Troy BrennanEvery Southie in Boston knows that name. The son of a dead mobster. The heart-throb with steel-blue eyes. “The Fixer” who can make or break you in this city. Oh, and my new husband. Sparrow Raynes That’s me. No one seemed to remember my name up until he barged into my life. But then he caged me. Kidnapped me. And killed every chance I had to run away from the place where we grew up. … every chance I had to run away from the place where we grew up.
Put simply, Troy Brennan clipped my wings.
I have dreams, big ones, but I doubt he’ll ever let me chase them. I have no idea why he decided to take me as his wife. But I do know this: pissing off this man will not do me any good. At all.
Sparrow is an Amazon international bestseller.
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I love L.J. Shen’s writing. After I finished Vicious, I bought the rest of the books along with Sparrow and am currently reading Bane and love it!
Sparrow…seems like from 9 years old, your life was dictated for you. Never to be touched by another man, who you would marry, how you would live your life.
Troy, “The Fixer”… he sure does ‘fix’ everything!!!
Love the banter between these two! It truly seemed like they were meant for each other…
These are a few of my favorite Sparrow lines:
I was no expert, but his junk looked like something that could comfortably fit into the exhaust pipe of a truck and not, so help me God, into my vagina. I might have taken a moment or three to stare, interest and fear flickering in my eyes.
He wanted to play. I wanted to play, too, even though we both knew he was going to break the toy. Me.
Troy has some pretty good lines too!!
She looked like a sweet fucking princess who was about to lose her innocence at the hands of the big bad wolf.
Not much, just enough to want my wife to look like a woman and not a twelve-year old boy who raided Hot Topic.
She was my beauty and I was her beast. But this was not a Disney flick. In real life, the beast goes back to his solitary life, a freak who lurks in the shadows and watches as his girl runs away back to the arms of her family.
Really enjoyed this book! Lots of twists and turns and oh wow, didn’t see that coming in this book. Once again, LJ Shen nailed it with this one!!
#BookBistroBlogApproved
Love this book with all the excitement and twisted plots and mysteries. And the love that is gone around
The first time I tried to read Sparrow was after having just finished Vicious (my introduction to the world of L.J. Shen) and as a result, I ended up dropping it after 3 chapters and being disappointed. I was too caught up in my love affair with Vicious, Todos Santos and all the opulence and obsession. Simply put, my expectations were for the same type of story. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
Sparrow is vastly different. But this time, picking it up some years later, I had a totally different experience. Just like the South Boston neighbourhood both Troy Brennan and Sparrow Raynes hailed from, the book was gritty, harsh, cold and love didn’t come easy. Instead it started out as hate and a vendetta with two people who grew up hard and take life with no bullshit layered on top. Troy Brennan – what to say about him? An absolute specimen of a man on the outside but an absolutely detached, criminal, cold asshole anti-hero? Yeah, I’d say that about fits. Sparrow Raynes – a Southie girl, soft enough to love but hard enough to take Troy head on and remain true to her humble beginnings and absolutely unfazed by his fancy bullshit. I loved Sparrow, actually I applauded her. She held her own no matter how scared the rest of Boston was by the ultimate fixer, Brennan.
Just about everybody but me has read this one already so a summary seems kind of unnecessary. I’m sure it’s been done better than I could. But going with the basics of Troy forcing Sparrow’s hand into a loveless marriage whilst still having a mistress and being annoyed at the thought of said marriage plus keeping a shitload of secrets from her? Yeah, I loved to hate him. I mean I really did, I think I even made a sport out of it as I read along. But then L.J. showed peeks of what she has since perfected – giving you an asshole that slowly softens as he shifts and changes and, that too, I loved every minute of. Because under that ice cold, jaded exterior was a deeply damaged guy just waiting to fall in love and petite little Sparrow with her sass and her kick was just the chick to reel him in.
In the end, I really loved this book this time around which goes to show that sometimes timing can mean everything when you crack open a book. Just like Sparrow, I too fell in love with Troy knowing it was wrong, knowing he was bad. But hot damn, when he became all hers, there was nobody else for him and I’d take a hard ass motherf*cker like him that’s easy on the eye and totally going to stand by my side any day of the week! The suspense element also worked for me and I kind of dug that this wasn’t all California sunshine and rich boys but criminals and questionable characters of very questionable morals. And I sure as hell was happy she didn’t cop out and try to clean them all up by the end. I felt like I was from the neighbourhood and I loved the way it ended. And those final text messages from Troy? Yeah, call me skewed but those would have worked on me too.
