ARC Review: Sweet As Sin

Author: Inez Kelley
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Release: January, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 5/5

Description: She was made for sin. Sin was something he knew intimately.

Bestselling YA author John Murphy is the acclaimed Master of Monsters. But when the door creaks shut, the monsters master him. His haunted past has destined him to hell, but he won’t let that get in the way of enjoying his present or his delicious new neighbor. Enthralled by her, his secrets begin to unravel and the pages of his latest manuscript are written by his deepest fears…and in blood.

Pastry chef owner of The Sugar Shack, Livvy Andrews is as sinfully sweet as the confections she makes and just as irresistible. Her hidden passions erupt when a spicy new neighbor moves in next door and she is powerless against the lure of a man familiar with the erotic delicacies of life. She realizes there are more layers to him than she imagined, each one a delicious or frightening discovery. As lust turns to love, Livvy will master the monsters John keeps in the dark— but at what price?

Review: When John met his next door neighbor, Livvy, his original plan was to have a hot affair. Livvy's original intention was to stay away from John and resist his charm. You know the saying, "The best laid plans often go awry." They find themselves in the middle of a hot and heavy affair, their feelings for each other growing each day. Will their love be enough to get them past the personal demons that threaten to overwhelm them?

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

• Honestly, there's nothing I didn't like about this book. Maybe that it ended?

WHAT I LIKED

Where do I start?

• I LOVED the complexity of the characters! Both Livvy and John are such three-dimensional. Livvy so dang lovable. She's strong, yet vulnerable. She sticks with John in spite of his personal demons. It takes a strong woman to stand by her man through his struggles. And John. Whew! He's a sexy bad boy. He's by no means perfect. At one point, he's an ass and nearly breaks Livvy's heart. We see his vulnerability big time in this book. The secondary characters are awesome, too, but Livvy and John are by far my fave.

• The author's voice is awesomeness.

• I was so emotionally connected to these characters that I wanted to know what happened even after the book was done. This book definitely took me on an emotional roller coaster. I mean, I felt what the characters were feeling, especially John. He went through hell in his tween/teen years and I felt for him...the kid John as well as the adult John.

• I liked the fact that John was a best-selling YA urban fantasy author. He wrote under a pen name. The characters in his books represented different parts of himself. When he met Livvy, a new character came on scene. The books coincided with his personal struggles. You know how some kids create outlets to help them forget abuse. Well, John's was his fantasy world.

• I loved the chemistry between John and Livvy. Can you say hot? There's some sexual tension, but they didn't automatically fall into bed with each other. I loved that.

• I loved the fact that Livvy got her inspiration for sweet creations from everyday living.

Sweet as Sin is so much more than just a romance book. I loved it! It had me from beginning to end. I seriously stayed up all night to finish this book. If you love books with complex characters you'll fall in love with, a catchy storyline that'll grab at your emotions, a romance story that's o much more than just a romance story, and a fun, sexy read, Sweet As Sin is the perfect book for you! Inez Kelley now has a new fan.