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Sin #1

Sin Row

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On Sin Row, the cops are more bent than the criminals…

Getting sexual favours from rent boys on Sin Row is a perk of the job for corrupt cop Blake Astor and his partner Ronnie Kemp.

When Io Spencer appears on the scene, though, Blake’s seldom-troubled heart gets involved.

When things escalate out of control, is he prepared to risk everything for Io?

Reader Advisory: This hard hitting book has sex scenes that some may consider contain dubious consent. The are also scenes of double penetration and ménage à trois.

68 pages, ebook

First published June 13, 2011

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Scarlet Blackwell

95 books351 followers

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5 stars
19 (11%)
4 stars
47 (29%)
3 stars
59 (36%)
2 stars
29 (17%)
1 star
8 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
Profile Image for Emma Sea.
2,214 reviews1,229 followers
January 14, 2014
Okay, I admit I read this because it was tagged for DP. And indeed there was. The story, however, is an outline. It's when you get the idea out and onto paper a screen, sketch some key scenes in more detail, and then you go back and actually write the book. Here, however, Scarlet forgot to go back and flesh out the bones.

Plot = dirty and corrupt = 4
Writing = 1
DP scene = kind of hot even though not fully realized = 3
Number of times Blackwell uses "oddly" = 5 (I think)

I'm surprised this is from 2012. I've only read two others by Blackwell, Inferno (2012) and Rescue Me (2010). I assumed that this must be an earlier work, but maybe it was written earlier and only published in 2012. Because this is not well executed. At all. Seriously. It's not like she's Walt Whitman or anything, but she's better than this.

Overall I'm giving this a 4, because I enjoyed it a whole lot. Some of that was a snarky, sneering enjoyment, but the pleasure was there nonetheless.
Profile Image for Simsala.
524 reviews58 followers
June 15, 2011
WTF was that?
Porn with plot? Trio Infernale? Playing bad cop,worse cop? M/M romance "noir"?

Everything of the above,certainly provoking and almost - almost - out of my comfort zone.
Sin Row is tough,fast paced,cruel and dirty - with seriously hot,non-consensual(!) m-m-m sex scenes.
(You`ve been warned!)
My niggle:The abrupt ending.The story is not finished and I hope there will be a sequel.

LOVED it,more please...

4,5 stars.
Profile Image for Lexi Ander.
Author 36 books453 followers
June 28, 2011
I am not sure how to rate this. It's raw.

I honestly didn't like Blake or Ronnie and would have been happy if they both got capped. The whole thing was bent and reminded me of the TV show The Shield.

The warning label forgot to list coerced sex along with the double penetration and ménage…oh yeah, and revolting cops.
Profile Image for Vio.
677 reviews
October 22, 2011
I actually don't know what possessed me to read it.....I must have been sleep deprived, I ignored the warnings big mistake, for me this was horrible I disliked it with a passion. Blake and especially Ronnie were unfeeling, ruthless, sadistic, corrupt and absolutely showed no remorse, I would have been quite happy to have seen them both killed off, I felt sorry for Io he suffered he got that extra star or else it would have been a one star rating from me!
Profile Image for Feliz.
Author 59 books107 followers
September 23, 2011
Like Simsala wrote, this was mostly Porn with Plot - a little bit of plot...
In a dystopic future ten years from now, Blake and Ronnie are bent cops in Machon, a city in ruins not far from the Canadian border. Their main task seems to be arresting whores who they then blackmail into giving them sexual favors. So far, so good, until Io comes along, a beautiful rentboy who has a special effect on Blake. Between coaxed blowjobs (even one threesome with Ronnie, Blake and Io)and Io's cruel pimp George, Blake starts to develop a soft spot for Io. While he always thought of whores as pieces of meat before, like everybody else does, Io strikes him as human, as a person he begins to care for. Io, on the other hand, has quite the crush on handsome Blake right from the beginning.
Ronnie has the hots for Blake (and vice versa by the way) but never acted on it so far. When Ronnie notices the sparks flying between Blake and Io, he takes advantage, forcefully fucking Io with Blake watching and consequently unable to abstain from joining, which gives Ronnie the opportunity to have sex with Blake on a halfway consensual basis. With the two of them focusing so much on Io, things escalate,and the fragile equilibrium between the real baddies on Sin Row and the dirty cops tips over, which results in several deaths on both sides. Almost to his own surprise, Blake suddenly finds himself on the run with a badly wounded Io who has turned wanted criminal by accident....