Like I said, LOVED Sparrow – didn’t even care about the pathetic other woman or her duplicitous mother. And to the assholes who got what was coming to them? I was very happy with their endings.
So going with 5***** hate/love/hate/love Southie stars and ready to catch a glance of them again in The Hunter.
Troy and Sparrow Brennan – one of my new favourite, rather questionable couples!!!!
Chock-Full of ANGST!!!
THE FIXER… My Villain!
Can the Un-Reedeemable ever have hope?
Can a forced marriage ever have a happy ending?
The journey that L.J. Shen takes us on, is nothing short of enrapturing.
Every chapter was devoured with the anticipation of what’s to come.
And the whirlwind in which she captivates us… is jaw dropping.
You will not see what’s coming, you might think you do…
You. Are. Wrong!!!!
Wow Wow and Wow.. Sparrow was the definition of the classic Italian mobster family.. The story was dramatic and ruthless. I found myself in a lot of anger toward the situation. Troy Brennan and Sparrow Raynes were not your average characters. They were strong hardcore characters where you cant push them around..
The dynamic were hot and heavy. It wasnt a sweet love story because it was build from a lot of pain and anger. Sparrow was deep and alive. The story of a strong young woman.. her spirit who doesnt back down from the monster.. The monster who had fallen in love..
5 Love bird stars
Even villains have a happy ending every now and again.
A marriage arrangement, a request from his dying father to take Sparrow and marry her or Troy wouldn’t inherit his father’s money, his father’s attempt to make his own sins right beyond the grave.
Sparrow is a Boston girl like Troy, I liked her character she’s feisty and unshaken by the fact she is taken locked in a room until the day of her wedding, and betrothed to the local gangster with no explanation of why except Troy Brennan wants to marry her.
Sparrow is a possession, a means to an end, an arrangement but one thing Sparrow isn’t is a trophy wife.
Brilliantly written with suspense and a great plot.
Sparrows defiant nature made their marriage interesting and I loved their journey to love.
“We didn’t make love, we made war”
Troy is a hard character, a killer, a villain and a man who is feared with a reputation.
Despite Troy’s reputation Sparrow always stands her ground.
Sparrow:
Troy was a man that not only broke your headboard but your heart.
Sparrow is a brilliant gangster romance told in dual pov’s, filled with suspense, lies and deceit, a dynamic plot and leads to a hea.
My first book by this author and looking forward to reading more.
MAGICAL!
What can I say about this book? Magical! It was perfectly magical. This is one of those books that wraps around your heart and squeezes it so tight that at times you have to stop reading and take a deep breath.
Troy Brennan is the son of the leader of the Boston Mafia and was told by his father when he was 18 that he is to marry Sparrow who is ten years younger than him when she grows up. The arranged marriage takes place with neither party happy.
This is a story of revenge and anger, forgiveness and redemption. Enemies to lovers with a slow burn. Sparrow is feisty and witty and doesn’t take any crap from Troy. He respects that from her and enjoys their arguments. Their dialogue is fresh, witty, and engaging. The transformation of their relationship is so magical to experience that you want it to go on and not end. Like the whole book. I was sad when it ended. But LJ Shen has plenty more books to explore and that’s what I’m going to do!! This one is one of my favorites so far!
Seriously….I need to listen more. I was told to read this book awhile ago and stuff just kept getting in the way. Never again! It’s soooooo good. Dark, suspenseful and smoking hot chemistry. A guy who doesn’t go soft cause he fell in love and a chick who isn’t afraid to stand toe to toe with him. So much win it’s unbelievable.
“I’m an asshole, was an asshole, and have every intention of staying an asshole. It’s the makeup of my fucking DNA. But I want to be your asshole. To you, I can be good. Maybe even great. For you, I’ll stop the rain from falling and the thunder from cracking and the wind from fucking blowing.”
