Pope’s Penance (Saint’s Outlaws MC: Coral Cay 1) by Lynne Leslie -review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 17, 2025

I sent both our souls to purgatory when I broke her heart.

Raised in a religious environment where violence, depravity, and unholiness were concealed by fanatical preachings, I learned early on what true evil looked like. Despite what others think, my soul corrupted long before I became President of the Saint’s Outlaws MC: Coral Cay Chapter.

There wasn’t much light amongst the monsters of my world until I found Birdie Fitzgerald. For years, she accepted the reaper under my skin, only asking for my loyalty in return. I had it all—my club, my brothers, and my woman. Until our battle with the Steel Slayers MC.

War is ugly. It leaves scars on even the toughest person. Birdie and I were no exception. To win, sometimes we have to tap into our sadistic sides. That meant when they threatened my woman, I did what was needed to keep her safe and broke her heart.

Seven years later, Birdie storms the gates of my club, breathing fire and brimstone, pleading for me to save her daughter from the trafficking ring her soon-to-be ex-husband is tied to. With eyes full of demons, scars branding her body, and secrets sealed behind bruised lips, she’s no longer the same woman I shoved out of my life. It’s not until her viperous tongue unveils secrets connecting our past and present in one tragic twist that I realize the gravity of the sins at my feet.

Now, it’s time to go to war again battling an enemy we thought we’d eradicated. Giving Birdie their hearts on a platter is the only act of penance left, and I intend to ensure she has a damn feast.

••••

REVIEW: POPE’S PENANCE is the first instalment in Lynne Leslie’s contemporary, adult SAINT’S OUTLAWS MC: Coral Cay Chapter dark, erotic, MC romance series, a part of the multi-authored SAINT’S OUTLAWS MC. This is MC president Apollonos ‘Pope’ Brannigan, and Birdie Fitzgerald’s story line.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Pope and Birdie) using present day and memories from the past, POPE’S PENANCE follows the rebuilding relationship between MC president Apollonos ‘Pope’ Brannigan, and Birdie Fitzgerald. Approximately seven years earlier, a perceived betrayal send Birdie Fitzgerald on the run, and in the ensuing time, life became more dangerous and dark for our story line heroine until the day she discovered her daughter was the target of human traffickers. Desperate for help, Birdie returns to the man she left behind, the man who hasn’t stopped loving our story line heroine but all is not as is appears to be-the past refuses to let go, and the revelations burn a hole in our hero’s heart.

The world building is dark and gritty as Pope begins to unravel the truth about the woman he loves. Retribution and jealousy are the precipitating factors in a years long fight for control, and when the Steel Slayers MC break the détente, Pope is about to face an uphill battle for the woman he loves. As Pope’s past begins to undermine Pope’s hold on his sanity, our hero is determined to destroy anyone taking aim at our story line heroine.

The relationship between Pope and Birdie is one of second chances. A perceived and purposeful although ill-thought betrayal sent Birdie on the run but what she once believed to be a safe haven becomes a nightmare for our story line heroine. As Pope begs forgiveness for the sins of the past, the past returns demanding blood and our story line heroine., The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, dynamic and determined secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to Birdie’s sister Valkyrie: the members of the SOMC: Coral Cay, as well as the blood family Pope no longer acknowledges. The requisite evil has many faces.

POPE’S PENANCE is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, obsession and madness, family and friendships, relationships and love. The character driven premise is detailed, captivating, dramatic and edgy; the romance is fated but struggles in the face of previous lies, as Birdie is unable to trust the man she once loved; the characters are energetic and desperate

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Mom. Fiancee. Wine Drinker. Hot Mess. Even bigger Walking Disaster. Fluent Sarcasm Speaker. Word Writer. Collector of Readers Hearts. Taco Lover. Book Nerd. USA Today Bestselling Author.

Lynne lives in the quiet country with a bossy mister and two little divas. If you don’t catch her with her nose in a book or her fingers scribbling on paper, she’s usually right in front of the television with her family. She loves anything that glitters and has a weird habit of collecting pens. She thinks seafood is disgusting, beach sand is the devil, and Tom Hardy is life.