Sixth Sin

I actually haven’t read an Anastasia retelling before and I think Cora Kenborn did a beautiful job with it! This story was dark and twisted and utterly heart breaking… and sweet? Kenborn illustrated what some may see as the ugly and unseemly underbelly of life in Hollywood. As they say… not all that glitters is gold. Honestly, with how shattered and confused this story made me feel, I was startled by the warmth and kindness that blossomed amidst the depravity.

Dominic – a celebrity news heavy hitter, he had hit rock bottom and he had plans to get back on top. Those plans included finding a missing person, the lone survivor of a horrific homicide. There’s a $1 million reward and there’s a lot he can do with that money. When he happens upon a sarcastic, confident waitress in a rundown bar, he thinks he’s found his shot. Little did he know how much this slip of a girl would change him.

Angel – a girl who doesn’t remember her past, she’s found her way in the world. She doesn’t have much, but she does have hope. Hope that things will get better. Hope for her future happiness. Hope that won’t quit. When Dominic offers her an opportunity that could bring some of her dreams to reality, she grabs on with both hands. How was she supposed to know that it would be a breeding ground for her nightmares? How could the glitz and glamor of Hollywood hide the most wicked and evil of deeds? How far would she have to go to find her true happiness? What would she have to sacrifice?

I found this story to be a bit too long and it seemed to drag in parts. The writing was beautiful though, so while I didn’t love this story, I can tell that Kenborn is a brilliant storyteller.

Omg what can I say besides this woman is evil! She messed up my whole world with this book! This is a dark retelling of Anastasia and boy do I mean dark and twisty!!! It took so many twisted turns that the number 6 and pennies will never be the same! I legit dreamed about counting after finishing this book! Cora Kenborn is an evil genius when it comes to writing dark and twisted books! If you are looking for a good dark and twisty book! Read this! I bow down to Cora Kenborn for this book!

What a mind screw of all mind screws! Wow!!! This book wrecked me and slayed me. Amazingly brilliant story with so many twists and turns. It’s a book you won’t forget. You have to keep pushing yourself to keep going because things may not always be what they seem….or are they?

What is perfection in Russian? This story was amazing!! I wanted to read it because of the simple fact that Cora wrote it and then I heard that it was a dark mafia Russian story and I just about passed out, LOL. This story is dark and full of moments that left me gasping and blew my mind! I loved that it is a dark look into Hollywood and all that that implies. The way the author crafted the story had me addicted to the next sentence, the next page. When I read the last page I just started at the wall for a few minutes just letting everything sink in. The dynamics between the main characters is just enchanting and heart pounding!!

I don’t want to give too much away, but I do think this is a must read for anyone who loves mafia, dark reads and romance. I had the extreme pleasure of reading an ARC and I am leaving my honest review.

You know when you just start a book and it just grabs you and you just literally can not put it down? Starlet is that book but even more. This book was EVERYTHING I look for in a dark romance, and even more.

Starlet is a retelling of the story Anastasia, and I have to say that the author made this story her own. This story broke me. It takes so much to actually make me cry from a book, however, Ms. Kenborn evoked that emotion from me not once, but twice. The story of Dominic and Angel is breathtaking. It is the story of 2 severely broken people trying to find their way in the dirty world of Hollywood, but they quickly find out that some secrets are best kept buried.

The way that Ms. Kenborn was able to build this world and tell their stories is amazing. She breaks them completely, and JUST when you think that you have it all figured out, BAM, she throws a monkey wrench in the story and leaves you screaming and asking what in the ever loving world just happened. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I was just sitting there reading with my mouth hanging open because I couldn’t believe what happened, happened.

This story is BEAUTIFULLY written. The plot, the character development, holy cow the character development was OUTSTANDING. Dominic and Angel had explosive chemistry, and man it was HOT. This story is about vengeance, justice, love, hate, brokenness, hell, I mean insert any adjective in here and that is what it was about.

All I can say is READ THIS BOOK! Fantastic!!!

Wow! Just wow, is all that I have to say at the moment. This book wasn’t what I expected at all. This author seems to have the ability to blindside you with her stories and make you look at things so differently. It makes you second guess your views. It makes you see the situation differently. Her books aren’t simple stories and the love stories in them, aren’t always easy.