Yes there was dub-con sex, violent sex and general violence in this book, but it also had some of the hottest sex scenes I've read in quite a while, including one steaming threesome. There's no depth to this, the characters are sketchy at best, and the world around them is only hinted at. It felt like 75% sex, some kind of Pretty Woman tale for adults with dicks and police batons instead of locks and pretty dresses. To me, this book rung true with the sheer joy of walking on the edge of total taboo, along with as little plot and as sketchy a worldbuilding it could possibly get away with. It's a good thing this is fantasy, otherwise it might have come out as disgusting - like this, it was actually quite entertaining for what it was.
Profile Image for Serena Yates.
Author 104 books769 followers
July 15, 2011
Sin Row is not a book that will appeal to everyone. It is, as the reader advisory states, hard hitting, not a traditional romance and will make quite a few readers feel extremely uncomfortable. I must admit that the setting intrigued me and that I expected more of a – traditional resolution, despite the non-traditional setup. It wasn’t what I got, and for a while, I struggled with that. Having had a few days to let it sink in, there are a few undeniable truths that come to mind.

What really makes this story work is the clarity of the characters. Io is as convincing in his way, long suffering though he may be, as Blake. Life as a prostitute is never easy. In the setting Scarlet has created here, where the cops are possibly more corrupt than the pimps, it leads to suffering without a single hope of ever getting better. That is the life Io faces and he does so with a degree of dignity, but also enjoyment where he can take it. And who can blame him?

Blake started off as a real a**hole. There were only a few hints, his apparent weakness for Io the biggest one, that he would ever be able to change. His character development was so gradual it was almost unnoticeable at first. The slow pace, with Blake not willing to admit what was going on for the longest time, was extremely well written and made it utterly convincing to me. Don’t get me wrong, he is no ‘romantic hero’, or ‘white knight’ even at the end of the process. Words of love are never mentioned. But his actions speak for themselves. To us, running away may seem cowardly, but, really, in the world he and Io face it is the ONLY sensible thing to do.

Like I said above, this is not a book for everyone. But if you like darker, gritty stories which might make you scream in anger and frustration at people’s idiocy, and don’t mind dubious consent (justified in this context), you might like the very subtle moral this story imparts. For me, it took a while, but this one definitely grew on me.



NOTE: This book was provided by Total-E-Bound for the purpose of a reviw on Queer Magaxine Online.
Profile Image for L-D.
1,478 reviews64 followers
May 17, 2012
I actually was reluctant to read this book and fully expected not to like the characters due to their blatantly corrupt natures. I think, however, because this book was set in some sort of dystopia where everyone is fighting to survive and ALL cops are dirty and it's just part of what they do I found it fit well into the overall story arc. Blake is a corrupt cop who, with his partner Ronnie, has no qualms about arresting prostitutes and getting free services before letting the prostitutes go. Blake doesn't feel like he is forcing the hookers into doing this, because they do have the option of going to jail instead. This is one of the perks of being a cop and it would be unusual if you went into an interrogation room with a "suspect" and didn't shake some tables.

After reading the reviews of some of my friends, I was expecting to hate the main character, but I actually liked him because you can see him gradually grow in his feelings for Io, the hooker. In this society, fighting against corruption is not the norm, and to go against his partner or what other cops expect is dangerous. As long as you can take yourself out of real societal values and try to understand the world that these characters are living in, I can definitely understand why readers detest Blake's character. I on the other hand slowly started to root for him.

I felt that this book was more of a relationship book, oddly enough, because there was not a lot of external conflict. There was one "event" at the end, but there was no great detective mystery to solve which would have made this book more interesting. But I did find it interesting and I kind of liked the dark themes of corruption in the book.
Profile Image for Ami.
6,241 reviews489 followers
June 15, 2011
3.5 stars
I'm trying to form my opinion on this one because (1) It is definitely not a romance for me; well, not romance in a traditional way, and (2) It pushes my limitation in stories because it has a) sex in every chapter b) scenes of ménage à trois and double penetration.