That right there is pretty much the best thing I’ve read all year. It is so “Heather’s favorite kinda book boyfriend” it isn’t funny.
Epic book <3
The part of the book I found most unexpected was the early on shift in Troy’s feelings towards Sparrow. I had thought it might have been dragged out and you would be left waiting until the final chapter to find out that he had developed feelings for her. To my surprise, the book starts to slowly show the reader this different side of Troy and his struggle to cope with his growing feelings. By no means does he start out or even end up a mushy ball of love, but you can clearly see he is changing because of her in the most realistic and steady way possible. I think this was done really well and did not leave me confused or with whiplash from a hasty character change. I loved Jensen. Absolutely. He is a minor character who is only briefly mentioned, but he is the private investigator who is hired by Troy for a number of different jobs. I have always fancied knowing as much as I can about everything. Therefore, I think I would find being a private investigator to a deceased mob bosses son a pretty amazing job, albeit dangerous. I found the characters convincing. This book was full of characters in difficult situations responding in the most human way, completely flawed. It was believable. As I stated previously, I felt like Troy’s transition in the book was slow and realistic. The same goes for Sparrow and her change over the course of the book. She was not some dimwit who just fell for all the money and status. She wanted to make a life for herself and I also thought it was realistic that she cashed the check at the end to make a better life for herself. This all shows they were complex humans. Even more so, it is evident through their struggles throughout the book, which is shown through both Troy and Sparrow’s point of view. Justified and ethical, boy aren’t those two words that don’t mix well with the son of a mob boss. I mean the book starts out with a bang. A son trying to get revenge for the death of his father and exacting that revenge by killing a priest who betrayed him. Throughout the book, he continues to prove that if you wrong him or the people he cares about there will be consequences. So no, I don’t think that justified and ethical are good ways to describe the actions taken, but that doesn’t mean it takes away from the book. Most of us would do our best to move forward if a loved one is hurt by another, but growing up as the son of a mob boss you are held to different standards. Clearly, ethics are not of concern here. The ending was thrilling. The last few chapters were intense with the search for Sparrow and the reader is left not really knowing how it would end. I don’t think it was manipulative or forced, but the very end of the book did tie it all up pretty neatly. For a second, you think that there would not be a world where these two could make it work, but then you get a happy ending to this very serious book. I don’t think it the clear resolution to the book took away from the quality at all. Many times I like to be left wondering, but in this case it was a perfect ending.
This sparrow learned to fly! 4 stars
Where to start?! This is going to sound negative, but at first I was frustrated with this book. LJ Shen is known for writing hot a-holes (otherwise known as HotHoles), but I was frustrated with Troy at the beginning. I almost gave up on this book with some of Troy’s actions, but I enjoy LJ Shen books so much that I didn’t. When Troy’s layers were finally peeled back, I felt for him. I loved Sparrow from the beginning! She was feisty & challenged Troy when she could! Once the secrets were spilled my heart broke for everybody. Their love was not an easy love, but I enjoyed it all the same! I will say I am not sure that I would recommend this book, because there are other LJ Shen books that I would highly recommend.
I have said it before and I’ll say it again, L.J. Shen is the queen of writing the most intense, angsty enemies to lovers romance. Her stories are not fit for everyone. Some contain dark, twisted themes that may not appeal to all readers, but his girl right here LOVES THEM. I love the rawness of the characters that Leigh writes. They are unapologetic, ruthless, and cruel.
Troy Brennan ” The Fixer” a late mobster’s son had a reputation of being fearless. He was rumored to have committed series crimes, but a man true to his word he fulfilled a promise he made to his father and married Sparrow Raynes “Red.” Sparrow was young and appeared naive but she had a lot of spunk. She was not a doormat and she had the perfect attitude to deal with a man like Troy.
The back and forth banter between Troy and Sparrow was intriguing. She didn’t take any shit from him. She called him out and wasn’t afraid to confront him about the crimes he was rumored to have committed. Even when they thought they hated each other, Sparrow and Troy, had an intense connection/attraction that they didn’t immediately recognized. When they eventually succumbed to their attraction and need for one another it was HOT because it was them. It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t slow. It was hard; ferocious; and powerful – exactly what they needed from one another.
