunk in the middle starting to feel a little ‘ground-hog day’. Ace’s blowing hot and cold and Birdie’s misunderstanding of the situation was repeated just a few too many times with nothing of substance to dilute it down.
However neither of those made this a ‘bad’ story. It was wonderful to see these two get their HEA as well as getting some very brief glimpses of Lucian and Gypsy. Bearing in mind that 4 stars on GR does mean ‘really liked’ this is a book that I am only to happy to recommend to those who love a contemporary romance with troubled characters, a dash of suspense and some darker themes too.
3.5 stars
”She made my head a warzone of emotions. I didn’t like to feel but she made me feel.”
Convict was my first book by this author and I’m deeply impressed by her captivating writing style.
And even though you can read Convict as standalone, I personally felt that I would have had a better connection to the world set-up and the already established characters, if I had read Confess first.
So my recommendation to you is, read Confess first, Convict second.
”He was a God of war. And I was a mere mortal unequipped with the powers to resist such human temptations.”
With Ace and Birdie the author created some beautiful but troubled souls who found their match in each other. Due to their pasts they have a deep understanding for each other and their needs.
Those two take their time to give into their attraction and into temptation, but once they do, they create a force to be reckoned with.
After a slow start and with about 50% into the book it suddenly turned into a page turner, leaving me with the “one more chapter” thought until I finished the book at 2 in the morning.
”She was a sorceress. A witch. Some kind of mythical creature sent to destroy me.”
Convict is an intriguing and thrilling love story of two broken souls that touches many sensitive topics and sucks you into a world of darkness where love is your only light and savior.
”Good or bad, right or wrong, she was the other half of my soul that I’d always known was missing.”
It’s a wide eyed look at the underbelly of Sin city. Once again Ash has managed to freak me out. A world exists just beyond the shiny lights and jingling coin machines in Vegas. It’s foul smelling, Putrid and decaying. Filth of sexual slavery and debauchery is flowing down the sewers of the city and the rich step over it and poor get caught in it.
Built for sinful pleasures, she’s honed her talent as a weapon to protect herself and her loved ones.
“On the surface, she was an enchantress, glowing with pleasure and sin. But I’d had plenty of time to pick her apart. She was exhausted. Anxious. Flighty. There had to be a reason why she subjected herself to this,”
Birdie is fluttering bird caught in a cage, literally fighting for her life and freedom, held captive in the tight fist of Joe and then Ace. She doesn’t have a say in her own fate and is cruelly subjected to blackmail and then captivity at the hands of these men in her life.
“She’d never been treated right. She’d never known love. Her whole life was a desolate landscape of one user after another.”
It’s tough seeing right from wrong, separating malefactor from benefactor. Situations become murkier, survival becomes dangerous and with enemies lurking in every corner, running becomes the only deadly option.
I loved Confess and convict carries the same excellence forward. Birdie seemed juvenile in comparison to gypsy at first but she really develops in to a strong personality and develops equally responsible and street smart as Gypsy.
Ace was a conundrum at first. His quietude was a result of torture for years and the trauma had made him a hard, unfeeling man. Physically strong yet emotionally vulnerable, he’s more like Birdie than you could imagine
“My whole fucking life I’d been out of options. Trading one exploitation for another was all I’d ever known. Jumping from one frying pan to a different fire.”
Their chemistry was off the charts hot, their understanding very disbalanced but nevertheless there!!
It’s a Scintillating, thrilling bike-ride through the barren desert of Nevada. Get ready to be wind-burned as ash races you on a live-or-die chase through some perilous hairpin curves.
Hang on tight for the ride of your life!!!
5 stars cause “someday, everything will be perfect”
In Convict, second book of the Sin City Salvation series, A. Zavarelli once again enthralled me with her thrilling storyline.
Ace (Huck) and Birdie caught my attention in Confess, so I was more than happy when I started reading their story.
They are wonderfully endearing characters, whose demons and scars broke my heart. Their cat and mouse game mixed with mystery and danger kept me on edge all along.
“She was a brat. A misguided, spoiled, entitled brat. But beneath her high maintenance exterior, there was a tragedy.”
Birdie and Ace’s connection was incredible. The alternating between hot and cold, high and low in their relationship gave me chills as they fought their feelings and emotions.
“I wasn’t going to think of her. She was too pure for a devil like me. I would corrupt her. Taint her. Ruin her. Depravity was the only way to describe this fixation.”
Under their strong personalities, their vulnerability gripped me.
The doubts matched the degree of the passion of those two broken souls. Birdie kept pushing the buttons, challenging Ace at every turn. I loved his caring and protective personality although he worked hard to hide it under is gruff demeanor. Ace is the alpha biker you will love to fall for. I heard a lot of readers already staked their claim…
What a freaking fantastic, heart pounding turbulent journey this book has been.
The pace of the story flowed perfectly and kept me intrigued throughout.
Birdie and Ace are two broken souls both struggling with their personal demons. Their story was a rollercoaster of emotions, raw, gritty, passionate and painful at times but what a ride its been.
