·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ genre
➳ Dark Fantasy Romance

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ what to expect + content warnings
➳ present tense dual pov
➳ 7 deadly sins retelling
➳ FMC with religious trauma
➳ he hates everyone but her
➳ forced proximity
➳fake engagement
➳ an FMC with a buried past

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ ᰔᩚᰔᩚᰔᩚᰔᩚ/5 (spice rating)

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ ❀❀/5 (fluff rating)

「 ✦Original Sinner✦ 」
(noun) if fifty shades of grey was actually good and a romantasy

☁️ . . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ overall thoughts
╰┈➤ ❝If it’s a villain you want, then it’s a villain I’ll be for you, Charlotte. ❞

This book was NOT what I was expecting. When I downloaded it to my kindle, I was thinking it would just be, you know, like a little short, spicy read with a spin on the 7 deadly sins. I was NOT expecting it to do that AND attack everything wrong with what goes on behind the scenes of large, far-right evangelical Christian congregations. For anyone struggling to get over their religious trauma, but also wants spice, this is THE book.

I will also say this: the book DID feel pretty…how do I put this…fifty shades of grey esque at times, although it was definitely MUCH better than fifty shades of grey. Lucifer’s ‘playroom’ felt VERY Christian Grey, and so did is ‘I don’t do hearts and flowers’ attitude. But that’s ok, because it was done SO MUCH better than fifty shades was.

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆ writing style

So, here’s the deal. I truly have no problem with the writing style for this book, but it felt repetitive and some things came out of the blue without warning. “His devilish grin” and “his fangs” were in there more than a few times, so there goes the .25 stars.

I’ll give Kait Ballenger this, though: she knows how to write smut, and write it well.

There was so much going on in this one it was hard to keep up at times. I’d lowk forget about the thing with Jax at points because I was so focused on Gabriel returning or Lucifer and Charlotte’s agreements. So that’s definitely a few points off, at least ½ a star, if not the whole thing.

˖◛⁺⑅♡relationship plots♡⑅⁺◛˖
╰┈➤ ❝Like there’s an ache inside me and the only answer is you.❞

Sorry but the DIRTY TALK??? This maybe should go in writing style but idrc, the way he talks to her in the bedroom is GOLD. on the other hand, the way he talks to her outside the bedroom is SO sweet and I love it SO much.

There was one point where I thought I was going ot have to hate bro with my entire being (i thought he was going to rape her - and yes rape is rape even if 2 ppl are technically ‘together’ - but he didn’t) so i think its ok. I still have mixed feelings about that scene tho.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ final thoughts
Overall, it was good. I wish it had been better, but yeah, it was good. 3.75 stars

What is the ultimate rebellion against your abusive religious father? Why working for Lucifer of course!

This book was quickly added to one of my top reads of this year. I was so invested in the characters and the plot that I didn't want to put the book down for a moment. The pacing was perfect. Nothing felt rushed and nothing felt too drawn out. I liked the character development because it allows you to get inside of the character's head to really feel with their feeling and experience it with them. I also like the dual POV.

Charlotte is a feisty lead female character who doesn't put up with anybody's crap. She cares about the people in her life but she's also very cautious because of her past.

Lucifer is guarded and a cynic when it comes to whether he can actually have feelings for someone or not. What started out as a game quickly turned into something else. He had just the right amount of " I'll burn the world for you " without it being too rushed or fake.

Throughout the book the tension between the two characters builds at a good pace. It keeps you invested and makes you want to continue reading the book.

I'm very excited for the next book even though this one hasn't even come out yet.

Thanks go to NetGalley and Montlake for an ARC Kindle version of "Original Sinner" by Kait Ballenger, in exchange for a sincere opinion.

If you think you’ve seen every Seven Deadly Sins trope, Original Sinner rolls in, serving up enough wit and originality to steal the show.

Charlotte, fresh from an abusive, hyper-religious upbringing, bolts to New York with dreams of crafting her own life - no rules, no guilt trips, and definitely no one telling her how to live her life.

Naturally, she lands a PR gig working for Lucifer, Himself. Yes, that Lucifer, His Infernal Majesty. Filthy rich, witty, gorgeous, and frustratingly narcissist to his core, he's unapologetically all the things she's been warned away from daily, since birth. Vexed and charmed by him, in turn, before she knows it, Charlotte finds herself fake-engaged to the Prince of Darkness, in order to straighten out a PR nightmare right out of Hell.

I was hooked and read it in one shot. There's a little mystery, plenty of laughs, and a lot of delicious steam! Even the supporting cast shines, making me preemptively obsessed with the stories of the other Sins (hurry up and publish those already!).

I’m absolutely diving into the rest of the series, the wait is going to kill me!

I don't think I was the target audience for this - it was a bit too much for me and more intense than I expected. It's got it all, dark, spicy romance and morally grey characters. I wasn't totally sold on the story.

