Original Sinner (Original Sinners, #1)
Kait Ballenger
Seven deadly—and ultrarich—sins rule NYC, and though she came here to escape her past, one woman’s true path to freedom might be the devil’s bonds in this scorching hot romantasy from Kait Ballenger. The seven deadly sins keep high profiles in the Big Lust runs brothels, Sloth’s a media streamer…you get the picture. Pride, though, he’s more mysterious. You might know him as Lucifer—temptation irresistibly embodied. The paparazzi are dying for some burning-hot gossip. So when someone publishes my scathing but private rant about him, they eat it up. And now my job is on the line. After all, he is my boss. With his vicious siblings vying for his power, Lucifer needs to distract the press, so he reframes my tirade as a lovers’ spat, demanding I play the devil’s fiancée. I need to be a good girl, smile for the cameras, nothing more. But cocky and cruel as he is, his darkness awakens something wicked in me. Sexy and in control, he might just be the cure—an extra dose of sin to heal me from a lifetime of shame and subservience. And I like it.
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Your rating:
3/5. Releases 3/25/25.
—hell comes to the big city (urban fantasy style)
—daddy content
—recovering from purity culture
Heat Index: 8/10
The Basics:
New York City was permanently changed when the Seven Deadly Sins came to town (literally, in very hot human-ish form), and now Charlotte has a job working PR for none other than Lucifer himself. But the big boss may want something a bit beyond the standard issue services from her—and you know what they say about deals with the devil...
The Review:
There is an immediate audience I know will probably love this book. And that is the audience for the TV series Lucifer. Like, seriously, if you enjoy that show—don't walk. RUN. The snark, the city scene, the sexy devil in love with a human woman he can't quite figure out, the inter-demonic politics (but not too heavy), the way the paranormal interacts with the contemporary... that's what you'll get here. With less procedural crime stuff, which in my opinion is a good thing.
Am I a Lucifer fan? I mean, I'm kind of ambivalent on the whole thing. So while I don't have a lot to critique about this novel, I can't necessarily say that it blew me away. The writing quality is solid, the sex scenes are really good (yes, you do get a "daddy" in there for real), it just didn't do a ton with the concept. It's essentially a BDSM romance with some paranormal flair; I don't think it's fair to compare it to Kerri Maniscalco, for example.
It reminds me a bit more of Sara Cate, actually. The kink isn't too intense, nothing super unexpected happens. Lucifer is a little dark, but he doesn't go super far on any level. Charlotte is the more unexpected character, to be honest—she comes from a background heavily rooted in purity culture, and has to deal with that as she comes to terms with her true desires. And, you know. Literally sleeps with the devil. It's an unexpected detail that I really appreciated!
The Sex:
If you already read a lot of kinkier books, nothing here will SHOCK you, but it is.... quite hot. Sort of standard issue, but with the added bonus of helping Charlotte work through her issues.
Where I think Original Sinner could've differentiated itself more is relying less on tropes and more on plot, really building its supernatural world as something other than a source of power for Lucifer and his cohorts. It's a nice book, it just could've been more.
Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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