Sweet Sinner

Fast paced, character driven, intriguing

SWEET SINNER is the fifth instalment in Lisa Renee Jones’ contemporary, adult THE NECKLACE SERIES, and the second in Tyler and Bella’s erotic, romantic suspense trilogy. SWEET SINNER is the continuing story of attorneys thirty-four year old Tyler Hawk, and twenty-seven year old Bella Bailey. SWEET SINNER should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events of BASTARD BOSS. Bella is Dash Black’s (The Necklace trilogy) half-sister.

NOTE: If you have not read BASTARD BOSS there may be spoilers in. my review.

SOME BACKGROUND: Bella Bailey works as a contract attorney at Hawk Legal but months earlier, Tyler’s father, embittered and embroiled founder Jack Hawk murdered his girlfriend, and lost his own life in the fall-out. Fast forward three months, Tyler Hawk has yet to come to terms with the possible ramifications of what happened and why, when the reading of the will sends Tyler’s life into another unstoppable spiral. Conditions must be met, and if not, Tyler would lose everything he has accomplished including the woman he refuses to love.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Tyler and Bella) SWEET SINNER follows in the wake of the discovery of the contents of Jack Hawk’s will. Tyler has twelve months to act on the terms of his father’s will or life as he knows it will come crashing down, possibly destroying the business in the process. The only woman Tyler wants in his future is our story line heroine Bella Bailey but Bella sees red when Tyler presents a contract for a marriage of convenience, a contract in which Bella believes the wrong message will be perceived. As Bella struggles back and forth between head and heart, Tyler knows Bella is the woman to claim his heart. Meanwhile Tyler’s fellow attorney Gavin McCloud is searching for an appropriate mate for our story line hero, but not all appears to be on the up and up with Gavin’s choices that are about to conflict with Tyler’s needs . What ensues is a series of misunderstandings, and misinterpretations affecting Bella Bailey’s fragile ego, and the continuation of the building but tempestuous relationship between our story line couple.

Bella Bailey is in love with Tyler Hawk but the terms of the will are too much to handle for our story line heroine. Bella believes nothing good will come from a relationship with the man who is currently her boss but Tyler is desperately struggling to keep the business and his head above the proverbial waters.

The relationship between Tyler and Bella a boss/employee, best friend’s sister, forbidden romance but Tyler has fallen in love with his best friend’s (Dash) sister, and needs a fiancé before the proverbial walls come tumbling down. As Bella continues to push Tyler at every opportunity, her mixed signals give way to desperation and hope. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and intense.

All of the same secondary and supporting characters return including Bella’s brother Dash and his fiance Allison Wright, attorney Gavin McCloud, and fixer / ex CIA agent Dierk Jordan, and the introduction of musician Becker Moses.

SWEET SINNER is a story of desperation and love, family and relationships, betrayal, secrets and lies. The fast paced, character driven premise is intriguing and gripping but most of the story focuses on the dance of desperation between Bella and Tyler; the romance is seductive; the characters are frantic and determined. SWEET SINNER ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.