Release Reviews: Sinner's Creed: Kim Jones
Sinner's Creed (Sinner's Creed MC #1)Kim Jones
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Expected May 1, 2016
First in a new series—welcome to the Sinner’s Creed Motorcycle Club, where hard bodies and hot leather are made for each other, and love gone wrong is the most irresistible of all...
“I was the demon-possessed monster and she was the innocent, naïve angel. But none of that matters. She asks, I give and right now, I'll kill anyone who tries to stop me from giving this woman what she wants—me.”
Dirk lives in the shadows—performing hits, maintaining order, and upholding the no-holds-barred legacy of the Sinner’s Creed Motorcycle Club. A nomad with a restless spirit and a cold heart, the open road is his world. One of the few constants in his life: his desire for the one woman who has consumed his thoughts for years.
Saylor Samson grew up far from the harshness of Dirk’s world. But ever since she was seventeen she’s been drawn to this dark and mysterious man who always seemed to show up just when she needed him.
After years of fated encounters, he’s back. This time he’s taking her. This time she’s ready for the ride. But just when the darkness in Dirk’s life begins to fade, Saylor reveals a secret that puts them both to the ultimate test. Now, Dirk has to make a decision: submit to his destiny with the MC, or choose his own.
I fucking hate this place. I don’t know why I torture myself by coming back here. I should have burned it down a long time ago. I grab my bags from outside and when the cool night air hits me, it helps to release some of the pressure in my chest. When I walk back in, it returns.
I lock the door, then pull two pillows and a blanket from the tote and throw them on the now fully inflated mattress. The house is cool, even without air-conditioning. The weather has been in the fifties at night, and the large trees that surround the house help to shade it from the sun. Tomorrow, I will probably have to plug in a window unit. The lack of insulation keeps the house about the same temperature as it is outside.
I’m undressed and just before climbing under the covers when I notice Saylor laying on the couch, sound asleep. How the fuck did I forget she was here? When my eyes land on her face, everything else disappears. My memories don’t matter. This house don’t matter. Black . . . He don’t fucking matter either. Only her. Saylor Samson.
Her shirt is raised, making the lower part of her stomach visible, including her belly button that I have an urge to kiss. So I do. I place my lips on her stomach, the heat of her flesh burning them. I turn to look down her crossed legs, all the way to the tip of her boots that are covered in dust. I don’t know what I want more—to stand here and just stare at her fully clothed, or get her naked and hold her in my arms.
The battle is quickly won and I start by taking off her boots, then remove her socks and kiss her pink-painted toes one by one. I pull her jeans down her legs, kissing every inch of skin bared to me. She hasn’t stirred, and I know she can’t enjoy this while she is sleeping, but that’s not why I’m doing it. I’m doing it because I like the way her skin feels on my lips. I want to cherish every part of her, and I know it’s not just because I care about her. It’s more, but I still can’t make out the word in my head.
I kiss her hands, up her arms, across her collarbone, up her throat, her chin, her cheeks, her eyes, her nose, and then her parted lips. I carry her to the mattress, folding her into my chest and inhale her hair that still smells like her. Not a smoky bar, not perfume or hairspray, just her. I’m almost asleep. I’m in the hell hole I grew up in, and there isn’t a bad thought around. My mind is peaceful, my arms are full, and my heart is filled with something. That nameless emotion that I’ve never felt.
“Dirk?”
“Yes.” My voice is a hoarse whisper, and I feel her shiver when I place my lips on her head. What seems like forever passes before she answers. When she does, her voice is the same whisper, but this time it’s filled with conviction.
“I think I’m falling in love with you.” And just like that, my nameless emotion finally has a name.
I lock the door, then pull two pillows and a blanket from the tote and throw them on the now fully inflated mattress. The house is cool, even without air-conditioning. The weather has been in the fifties at night, and the large trees that surround the house help to shade it from the sun. Tomorrow, I will probably have to plug in a window unit. The lack of insulation keeps the house about the same temperature as it is outside.
I’m undressed and just before climbing under the covers when I notice Saylor laying on the couch, sound asleep. How the fuck did I forget she was here? When my eyes land on her face, everything else disappears. My memories don’t matter. This house don’t matter. Black . . . He don’t fucking matter either. Only her. Saylor Samson.
Her shirt is raised, making the lower part of her stomach visible, including her belly button that I have an urge to kiss. So I do. I place my lips on her stomach, the heat of her flesh burning them. I turn to look down her crossed legs, all the way to the tip of her boots that are covered in dust. I don’t know what I want more—to stand here and just stare at her fully clothed, or get her naked and hold her in my arms.
