Born of Sin

De: Pamela Hart Vines

Narrado por: Dirk Watson

Conceived out of wedlock and "born of sin," Jacob Dewitt suffers deeply at the hands of his resentful stepfather. In the midst of family chaos, Jacob is shipped off to boarding school. Years later, when the school expels him, he believes he can't go back home.

As a young man alone on the streets of Pittsburgh, Jacob lies about his age and assumes a new identity. Intelligent and ambitious, he soon gets recruited by the city's crime organization. Yearning for acceptance, Jacob embraces his new family that consists of an up-and-coming Madame, his primary mentor, and other drug runners.

He grows up fast. It doesn't take long for the big boss to discover Jacob's quick mind and other talents. Despite his rising status, Jacob yearns for a righteousness the streets can't provide. To fill the void, he attends the local university and uses his gifted knowledge about the Bible to encourage his crew. Word of mouth spreads and miraculous things happen to the people he helps. Unfortunately, Jacob discovers that church and crime are an unholy union.

Alternating between the fictional town of Edgeboro, North Carolina in 1976 and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the early 1980's, Jacob must choose between leaving the street family that embraced him and seeking a legitimate life with the family that disowned him.

Born of Sin follows a complex and layered African American family as each member deals with the universal affects of betrayal, unrequited love, and the desire to have something more.

©2015 Pamela Hart Vines (P)2016 Pamela Hart Vines

Christian and crime fiction

If you could sum up Born of Sin in three words, what would they be?

Everyone has flaws

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jacob was my favorite and the main character. I felt endeared to him from what he went through in his childhood but because of how his mother raised him he fared well and handled himself as best he could even in his young years. I could sense his spirit as being loving and wanting to do good mostly. He's young and everyone has flaws and sins while finding their way. Some continue to live in the ways of the world but you get a sense that that's not Jacob's intent.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the part where Jacob reunites with one of his siblings and gets to hear about what has happened since he's been gone and also share the truth behind his disappearance.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, unless the book is short, I'd rather listen over a few day time frame. If there is a long book that is so good to make me want to listen in one sitting I've never come across it. Long to me is over 9 hours, average is about 7-9.. Anything 6 hours or less is short in my opinion. So this book fell into the long audio category for me.

Any additional comments?

I felt this book was unique in the aspect of mixing crime and religion within the same person. Jacob was a complex character, intelligent with a good heart underneath it all even when he wasn't using his brains for good. I felt this book was a solid 3.5 stars in narration, storyline and writing. It was realistic in showing that you can love God but still fall into sin and that doesn't make you a bad person just a person who still has growing to do. I look forward to the next installment as I thought this book was going to showcase more of Jacob's start as a pastor and it actually ends right when he decides to start that journey. Also, the narrator did a great job reading this story. I liked how he used different inflections in his voice when speaking for the women characters and differentiating between the male characters somewhat. His tone and speed were very good.

Awesome, Intriguing, Riveting, Recommend

Where does Born of Sin rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is in the top ten. I am on the second listen of the book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was JD, I love how he overcomes and proves that he is capable of what comes his way.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen to in one sitting and just restarted listening again.

Any additional comments?

I would certainly recommend. I will listen and looking forward to the second.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.

I want more.

I enjoyed the book. it left me want more. it was refreshing to read a different type of storyline. Waiting for book 2.

Book 1 in the (currently unnamed) series.

When I picked Born of Sin I was under an impression that it was a stand alone book. Nothing in it's description indicated that it was a part of a series. Turns out, most of the book is a back story and an introduction to the characters and events that were foreshadowed at the very beginning of the book. As such Born of Sin left a lot of situations and relationships unresolved. The only way for that to be acceptable is to view Born of Sin as a part of a series rather than an independent novel.

Looking at this book as a part of a series I can honestly say WOW. I loved it. A multitude of complex characters and interesting events kept me engaged and eager to find out how they'd cope with everything that life threw at them. It was refreshing to encounter imperfect heroes and antagonists who, at least at some point, had a pure heart and good intentions. The insight into family dynamics was well written and convincing. Another well presented and interesting topic to explore was the rift between dreams and reality that several characters experienced and handled differently.

Out of all the characters I liked Jacob the best. What impressed me most was his determination to persevere on his quest to gain good education and become successful. He is likable despite the mistakes he made and the shady paths he traveled. Hopefully, future books will give him a chance to fully redeem himself.

I found Born of Sin exceptionally well paced. It felt just right without any too slow or rushed parts.

The narration was good and pleasant for the most part. One thing that I found slightly distracting was the narrators tendency to drawl out certain words, for example says, at times.

I truly hope that Born of Sin is indeed first in the series. I am already looking forward to reading the next one.

This audiobook was given by the author at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Self made

I received this book in exchange for a honest review. This story had my emotions going up in down with the story of Jacob. Treated miserably by his step-dad, then kidnapped and force to live away from his mother, Jacob decides he will make his way. Jacob is smart, real smart, he can imitate anyone and any situation. He becomes a man he is not truly proud of but never lose site of his reunions background. I cannot wait for the story to continue as he becomes a man he truly wants to be.