Solitary Sinners

by Elle Thorpe

[glowstars]

I’m finding it really difficult to sit down and write this review because all I want to do is pick up Fatal Felons (book 3) and read my way through the epic cliffhanger that Solitary Sinners left me with. If you thought Locked Up Liars ended on a cliffhanger, you ain’t seen nothing yet!

When we last left Saint View the prison was mid-riot, with Mae trapped inside, accompanied by one of its most dangerous inmates. Solitary Sinners doesn’t mess around; it jumps straight back into the action and takes off without any regard for how well you remember the previous book. I like this approach; it’s painful when a book takes an entire chapter to remind you of what happened earlier in the series. Vincent may be suspect no. 1 in Jayela’s murder but, for a moment there, I had to wonder if he’d be an addition to Mae’s harem? He’s so protective over her and has the type of personality that he could say he wanted in and the others would make way to keep him happy.

Although Mae is the primary force in the series, I felt that this was Rowe’s book, or at least his time to grow. We learn about why he doesn’t want to get close to Mae (like that’s gonna make any difference!) and see the sexual tension between him and Heath rising to boiling point. We see his walls begin to break down and his cold demeanour warm for his friends and lovers. In contrast to his interactions with Heath and Mae, we also see his easy banter with Liam, bringing forward a much more relaxed version of Rowe.

For the less steamy storylines, book 2 investigates who really murdered Jayela and why. We see slightly suspect characters from book 1 move over to Heath’s side and deep secrets are revealed. How does Boston fit in to the crime? What exactly does Mae’s father know? Who was Jayela seeing behind Mae’s back? There are plenty of mysteries and truths to be discovered, not all of which are solved by the end of this book. More than one of them will have your jaw dropping and you shouting “nooooo!” as the pieces fall into place.

Liam shouldn’t be left out of this review, either. He seems to me to be one of the more emotionally stable characters in Mae’s harem but, towards the end of the book, we see how badly his self-worth has been affected by the events of his childhood. The impact it has on his confidence and belief in his ability to save Heath is agonising. I really wanted to be able to reach out, hug him and tell him that he is more than enough.

It doesn’t feel like we’ve seen a true harem in Saint View yet, but then it’s hardly practical for a prison guard to bring a lawyer and a teacher into solitary confinement for the purpose of banging a prisoner. Okay, it may not be practical but damn! It would be so hot. I’m holding out for at least one scene containing all four of them by the end of book 3, and I’d love to see Heath and Liam get it on.

Solitary Sinners feels like the calm before the storm but, where some books drag through number 2, this one only draws you deeper into the Saint View world. Now excuse me please, I’m off to devour Fatal Felons.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ SOLITARY SINNERS
* Jaw-dropping hints about the identity of Jayela’s murderer
* Steamy scenes including MM action and the hottest back of the car sex I’ve read in a long time
* Plenty of emotionally vulnerable moments for those of us that want all the feels