The battle is quickly won and I start by taking off her boots, then remove her socks and kiss her pink-painted toes one by one. I pull her jeans down her legs, kissing every inch of skin bared to me. She hasn’t stirred, and I know she can’t enjoy this while she is sleeping, but that’s not why I’m doing it. I’m doing it because I like the way her skin feels on my lips. I want to cherish every part of her, and I know it’s not just because I care about her. It’s more, but I still can’t make out the word in my head.
I kiss her hands, up her arms, across her collarbone, up her throat, her chin, her cheeks, her eyes, her nose, and then her parted lips. I carry her to the mattress, folding her into my chest and inhale her hair that still smells like her. Not a smoky bar, not perfume or hairspray, just her. I’m almost asleep. I’m in the hell hole I grew up in, and there isn’t a bad thought around. My mind is peaceful, my arms are full, and my heart is filled with something. That nameless emotion that I’ve never felt.
“Dirk?”
“Yes.” My voice is a hoarse whisper, and I feel her shiver when I place my lips on her head. What seems like forever passes before she answers. When she does, her voice is the same whisper, but this time it’s filled with conviction.
“I think I’m falling in love with you.” And just like that, my nameless emotion finally has a name.
I need to start this review by stating that this book was very different than I had expected. I guess I was expecting a gritty MC story, with club business somehow coming between these two characters. What I found instead was a very emotional story about a man whose entire life was his club, and a woman with no one.
Dirk lives for Sinner’s Creed. His grandfather raised him with an iron fist and his membership in the club was granted at 21. He quickly discovered regular club life was not for him and was granted nomad status, doing the club’s dirty work from the back of his bike.
At distinct and memorable moments over 5 years, he runs into the same woman. Often, that woman is in need when he runs into her. Saylor Samson lives in Jackson, Mississippi. Her life is simple. Few friends, sparse apartment, and nothing tying her to the city.
There were times in this book where I wished we had some of Saylor’s voice in the storytelling. Told entirely from Dirk’s point of view, it was difficult to wrap my mind around why someone as innocent, someone so far from MC life would drop everything and go on the road with a virtual stranger. Dirk’s voice is limited in that he doesn’t know anything about Saylor in the beginning, so neither do readers. She came across as this perfect woman through the eyes of a man who felt himself completely unworthy of love, and unable to love himself. Her perfection was hard to swallow at first, but as the story progressed became the thing that made her the best fit for Dirk’s life.
But I also loved the ways in which Saylor forced Dirk to change. He was a man who did everything for his club, for the brothers he hardly knew. His loyalty was to the club more so than the individuals who also wore the same patch. But Saylor’s influence caused him to let people in, to open up to those around him, to see the family he was already a part of.
Dirk’s soft spot for Saylor is both beautiful and a bit out of character. He turns over a completely new side of himself as they travel from Mississippi to Sinner’s Creed headquarters in Jackpot, Nevada. For the degree of change he goes through, he almost has 2 personalities: his club persona, and the man Saylor draws out of him. And they are drastically different: the hardened killer, and the devoted lover.
At the beginning I mentioned this was not a typical MC story. While yes, there is club business that messes with Dirk and Saylor’s story, most of the major plot points are not driven by the plot. Rather they are driven by Saylor. The MC business takes a backseat in Dirk’s life when he needs to be there for Saylor, and though it tries to break through, the couple works hard to carve out a sanctuary for themselves.
While I wasn’t surprised by much about the end, the power in those last few chapters was immense. I am an emotional reader anyway (I cry at the drop of a hat…), but the last 20% had tears continually running down my face. This was an incredibly emotional journey, far more emotional than I had prepared myself for.
Dirk lives for Sinner’s Creed. His grandfather raised him with an iron fist and his membership in the club was granted at 21. He quickly discovered regular club life was not for him and was granted nomad status, doing the club’s dirty work from the back of his bike.
At distinct and memorable moments over 5 years, he runs into the same woman. Often, that woman is in need when he runs into her. Saylor Samson lives in Jackson, Mississippi. Her life is simple. Few friends, sparse apartment, and nothing tying her to the city.
There were times in this book where I wished we had some of Saylor’s voice in the storytelling. Told entirely from Dirk’s point of view, it was difficult to wrap my mind around why someone as innocent, someone so far from MC life would drop everything and go on the road with a virtual stranger. Dirk’s voice is limited in that he doesn’t know anything about Saylor in the beginning, so neither do readers. She came across as this perfect woman through the eyes of a man who felt himself completely unworthy of love, and unable to love himself. Her perfection was hard to swallow at first, but as the story progressed became the thing that made her the best fit for Dirk’s life.
