Dark, Twisted, and Impossible to Look Away: A 3.5-Star Dive into The Sinner
Shantel Tessier’s The Sinner, the second installment in The L.O.R.D.S. standalone series, is not a book for the faint of heart. If you’ve read The Ritual, you’ll already know that Tessier doesn’t hold back when it comes to dark themes, morally gray characters, and power dynamics that are anything but conventional. Still, even knowing this, The Sinner managed to surprise me—in good ways and in ways that left me questioning my own tolerance levels as a reader.
The Sinner by Shantel Tessier
Series: The L.O.R.D.S. #2
more Volumes: The Ritual, The Sacrifice, Sabotage
Genre: Adult, Dark Romance, Suspense, Violence
Published on 04. Dec 2022 by Independently Published
Pages: 627
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B0BDZ2M91F
Language: English
Source: Amazon, Kindle Unlimited
Link to Goodreads
My rating: | Spice:
LITTLE DEMON
I was raised in a world where money and power are at your fingertips. My father is a LORD, a very respected member of a secret society that knows no bounds. When tragedy struck my family, we discovered we weren’t untouchable. Just when I thought life couldn’t get any worse, I was shown what hell is really like. Then he came and saved me. The devil disguised as my personal hero. But of course, nothing is for free. Not when a soul is up for grabs.
I VOW. YOU VOW. WE VOW.
Easton Bradley Sinnett—Sin—uses his power for his own sick pleasure. Like a typical Lord, he never thought about the consequences of his actions. I grew up with him, obsessed over him, craved him. He was who I pictured when I imagined doing things my body shouldn’t want.
One day, I realized he was not who I thought he was. It didn’t change anything, though, because I was already too far gone. If anything, I fell for him harder.
Every now and then, someone enters your life who flips it upside down. Sin wrecked me in the worst way, and I thanked him for it by serving on my knees.
As they say, nothing lasts forever. Men like him never stay with a woman like me. I’m what they use, not keep. So when he threw me away, I shouldn’t have been all that surprised.
My body had always craved the darker side of love. The kind that left bruises and scars. I was what most would call unholy. And when the devil whispered in my ear that he loved me, I was more than determined to show him just how devoted I could be.
Buy here: Amazon*
More Books by the Author: The Ritual, The Sacrifice, Sabotage
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The Sinner ♦ Shantel Tessier
A Review
Opinion
Let me start with the suspense, because Tessier absolutely nails that aspect again. Just as with The Ritual, the tension in The Sinner is thick from beginning to end. The story opens with tragedy and never lets you off the hook, dragging you through a whirlwind of danger, secrets, and emotional turmoil. Every time I thought I had a grip on where the narrative was headed, Tessier threw in another twist that kept me hooked. For that reason alone, I devoured this book faster than I expected. It’s a testament to her storytelling that even when the subject matter made me squirm, I still couldn’t put it down.
Now, about those scenes. I’ve read my fair share of dark romance, and it takes a lot to make me flinch—but I’ll be honest, The Sinner did it more than once. Some of the sexual encounters push the boundaries of what I’d consider romantic or even consensually erotic; they veer into territory that is extreme, unsettling, and sometimes outright disturbing. To Tessier’s credit, she never disguises who Easton “Sin” Sinnett is. He is not a misunderstood bad boy with a heart of gold—he is morally dark gray, bordering on black, and he revels in that space. The way Tessier writes him leaves no illusions: he is dangerous, domineering, and often cruel. And yet, somehow, he’s magnetic enough to keep both the heroine and the reader tethered to him.
That’s the paradox of this book. I didn’t always enjoy what I was reading, but I couldn’t look away either. The heroine, Ellington Asher, is equally complicated. She is not a helpless victim, nor is she fully in control of her fate. She exists in the gray space with Sin, simultaneously desiring and resenting the ways he consumes her. Their dynamic is toxic, obsessive, and at times utterly destructive—but it’s written with such intensity that you can’t help but follow their descent.
Where the book falters for me is in the balance between the darkness and the emotional connection. While the chemistry is undeniable, I sometimes wished for a little more exploration of the characters’ inner struggles beyond the physical realm. The love, devotion, and obsession are all there, but the transitions from cruelty to intimacy often felt abrupt, leaving me searching for more depth.
Still, for fans of extreme dark romance, The Sinner delivers exactly what it promises: a story that tests boundaries, unsettles comfort zones, and drags you down a rabbit hole of dangerous attraction. It’s not pretty, it’s not easy, and it’s definitely not for everyone. But it is compelling.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, I’m giving this book 3.5 stars. The writing is gripping, the suspense is excellent, and the characters are as unforgettable as they are unsettling. Yes, some of the scenes made me squirm in ways few books have ever managed, but I suppose that’s what happens when you willingly dive into a romance with a man like Sin. And despite my reservations, I know I’ll be picking up the next book in The L.O.R.D.S. series—because Tessier’s brand of darkness, once it has you, doesn’t let go.
The L.O.R.D.S.
The Series
| The Ritual (#1) | The Sinner (#2) |
| The Sacrifice (#3) | Sabotage (#4) |
| Carnage (#5) | Madness (#6) |
About Shantel Tessier
Shantel Tessier is a USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author. She lives in Oklahoma with her high school sweetheart, who is a wonderful, supportive husband, and their two daughters. She loves to spend time cuddled up on the couch with a good book. Although she has a passion to write, her family is most important to her.
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