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.
more
Absolutely loved this book. A must read. Highly recommend .
I have mixed feelings about Sparrow. There were definitely things I really enjoyed and others that annoyed me. Regardless, I loved the excellent writing of L.J. Shen. She has a way about how she writes her stories that can grab any readers attention.
The story for me had some really good moments. I liked the arranged marriage between Sparrow and Troy. Troy was a very dark and mysterious man with lots of secrets surrounding him. I enjoyed how his resentment towards Sparrow slowly turned into love and her fighting attitude changed him a lot. Don’t get me wrong Troy is no saint by any means and he did things I don’t agree with, but I couldn’t help wanting him to redeem himself and find a way to make his marriage to Sparrow legit.
Now on to Sparrow. At times I really liked her because she didn’t let herself be intimidated by Troy and the push/pull was nice at times. What I didn’t like and often got on my nerves was her back and forth feelings. Her inner dialogue forgave Troy for all the things he did and confessed how much she didn’t hate him and forgave every bad thing about him while in the same sentence she is verbally condemning him at the same time. It was annoying because if you want him, just say so and stop acting like your appalled by the way he is. The same things she hated him for, she also couldn’t care less about because she liked him for him.
As much as I have enjoyed other books by this author, this one is not my favorite, and I found it be an ok read.
I absolutely LOVED this story. It’s full of angst, animosity, cruel intentions, snark, attitude, independence, heat, all of it and then some, but then something happens. Little by little, page by page, the story deepens. Secrets are uncovered (for us) and there’s a shift in the air. When your head and your heart are at odds, the emotional push and pull is enough to bury you. When you get what you think you want you tend to realize what’s really your heart’s desire. Will they be able to make it back from a lifetime of secrets and lies, or is it just too much to come back from?
I’ve found a new one-click author, no question
She’s walking down the aisle, getting married to one of the richest man in Boston, and a devastatingly handsome man at that. A beautiful wedding with lavish reception and multitude of guests; every girl deserved a fantasy wedding, don’t they? But why was Sparrow Raynes’s face full of hatred and disgust?
Troy Brennan, renowned son of a dead mobster, rumored to have murdered a number of people. The women liked him, the men wanted to be like him. But Sparrow Raynes didn’t like nor want him at all. So, desperate times called for desperate measures.. He was now going to marry her, whether she liked it or not.
Sparrow is my first LJ Shen book and I am in awe of this story. I loved it. I don’t usually read mobster romances, but this has been such an interesting and intriguing read; a Mafia crime story that’s sure to make you wonder how in the world did mobster-murderer Troy Brennan snuck (sneaked?) his way into Sparrow Raynes’ heart.. There was drama, a lot of conflict, murders, lies, innocence and brazen moves, which made the story even more engaging.
At first, I couldn’t bring myself to like Brennan, I hated his guts and way of living. But somehow along the way, he redeemed himself – always the Fixer, so it seemed, and soon, it was all about his happiness that mattered. Sparrow, on the other hand, was a sight to behold, a woman to put up on the pedestal. I love her feisty attitude, you-don’t-fool-me-one-bit charisma, and how she handled the mobster nightmare in her hands. She’s a legend.
Sparrow is a beautifully written novel by LJ Shen, lovingly read by yours truly, and now, instantly becomes my new favorite. I still got a lot of catching up to do with Shen’s books, but I know, it’s going to be amazing.
Fantastic characters in this original story. Troy is a haunting character.
I disliked everything. I couldn’t finish the story and put out of mind.
This story concept falls in line with many mafia stories I have read recently. Girl is forced into marriage to a high level Mafia guy or Mafia like guy. In this novel this guy is Irish Mafia adjacent since he does dirty work for wealthy people but does not involve himself with the Irish Mafia although his father was big in the Irish Mafia. I did not get the big issue with keeping Sparrow’s mother’s disappearance a secret or why Sparrow and her friends had a hard time with the work Troy did when they grew up with the Irish Mafia. I was also confused that Sparrow did not want to use Troy’s credit cards or accept money from him because it was “dirty money”, however when he hands her a check for a large sum he says he took from a Irish Mafia boss that assaulted her, she had no questions. I wanted the moment Sparrow gave in to Troy to be more dramatic than it was portrayed. Otherwise the novel was a good read.
A riveting read
Is it possible for an honest, innocent to fall in lust – or love – with an admitted murderer and “fixer.” Good writing in this one, many good insights into human desire and psychology. Be prepared to be shocked, stimulated, and unable to stop reading.
My first L.J. Shen read and it was amazing! Brilliant writing, unique tale, great characters, and I loved, loved, loved that Troy stayed true to himself. At the end he was the same guy, still interesting, morally complex, and oh-my-gosh swoon worthy. Awesome book!!!
Such a great story line! Loved it!
Whimsical – wonderful
A great read!!!
Ended way too soon
Awful. Tried to read. DNF at 3%.
I am insulted.
The characters are unbelievable. Someone who kills for revenge and kidnaps for marriage is not redeemable, let alone a romance hero. And this woman just accepts being kidnapped and made to marry a murderer she’s known since childhood? She’s no heroine. There is no hint he has any redeeming qualities. There is no hint she has a backbone. There is no way I could read another word, because the only way this is a romance is if they have a happy ever after, and that means the author uses love like a magic wand. No. Love cannot cure evil. Love is just an emotion, not a panacea. Take your poisonous male character and stick him where the sun don’t shine.
too many overly sexual content and swearing.
I enjoyed it very much!
This is the book that introduced me to LJ Shen, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. I absolutely adored Troy Brennan. He is an Alpha asshole with a secret heart of gold, a classic LJ hero that never fails to capture my heart and the hearts of all her readers.
The depth of pain in the two main characters is heart wrenching. I don’t know how LJ Shen made me fall in love with Troy for he is a nasty piece of work, but fall in love and root for him, I did, shamelessly. Sparrow’s inner strength was perfectly written, leaving me wishing I had her balls of steel. I cried for these two, waiting, and hoping they would find their happily ever after. I wasn’t disappointed.
This was only my second read by LJ Shen, but it most definitely won’t be my last. She broke my heart and mended it before the last page was turned.
I enjoyed reading this book. The dialogue, and character observations are frequently witty and fun. This was a wonderful precursor to Midnight Blue.
This was the first L.J Shen book I bought and ironically I’d read all the other books by her, before this one. Now I’m wishing I hadn’t taken so long to get around to reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author has a way of writing her characters so they’re raw and gritty. The situations they get into are hard and harsh. There is no soft and fluffy to these books, but I love them. Swallow might be small, but she sure wasn’t weak. She was an incredibly strong character, forced to marry a man like Troy. He was tough, The Fixer, the kind of man you don’t want to cross, but with her, he was different. Their marriage was a difficult one due largely to outside influences and a man like Troy doesn’t go through life without making a lot of enemies.
I couldn’t put this book down and nothing is more satisfying than watching a man like Troy fall. Fall in love that is.