A Beautiful Sin

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Pub Date 23 Jun 2016 | Archive Date 30 Apr 2017

Description

***From USA Today Bestselling Authors, A.M. Hargrove and Terri E. Laine, comes a standalone, Forbidden Love Story.
Since I was a boy, my desire was to marry the church. To give my vows and life over to God despite the corruption in my soul.

I am a sinner, the embodiment of temptation, or so I’ve been told.

Yet, I’ve never touched, never kissed, never sought the company of another until her.
She is my weakness, my salvation, my downfall and my freedom. Our sins are bound tighter than fate.

My name is Canaan. I am an ordained Roman Catholic priest, forever and always.

Her name is Haven. She may be my destiny, my destruction.

This is not a love story, but rather a confession of all my sins.

*Warning – A Beautiful Sin is a forbidden romance that blurs the lines between passion and religious faith. Please be warned, the subject matter may be offensive to some readers.

***From USA Today Bestselling Authors, A.M. Hargrove and Terri E. Laine, comes a standalone, Forbidden Love Story.
Since I was a boy, my desire was to marry the church. To give my vows and life over...


A Note From the Publisher

*Warning – A Beautiful Sin is a forbidden romance that blurs the lines between passion and religious faith. Please be warned, the subject matter may be offensive to some readers.

*Warning – A Beautiful Sin is a forbidden romance that blurs the lines between passion and religious faith. Please be warned, the subject matter may be offensive to some readers.


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781533671844
PRICE $3.99 (USD)

Average rating from 65 members


Featured Reviews

This story was so dark and forbidden that at times it was actually really disturbing, but it added to the beauty of how Canaan and Harley reconnect and depend on each other to move forward from their pasts!

Canaan and Harley start their youth under unfathomable circumstances that shape their lives and characters. Events bring them back together again, and they find themselves drawn to each other. The problem is Canaan is a priest. Their chemistry is undeniable.

This story was beautifully written and I enjoyed it overall.

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VERY well written. VERY good character descriptions. VERY emotional. ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!!
Highly Recommend!

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A full five heaven sent stars
Can't praise this book enough. It contained everything I love in a novel including dual POV, romance, a little bit of angst (not too much), a solid storyline and two perfect characters with super charged chemistry. There is a warning in the synopsis with regards to the storyline, and this should be heeded, especially if you are a devout Catholic. Be warned. The story follows Canaan and Haven, who meet one evening in dreadful circumstances as young teenagers. After that one fateful night we fast forward to present day, both Canaan and Haven have left the confines and memories of Chicago behind, not wanting to return again. Fate (or maybe God's will) has different ideas though and they are both called back to Chicago to "full-fill their destiny). Canaan takes over the local church as Priest and Haven receives an offer she can't refuse if she wants to pursue her career as an artist. Their lives are soon intermingled, and they both face challenges that will question their morals and test their self control. As much as they try to avoid being together, fate keeps pushing them to be together. Beautifully written and highly enjoyable.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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I didn't know what to expect going into A Beautiful Sin. I was more than pleasantly surprised! The subject matter had me concerned..but,was very tastefully written. The characters were so well written,and so put together,they just came off the pages! I read this in one sitting. Without giving any spoilers..this book was not only a romance..but,also a very interesting learning experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I don't like to give detailed summaries in my reviews, I would much rather you go into the book with as little knowledge, and enjoy it for yourself! And if you don't read this one..you will be missing out...it is going on my re read pile!
* Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Beautiful sin is amazing forbidden romance. This romance between a priest and a girl from his parish was sweet and loving. Canaan always knew God was going to be important in his life. However when someone in the church abuses his trust, his outlook changes. Haven has had a crush on Canaan since she was young, and the one time she came to the church for help Canaan sent her away.
Father Canaan is the pillar of his church and community and is passionate about his faith and God. Haven comes back into his life when she comes home because her aunt is sick. She doesn't have much faith in God. They don’t know what to make of this intense bond that binds them together. As the fight the growing attraction they end up helping heal eachother and falling in love. The authors writing was fantasic and always write an heartfelt story.

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Talk about an ingenious storyline, this book is it!

This book reminded me of a real life priest who fell in love with someone and made front cover news when his affair was discovered.

I don't like virgin heroes but I'll have to say Canaan is the exception. My heart broke when I learned what happened to him-- I almost didn't want to read the rest of the story. Then, Haven's side of the story wasn't any better than Canaan's. It made me angry how Haven and her aunt made excuses for Kent's abuse as to why they wouldn't go to the police. The guy wasn't in a powerful position so I found it hard to wrap my head around their inability to act. The excuses mentioned as to why they wouldn't go to the police weren't a strong enough argument given they had proof of his abuse toward them.

Haven wasn't my fave character, but the chemistry between her and Canaan worked perfectly. Sometimes I wished I could reach inside the book and give Canaan a reassuring hug. He stole my heart from the get go.

There's so much I can say about this book, but the bottom line is: It deals with a delicate subject that's been tailing the Catholic Church for decades now, and I think it's what makes it a great story.