Birdie comes across as a petulant brat that has caused nothing but trouble from a young age. I admit I didn’t warm to her much in the first book. Even in this story I struggled with her at times. However once I stripped her down and saw the girl for who she really is all that bravado she puts across disappeared. I found her to be a courageous and incredibly astute young lady.
Ace is the kind of character I love, broken and troubled with a guilt complex he carries like a boulder around his neck. You can’t help wanting to peel away his layers to find out his secrets. He’s such a strong force of nature physically but he’s also emotionally stunted just like Birdie. There they are equals both vulnerable and inexperienced but its beautiful to watch them grow together.
They challenge and infuriate each other but slowly form an unbreakable bond and thrive because of it.
A captivating story that will leave a lasting impression.
I absolutely loved Ace and his Blue Bird.
Birdie is a broken woman. So it makes perfect sense that the man who’s been watching her, obsessing over her, from afar, is a broken man. And when he takes her, will their broken souls complete each other? If Ace has anything to say about it…HELL YES!
Ace may not have committed the crime he was imprisoned for, but he isn’t a saint. He’s never learned about love, doesn’t know what to do with it when love comes to him in the form of a blonde con woman. Though he may not know what to do with those feelings, he knows that he’ll do whatever it takes to rescue her, the woman he’s obsessed with.
“I’ve been a criminal. A prisoner. A fucking pariah. And even if I hadn’t done the things I’d gone to prison for, those years had changed me. I wasn’t a good man. I wasn’t even a decent man. But I was a man who knew what he wanted, and a man who do anything to get her back.”
When I read (AND LOVED!) Confess, I found Birdie a questionable character, but God, here in her own story, I absolutely fell in love with her damaged soul. Her backstory is heartbreaking. What she’s had to endure in her lifetime is something no one should ever experience. And it damaged her almost beyond repair. But she survived. And then came Ace. The perfect broken man to complete her. Her and Ace’s story is darkish, it’s gritty and raw, and perfect. Ace is just as broken as Birdie, and together they’re fire, absolute fire. I so love them. The Sin City Salvation series just keeps getting better – I can’t wait for what Ashleigh has in store for us next!
ARC via author.
Convict is the second book in the Sin City Salvation series by A. Zavarelli and this is an amazing follow up to book one. When I finished the first book (and fell in love with it, I wasn’t sure how anything was going to top it but Birdie and Ace’s story wrecked me. Both characters are broken in their own way and come from pasts that most wouldn’t be able to survive, but they did!
They have an undeniable attraction to each other but their insecurities and doubts leave them paralyzed with fear of rejection. Watching their the love develop was an absolute pleasure and I could read about them all day.
The storyline flowed perfectly and I was never bored, I did read this book extremely fast but only because I had to know what happened next. I recommend this entire series but you can read this book as a standalone!
I was dying to read Birdies story when I meet her on Gypsy’s book Confess, and finally, we have her story is here!!!
Birdie is a very mysterious Heroine with a past that keeps lurking around, making her anxious not knowing whom to trust anymore but Gypsy is not taking any chances with her sister’s safety, she has a plan that Birdie will not be happy about but this is the only way to finally keep them safe.
Convict is a great story, a roller coaster of emotions, it will keep you glued to your chair since the very first pages of the book, you won’t see many things coming and that’s what makes the story even more intriguing and entertaining. We get to know more about Gypsys and Birdies awful past, so many details we didn’t know and now are coming to the surface making us aware why these sisters had to do what they do in order to survive.
Ace had a very sad and troubled childhood, he has been paying for mistakes he didn’t make, his trust and faith in humanity are gone. he only believes in his brothers who have been with him in the worst moments of his life but life didn’t prepare him for her, she is a game-changer that soon will put all his emotions to a test making him doubt if his mistrust is really necessary.
Convict is a story of determination and trust Birdie and Ace fought so hard to survive. Two broken souls trying to recover what they thought they already lost faith and love.
Overall it was an amazing story, full of Great characters that brought this book to life.
Wow! Talk about raw and gritty! This book was like a daggers edge scrapping over my every emotion. There was never a respite from the beautiful agony these characters had lived and were still battling. I loved every heartbreaking, breathtaking moment of it!
This book intersects with Confess, book one of the series and zooms in at the moment that Ace is sent to pick Birdie up. Her past continues to haunt her as she is scrambling to get possession of the evidence of her crime. With Ace’s interference, she’s frightened of what the end result will mean to her sister, Gypsy, and her new family.
Ace’s own past has left him broken and unable to have any type of romantic relationship. Pain has been his salvation when emotions begin to overwhelm him.
A year of watching Birdie has become a bit of an obsession for him but when he’s instructed to take her and keep her safe, his whole life is ripped open and he’s left to figure out how to respond to the blonde tornado who has upended it all.
