From bestselling author L.J. Shen, comes a new, standalone, contemporary romance. On special sale for only 99 cents for a LIMITED TIME.“Best book of the year” – Angie’s Dreamy Reads.“Best book I HAVE EVER READ” – Bookalicious Blog Babe.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, 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 beautiful chaos it will be.
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I have been dying for Trent’s story! His story started back in Vicious’ book when he had his daughter, Luna. It continues in Dean’s book, when he’s officially made a single dad. Now, it’s concluded with his story, with him getting his happy ending.
This series does a fantastic thing of putting two opposite people together. But if there were ever two people more opposite from one another it was Trent and Edie. Overall, they work though. He’s the love that she’s never gotten and needs, and she’s the fun love he needs. She’s a mother to his child, more than Luna’s own mother even was. They challenge each other in ways fresh to this series, that also adds a lovely level of humor to it all.
Overall, great read! This couple was amazing.
Oh this book is so full of every one doing the wrong thing, it’s just so right! What I loved most about Edie and Trent’s story, their were completely honest with one another and how they used each other. They didn’t have hidden agendas that would the reader screaming at the book for the characters to open their eyes. Just a unique take on people doing bad things, but also getting what they want. Throw in a small child with communication issues and you have all the ingredients for a beautiful love/hate relationship with heat that will melt you reading device!
This book was amazing as the others!!!!! I was very excited to read Trent and Edie’s love story especially when we saw more of Trent in Ruckus (my poor baby went through a lot with his daughter Luna) and the brief appearance of Edie by the end of Ruckus!!!!!
I gave this book a 4.35 star rating and the reason for that is because I felt that the beginning of the book went kind of slow but it then picked up paced as I went on and it was a blast!!!!! Another reason is that I still like Vicious (4.5) the most and Ruckus (4.25) was great but I loved Scandalous (3.35) more than book 2. So yeah, this is why I gave it this specific rating.
When I thought the next book cannot get any dirtier, I am always blown by how the author can go so far. Honestly, for me, this is the most smuttiest book I’ve read and though there were parts that disturbed me, I enjoyed it for the most part. It got me too hot and sweating and I keep asking myself if I’m violating both of these characters privacy .
Speaking of characters, I ADORE both of Trent and Edie’s character arc in addition to their relationships. Both are broken and had to grow up way too fast. Trent trying his very best to be a good dad (HE NEEDS ALL THE HUGS) and help his daughter Luna talk/communicate again and Edie trying to keep the ones she cares for the most together and not breaking (her mother suffering with mental illness and there is Theo who you will know later on as you go further into the book).
That is why both of them were perfect for each other despite their age gap. Edie might be 18 years old BUT she is as mature as Trent (who is 33) and is very wise in my opinion.
We also got a new character in the story and I am so happy that he has a book (which is a spinoff BUT STILL) and he is BANE!!!!!! He is basically the “made in China” version of Vicious and I AM HERE FOR IT AND EXCITED TO BE READING HIS BOOK NEXT!!!!!!!!!
Another new character (WHO I HATE SO MUCH) is Jordan, who is Edie’s father and nightmare. The amount of hate that I have for this guy is in no limits because as the book goes on, I am surprised by how much my hate towards him increase!!!!! I just wanted him GONE!!!!!!
And I LOVED sweet, quiet Luna. She is such a cutie and the mention of her relationship with Knight (Dean and Rosie’s son) is so adorable that I ship them right now. Knight always is with Luna whenever the kids get together and he protects her from others who bullies/bothers her which is just so SWEET!!!!!!!
We also got a glimpse on what personality Daria (Jaime and Melody’s daughter) has and I am really hesitant because I want to like her (as most reader does) BUT she is just so mean and a bitch (she was to Luna but she apologized) which pissed me off and I hope she redeems herself when I read Pretty Reckless. Plzzzz I don’t wanna hate her!!!!!!!
I still don’t know what to describe Vaughan (Emilia and Vicious’s son). There are no dialogues by him or what his personality is. He is very quiet is what I am getting the vibe from him but I’m gonna assume he has his father’s personality. I hope I get to know more about him later on.
And I cannot go away from my review without mentioning THEO. I won’t spoil who he is since he is a major mystery character in Edie’s Point of View but I loved him with all my heart and he deserves the best!!!!! That’s all that I’m gonna say!!!!!!