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First book i have read by these authors so didnt know what to expect,it was not this i loved it hooked me from the start and didnt let me go till the end.Will be reading all books i can find by you both thank youIf you have not read this go and get it recommended to you all

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This was a fantastic book. Yes, there are a few priest books out there now but this one definitely stood on it's own and captured my attention from the beginning. This was my first book by these authors but I will definitely be checking out the rest now. I highly recommend this book to anyone!

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Canaan Sullivan has always known he would be a priest. As a child, he felt he never truly fit in with the other kids but his love for the church and serving God was all he wanted. Living thru Hell wasn't supposed to be part of the deal nor was being sent back.

Haven Richardson lived thru Hell. Losing her mother at an early age should have been the worst thing to happen to her. She shouldn't have been forced to live with the devil.

This is more than a love story. It is a story about self-discovery when the only one who can help you is yourself. I was heartbroken for these characters and the depths of suffering they both endured. The amount of pain these two have to endure to get their HEA is overwhelming and very palpable.

I loved the characters' abilities to persevere even under the harshest of situations and their beliefs that there was something bigger than them and better for them.

This is the first book I've read by either of these authors and will read more in the future.

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Thank you for the opportunity to read this i truly loved it.

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A Beautiful Sin is beautiful, indeed! Canaan and Haven are broken people who meet again as adults. They had known each other when they were younger, but their actual meeting back then ended up with Haven going back to her home to live with her abusive uncle and with Canaan living the rest of his days tormented and feeling as if he were a sinner undeserving of forgiveness.

Canaan is now a priest and Haven is back in town for a gallery showing of her art work when she happens upon Holy Cross Church where she originally met Canaan. Canaan is back to take over as priest after the previous priest died. Canaan is such a beautiful soul that it's hard to reconcile knowing how beautiful he is with how Haven sees him and treats him when they meet again. But, considering how her life developed, in part because of Canaan's unknowing actions, it's a little understandable how she reacts to seeing him again. She doesn't know his secret, no one knows his secret, though, and if she had known, I have a feeling her reaction upon seeing him again, would have been much different. His secret is just as heart breaking as her abuse, if not more so. If abuse, physical and/or sexual, is a trigger for you, then be forewarned to stay away from A Beautiful Sin.

They slowly develop a relationship and it's hard going at first because the two are so broken on the inside. That slow burn is beautiful, though, and when the intimate moments happen, they're tender and much less explicit than I had been expecting. So, if you're looking for a taboo, erotically charged, graphic and dirty, forbidden priest story, then this is not the story for you. If, however, you like the slow burn kind of love, with emotional, heart tugging moments, then this is definitely one for you!

I think what I like most about Canaan and Haven's story is that their journey is emotional and healing, and the character development is top notch. No two characters seem so inexplicably out of place together, yet fit together so perfectly than Canaan and Haven. Thank you Terri and A.M. for this beautiful, emotional story.

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Wow, gut wrenching but beautiful as the title implies. I will start off with a warning. One of the prominent elements in this story is abuse, physical, emotional, and sexual, so if that offends you or you have your own personal issues with the subject then this book is probably not for you. I was actually a bit apprehensive to read it because of the subject matter and forbidden romance but I'm really glad I did.

This is the third book I've read from writing duo A.M. Hargrove and Terri E. Laine. Cruel and Beautiful and A Mess of a Man are both amazing books so if you haven't read them, definitely check them out! A Beautiful Sin did not disappoint. I haven't read another book like it, ever. The story follows Canaan, a catholic priest, and Haven, an up and coming artist on their journey to forbidden love. Both endured unspeakable abuse during their teen years. Let's talk about Canaan first. Both characters abuse is horrific but Canaan's struggle tore me up. He becomes such a good and pure adult despite the horrible things done to him. His inner torment and guilt is so heartbreaking. Haven also rises above her abuse and channels her feelings into her art. She's tough as nails and doesn't trust any man, but who can blame her? A horrible misunderstanding when they were younger brings Haven and Canaan together as adults. Haven hates Canaan because he turned her away during a time of need and she confronts him about it. But as they spend time together and get to know each other, it's clear that there's more to the story than Haven's aware of. Haven endeavors to find out why Canaan is so tortured and in the process she starts to fall in love with the only man she's ever wanted and the only man she can't have.

I've read some other reviews that say there's no chemistry between Haven and Canaan and I completely disagree. The important thing to remember about Canaan is that he's not your typical, alpha-male, womanizing character. He hasn't experienced the world like most men and he's not ruled by the head in his pants. So for me, the way Haven and Canaan's relationship slowly develops makes complete sense. It isn't one of those instantaneous attractions because they're both off limits to each other and they know it. Ultimately though, that doesn't stop feelings from developing and turning into forbidden love. You can't help but root for these two to get together. Canaan lives for so long with inner turmoil and self-loathing. Haven helps him to get past those feelings and makes him realize that the abuse was not his fault. Even though they try to stay away from each other, things keep happening that bring them together until they finally give in to their feelings and get their unorthodox happily ever after.

Hargrove and Laine handled the sensitive subject matter beautifully. There were times I had tears in my eyes and other times I was laughing out loud. There are steamy scenes but they're appropriately done and fit the characters personalities. This isn't your typical, run of the mill romance so if you're looking for something different but with a happy ending, you'll enjoy this book!

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