Vicious by L.J. Shen – Review

Sinners of Saint #1

WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT

Emilia

They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true. The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares. He is a brilliant lawyer. A skilled criminal. A beautiful liar. A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover.

Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.

Vicious

She is a starving artist. Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom. Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down. She paid the price.

Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate. That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t. So, she hates me. Big fucking deal. She better get used to me.

Vicious by L.J. Shen – Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

Read the blurb carefully before reading this book because L. J. Shen means every word in the blurb.

Vicious is an enemies-turned-lovers story. Here, enemy means bully. A no-holds-barred bully hell bent on making the female MC’s (main character) life miserable.

Vicious (the story and the man) is full of angst. The first half is replete with it, but it is considerably toned down in the second half.

Vicious is a dick all throughout the first half, and I really disliked him for that. He needlessly torments Emilia because he is frustrated at not being able to express his feelings for her. In fact, he even refuses to admit that what he feels for her is love. And then Emilia starts dating his best friend which complicates matters for them too much.

Even when Vicious and Emilia meet after 10 years, he acts mean towards her. However, when a big setback occurs, he is forced to introspect. This is what changes him.

This is the part where I loved the book. The fact that a grown-up man can change only when he wants to, is clearly emphasized in this story.

Further, Emilia refuses to put up with his humiliating acts a second time, and this time I rooted for her.

I just wish she had shown the same resolve the first time as well. But I get it. She liked Vicious. She was attracted towards him. And she was young.

However, it’s also my sincere wish that readers shouldn’t accept an abusive relationship as normal. What Vicious did to Emilia in the first half of the book was cruel. While this makes for an excellent plot device, it is unacceptable.

Make no mistake, though. Vicious realizes this and apologizes for every mean act done by him. He himself was abused and a lot of his actions were a result of the abuse that he underwent.

The best parts of this book are a drop-dead gorgeous hero and a beautiful, eccentric, and innocent heroine which is why Vicious is attracted towards Emilia. Their chemistry leaps off the pages and made me root for them.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to romance lovers.

Vicious by L.J. Shen

BOOK DETAILS

Genre: Romance || Pages: 372 || Published on December 27, 2016

Goodreads

AUTHOR BIO

L.J.Shen

L.J. Shen is USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author of contemporary romance books. She lives in California with her husband, son and lazy cat. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading a good book with a glass of wine and catching up on her favorite HBO and Netflix shows.

Author Link(s): Website || Twitter

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