The Monster

Boston Belles, Book 3

By: L.J. Shen

Narrated by: Savannah Peachwood, Jacob Morgan

From Wall Street Journal best-selling author L.J. Shen comes a brand-new romantic mafia stand-alone about the thin line between love and obsession.

“Maybe we were never meant for each other. But that night at the carnival, when you showed me who you were, I figured out who I wanted to be.”

The most important thing I’d ever read was scribbled on the door of a portable restroom, engraved into plastic at a carnival on the outskirts of Boston.

Lust lingers, love stays.

Lust is impatient, love waits.

Lust burns, love warms.

Lust destroys, but love? Love kills.

Maybe it was always my destiny to fall in love with a monster.

When other kids stayed awake at night fearing the pointy-toothed beast hiding in their closet, I longed to see mine.

I wanted to feed it, domesticate it, understand it.

Sam and I were only allowed to love each other in the dark.

Once our story unfolded, and the truth came to light, I was the one to cut the cord.

My name is Aisling Fitzpatrick, and I have a confession to make.

Sam Brennan is not the only monster in this story.

©2020 L.J. Shen (P)2021 Audible, Inc.

I Fell in Love with The Monster!

L.J. Shen has a way of sucking you into her books, allowing you to get completely lost in her stories and leaving you never wanting to return to reality! Shen’s world-building is second to none, her writing style is brilliant and her characters are complex and multi-layered. Sam Brennon is The Monster but he’s so much more and only one woman can truly reach him and make his heart beat again. Aisling’s character surprised me in a good way...there were a couple times I wanted to scream at her and say, “no, don’t do that!” but overall she was strong, determined and Brennon’s perfect match. When you have to wait for something, fight for it, it’s all the sweeter in the end. I loved this rocky but entertaining ride to their HEA and can’t wait for the next installment in the series. Narration is the best you’ll find...Jacob Morgan...sigh...and Savannah is wonderful too! 5 UTTERLY AMAZING STARS ALL-AROUND! Buy it, you won’t regret it!!!!!

Love

I had been anticipating this story ever since reading "The Villian" and also finishing "Sparrow." Sam is by far my favorite of the characters so far and I really loved how Troy and Sparrow appeared semi-frequently in the story. Something I really liked about this book was it wasn't just about the relationship between him and Aisling. It was also about how each interacted with their families and how they grew with them. I would argue it almost takes up as much time as their romantic relationship.

While I wouldn't say it's required to read Sparrow before this, it will certainly give you a lot of context for his mother, Catalina, and Troy/Sparrow. I think it definitely helps you get more into Sam's state of mind and what he experienced growing up to make him the person he is. In particular, the person Troy is impacted Sam a lot.

Out of the other three books in this series, I feel like this one is the rawest, darkest, and more believable. Would highly recommend it.

SHE DOES IT AGAIN

Every time I read a new book by L.J. Shen, I think there is no way she can out do the book before. There's no way I'll fall in love with the characters again. There's no way they'll break my heart and put it back together. But it happens every single time. The Monster is amazing! There's no other way to say it . It simply is just amazing!

Ehh… what happened Jacob and Savannah???

I hate to say this, but this is the first that savannah peachwood and Jacob Morgan didn’t knock it out of the park for me!!! I love their voices but this is one time their voices DIDN’T fit the characters!! I loved the story line but it lost its wow factor with the narration… Savannah read the female lead as weak when it was written as a strong character and Jacob read his part like he was bored. I had a strong vibe with the Male lead that he was from Boston and from the streets and the way Jacob read it didn’t make it sound like it at all which is why I rated it so poorly!!! Don’t judge me as a Jacob and savannah hater because they are usually a go to when picking out books.

Beautiful monsters - Aisling and Sam's story

I am such a big fan of the Boston Belles and this was one story that I have waited a while to listen to it. Just like the other books by LJ Shen, this is the tale of Aisling, sister of Hunter and Cillian...I fell in love with Persy, Sailor, Annabelle and Aisling through the other books - The Villian, The Hunter and now the Monster....beyond my expectations. LJ Shen did it again!
LOVE IT...now I can't wait for Anabelle and Devon.
Narration is fantastic!