Then again, I know what to expect from Scarlet Blackwell's stories. I switch my "Scarlet Blackwell" mode on when I read this (hey, I survive a rape scene on one of her stories, so this one should be easier). And for me, the sex scenes in every chapter actually record the progress of Blake having a change of heart when it comes to Io. Blake is a cop that used to get his way, no matter what and in the beginning, the sex is pretty "cold", Blake only sees Io as a whore that he likes to use.

Then as the chapters go, readers can feel how Blake starts to get more involved, how he starts to see Io differently, even during the ménage à trois or when Blake and his partner use Io to every scenario that they can think of ... up until that last decision that Blake makes to save Io. At that moment, Blake acknowledges that Io is no longer "just a whore", but someone he cares for, and even willing to sacrifice his job at the police department.

So despite all those plots that usually turn me off, I do enjoy it. However, I like Ms. Blackwell's stories; I could be biased :). It's not for everyone though ...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Alina.
708 reviews29 followers
January 31, 2012
I actually like non-con (although in my opinion there wasn't much - if at all - here, since Io was willing every time) and I have a huge soft spot for the abuser/victim twisted relationship, which later develops into something more deep, so I liked this story a great deal. I think in this rather short book Blake's transformation and his growing feelings toward Io were shown fairly believable. I even - gasp! - felt sorry for Ronnie, sure he irritated me at times, but certainly not enough to wish him dead.

PS. Oh, and the cover's fantastic!
Profile Image for Td.
701 reviews
August 1, 2011
What the...hmm...wickedly filthy. I was forced immediately to make a mental switch even after kind of knowing what to expect. Read your warnings and add some more .
Profile Image for Lyss Em.
Author 4 books17 followers
February 20, 2019
Gritty & twisted, but hopeful

I'm a Scarlet Blackwell fan, though sometimes her books are a miss for me. This one wasn't. It was a satisfying novella with ample depraved sex scenes, a little worldbuilding, and riveting conflict. Absolutely loved the HFN ending with all the external conflicts neatly cleared up. A good read.
Profile Image for Susan65.
1,648 reviews53 followers
October 13, 2012
This story was so far out of my comfort zone I'm surprised I finished it. No romance, but in a post apocalyptic society I guess that's the way it is. If so, I hope I don't survive. It's way to harsh for me.

Io is the rent boy who is treated like shit by the cops and his pimp. Living in a hellhole and seen as property, not human.

Blake is a corrupt cop who spends his days in the interrogation room getting blow jobs from the men he arrests. He sets his sights on Io and then shares him with Ronnie, his partner.

Ronnie dies, and good riddance to him too. Io's pimp dies, no loss there either.

Blake and Io have a strange relationship that goes beyond the physical, but not until the very end of the story, but I am not sure if Blake can redeem himself in the sequel. I am reading it next just to find out.



Profile Image for Julio Genao.
Author 9 books2,190 followers
Want to read
January 14, 2014
Don't look at me; this is happening bcuz EMMA IS FILTHY
Profile Image for Shadow Jubilee.
734 reviews46 followers
September 27, 2011
3 stars

This book confused me. On the one hand, I liked it - or rather, I liked the ending (Io and Blake together). On the other hand, some things seemed to be missing and affected how I viewed the first half of the book.

The world sounded pretty interesting. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be too much effort in world building. There were just enough descriptions to get a sense of what the world was like. I would have liked more but I guess for the less demanding, it was enough.

At first, I couldn't really "feel" the characters. Io seemed interesting upon first impression - tough despite his life and what he had to do. I didn't like either Ronnie or Blake. I didn't care about any of the characters. At first. But it started to change a little as we got more signs of Io's and Blake's mutual attraction for each other.

While I didn't quite buy into Blake's "softness" for Io nor his sudden interest in the well-being of Bentley's whores, I found him to be quite a fascinating character. He was not very likable but his need, desire and unfamiliar fondness? for Io makes him seem more human. Ronnie seemed like the typical bad-guy-is-bad character. He was actually more detestable than the usual bad guys I find in typical (het) romances.

The ending made it feel as if I was left hanging. It was a HFN that somewhat satisfied me. I would have liked more.