But I also loved the ways in which Saylor forced Dirk to change. He was a man who did everything for his club, for the brothers he hardly knew. His loyalty was to the club more so than the individuals who also wore the same patch. But Saylor’s influence caused him to let people in, to open up to those around him, to see the family he was already a part of.
Dirk’s soft spot for Saylor is both beautiful and a bit out of character. He turns over a completely new side of himself as they travel from Mississippi to Sinner’s Creed headquarters in Jackpot, Nevada. For the degree of change he goes through, he almost has 2 personalities: his club persona, and the man Saylor draws out of him. And they are drastically different: the hardened killer, and the devoted lover.
At the beginning I mentioned this was not a typical MC story. While yes, there is club business that messes with Dirk and Saylor’s story, most of the major plot points are not driven by the plot. Rather they are driven by Saylor. The MC business takes a backseat in Dirk’s life when he needs to be there for Saylor, and though it tries to break through, the couple works hard to carve out a sanctuary for themselves.
While I wasn’t surprised by much about the end, the power in those last few chapters was immense. I am an emotional reader anyway (I cry at the drop of a hat…), but the last 20% had tears continually running down my face. This was an incredibly emotional journey, far more emotional than I had prepared myself for.
This book also introduces several other members of Sinner’s Creed. Shady, the brother to whom Dirk was closest, is the main character of the next book in the series, Sinner’s Revenge. Based on his introduction here and the mission he undertakes in the epilogue, I look forward to his journey as well.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
For over five years Dirk and Saylor's lives have intersected briefly at random times, but Dirk seems to be there she she needs help. She is the girl he fantasizes about even though they have rarely spoken. He feels she is perfect to his imperfect--prey to his predator. She sees him as her angel or savior.
As they begin to actually connect and spend real time together, they find both challenges, heartbreak, and their own personal salvation.
This book had MC business, but the story also really revolved around the connection and care between Dirk and Saylor. Their story took unexpected turns and it was not a typical MC book in any way. Although the twists and surprises in this book were unexpected, I felt it all happened for a reason and was consistent with the characters.
This was definitely unique and crossed the lines between gritty, violent MC story and emotional, heartfelt love story. Dirk was a true dichotomy of bad biker versus the better man he wanted to be for her. I loved seeing the more vulnerable aspects of his personality around Saylor and his true love, acceptance, support, and protectiveness. But he had a dark past and was in the 1% of bikers known for getting the job done no matter what. Saylor had her own issues to face that affected their lives. But she was truly a bright spot in his darkness.
The bond between Dirk and Saylor was intense and sweet. He was truly a different man with her. She saw his good side while the world and even he just saw all the bad he had done. She just saw him, not his bad deeds, and accepted all that he was and gave him unconditional love. And he felt unworthy, but at the same time was selfish enough to want to keep her and love her. She was his salvation and support, and he in turn was hers. She helped change him and made him see how disconnected he was even in his own world.
This was told in Dirk's point of view so it was different seeing his thoughts about the harshness of his life as a nomad, enforcer, and clean up crew for an MC...and then see his strong, protective feelings for this girl so completely removed from that life. This book really surprised me. It definitely stands out as unique among MC stories and brought out many emotions.
It is not a cliffhanger and has a resolved ending, and it does set up the next book a bit that will be about Dirk's best friend, Shady. These two shared a deep bond and were truly like brothers. It will be interesting to see where his story leads.
ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Kim Jones
Kim Jones is a writer with big dreams. Inspired by her personal experience inside the MC life, she’s chosen to write biker romance stories that are authentic—expressing the true meaning of brotherhood and the lifestyle of motorcycle clubs.
In 2013, Kim began her self-publishing journey. Saving Dallas, her first MC series, is based on the life of an influential president who juggles the pressures of the Devil’s Renegades Motorcycle Club, and the search for true love.
Taking the club life and her career a step further, Berkley will be releasing Sinner’s Creed, her second MC series, in March of 2016—an inside look into the life of a 1%er and his sacrifice for what he believes in.
Kim plans to continue to self-publish off her Saving Dallas series, and has signed a two book deal with Penguin-Random House for Sinner’s Creed. She resides in south Mississippi with her husband, Reggie, two dogs, a cat and a donkey.
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