A Ballad of Betrayal and Beauty (Carnal Sins #3)
L.H. Blake
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
4.38
· Steam/Spice level: 4 of 5
Explicit open door [?]
· 4 ratings · 410 pages · Published: 01 May 2025

Fiery Dusty Connors has spent her life surviving instead of living. As a young girl, she dreamt of being an actress. Working as a fantasy phone girl might not be Hollywood, but at least it pays the bills. When a flirtatious bass player strolls into her life and wants to know the real her—not her sultry persona—she struggles to open her heart and trust again.
Carefree Joel Thanger is living his best life. He plays bass in a successful metal band, parties whenever he wants, and lives with his best friend, Key, who just so happens to enjoy sharing his dates. When a chance encounter reunites him with the gorgeous redhead of his dreams, he thinks he might want something more serious. But as an old rival re-enters their lives and threatens the success of the band with accusations of plagiarism, both new and old relationships are put to the test.
Key Prentiss is haunted by a past love he can’t escape, and rather than confide in Joel, he seeks out a much needed connection with a pay-by-the-minute phone girl. When the legitimacy of the songs he wrote for his first love are called into question, he desperately searches for a way to prove they’re his—even if that means searching for the girl who broke his heart.
As Joel and Key’s friendship is put to the test, they may be surprised to find just how much fate has been working behind the scenes to bring together a love they can share.
Tagged as:
- historical 2
- dual pov 2
- contemporary 2
- 20th century 1
- first person pov 1
- neurodivergent mc 1
- m-f romance 1
- second chances 1
- mfm 1
- working class heroine 1
- poor heroine 1
- rockstar hero 1
- sweet/gentle hero 1
- sassy heroine 1
- found family 1
- class difference 1
- love triangle 1
- anal sex 1
- hurt/comfort 1
- double penetration 1
- menage 1
- Add topics
- geography
- north america 1
- usa 1
- california 1
- nevada 1
- iowa 1
- content warnings
- past child abuse 1
- religious trauma 1
- miscarriage / infertility 1
romance tags
The 'Carnal Sins' series
4 ratings 4.38 ·
rockstars · past-child-abuse · first-person-pov · explicit-open-door · iowa · religious-trauma · usa · historical · dual-pov · neurodivergent · anal sex · california · m-f · poor heroine · love triangle · miscarriage · found-family · class difference · 20th century · sweet-hero
Carnal Sins reading order and complete book list ❯