The Monster: A Mafia Romance (Boston Belles) Paperback – June 15, 2021

Once again LJ Shen writes a MMC that you want to hate, that you should hate but you end up loving. She brings the “he falls HARDER” trope to a new level with her MMCs. We meet Sam and Aisling in the two previous books in the series and could always feel the undercurrent of something between them. They meet each other early in their lives, before anyone else in the families meet and share a kiss and a secret. Fast forward years later. He’s decided (and paid to do so) that she’s off limits. She’s decided it’s time to make him hers. They each have some self loathing that makes them feel like they are monsters. And monsters are drawn to other monsters in the most spicy way! Aisling has loved Sam all of her adult life but knows she can never have him because Sam has made it clear he hates all women and will never love one. It takes a while for him to realize he loves one woman very deeply, and he soon realizes that monsters can be worthy of love too. This book was angsty and spicy and had a fantastic twist that showed that Aisling wasn’t the pushover everyone (including myself) thought she was. Of course it had the required HEA (I wouldn’t have given it 5⭐️ without it!)

I was looking forward to reading Aisling and Sam's story but at first it was hard for me to get into. Aisling had a crush on Sam but he was always so mean to her. Every time she felt she was done with him, he would do something to reel her back in. Sam always felt he was indifferent to everyone, so when Aisling actually started getting under his skin, it drove him crazy. When he started to really pay attention to her, he discovered that she wasn't as pure as he first thought. The more he let her in, the more he felt that she really was perfect for him. I loved the showdown between them over a card game and I really loved the way it ended.

This is Sam and Aisling’s story and it feels like I’ve waited forever. Sam Brennan is the man I’ve wanted to know more about since Sparrow and Ainsley Fitzpatrick is easily the most intriguing of the ladies. She’s so reserved, we don’t know her at all. I was worried that I was building this up too much so it would be a letdown. I liked The Villain, Cillian and Persephone, but not as much as Hunter and Sailor and their story so it was a valid fear.Those fears were completely unfounded. These two are stellar and their story is epic.It started out almost predictable: Aisling is pining for Sam, he ignores her. She still lives at home at twenty-seven, taking care of her needy, histrionic mother. She seems weak but the truth she’s hiding under the gracious demeanor is very different. Don’t mistake kindness or selflessness for weakness, they’re not the same thing and Ainsley Fitzpatrick is an excellent example.Sam is every bit as cold and calculated as expected, at first but we slowly learn that he’s long had feelings for her, he’s just fought them every step of the way. There’s a lot of Troy and especially Sparrow parenting Sam in this book and I loved it. The idea of these people who raised a stone-cold killer pulling the “A mother knows” card on him could easily crash and burn if not done right but Shen knocked it out of the park.There’s much more to this story than possibly-unrequited love. Much unfolds to show us who Ainsley truly is and it’s shocking but impressive. She’s way tougher and capable of much more than I imagined. To say she gives the infamous mobster a run for his money is a major understatement and nobody was more shocked – or pleased – to see it than Sam. It’s also worth noting that there’s way more backstory to these two than I’d guessed and I loved everything about their history. The initial interactions were fascinating and gave the story more depth. The banter is excellent and these two are also super steamy, too.I couldn’t put this book down, devouring it in record speed and loving every minute of the story. Their love story is one of my favorites and their lives are interesting enough that LJ could easily give us a sequel. Yeah, yeah, I know it won’t happen but a girl can dream, right? There was a lot going on here but it all made sense and there are some real surprises from the supporting cast. This instantly became one of my favorite LJ books and I’ll enjoy reading it again as much as I did the first time.

"Maybe it was always my destiny to fall in love with a monster"Today I found time to write some words about the hottest premiere of June - The Monster by my fave L.J.Shen ❤I love all her books so I waited for The Monster with anticipation🖤 and it was totally worth of it. The main heroes are Aisling Fritzpatrick - Hunter and Cillian's baby sister and Samuel Brennan - son of Troy and Sparrow Brennan, Sailor's older brother. From the previous book we know that Aisling loves Sam hopelessly. But he seems to be resistant to Ash's charms💔At the beginning of the book we got to know the story of baby Sam. The story starts when his mother decided to leave him with the Brennans and start a new life without a child. Sam had a really difficult childhood with sex and drugs addicted mother. But his life changed when he was adopted by Troy and Sparrow.We also see the first Ash and Sam meeting and I've spoiler for you - it wasn't at the party where Hunter took Sailor in The Hunter. Ash and Sam met before and this meeting was really hot 🔥 and they shared a secret. When Sam started work for Fritzpatrick's family he got an extra salary for not touching Aisling. And despite the fact that Aisling continuously wants to seduce him, he doesn't want to risk his agreement with her family. But one Halloween night changed everything. And that was so f***g hot. 🔥Of course there are also some dramas caused by Cat. She messes up even after her death. And I can tell that her letters were a game changer."My name is Aisling Fritzpatrick, and I have a confession to make. Sam Brennan is not the only monster in this story". I was totally amused by Ash. In the previous books she seemed to be really polite and a little bit boring. But it appears that she has a lot of dirty secrets 💥 and she isn't so ideal like everybody thinks.I'm totally in love with Sam Brennan. He is so hot and dangerous. It was my guilty pleasure to read this beautiful book.And according to the Sam I want to say:"Lust lingers, love stays. Lust is impatient, love waits. Lust burns, love warms. Lust destroys, but love? Love kills."And I can't wait for the Rake - story of Belle and Devon.