The ending was just beautiful and YOU JUST NEED TO READ IT BECAUSE IT BROUGHT ME INVISIBLE TEARS INTO MY EYES!!!!!!!
Overall, I really enjoyed Scandalous (and it is very scandalous) and I am looking forward to reading Bane as soon as possible!!!!!!
A forbidden romance, a hate to love romance, a book that once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down.
Eddie and Trent story was magnificent it has so many twists, and the angst had me on edge the whole time.
Eddie despite being just 18 is really mature because of the things she has had to endure, life hasn’t being easy on her. I love the instant connection she had with Luna (Trent’s daughter) the way they bonded is so heartwarming.
Trent is this kind of quiet guy who doesn’t say much with words but his actions say many things, the way he loves Luna and worries about her made my heart melt, he is so caring and protective.
Trent and Eddie together are explosive, so perfect for each other and how without expecting it they just fell in love, with every time they spent together and with every action they did, good or bad just fuel they love connection until it was no way of denying it.
A perfect book and perfect characters, honestly a most read that is so enjoyable and will always be with me.
I loved this book so much. Shen’s writing is beautiful and captivating. This story is no different. Edie and Trent’s characters showed so much strength struggling with diversity, dysfunction, and their own feelings for eachother. I loved the suspense and twists. Just when I thought I saw what was coming, another curve ball was thrown. This book is an age-gap, steamy read I’ll be recommending to others.
Edie and Trent hate each other when they meet but Trent’s daughter Lula who doesn’t speak reacts positively to Edie. Trent is quiet and broody and Edie is full of fire. Edie and Trent shouldn’t be together and they know but does that stop them. So many twists and turns. Great characters and storyline. Highly recommended. Amazing book
So, first, let me say this: I have loved Jamie, Vicious & Dean so much. But, Trent Rexroth? Oh my. How I have loved him hard throughout this book! He is beautifully broken. He is beautifully chiseled. He. Is. Beautiful. Period. I loved his brooding, I loved his “don’t give a damn”, and I absolutely loved his loyalty to his daughter Luna.
I’ll be honest, though. I thought Edie was a whiny, ungrateful kid……it was a hate/love relationship with her. I hated her in the beginning. She really got under my skin in the first few chapters. Then I saw her with little Luna, and with The Mute, and that hate turned into love for her.
The sizzling, slow burn passion between Edie & Trent was absolutely mind blowing. All of my feels were all over the emotional spectrum with this scandalous story of a single dad, a teenage girl who understands his daughter, and the sweet little girl who hides inside herself. Once again, Shen took one of the sexy, sinning Hotholes and gave her fans one fell of an angsty, passionate rollercoaster ride. When you pick up this book and read it, think Samson & Delilah. A forbidden, dangerous, but oh so sexy story, 100%!
L.J. Shen
Trent is struggling, his daughter won’t talk and he’s juggling business while trying to work through the issues she has. When he first saw Edie, he knew she was going to be trouble. She the daughter of their business partner and he doesn’t like Trent at all.
Edie couldn’t believe her father was basically blackmailing her to go work for him. Edie’s father wants her to get information on Trent to get rid of him, she thought she had no choice, but she didn’t anticipate the feelings she would have for Trent and what would happen if he finds out what her father is making her do.
Trent is protective of his daughter with everything they’ve gone through but the fact that Edie made her smile and seemed to be helping her was something he couldn’t deny his daughter. He knows Edie’s hiding something and he’s going to find out what, but he knows being around her is going to be trouble that he doesn’t know if he can stop with what he feels when he’s around her.
***5 “If you want to be strong- be!!! stars***
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“You’re my Delilah, Edie, and I’m your Samson. You want to ruin me, destroy me, strip me of my power, and betray me. 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.”
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Wow…. This story was absolutely… perfect!!!!
I adore L.J. Shen’s stories and this wasn’t the exception….
The truth is that half of Dean’s story wasn’t very good for me and then came this book and it blew my mind!!!!
I loved very much Trent and I loved also much Eddie….
Yep, i have some objections too about their relationship, but who cares after all???
This story was raw, emotionally and very sexy!!!!
“I wanted what was forbidden, and wrong, and fucking crazy.
I wanted my partner’s daughter, who was nearly half my age.”
I wanted Trent’s story very much, because i knew that it will be very interesting!!!