Now I really don’t want to say anything in respect of the story, the characters, or the outcome. The blurb gives as much away as it possibly can. I fear any words I write here could completely blow the story wide open and spoil so much. However, I will say. It’s a shocking and sad tale that will leave you stunned and emotionally drained.

Know that I loved this book and totally recommend it. I am purposely being vague as I feel that you need to have the same experience and enjoyment as I did. With every word and page that is read. This book is a huge contender for my book of the year.

Reviewer: Donna

Cora continues intricately woven dark tales with Starlet.
Set in the backdrop of Hollywood, with a story that has parallels to current events, Cora has added the twist of a missing heiress and mafia.
Did I say intricate?

Meet Angel, a dirt poor waitress at a hole in wall bar in Southern California (Chula Vista, next to the border Southern California). Meet Dominic, the Enquirer-type media mogul, on a crusade to shine the light on the corruption in Hollywood

Can Angel take on the role of a lifetime and portray the missing heiress? Can Dominic leave his thirst for revenge behind to protect Angel’s well being?

I had trouble at first keeping up with the multiple stories lines, but once Cora started to weave them together I couldn’t put the book down.

***4 Stars***

A modern day retelling of Anastasia with all the hoopla that comes with finding the ‘lost heir’?

Sure, I’m down and I have to say that I really enjoyed how the author brought it to life in modern day Hollywood, where power is everything and there are more than enough people willing to do anything to get and maintain it.

I really liked Angel and Dominic. Both have lived hard lives and still are. Angel, for all that she’s been through, has a good heart and with a moral compass that may be a little off track, but still rules how she wants to live her life. Dominic was interesting. He may appear to have no moral compass, and at times likes to believe that he doesn’t, he actually does when it counts. Their journey ~ and they both go on MANY journeys, not just to their HEA ~ was all kinds of twisty turny goodness. The chemistry between them was intense from the start and though they both attempted to ignore it, they both failed miserably, and thank god they did because despite how chaotic their road was, they were perfect for each other.

I’ll admit that I am one of those people who have something of a sick fascination with what happened to the Romanov family and have done my fair share of reading all about their history and the various stories of the many women who came forward as Anastasia, so I found this re-telling to be quite an enjoyable ride. I think the setting was perfect and I really liked how she kept the bones of story, but added twists and turns that made it her own. And speaking of twists…some of them are doozies and a couple, a couple had me going WHOA. My one issue was the pacing of the story. While I was hooked, there were times where things that dragged for me and had me speed reading a bit until it felt like the story was picking up again.

As for the supporting cast of characters, they were all very well written ~ no matter which parts they played. I loved Violet, Luciano and Javier and wouldn’t have minded being able to spend a lot more time with them.

~ Copy provided by EJBR & voluntarily reviewed ~

Talk about ending on a bang, this is more like a mother loving boom! I have no idea if this is a representation of Cora Kenborn’s normal work, all I can say is Holy @^#&*×> sh!t!!!!

Starlet is on another level. This psychological dark romance is all kinds of dark twisty goodness with a heaping side dish of “oh my God, tell me that didn’t…” I was equally enthralled and horrified to learn that I suspected quite a bit and yet fell short on the level of WTAF.

Starlet is a poison to the soul. A kind of toxin that creates a need. It makes the victim (reader) desperate for more knowing all the while it will kill them but at the same time if you starve them of it- they die.

I’m both intrigued and worried about my state of mind. Kenborn will lure you in with treats and promises. She will deliver just enough to keep you hooked. Once you start to need them, she will make you work for them. In your mind, you have to turn the page to get the treat but be careful some times tricks look like treats.

I loved the twisty, tangled, Christmas lights of hope Kenborn dangles for us. Its just that unravelling them is a marathon no one expects. Her mind must be a unique place and also probably pretty terrifying. Whatever the case may be, she has me looking forward to diving into her catalog because if they are anything like this…I may never turn back.

Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood

As I started to read Starlet it was reminiscent to me of Blurred Red Lines – sassy bartender girl and strong ruthless dude in a bar but that’s where the similarities ended. The connection between Angelina and Dominic was instant – fizzing away like a live wire. She was a strong girl, oozing, sarcasm, wit and sass – He a dark brooding, arrogant dude.

Starlet is a dark, twisted and intricate story that was submerged in webs of deceit, with twists and turns aplenty. Some parts of the storyline had me guessing to the end – a great suspenseful read. Both primary characters had an abundance of skeletons in their cupboard, making this an interesting and captivating read.