”Birdie Blue was my f—ing nightmare and salvation wrapped up into one terrifying package. She’d left her mark on me, branding it into my rusted-up, broken-down heart. I didn’t know why I was still fighting it. Good or bad, right or wrong, she was the other half of my soul that I’d always known was missing. And consequences be d*mned, I was keeping her.”
Birdie and Ace were both so completely broken. And yet, together, despite their many errors, they find a way to bring peace into each other’s life. These characters were so well developed that at times I was sure my heart was cracking open just from the sheer pain they each had to carry. There were so many ups and downs with them. From the simple task of sharing a job, to the emotionally draining experience of facing their own demons, I was compelled to continue reading until this couple could reach a satisfying conclusion.
”Huck didn’t even penetrate my body, but he penetrated my mind. Nothing about this afternoon was mechanical or routine. I was a slave to the chemical high he provided, and I wanted more.”
Throughout all the angst fueled scenes, we were given moments of pure joy as Ace and Birdie slowly learned to open up to one another. The chemistry between them was evident from the first moment Ace interrupted Birdie’s con in Confess and it only escalates here as it blazed across the pages of this book. However, their times together were not a simple “rinse and repeat” formula. This author brings just as much depth and emotion into their intimate moments as those outside of them. The characters are constantly growing, evolving, and while they each certainly take some steps back, their essence is always moving forward.
From the first page this story explodes and there is no slowing down afterwards. The heat level is intense, the pains from the past sometimes graphic, and the secondary characters add greater understand to the hero and heroine. I freaking loved every moment of it as I cheered and cried, clutched my heart repeatedly and felt fury unlike any I’ve ever felt before while reading a book. And then A. Zavarelli does what she does best…she gave me the sweetest, swooniest epilogue that soothed my heart and assured my soul that this couple were now and would always be okay.
Highly recommend this to anyone who loves deeply broken characters, a hero with a “mine” persona, and can handle some of the dark subject matter contained within.
A. Zavarelli writing always amazes me. She writes with clarity and with passion you get lost in the world of her stories. In “Convict” she writes about two damaged souls. Two people who are beyond healing and that, premise right there is why I loved “Convict” We get souls that are ruff and tuff on the outside by slowly dying on the inside. When these two souls meet it’s a connection they don’t understand but, continue to try and control their chemistry on their own strength. It’s not until they both surrender themselves that they can really experience the amazing actions and feelings of first love. Ace and Birdie a love that survives injustice or does it? This is book #2 in the Sin City Salvation series. I highly recommend reading book 1 as the characters are all present in this series.
Wow. This book. Wow. In my opinion, you really need to read Gypsy’s book (Confess) before you read this one. Gypsy and Birdie are sisters who had a horrible childhood which, in turn, shaped the rest of their lives. Their childhood backstory gets slowly revealed between the two books. So Convict. Birdie’s book. Birdie and Ace. Two damaged souls that are pushed together by Gypsy’s husband. Can I just say this is a must read? I think that’s all I can say without giving anything away. This book is definitely one of my top reads for 2019.
Ever read a book that has your heart racing in your chest? That makes a lump form in your throat? Or tears burst from your eyes? This book did all that to me.
Ace and Birdie’s story was a wild ride. Two ruined lives, two people fighting for a chance, finding each other and making a life. As their secrets unfolded, I wanted to race through the pages, faster and faster until I got to the end.
I loved this story. I loved Ace and Birdie. I loved seeing Lucian and Gypsy. I loved Ace’s brothers and they way they came together to protect Ace and Birdie in the end. And I promise, I will never, ever look at a TENS machine the same way again.
This book deserves a solid ten stars! Absolutely loved it!
A TORTURED HERO! MY FAVORITE!! 4 1/2***** STARS!!!!!
This book…OMG…my heart couldn’t break anymore more for Birdie and Ace. I love these two!
Convict is a gripping story that had me feeling excited, anguish and compassion for these two.
Birdie having a troubled life doesn’t trust easily but she does eventually let Ace in. I will admit her uncertainty of Ace was starting to get to me. I mean I know the man has a tortured past and can be cold, but he’s “Ace” the fierce protector. Ace doesn’t know how to deal with the feelings he’s developing for Birdie and she can drive him insane but when they finally come together it’s intense. I love it when a woman melts the heart of a hard man.
The story is suspenseful and thrilling. There were a few parts where I needed more details but I’m greedy like that.
I loved catching up with Lucian and Gypsy and learning more about Birdie and Gypsy’s horrible childhood. Ohhh and I love getting a glimpse of Ace’s MC. That was intriguing and I’m hoping for a spin-off series *crossing fingers**.
Convict is more than a romance… it’s a mystery drama with great characters and a compelling storyline.
Wow what a sinful read that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout this book. It will take you on a dark twisted ride of hot steamy dark sex and emotions that will have you loving this story. I read the second book and had to reread the first book again. This is a must read book that will have you loving each word flying off your phone.
God this book was so awesome. If you really want to enjoy and understand what’s going on, I suggest reading #1 first. Heartbreak, hot, intense, raw, delicious, dark and so good. I am in a daze.