The Sinners

By: Daniele Lanzarotta

Narrated by: Cindy Kay, Jason Clarke

Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

Liam and his childhood best friend Rebecca were raised in a small town. Now living in the city, as roommates, they encounter more challenges than the average college student.
 

When faced with the reality of having to quit school and move back home, Liam and Rebecca get an odd invitation to move into a mansion with a group of extremely wealthy guys from the college. Liam knows it’s all too good to be true, but he gives into Rebecca’s pleas to take the offer until they get back on their feet.
 

Weeks turn into months, and as Liam discovers the truth of what happens within those walls and Rebecca finds herself in the middle of a dangerous game between lust and envy, their lives quickly spiral out of control.

©2019 Daniele Lanzarotta (P)2020 Daniele Lanzarotta

High suspense and originality!

This book took me totally by surprise! I was not familiar with Daniele Lanzarotta and when I started the story, I wasn't quite sure where it was going to go. Liam and Rebecca are friends from school. Now attending college, they find themselves in a financial predicament and may have to alter their housing. They are offered free board at a house where 3 other wealthy students live, and though an unusual offer, the two move in. These three, Tucker, Justin and Caden all carry secrets and their behavior is off. What have Liam and Rebecca gotten themselves into? I really became invested in this first installment of the series. It's written so well with only crumbs being dropped that I was not going to stop listening til I had the answers! High suspense and the unknown just kept me intrigued and the outcome a complete surprise. I can't wait to see what Lanzarotta has in store for the second story.

The narration is incredible and totally enhanced this story. Jason Clarke just works these characters so well. He adds some innocence and morality in with his inflections when Liam, but then as Caden we can hear the good, bad boy sound. Rebecca is a little complex, and Cindy Kay finds all of her attributes, giving her emotions and strength. It's a fantastic performance by both and I hope they continue the series.

3 people found this helpful

Easy, fun listen. Ready for Book 2!

The Sinners is Book 1 of The Sinners Series by Daniele Lanzarotta. At about four and a half hours, it's a fairly quick listen and leaves the listener wanting to find out what happens in Book 2. Liam and Rebecca move into a house full of wealthy guys that they know of from college. It's either that or quit school and move back home. What they don't know when they agree to move in though, is that this particular house full of men is shrouded under mystery and perhaps a little magic.

This was a fun, easy listen and I'd like to listen to the next book to find out more about the boys and what exactly they are tied up in, which isn't really revealed in the first book. Rebecca is the main character, though I hope to learn more about Liam and his family, which I have a feeling we will in the next book as well, what with someone getting a new job at the end of the book. I don't want to give much away, but I definitely enjoyed the listen!

Cindy Kay and Jason Clarke both did a great job narrating the various characters. Cindy was solid and consistent. Jason had a good handle on the various voices that he used for all of the different male characters in the book. I have to say this though-while I seriously loved Jason's voice and want to listen to more of his work, I didn't love him for this particular role. His amazing voice just didn't fit what I thought of as a younger set of college men. They all sounded way older than I think they are supposed to be, That doesn't take away from the narration though. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

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1 person found this helpful

Wow! Original, Mysterious, Suspenseful!

Wow! This was my first Daniele Lanzarotta's book, and won't be my last! This is the first book in The Sinners, a great start to this Series. The cover is beautiful. The characters are great and intriguing: Two friends, Liam and Rebecca, and three mysterious men Tucker, Justin and Caden. The storyline has mystery, secrets, suspense, and intrigue, filled with twists and turns. This story is well written, original, and has a great pace that kept my attention from start to finish. Impossible to stop listening! Looking forward to listen to the next book in the Series. Jason Clarke and Cindy Kay did a great job with the narration.

1 person found this helpful

That ending!

The Sinners was an interesting look at a secret society of dark magic. I found the premise to the story intriguing. And that shocking ending left me dying for more!

Narrators Cindy Kay and Jason Clarke were excellent at bringing the story to life. The author Daniele Lanzarotta created a diverse and complicated cast of players. I have a love/hate relationship with them all. I didn't know what to expect going into the story but Lanzarotta definitely snagged herself a new fan!

too "special" for me

This simply wasn't very good. To be fair, part of my disappointment is that the last paragraph of the book's description made me think it would be erotica and it's 100% not. All the sex is fade to black and there's not even that much. Nor is it a romance. Being as Rebecca's role seems to be limited to the girl the boys sleep with, but she bounces from one to the other. The whole thing is basically unbearable though because it's so full of red flags that no one (not even someone in dire straights) would put themselves in the position. That goes for moving into the house, falling for the first guy and then the second, and then the decision she makes at the end. None of it is believable for a girl who is shown to be pretty savvy in general.

Then there's the consideration that, in order for the events to happen as they did, several characters had to have complete personality shifts and act out of character. Plus, Rebecca is mysteriously special, such that someone's curse doesn't work as it's supposed to. It all just reeks of the often-cited and hated "she's so special without actually being special in any way" trope. (And yes, I know I used special 3 times, but I emphatically hate the "she's so special for no reason" trope.)

I might have given it three stars though, if not for the end. For most of the book, I couldn't tell you for 100% certainty who the main character is (which makes a book hard to connect with). But what happened at the very end really was too much. It may have clarified who the main character was meant to be, but it made the whole plot feel pointless to me. I disliked it in the extreme.

Note: I recieved a free audible code for this book. I chose to listen and review it.

Unexpected Delight

I didn't have the highest expectations for this one. It sounded interesting enough but not exceedingly so... and it turned out to be pretty damn good. I love the suspense and mystery surrounding the roommates, and the building romantic interest and competitiveness. And the ending....whoa. The performances were excellent on both parts as well. Overall five star book, and I can't wait to hear the next one.

Wow

This book sure does grab you and wont let go. I was really into listening to it. Daniele is a great author. I also liked the narrators Cindy and Jason they did a really good job of this book.

Loved it!

Oh the suspense! I couldn't stop listening wanting to see what happens next! Full of twists and turns and complex characters I really enjoyed this book and I cant wait for the next one! I feel that the narrators fit perfectly for the story and make it come alive!

Loved it

cant wait to get the next one. really enjoyed the story and the narrators were not bad at all. at first I was not sure but after a bit I started to enjoy.

Interesting start

This was interesting. You were left in suspense on what was going out with little hints through out the story. Looking forward to see how the story plays out.

really enjoyed

Really enjoyed this story, I felt the premise was different, I enjoyed the characters and their relationships. There were a few moments when I felt it didn't work but overall would definitely recommend and I plan on picking up the next book.

Suspenseful

The Sinners is a great start to Sinners series. It's very well-composed, with a rich plot and wonderful character development. The storyline is engaging, suspenseful, loaded with mystery, twists, and turns. Cindy Kay and Jason Clarke did an excellent job capturing and portraying characters. I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

All I can say WOW!

I loved this book! i highly recommend this book. Rebecca's and Liam's lives are about to change forever. I really enjoyed the slight magic/paranormal aspect in this book. This book has one heck of a cliffhanger! Can't wait to see what happens next!