Trent is the last of the Hotholes and he had lots on his plate the last four years….
They’re calling him the Mute, because he doesn’t like to talk very much, especially with no good reason…
He is a single dad and his daughter means the world to him… His only outlet is work, meaningless sex and the company of his friends…
And then is getting on his way, Eddie Van Der Zee, a teenager whose father is his new business partner and whom Trent hates deep to his core and vice versa….
“I was opening up to someone who wasn’t my parents or my three friends, feeling the walls of something disastrous closing down on me.”
“If someone would ask me quietly, on their last breath, if I wanted to be a father, and I knew my admission would never leave their mouth, I’d say the truth. I’d say, no. Because it was too hard, too heartbreaking, and too fucking all-consuming to be Luna Rexroth’s dad. And still. And still. I loved my daughter hopelessly, desperately, urgently. Which only made my inability to help her all the more soul-crushing. The idea that she’d given up on people, or maybe even worse—on her life, before it even started infuriated me.”
Eddie had lots on her plate too…. Everyone thinks that she is a spoiled rich girl but the truth is far away from that… Eddie is struggling with life and her family…
Her father wants her to be his puppet and his blackmailing toward her is forcing her to dance as his rythm…. Eddie is hating him and she has to find a plan very soon to get far away from his claws…
Jordan is also forcing her to work in FHH, something that means that she has to face every single day Trent Rexroth, a very hot asshole, who is making her life difficult and her pants very wet…
“Trent Rexroth wasn’t a crush.
He was the very thing that’d end up crushing me if I wasn’t careful.”
“You make me feel wild. Fearless. Like I’m someone. Someone strong.”
Trent and Eddie couldn’t be more far away in life…. and their age gap is big… fifteen years…. But they are drown to each other, even though that they shouldn’t…
But there are many things standing between them…
Eddie is supposed to take him down in a way and she can’t do anything to change it….
Trent from the other hand, he just want to make his little girl better and he would do anything for Luna….
“We stared at each other, almost smiling. What a fucking way to break my rules, with a girl who was both at my mercy and tasted of betrayal.”
“Whatever we were, we were toxic. A lullaby on a thoroughly scratched record that keeps hiccuping again and again on the line that you hate.
This can’t happen.
This can’t happen.
This won’t happen.”
Eddie and Trent had many reasons to stay away from each other, but it seems impossible…
What will happened with those two aftel all????
A thirtythree years old biracial hot single dad and a eighteen years old white rich girl???
Will they create a big scandal or what???
“Next time you make a joke about someone else fucking you, just remember I own every single hole in your body, including the one I’ll leave in your heart when I’m done.”
“That night. I’d changed. That night, I didn’t take anything from Edie Van Der Zee. For the first time in years-I gave something of myself. Worst part? I’d never be able to retrieve it. It was hers. Forever.”
I loved Trent so much… He was such a strong man…. In every way… And sooo sexy…
His daughter meant the world to him and i liked how much he was trying to be better for her…
Yep, he had also his own issues, but i liked him no matter what…
Eddie was sassy and confident, but not in front of Jordan and that was pitying me… She had a purpose in her life and she would do anything to succeed….
Those two together were like gazoline and fire… A perfect ticking bomb, but the truth is that you would craving for their flames to lick your soul…
Their hating encounters were so hot in a way… Bahahaha… And the same goes for all their encounters….
“I’m so fucking in love with you, Edie Van Der Zee, i don’t know where I end and where you begin anymore. I love you despite knowing it’s crazy…
I love you even though we’re not at the same place in life, have nothing in common, and started off so fucking bad. And still, I love you.”
“And I will never love anyone else the way I do you, because it’s not about my age. It’s about my heart.”
I also liked very much that we saw the rest of the gang and i loved very much Luna…
She was such a lovely girl and her infatuation with seahorses was so cute!!!!
I also have to say that i dislike the parents who aren’t parents at all….
God, especially i hated Jordan fiercely…. I just want him to go…. I didn’t care where…. just far, far away….
And I saw that the next book would be about Bane…
Hmm…. It sounds interesting since he is a junior Hothole and he seems like the mini Vicious….
So, I can’t wait for his turn!!!!
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“I should warn you, Edie. I’m not the prince in this fairy tale. I’m the villain. The poisonous apple, the flame-breathing monster….”
“I always enjoyed the broken in the fairy tales better. The apple always looked shinier because I knew it could destroy me.”
