The Auction by Sadie Kincaid | Duel Narration Audiobook Review

How did waffles and oatmeal get this complicated? – The Auction

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Beauty and the Beast meets organized crime. Full stop right there. That part of the description is all I needed to read to know I had to see what this book was about.

The Beauty and the Beast vibes are everywhere. The MMC referred to as a Monster, hiding his true face. Entire wings of the house off limits. A mansion tucked away from the world. The garden and library where our FMC spends her time singing, tending flowers, and of course reading. (hopefully tending to chickens one day)

I’m almost positive Pierre the butler was Lumière in human form. The fairy tale inspiration is strong here. But before we ever get to the castle, we are thrown straight into the darkness of said organized crime.

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What Is The Auction by Sadie Kincaid About?

The Auction by Sadie Kincaid begins with a brutal premise. After her parents’ death, our FMC, Imogen, is raised in isolation, promised to a powerful criminal Brotherhood as penance for their alleged crimes. On her twenty-first birthday, she is sold at auction to the highest bidder. It’s jolting and uncomfortable to read.

The highest bidder for Imogen: Lincoln Knight. Rumored to be a monster. Hidden behind a mask. More dangerous than the men who raised her to be sold.

He takes her to his remote mansion in the woods, where she’s completely trapped and alone. But nothing is as straightforward as it seems. The man she’s been taught all of her life to fear might not be the true villain of the story… and the many secrets surrounding her life run way deeper than she ever imagined.

This is a dark mafia romance with it’s heavy themes, satisfying slow-burn tension, explosive chemistry, and a constant undercurrent of suspense is a must read.

The Auction Audiobook Review

The organized crime element is jolting and uncomfortable, especially in how it touches on trafficking and abuse. It doesn’t shy away from the truth and ugliness of the world, but once we’re inside the mansion? The tension shifts. Desire takes over. It becomes a psychological push and pull between our FMC and MMC.

And the duel narration? Incredible! The dual POV added so much depth to Imogen and Lincoln’s relationship. It truly elevated the slow burn in the best way possible. 10/10 audiobook recommendation.

The Auction Final Thoughts

And how could I possibly forget — the ending. A cliffhanger!? Jail. Immediately. Are you serious? I was not emotionally prepared to be left hanging like that.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Overall, this dark romance had me hooked from start to finish. Intense, dramatic, and absolutely nailed the fairy-tale-meets-mafia concept. Never thought I would string those particular words together.

If you love morally gray men, masked men, high-stakes desire and tension, and Beauty and the Beast retellings (did I mention her parents died? That is rule #1 to a fairytale, right?)… The Auction will pull you in and refuse to let go even well after the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this fun ARC!