Review: Beautiful Sinner by Sophie Jordan

BEAUTIFUL LAWMAN
Series: Devil’s Rock #5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Sophie Jordan
Release Date: October 30, 2018

Locked in with the town bad boy . . .

Most women would be scared, but Gabriella’s only worried about resisting Cruz Walsh, who’s even hotter than he was back in high school. Cruz was wrongly accused of the high-profile crime for which he was imprisoned; Gabriella’s desperate for the scoop that will get her career off the ground and get her out of Sweet Hill, where everyone still remembers her as “Flabby Gabby.” Being stuck in a supply closet with Cruz is the perfect opportunity to land an interview. What Bri doesn’t count on is Cruz taking “up-close and personal” to a whole new level.

If there’s a silver lining to the hell Cruz went through, it’s that losing his freedom put everything in perspective. Maybe starting over someplace new would be easier, but after years locked up, Cruz values his family—and his true friends—more than ever. So he’s back home, facing the gossip, dodging reporters . . . and face-to-face with Gabriella Rossi. They’ve both changed: Bri wants a story and Cruz just wants her. Another thing he’s learned? Don’t let a good thing slip away.

AMAZON | iBOOKS

Remembering him was easy. Forgetting less so.

I’ve been dying for Cruz’s book ever since I read Beautiful Lawman. There’s just something so deliciously angsty about a man that spends years in prison for a crime he didn’t come back only to come back to the small town in which he’s always been the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Then the heroine is the cousin of the woman he was accused of murdering. Sign. Me. Up.

Admittedly Gabriella took a while for me to warm up to. She’s not my particular cuppa when it comes to heroines. She has deep rooted insecurities that date back to her high school years that even as an adult she hasn’t been able to kick. She allows everyone to walk all over her, ranging from her sister, to her a-hole ex and current boss, to the random mean girls from her high school days that still act like they’re sixteen. This wore on me at times.

But then somewhere around halfway through the book things took a turn for the better. Gabriella began to grow a spine and truly come into her own. She began to see her own appeal and not seek validation in any compliment thrown her way by Cruz.

Now Cruz.
*pervy sigh*
This man made the book for me.

So you have to realize that I’m going to ruin you for any other man. When we fuck, Rossi, it’s going to feel like the thing you need most in your life. Forget about food and water. Me. Between your legs. You’re going to need it like air to survive.

He was a sinful combination of intense, broody, and vulnerable. I absolutely adored him. My heart broke for what he endured to spare his sister and what he continues to endure in the small minded town he lives in. I loved his singleminded intent when it came to Gabriella. I also really enjoyed their connection that dates back to high school and a certain mysterious encounter.

He was the dream she never forgot.

The romance between them was a slow burn and perfectly paced. I really enjoyed watching Gabriella finally grow into a woman that can stand up for herself. And I especially loved the way she stood up for Cruz even when others didn’t. There was something almost childishly innocent about her, and yet it worked for me.

And while the romance was a slow burn, the story certainly wasn’t. I enjoyed the pacing and the way things unraveled even if I did find there to be a tad too much small town drama at times. Between the sister, the sister’s ex, the mean girls from high school, Gabriella’s self esteem issues, Cruz’s reputation, and everything with Gabriella’s boss, I couldn’t help but feel all of it wasn’t necessary. But it also didn’t bother me to take away from the story, so I can’t complain too much. Though I think the story would have still been solid enough with just half of those things.

Beautiful Sinner was a delicious slow burn romance of second chances and love against all odds. If you enjoy a good convict romance, this one will fit the bill quite nicely.

THE SERIES

ALL CHAINED UP | HELL BREAKS LOOSE | FURY ON FIRE | BEAUTIFUL LAWMAN