4.5⭐️

I enjoyed this read so much more than I expected! If you’re looking for some dark, hot romance, in an urban fantasy setting with morally grey characters, look no further.
It can usually take me a while to get hooked on a book from the first page, but this did exactly that. I highly recommend!

Wow what a absolutely fantastic read was on edge of seat from start to finish a absolutely exceptional read would definitely recommend this to friends and family

I can't say much about this hook except for that I loved it. The premise incredible. The actual story also incredible. I need the next book cause that ending was just wow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Original Sinner has a unique concept and if you’re in the market for an unconventional romance with some BDSM leaning erotica (and you don’t have any issues with religious themes), then I think this will fit the bill. I was curious to learn about the original sins aka demons coming ‘topside’ and I think I’ll have to follow the series to really dive into that, which is my one critique as the book didn’t explore the overarching chain of events (and backstories) as much as I would like. Granted this is ultimately about the romance and spice, which it delivered on. Charlotte was a representation of the extremes of religion and damage on a young woman, though I you’ll have to suspend belief that such a lady might make a leap to being more promiscuous or so easily attracted to the devil (as much as he had a heart of gold-ish) under those circumstances. Definitely curious about where this series will go!

Original Sinner is forced proximity romantasy with a side of BDSM kink. The banter and tension between the two main characters, Charlotte and Lucifer, was so much fun to read. Charlotte is escaping her life by running to New York. She’s just trying to experience what she believes life is “meant to be”. Lucifers arc is redemption, though he IS the devil, so he can’t be all good! The supporting characters are fleshed out enough that they assist in bringing the story to life.
Great start to what is hopefully a new series. I’ll certainly be reading it!

This book kept my attention from the opening paragraph, and the story paced really well. It’s the first book I’ve read by Kait Ballenger, but it certainly wont be the last.

Note: The FMC has flashbacks to her distant and recent past which may trigger some readers. I recommend they read the Authors Note at the beginning of the book to see if it may affect them.
#NetGalley #OriginalSinner #KaitBallenger #NetGalleyArc

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did read an advance reader copy that was an uncorrected proof.

Original Sinner is more than anything the story of a young woman who has been marginalized and made to feel "less" because she is a woman and how she navigates this to turn into her true self.

Trigger warnings for this book include (copied from the books' trigger warmings): heavy themes of religious trauma with frequent references to shame, sex, virginity, self-worth, body image, body shaming, purity culture, the concept of sin and the role those assigned female at birth are expected to play in the fundamentalist Christian church. References to previous emotional, physical and sexual abuse that is parental, religious and spousal in nature and occurs mostly off page. There is manipulation, stalking, references to drug/alcohol abuse, forced confinement and the nonconsensual drugging of a secondary character. It references forced marriage and pregnancy, graphic violence and murder, and a healthy dose of swearing.

The characters are likeable, and the story is alright. In its current form, it has lots of potential, but just didn't achieve it. For me, the references to religion and God were a little awkward. It felt like it was trying to be "Netflix Lucifer" but it landed for me as "Generic Lucifer" not as witty or smart as the original and a little cringy at times. That is not to say this is a police drama- our Main Character, Charlotte takes a job working in Lucifer's corporation as an intern to his secretary and things take off from there.

This book is heavy on the spice, it is well written and the chemistry between the characters is on point. I know in the author's note she indicates that "it's an exorcism of my own demons" and it is readily apparent. I could tell at points in the story this was absolutely what was going on, and while I applaud the author for facing her demons and offering others the opportunity to do the same, for me, it distracted from the story when I became aware of this fact. Maybe I am not the target audience, even though I love a good, spicy romance with domineering men who take charge in the bedroom. For this reason, I gave this book 3 stars.....trying to give it the benefit of the doubt. For me personally, it was closer to a two star read- I finished it, but I considered not finishing at several parts. I am also not likely to read any other books in this series......but that isn't to say I wouldn't read this author's work. I think she is a good writer.

I could not put this down!
I don’t know how this isn’t solely 5 stars because it was well written and fun to read.
The story was different than the normal church girl and bad boy, for obvious reasons.
I’m really hoping it becomes a series!


Romance 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Crying ❌
Laughing ❌
Kicking feet ❌
Action 👊🏻👊🏻

I’m giving this book 3 stars because while it had potential, it ultimately felt too cliché for my taste. The premise—a regular person caught up in a scandal involving Lucifer—was intriguing at first, and I appreciated the dark, seductive atmosphere the author built around the character of Lucifer. His power and charm were undeniably captivating, and the chemistry between the characters was palpable.
That said, the writing was engaging enough to keep me reading, and there were some fun, steamy moments that helped balance out the predictability. If you're a fan of forbidden romance and power dynamics, you might enjoy this one more than I did.

this was a strong start to the Original Sinner series, it had that element that I wanted and enjoyed about this type of book. The characters had that feel that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall concept of this. Kait Ballenger has a strong writing style and enjoyed the way the characters worked in this universe. I'm excited for more as this was wonderfully done.