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To be honest, I didn’t think I would like this one. During the other books, Trent never really stood out to me. Also the fact that this involved him and a much younger woman kinda made me cringe. But I had to read it considering it was a part of the series. To much of my surprise, I loved it! That’s what I love about reading. You can go into a book thinking you’re going to love it and end up hating it or go into it thinking you’ll hate it and end up loving it. I remember it took me months, even years to finish Vicious. I read the first chapter and stopped. Thought I’d hate it. Gave it a chance years later and ended up loving it along with all the rest of the series. L.J. Shen sure can write some lovable alpha asshole characters.
Scandalous is the third book in the Sinners of Saint by L.J. Shen.
“Balance is everything in life. I try not to be a d*ck unless absolutely necessary, but I got a feeling you’re here to test boundaries, aren’t you, kid?”
Scandalous was the perfect name for this book. I was absolutely ready for this book after Defy, Vicious, and Ruckus. Scandalous was complex to the T. This was an emotional roller coaster, but I survived in the end and felt more alive than ever afterwards.
“It didn’t matter, because I was the one who was losing. My sanity, my logic, and my mind.”
Trent “The Mute” Rexroth is one of The HotHoles. He is private, brooding, loyal, complex, and a father. He’s protective and he is patient. Edie Van De Zee is loyal, lonely, observant, resilient, sassy, desperate, and absolutely beautiful inside and out.
“If he’d felt like a secret before, now he was covert sin.”
Trent and Edie’s father are business partners and Evie is half of Trent’s age which makes their attraction to each other beautifully sinful. Trent and Edie has a lot to lose that are bigger than reality yet they both can’t stay away from each other.
“He looked, walked, talked, and moved like a flawless demon. It both scared and thrilled me at the same time.”
This was absolutely stunning and captivating. This was emotionally capturing and it was sweet yet so toxic for my soul. This connection was undeniable and devastatingly gorgeous. Leigh once again captured my heart.
“I’m his tide, and he’s my anchor. Or maybe the sand itself.”
DELICIOUSLY FORBIDDEN!!!
This installment gave me everything I love in a book.
The sweet, the rough, the angst, the lust, the drama, the taboo and the hea.
Trent and Evie are perfect and this author never disappoints with her HotHoles.
As with the rest, A Must Read!!!
If you want to be strong , BE!
Shivers . I was reluctant to start his book . I’m usually not a fan of big age gap forbidden love type stories, the age gap thing is usually a turn off for me . BUT … wowzer this one was HOT, it sizzled , it had rawness , it had HOTHOLE goodness and is not my favorite of this series !!
I really love the way this author writes her arsehole hothole characters. They really are jerks but somehow she makes them lovable jerks . Trent is fierce , he’s tough and brutal . but he’s also loyal and loving and deeply cared for this he loves .
Edie is young, yes . But she’s mature for her age and has carried a lot in her short years . She also loyal and brave and strong!
I loved both of these characters and loved this book and this series really is a hot as everyone says it is !!!
“I’d writhed beneath him, under my dark night with chipped armor, who’d let me crawl into the broken cracks of his shell and settle in, even though he’d known who I was. The Trojan Horse.”
Wow! I am absolutely in LOVE with this story!! LJ Shen definitely saved the best Hothole for last! Scandalous definitely lived up to its name with every dirty page of this book. It is hands down my favorite book out of all the Sinners if Saint series. I could not get enough of these characters and their stories. I could have read about these two for a hundred more books and never grown tired of them. Scandalous was the perfect blend of enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, and single Dad. It also threw in some office romance which made for lottery back pot of my favorite troupes. I loved their was also a pretty big ahe gap between Trent and Edie. I don’t feel like that happens enough in the romance genre and it gave this story a truly unique and scandalous vibe. The chemistry between Trent and Edie sizzled from the pages of my kindle. I loved every messy, broken, and complicated minute of these two. Their love story will forever be one of my absolute favorites.
“I liked her hot. I liked her messy. I liked her all over the place, because that’s how she made me feel. Deprived.”
Edie had me won over from the very start. She truly was a breath of fresh air, and nothing like I expected her to be. I absolutely adored her character. I loved her carefree, head strong, and independent spirit. She knew what she wanted out of life and refused to settle for less. I admired her ability to follow and fight for her dreams. Edie never backed down from a fight and I loved that. She truly gave everyone a run for their money, and constantly kept them on their toes.
