This book had me kicking, screaming, crying with the cliffhanger, Helen has done it again and I am waiting for the next book impatiently.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ & ＥｂｏｏｋＲｅｖｉｅｗ
3 ☆
Diana Steele has it all. Housing brooding Dragon Locke isn’t a priority, but when her sister asks, Diana relents. Dragon knows what it means to fight for survival. Abandoned at eight and raised in the system, he’s been hardened by life’s brutal lessons. Addiction nearly destroyed him, and after a disastrous fall during his band’s European tour, he’s clawing his way back. Fresh out of rehab, he’s determined to rebuild on his own terms.

Yes, it's my fault. I thought this was a fantasy story, and the fact that the MMC's name is Dragon and he doesn't even turn into a dragon was disappointing. Why give him that name if he doesn't turn into one? I know it's my problem, not the author's. This is a really slow burn; 45% of the book, and nothing much happened. Dragon has talked about his addiction and what happened on his European tour and why he did what he did. How his parents treated him was trash! And the fact that he doesn't know if his sister is alive or dead is what I'm highly interested in! (I would probably continue the story just to find this out.) Diana is like the supporting actor, but not in a bad way. I didn't really start liking this story until about 60% in. I normally would have DNF'd this book at 10% or 20%, but this is my first time reading this author's book and I wanted to take a chance.

The audiobook is dual narration, which gives this book major points. The male voice, Jaime, is excellent! Deep and easy to listen to. The female voice, Chloe, did a good job as well, and her narration was easily listened to. I listened at 2.0x speed until I hit 40% and increased to 2.5x to finish the story.

Thank you, Netgellay, Brilliance Publishing for the audiobook, and Victory editing for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

The suspense and forced proximity of this book is everything! And the cliffhanger...very well done, even though I wanted to throw my kindle.

This book has a HUGE cliffhanger.

Dragon is a recovering addict. He nearly ruined his life when he had a relapse. Now he is trying to get his life back on track but his past keeps intruding. When he moves in with Diana, he has to deal with his attraction to her. Diana is excited to start her new job at a top architecture firm. She agrees to let Dragon stay with her because he is a friend of her brother-in-law. Will the two of the stay out of each other’s way or will they discover that they have a mutual attraction?

Diana comes from a wealthy and well known family. This plays a major part in how she interacts with the world and how the world treats her. She is innocent and trusting even as people insist on reminding her that she is privileged. Dragon has a sad backstory. I like how the author included Dragon struggling with his addiction. Dragon’s past plays a major role in his struggles in this story. I am interested to find out where the author goes with Dragon in the next book. I can understand why Diana and Dragon would be attracted to one another. They have known each other for a while so him staying with her wasn’t totally weird. They are both hard workers who want to stand on their own two feet. I thought that was a good element in the story. There are a few side characters in the story but they don’t play a major role.

The book suffers from repetition. The author feels the need to remind readers about characters backgrounds and insecurities constantly but it rarely helped to push the story forward. I hope that the author doesn’t do a full recap of this story as part of the next story.

This story takes place in Colorado. This story includes proximity, childhood abandonment, privilege and adult activities. I think the basic story of two unlikely roommates acting on their attraction was pretty good. I think Dragon’s backstory has real possibility for being an excellent redemption arc. I didn’t love this book but it’s good enough that I am looking forward to reading the next book to find out what happens.

This book was raw and real and I loved it. There are some dark themes so be aware of that, but it was such a great story with great characters. Dragon is a recovering addict and is now staying with his best friend's wife's sister. A sister who he can't imagine inconveniencing, but he can't seem to stay away from.

Diana has been working hard to get her dream job working in architecture, and now she's about to start it. Of course, her sister calls asking for a favor. But it's so much more than that. She wants her to let Dragon stay with her until their band is back together and he's playing with them again.

As they navigate this new arrangement they both realize that this is so much more than a roommate situation. They're digging into layers of each other that no one else has, and seeing them fall is so great. But oh my goodness, Helen, that cliffhanger?!?!!!

