J.E. Benoit's Reviews > Sweetest Taboo

Reviewed on behalf of The Book Boyfriend Addict (www.bookboyfriendaddict.com). A complimentary copy was provided by Random House Publishing - Ballantine via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DISCLAIMER: This is the third and final installment in the S.I.N. trilogy, the first two books, Dirtiest Secret and Hottest Mess, should be read first and if you haven’t read them yet you may want to avoid this review until you’ve done so in case of any spoilers.

“You were my dirtiest secret, down there in the dark where nobody knew.”
“But they do know. So what does that make me?”
“Now you’re my sweetest taboo.”

Well here we are, finally at the conclusion of Dallas and Jane’s tumultuous love story! If you recall, at the end of Hottest Mess, there were several big things that happened that set the events of this book in motion. This book picks up right where the second book left off and it’s pretty much flat out the entire way. This book was a super-fast read but it was action packed, and while some of the reveals were a little predictable (I was able to figure it out well in advance of the actual reveal) it was still a fun and suspenseful ride.

“I want us. I want everything.”
“So do I. But we both know that everything is impossible for us. We’re going to have to settle for what we can get.”
“I’m not the kind of man who settles, Jane. You know that.”

In this book, the race was on to solve the other half of the puzzle to discover who else was involved in Dallas and Jane’s kidnapping when they were teenagers. We also had to deal with the fallout from the cliffhanger of book two and the secret that was revealed to Jane that Dallas had been keeping to protect her. All of this was going on while they were still trying to find their way as a couple, this book didn’t have any of the jealousy issues that the second book did, but now that their relationship is out in the open, that in and of itself presents a whole other set of issues that they have to work through. The biggest issue is how they can actually make their relationship work. They were obviously in love and 100% committed to one another but the nature of their legal relationship really throws a wrench in their long term plans. As much as I was interested in seeing their captors brought to justice, I think I was even more interested to see how they would manage to pull off a HEA given their unusual circumstances. Were they successful? I’ll let you discover that for yourself.

“I need you.”
“You have me. Always. I can’t believe there was a time when we fought it, because I can’t live without you.”

I thought this was a good conclusion to this trilogy. As I said earlier, some of the reveals weren’t totally shocking but the way they played out were still exciting. It was nice being able to see Dallas and Jane continue to grow stronger in their relationship and I enjoyed watching them work together to overcome the many obstacles in their path. If you are a fan of J Kenner’s books, I think you should definitely check out this trilogy, it’s got her signature steam and sexy, lovable bad boys but this story is also a bit darker and edgier than some of the others I’ve read. All in all, it’s an enjoyable, heartfelt, sexy and exciting story that I would definitely recommend!

We’re bound, he and I. We’re inevitable. And despite the taboo, those binds between us don’t feel like chains, but like a gift.