By Courtney
February’s Reverse Harem Romance Novel of the Month, the second installment of the Saint View Prison Series, did not disappoint. If you haven’t read Solitary Sinners, by Elle Thorpe this blog will be full of spoilers so beware. This author has met every expectation I had for my first reverse harem romance novel. We have a hot female main character, Mae, and not one, not two, but three hot male leads. On top of that, we have an intense murder mystery. I love that this story prominently focuses on creative, smutty scenes and has an actual plot driving the narrative.
Quick summary: Mae’s sister is killed, and her ex-boyfriend, Heath, is arrested for her murder. The main correctional officer we see at the prison is named Rowe. Rowe and Heath’s lawyer are friends. Mae is fighting to defend Heath and uncover the true killer behind her sister’s death. Don’t worry – her sister was over Heath, and the girl code doesn’t feel like it’s being violated. Although I admit it’s a bit off-limits to date a sibling’s ex, you can quickly move past it for the sake of the plot in this story.
In the first novel, we meet our love interests and see how Mae falls for all three. We saw Mae hook up with Heath’s lawyer, Liam. She admits to him that while she can’t physically be with Heath, she also can’t deny her feelings for him. Mae also reveals that at the same time, she is developing feelings for the correctional officer Liam is friends with as she has begun to work closely with him while teaching at the prison as an excuse to stay close to Heath. Liam assures her that she can have whatever she desires in this world and that he would help her fulfill those fantasies if it ever became possible.
In this second novel, we see Liam make good on that promise. My favorite spicy scene is when he and Rowe take Mae to a baseball game and then hit their home run with her in the truck on their way home. The sexual liberation that Mae gets to experience is a dream to witness, especially as women in the US are leaning so heavily into tradwife culture, and the pendulum seems to be ever shifting back towards the modesty and prudity I’ve resisted my whole life.
My next favorite spicy scene is when Mae finally gets an opportunity to have a secret conjugal visit with Heath – provided by Rowe and his access to the solitary confinement cells. When Rowe joins in, and the overtly hypermasculine Heath gets on his knees to show his appreciation, I jumped for joy. Again, in our current political climate, where gay rights are being taken away, and tolerance seems to be backtracking to a much worse time, it is a joy to see all kinds of love celebrated in fiction. I pray our country stops banning books and lets people explore their sexuality and personal interests in the safe context of creative writing and reading.
By the end of the book, we still haven’t solved the murder mystery, and Heath is sentenced to death. More importantly, all four characters haven’t hooked up yet! This series is a fast read, thrilling, and addicting. I can’t believe I have to wait until next month to finish the trilogy for book club! I’m dying to know who the killer is and on pins and needles to see how all four characters will find their happy ending and how their dynamic will change once they get there.
I hope you follow along for the rest of the journey! The podcast episode on this novel is available everywhere you listen to podcasts and if you prefer a video format – there is a YouTube version as well! I will link that below. Please rate, review, and subscribe on those platforms to never miss an episode! Until next time, remember, sometimes the delusion is the solution! Bye!
Yours in Deep Delusion,
Courtney