Sparrow

De: L.J. Shen

Narrado por: Michael Pauley

Troy Brennan:

Every Southie in Boston knows that name. The son of a dead mobster. The heartthrob with steel-blue eyes. "The Fixer" who can make or break you in this city. Oh, and my new husband.

Sparrow Raynes:

That's me. No one seemed to remember my name up until he barged into my life. But then he caged me. Kidnapped me. And killed every chance I had to run away from the place where we grew up. Put simply, Troy Brennan clipped my wings. I have dreams, big ones, but I doubt he'll ever let me chase them. I have no idea why he decided to take me as his wife. But I do know this: pissing off this man will not do me any good. At all.

Sparrow is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.

©2016 L.J. Shen (P)2016 L.J. Shen

I SHOULD'VE KNOWN IT'D BE EPIC

Well, I may of been a year late to get to this awesome book.. but wow! I totally agree with the other reviewers.. this was a five star listen all the way. It was gritty, intense, and raw as alpha anti-hero Troy, the emotionally impotent Bostonian known as 'The Fixer', took the twenty-two yr old innocent daughter of one of his lower-level minions and made her his wife. There were reasons why this cold heartless ruthless villain did it and love definitely wasn't amongst them.. but few people knew his secrets and he wasn't about to spill everything to his virginal new bride.. Hell he didn't even like her. But the feisty strong-willed woman wouldn't show fear, wouldn't stop disrespecting him and wouldn't stop challenging him. So what's a bad-to-the-bone badass going to do.. he's patiently going to claim his wife, slowly succumb to her feisty ways, surprisingly look forward to their barb-filled push/pull relationship - and shockingly fall in love. But it won't be without drama, it won't be without tears and it won't be without bloodshed.

Sparrow didn't know why Troy Brennan, the feared son of a dead Irish Gangster, had chosen her.. she wasn't his type - he was gorgeous and she was plain - he was bad and she was good - he was sexually experienced and she wasn't - he never looked twice at her but she couldn't look away. Sparrow knew Troy had his reasons, his mistresses, his secrets, his dangerous business and his rules.. however what she naively didn't know was that she was going to change everything, she was going to make a cold-hearted villain thaw out.. and she was going to make him hers. But it won't be without drama, it won't be without tears and it won't be without bloodshed.

Over the year this fast-paced dual POV book has tempted me over and over again.. and now I'm kicking myself for waiting so long.. because now I know how good, how pulse-pounding, how exhilarating, how exciting, how addictive, how enjoyable and how beautiful an L.J. Shen book can be - and next time I definitely won't wait. There's character growth as they both learn how to trust, how to deal and how to love, there's sex but it isn't overused, there's a villain but they're in a sheep's disguise, there's suspense that'll leave you breathless.. and there's a love story that'll leave you wanting more. It doesn't take place over sweet diner dates, carefree movie nights or peaceful evenings in.. no, it's undiluted passion, it's seismic chemistry and it's raw desire that fuels the flames between these two opposing characters who only know war. It's a slow-build and no insta-anything.. but it was always their Fate to marry.. the question is - would it be their Destiny to stay together?

Worth a credit? Yes.. 100% YES. It's got a well written storyline that instantly grabbed me, held me in its tempting clutches and totally won me over as, chapter by chapter, it spoon-fed me its delicious delights. And Michael Pauley breathed life into its varied characters and made this listen memorable.

Great story.

I love the main character. So different from what you usually read. I lived the book. Please write more.

Delightfully surprised.

Would you listen to Sparrow again? Why?

Absolutely! Sparrow really surprised me. I was expecting a dark romance based on the blurb, but instead I got a slow burn. It was a good enemies to lovers story, and the entire story really sucked me in. I enjoyed the fact that the characters were strong willed and even at their weaker moments they stayed true to form

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the personality that Sparrow had. She was defiant, and self determined, but still knew when to bend to Troy so that she can keep things livable. At first I really hated Troy, he was arrogant, rude, selfish, and closed off, but he made me love him by the end of the story. Though some of the things that happen seem cold or cruel, they all serve a purpose and propel the story forward. It was also paced really well, and I never found myself at a point that the story dragged enough to put it down.

What does Michael Pauley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have a tendency to lean towards dual narrations when there are multiple POV's as a personal preference, and sometimes the feminine voices that male narrators attempt can be a turn off for me, even then. But I have to say Michael Pauley dose it justice. I didn't miss the dual narration at all, and his accent was perfect. I enjoyed his performance and won't hesitate to buy other books that have his narration.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Mob ties and marriage. Something along those lines. It wasn't really about a mob boss, but more about ties to the mob, and old obligations.

Any additional comments?

This story was excellent all around. I was unable to put it down, and felt connected to the characters feelings and situations easily. I was a bit pig off by the fact that a major antagonist still remained semi in the picture at the end, even though it was by proxy, I would of preferred for her and her mother to be history, but given the situation I can see how it made sense and fit into the story line. I loved the break the cycle ideal, and the fact that the two main characters found their place in each other, despite the various issues. Over all it was a must read, and will be a favorite for a long time to me.

love lj

lj is one of my favorite authors. Every time I see someone looking for a new book I recommend her. LJ breaks the imagination information a relaxing and stimulating time.

A messed up, surprisingly endearing love story

I really didn't think I was going to be able to listen to this whole book... you see, the 2 main characters has VERY heavy Boston accents. Which made some parts hard to take seriously (mainly the very talkative sex scenes & when either one was really pissed).
This book was sometimes violent, often crude, and surprisingly heartwarming. In the end, I would recommend this for anyone who is sick of sappy love stories and can handle a lot of f-bombs and violence.