In short, I guess what I liked most about this book was Blake's gradual and limited transformation. While it seemed forced, I liked how it led him to care for Io, which in turn allowed Io to soften and warm up to him, and allowed me to believe in the HFN.
Profile Image for Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews.
5,476 reviews178 followers
July 31, 2011
Originally posted at: http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...

You can’t buy love but if you’re a corrupt cop in the year 2120 you can seduce a rent boy for free. This is an intensely erotic story and sort of gritty. Io is easy to relate to because he’s in a situation where he’s powerless and being taken advantage of. He’s proud and keeps his sense of humor and shows a sort of emotional bravery in the face of this abuse. It’s sort of hard to relate to the corrupt cop, Blake, at first. Even though there’s obviously attraction and pleasure between him and the rent boy Io, he is taking advantage of Io.

Honestly? You want me to be honest? Okay, when I started reading this story, I intensely disliked Blake, but by page twenty-four I was beginning to root for him and Io to become something real to each other. That’s the beauty of Ms. Blackwell’s writing. She really knows how to lay the emotion on in a clear, crisp prose. It can sneak up on you. Truly she is an artist.

There’s lots of hot guy-on-guy-on-guy sex between Blake, Io and Ronnie, who is another corrupt cop. The sex is intense, very male and probably not for the faint of heart.

The story builds to a happy-for-now ending that is satisfying. Sin Row is a short, extremely erotic story that is emotionally compelling.

Profile Image for Hc.
2,361 reviews35 followers
October 6, 2013
Corrupt cops aside.. This is set up as more like kill or be killed as far as corruption goes. But even corrupt cops have their limits

I was leary about this from the blurb but not nearly as bad as I expected. There are several sex scenes that read straight up as pushing hardcore porn (mostly around the threeways) but surprisingly there is some story in the background as well. However I didn't understand or feel the fascination between the two, although once established I was okay with it. I'm kind of stuck on wanting to know how the ending plays out in next book so #2 reading could be in the future.
363 reviews
January 27, 2012
3,5

It needs some work. Looks roughly written, but I liked the dark world created. It was realistic - the way cops abuse their position. It was interesting.

Characters unique and far from perfect, which I find refreshing in MM books.

I think if it was longer and dealt more with characters personalities, feelings it would be way better. Now it seems a little too short to reveal everything.
Profile Image for Nile Princess.
1,579 reviews174 followers
January 3, 2013
I put this one down a couple times and almost abandoned it once. It just seemed like a whole bunch of sex and didn't seem to be going anywhere. The MCs were interesting enough and I liked that they struggled with enjoying the physical aspect of their 'relationship' while trying to make sense of what 'more' was happening, but it just got bogged down with too much sex.

Ultimately, I finished but don't care enough to read the sequel.
Profile Image for Cole Riann.
1,078 reviews250 followers
June 16, 2011
I was expecting this to be really terribly dark and difficult to read, but I really liked it and was pleasantly surprised. It is a bit dark and there's quite a bit of dubious consent, as almost all of the sex (and most of the book is sex) was really about power. It might be a bit much if this were 200 or 300 pages, but at around 60 pages, it went by quickly and I really enjoyed reading it.
Profile Image for Sadonna.
2,706 reviews46 followers
March 17, 2012
While this story is very heavy on some dub-con sex between the MCs and another character, there is actually the potential for a real love story here. The post-apocalyptic world was pretty well written in such a short story, but a lot happens in a few pages. Good lead in for the second story. I hope there will be more.
Profile Image for clear skies.
945 reviews27 followers
March 9, 2012
This book was pure porn...but I'm going to be shallow and say the sex was written so hot. I skip sex scenes in M/M books (mostly because they are so boring). However, Ms. Blackwell whose book centred around dodgy cops and a hooker - well she wrote it pretty well.
Profile Image for Arthur.
783 reviews94 followers
May 14, 2012
I usually don't like menage in my m/m stories, but here the context is different. It's more an introduction of the two policemen: they are corrupt, abusive of their position, and in general see the prostitutes as their toys.
Profile Image for Lara.
248 reviews48 followers
August 2, 2011
The only reason I didn't give 5 star to this book is that it's just too short!!! I'm really hoping there will be a sequel (a long one) to Io and Blake's story
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews

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