I loved that Sparrow wasn’t afraid to learn whether the rumors surround Troy were true. All she wanted was to know the truth; for Troy to trust her to share his secrets regardless of how dark those secrets were.
I loved this dark and intriguing story, and listening to it in audio was a nice enhancement. I’ll admit, it took a bit of getting used to, having a male narrator read both the male and female first person POV’s but Michael Pauley has a smooth, rich voice and did well giving us contrasting voices for Sparrow and Troy. I did like Troy’s voice slightly better, only because Sparrow’s voice sort of reminded me of Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors (and not in a good way). But once I got used to it, I fell into the story!
I liked the setup of the story and how we were left guessing until almost the end the reason behind Troy and Sparrow’s arranged marriage. Troy was the sort of unapologetic, self-aware bad boy I love, and Sparrow was the spunky sort of heroine I enjoy. The climax hit perfectly and raced to the finish, with an awesome HEA and sweet epilogue. Another winner from LJ Shen!
I’m having one of those WTF moments of why the hell i have a waited this long to read this book oh my goodness it was exactly what i was in the mood for and i loved everything.
I’m sure when this book first came out Troy Brennan would have been one of the biggest Alpha douches in a book but for me he is one of the biggest i have read in a long time. He was nasty and pretty much someone you should hate but I loved everything about him especially at the end.
Sparrow was such an awesome character she was tough and took no crap and i loved her tenacity she would have to be another one of my favourite heroines, she knew Troy was bad and the fact she didn’t even want to be married to him had her trying to escape him but she knew there was more to this man and I actually loved there connection they had at the start and loved how they new each other
This book started off with Sparrow being forced to marry Troy but as the story unfolds you learn so much about the secrets and the mystery of these families and how they are intertwined and this is what had me turning the pages so quick.
I love a story that ends wanting more but at the same time i loved how it ended but it keeps me thinking about the story and this is no exception it will be one i won’t forget absolutely loved everything about it.
This would have to be one of my favourite LJ Shen books and i waited so long to read it because it was the last book of this authors that i had to read which I’m glad i finally did but disappointed that i don’t have any left to read until the next release.
A massive 5 stars for this baby
SEXY, SUSPENSEFUL, & DELICIOUSLY DARK!!!
Title: Sparrow
Author: L.J. Shen
Designation: Full-Length Standalone Novel, NO Cliffhanger
Reading Platform: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: #Romance #Mystery #Suspense #Thriller #CrimeDrama
My Rating: Five ‘Now-That’s-What-I’m-Talkin’-About’ Stars*****
OMG! Now that’s what I’m talking about! I’m just so excited about this book; I’m literally bouncing in my seat! This was my first experience with L.J. Shen and had no idea what to expect but I saw a great review from a friend on Goodreads and decided to give it whirl….and so glad I did! I purchased it on a Sunday evening just before bedtime with the intention of reading it later in the week. I decided to breeze through the first few pages, you know, just to get a feel for the book. But folks, I could not put the darn thing down. A few minutes turned into an almost all night read-fest and this book was AMAZEBALLS…and totally unlike anything I’ve ever read! I LOVED it! It’s very seldom an author can lead me on a merry chase without me being able to figure out who is who and what’s gonna happen but Shen kept me on my toes and screaming “OMG!” and “What the heck!?!” through the entire book. It was magnificent. Sparrow is a realistic, thrilling, emotionally gripping, and highly imaginative contemporary crime drama filled to the brim with mystery, suspense, danger, drama, violence, angst, sex and romance. It’s exceptionally well-crafted and edited with a beautifully written and clearly defined his and her first-person narrative. The dialogue is smart, seductive, easy to follow, well executed and flows effortlessly. But without a doubt, my favorite component of this torrid tale is the cast of intriguing, well-developed, realistic, and extremely engaging, larger-than-life characters. They are magnificent. Have you ever read a book where you thought you had all the good guys and bad guys figured out, only to discover you were completely wrong??? Well, prepare yourself, because this is one of those books! I fell head over heels in love with the manipulative, not-so-nice Troy Brennan, aka The Fixer, which is totally out of character for me because he’s one very bad man. And Sparrow Raines is a breath of fresh air and completely delightful. Their sexual chemistry was off the charts sizzling hot. It’s hard to talk about this book without giving spoilers so I will simply say, expect the unexpected!