I Am Sin is the 1st book in the new series set in the Steele world. It is also the 1st part of Dragon and Diana's story and ends in a very abrupt cliffhanger. While the story covers only a week in their lives, there are a few combustive sexy times and flashbacks of Dragon's childhood and the resulting trauma. I found those fairly frustrating because the same bits and pieces are repeated several times but never expanded on. But I guess we'll find out more in the next part!

Dragon and Diana, WOW! So many emotions, so much heat and angst.

This book is so gloriously HOTT and these two have some amazing chemistry. There’s a push and pull there at the start but their fire will consume you.

Omg the storyline is high angst and I couldn’t put the book down as I tried to navigate through so many emotions. Dragon has demons he’s trying to quiet and Diana is figuring out her new normal. As they work through their troubles they find comfort in one another.

I can not wait for the next book because holy smokes that ending!

I generally enjoyed reading this book, as it kept me engaged throughout. The cliffhanger ending left me eager to see how the story concludes.

While the sex scenes were well-written, I found them slightly jarring at times. The dialogue, particularly the use of certain derogatory terms, felt a bit unrealistic for a character of the heroine's status and sophistication. I understand the intention was to portray the hero's 'dangerous' side, but I believe this could have been achieved with less explicit and potentially disrespectful language.

My biggest critique, however, was the abrupt ending. With so many intriguing plot threads introduced, I felt the focus on the sexual encounters somewhat overshadowed the development of the main storyline.

As a fan of thrillers, my perspective may be somewhat biased. Nonetheless, I believe the book has potential and I'm curious to see how the author resolves the cliffhanger and explores the other compelling plot lines in the upcoming sequel."

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. I am Sin is the first book of the Steel Legend’s series. I am so glad that Helen Hardt is giving us more stories of this generation of the Steel family. I loved the Steel brother series and already wanted these characters to have their own books. I was excited when I saw Dragon and Diana would be sharing a book. This book can be read as a stand alone and it is not necessary to have read the Steel brothers series. Dragon has been a character in the Steel brother series that not much was known about and this book finally gives us some answers about him. This book ends in a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to read the next book.

And Helen Hardt does it again, if I could give the book more than 5 stars I would. But this was so good and a good continuation of the Steel Brothers series!

Everything was perfection.

Thanks to waterpress publishing that accepted my request on 9pm for an ARC copy! 😍

I Am Sin by Helen Hardt was an intriguing and exciting mix of sexy, suspenseful and soul wrecking. Dragon and Diana's chemistry is scorching hot. But their emotional connection is more complex. The story ends with a shocking twist and I am eager to know what happens next.

✔️ drummer of an upcoming rock band× architect
✔️ opposites attract
✔️ bad boy - good girl
✔️forced proximity/ roommate to lovers
✔️ romantic suspense
✔️ triggers: addiction and mental health issues

Drummer of Dragonlock, Dragon Locke has a dark childhood that changed him forever. He is darkness personified. He had to abandon his friends in middle of the tour and get himself into a rehab centre. He is sober now but needs a place to stay near his rehab centre. His best friend arranges for him staying at Diana's penthouse. She is sister in law of Dragon's friend. She is exactly opposite of Dragon. Coming from a rich family, with a stable career, very straight. She didn’t want Dragon in her space initially but circumstances made it happen. She is so curious about the tortured musician. Their chemistry is insane too. Dragon knows he doesn't want a relationship but he is obsessed with Diana. Until his past catches up to him and his world is turned upside down.

It is book one of the duet and the dynamics is still changing a lot. Dragon is very closed off with iron walls around his heart. He can come across rude and c0cly and abrasive. But it's all an armor. Diana always walked the straight line. She has a very sweet and sassy personality and her fire attracts Dragon even more. They lock head constantly. A lot of push and pull is here. Dragon repeatedly warned her and tried to push her away, telling her that he is poison but obviously Diana has her own will. She did try to stay away from him as he is a complications and distraction she didn't need but she couldn’t help but feel compassion for the broken man. Dragon hates pity but Diana is different. He is locked behind the iron bars of his trauma and it's coming back to haunt him. Their bodies talk perfectly but will Dragon let Diana in? Will he ruin her?

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily