Original Sinner

By: Jamie Steinberg

Think about if the TV series character “Lucifer” had a Christian Grey streak to him. That’s what you find when you read the book Original Sinner. Charlotte Bellefleur goes to work for the bad guy in his publicity department in hopes of hiding from her super religious background. Little does she know she will soon find herself mixed up in a world of sin, greed, lust and so much more.

Told from the back-and-forth inner thoughts and experiences of Charlotte and Lucifer, we watch their unlikely love story play out. Charlotte heads to New York to escape her father and her husband who are a part of a religious cult known as The Righteous. Thinking that working for Lucifer – the world’s biggest sinner – will keep her safe from their wicked ways, Charlotte begins working in the publicity department only to quickly rise in PR ranks to play the role of his fiancée in order to lighten up his image. However, things go sideways when Lucifer’s pride, his troublesome siblings, his disdain for his father and his need to tame Charlotte hinder his own plans for humanity.

Author Kait Ballenger sure knows how to turn up the heat (pun intended) …In fact, I actually think this maybe tame compared to Christian Grey and his red room behaviors. As the devil’s fiancée and a woman used to being torn down mentally and physically by family, Charlotte’s need for punishment becomes more sexy than sadistic. While she smiles for the cameras, Lucifer’s dominance – in and out of the bedroom – seems to empower her in some ways.

My only qualm is that Charlotte’s bestie Jax gets too brief of focus. We learn that Jax took Charlotte in when she first moved to New York. We watch Charlotte look after her pal when an at work incident occurs. We also see them hanging out for the evening at Lucifer’s penthouse. What we don’t learn is the full story of how they met and became roommates. Charlotte even gets a Pretty Woman sized makeover, and we hear no thoughts from Jax about this new look. Also, when Charlotte attends the Met Gala, why isn’t her friend with a love of fashion invited to join them? I just wish there was a little more focus on their friendship.

That small matter aside, Original Sinner is the tale of good girl falling for the ultimate bad boy. There is a sweet and sexy side to this story and it’s one that readers will actually invest in. If you’re looking for a spicy read with some red-hot characters, flip these pages.