Sparrow Raines could not believe the nightmare her life had become. In only a matter of hours, she’d gone from being an aspiring chef to a prisoner in a gilded cage. For some ungodly and completely unknown reason, her father had literally given her to the worst criminal in Boston, Troy Brennan… and she was to become his bride. What? She didn’t even really know the man but she knew his reputation and it wasn’t pretty. He was feared by everyone in Boston…including her. She’d seen him a few times growing up because her father had worked for his father, deceased former mob boss Cillian Brennan. She didn’t think Troy was actually in the mob but he was still the most dangerous and feared man in all of Boston. He was known as The Fixer, and he…well…he fixed things and I don’t mean the plumbing. He fixed situations, as in got rid of people…um…problems. Yup, he’s a dyed-in-the-wool, stone-cold killer and soon to be her new husband. What the heck? He doesn’t even know her, and it certainly couldn’t be because he was enamored with her brain, body, or beauty because she wasn’t smart, didn’t have a great body, and certainly was not beautiful. He had simply come to her dad’s house, made a deal with her dad, collected her, taken her to his penthouse, literally imprisoned her, and then promptly left. Now, only a few days later, she’s in a church with hundreds of guests and about to be married to a complete stranger. None of it made any sense at all. Well, she may have to marry him, but if he thought she was going to bow down to him, he better think again. She would never allow him to touch her. Good grief, she was twenty-two and still a virgin. She had no experience with men at all, and he was at least ten years her senior. He was handsome, filthy rich, dangerous, and feared by all…even law enforcement. He was also rude, crude, entitled, and downright mean. She’d seen pictures of him all over the media with nothing but beautiful sophisticated women hanging on his arm. She wore ragged jeans, hoodies, and tennis shoes, so what the heck did he want with her? Hmm…I guess we’ll see. No spoilers from me but I will say this… Smart, sassy, aspiring chef who refuses to be a victim-check! Handsome ruthless criminal with ulterior motives-check! Danger, drama, deceit, lies, manipulations, and a plethora of unexpected plot twists that you’ll never see coming-check! Heated attraction, fiery passion, steamy sex, and not-so-sweet romance-check! Hang on to your hats, folks! This is one wild, wicked ride!
Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! Would I recommend it? You bet and I am but only for adults since it contains violence, profanity, and explicit sex. Will I read this author again? Abso-freakin-letely! Was I entertained? Totally and completely! If you’re looking for dark, dangerous, thrilling, delicious, can’t-put-down romance that will keep you glued to your ereader from the first page until the very last line with your heart fluttering wildly in your chest, then this is definitely the book for you! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read.
***Warning***
There are two scenes which may be considered by some readers as cheating.
This is the first book I read by this author and I was hooked from the first to last page. Troy is dark, compelling and lives with lies and secrets whereas Sparrow is free, light and full of love. Fantastic story!
5 Outstandingly Good Stars
I love discovering (new to me) authors and L.J. Shen has now been added to my list of favorites.
I absolutely loved this book and was hooked from page one. This is a complete story with NO cliffhanger. The synopsis lured me in and the story completely consumed me from beginning to end. This is the kind of book that I just flove, the one’s that just sucks you right in from the very beginning, holds you until that very end. Troy and Sparrow’s story is so freaking good!!! I am in awe over the whole story and highly recommend this book. This is so re-read worthy! The writing is amazingly smooth. This is how writing is done. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!
Happy Reading Everyone!!
~Jeanette
3…2…1…
I loved it! Already re-read this book a few times. In the beginning i really despite Troy but then he grew up on me.
After reading this book a second time I felt the need to update my review because this book is AMAZING. LJ Shen wrote Sparrow so beautifully, with strong characters that you can’t help but root for and and a storyline that is dark and compelling but hopeful all at once. If you haven’t read this book yet, I recommend you do as soon as possible!
This is one good book!! Don’t know why it sat in my TBR pile so long. An enemy to lovers with deceit, debts to be paid, angst, mob connections, twists and turns. Troy Brennan met his match with Sparrow Raynes, she is one feisty heroine! This is one book you should not miss out reading, Troy and Sparrow are fantastic!!