“Trent Rexroth looked tortured and serious enough to cross all the bridges jn the world and burn them shore to shore to get his way.”
Trent is hands down my favorite Hothole of them all. I never expected to fall for his character as hard as I did. Something about his dark, brooding ways just captivated me. While his silent, calculated ways enthralled me. He oozed power, money, and control. He had this air of dominance that commanded your attention. While his dirty mouth melted you into a puddle of pure heat. Trent was as charming as he was vulnerable. It’s always the toughest ones who fall the hardest.
“His eyes are light, his soul is dark, and everything else about what he gives me is full of concern.”
*5 STARS*
Well earned for one of the most emotionally beautiful love stories I have ever read. THIS. BOOK. IS. EVERYTHING. I can NOT tell you enough how much I recommend reafing this book! It’s going straight to my best of 2019 reads!
~4.5 stars
This series has been amazing and each book was addicting and full of intensity. Edie and Trent’s story isn’t an easy one. They were more wrong for each other than they were ever right for each other. It took some time for me to get into them as a couple but about half way through I was finally on board and loved it all. It was never their chemistry or lack of spark, they had that in spades. I’m not saying I didn’t like this book because I did, I loved it actually, but this has not topped Vicious for me. That was is still my favorite book out of the series. I highly recommend anyone who hasn’t read these to get on board and dive it. They will check all your boxes and then some.
4.5 stars
This book was sooo good!
I couldn’t put it down and basically read it in one sitting. I’m not sure what it was about this book that wasn’t quite 5 star worthy but there was something.
I loved the first scene between Trent and Edie. She thought she was in the clear until he caught her.
I did love the back and forth between them. Edie gave as good as she got, never intimidated by Trent. The game they had going was definitely amusing. There were a few moments when I was literally reading with my eyes covered because they were OMG moments but I just couldn’t put this down.
I will admit, there was one scene that some people might find questionable. it wasn’t cheating…they weren’t together, (view spoiler)
I loved the interactions between Trent and his daughter. And even between Edie and Trent’s daughter. Trent could be so cold, but he was adorable with his daughter.
I definitely enjoyed this book, and I’m loving this author. I can’t wait for the next book!
Oh, this series! It was a bunch of highs and lows. I think Trent was my favorite out of all the HotHoles, but I’m not 100% decided yet. I’m giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book going into it. Trent was the one character we probably knew the least about, and for a reason. His nickname was The Mute, and he didn’t talk just for the sake of talking. I love single parent romances, so that was a major reason why I thought this would be my favorite. Plus, I enjoy a good age gap story.
I didn’t expect to fall in love with these characters (Trent, Luna, Edie, Theo) as much as I did. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Edie and Luna; it was my favorite after Edie and Trent. There was only like one part of the book I didn’t really enjoy, but that was for personal reasons. Everything else was amazing, and I even got a little teary eyed in the last couple chapters.
Each of these books in the Sinners of Saint series had some mystery/twists, and this one was no exception. I was pretty surprised by what happened, although not entirely. I can’t wait to read the next (and last book) of this series in preparation for reading the new spin-off series All Saints High!
If I could, I would give this book 10 stars! LJ Shen is by far one of my favorite authors and her stories NEVER disappoint. I love the way she is able to bring the characters to life and make you feel what they are feeling. I HIGHLY recommend all things LJ Shen, you cannot go wrong with any of her books!
Another fabulous novel from LJ Shen. Scandalous was everything you expected from a Hothole and so much more. Great characters, steamy scenes, interesting storyline which included single dad and age-gap trope all came together to make this another 5 star read. I loved Edie and Trent. Their back and forth banter really had me amused. Their chemistry and steamy scenes were off the charts hott. I loved the inclusion of the other Hotholes who added some hilarity to the story. I was hooked form beginning to end and loved every moment.
I listened to the audible version of this story which was narrated by Savannah Peachwood and Christian Rummel. These two were amazing and really brought out the characters. Their voices added so much more to the story and I enjoyed listening to them.
Scandalous was a great continuation to this series. I loved it and would highly recommend it.
Hoooo boy. This one lives up to its title. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially as an audiobook. The age difference isn’t for the faint of heart (18 and 33), but if you like things a little wrong, this one’s for you.