Lust is the Thorn

Jen McLaughlin

N/A

Release date : 19 Apr 2016

Rating : 5 Stars

Growing up hard and fast on the mean streets of Chicago, Thorn McKinney didn’t have a prayer—until tragedy inspired him to join the seminary. Now the time has come to take his vows, and yet he’s haunted by the woman he can’t leave behind: his best friend’s little sister. Despite Thorn’s promises that he’d keep her safe, she’s going through hell. And now he finds himself torn between duty and desire, entranced by the seductive pull of her trusting eyes, innocent heart, and sinfully sweet curves.Trying to let Thorn pursue his calling, Rose Gallagher has been hiding some things: namely her abusive boyfriend and her job as a stripper. But when she hits rock bottom, Thorn is there for her—and now there’s no denying the raw temptation that draws them together in their darkest moments. Rose may have found salvation in his strong arms, but she knows that Thorn must choose his own path: in the church, or in the warm embrace of a woman’s love.

It often happens that I have a song on my mind AFTER I finished a book – but it rarely happens that I have on in my mind after only the first pages. Here that song was with me from the beginning on and I actually listened to it often during reading.

The song was “Every Rose has it’s Thorn” by POISON.

And I am starting to write this review while I only finished 54% of this book (which is a first for me) because I do not want to loose my thoughts and I am afraid that maybe If I do not like the end it might influence my opinion of the book ( I am known for that). But this story deserves to be reviewed for those 54 % only alone.

When I read the Blurb of the Book I was contemplating if I wanted to read it at all. I am kind of burned by an old TV show that my mother used to watch in the 1980’s – “The Thorn Birds” and I hated that show for the weakness the lead showed.

Not for the weakness to fall for a woman but for the weakness to never fully stand behind his decisions and to always weaver around leaving everybody hanging . But well – my mother adored the actors – so it was running on our TV and I only had the option to leave or stay and watch. So I watched and I kind of resented the whole subject afterwards.

But anyway something in that book blurb spoke to me and I choose the book needing to find out what it was.

And now I am sitting here and I feel … I feel for Rose… GOD (sorry) but she is so strong, written so believable that I can only admire her. There is no bullshit with her – she states from page 1 what she thinks and that is just WOW.

Thorn – Well I get where he is coming from and why he is following his way. But I also see what he is missing and feel where he went wrong in his assumptions. He really repairs that damage in vision of the image of temptation that TV show did to me. I feel his struggle – it is written so believable that I almost want to reach out and put my hand on his shoulder to tell him to let go of his pain.

In my good old “lets mark on your kindle all the lines you like” – kind of way – I think I marked like 80% of those 54% that I read so far.

I hope – and pray (sorry again) for the end that I wish for them both – but as I am afraid because of that stupid TV show – I needed to finish this before reading the end because the development of these characters alone deserved the 5 stars I gave.

And just in case I will not like the end I had to save those from myself.

Well I will return now to finish the rest of the book whish me luck or a big box of tissues – who knows …

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