Shattered Innocence by Sara Cate

Title: Shattered Innocence (Black Rose Auction #5)

Author: Sara Cate

Publisher: Trinkets and Tales 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 170

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Preordered

Spice Rating: 7

Welcome to the Black Rose Auction where every sin can be yours for a price.

Birdie wants nothing more than to escape the clutches of her cruel and wicked stepmother, and to be with the only person she’s ever truly loved—her stepsister, Violet.

When her stepmother threatens to auction off Birdie’s hand in marriage to the highest bidder, Birdie sees it as her only way out.

Her stepsister has a plan…

Enlist the help her rich and powerful ex, Alaric Stone, to bid on their behalf.

But when things go awry at the auction, and Birdie is forced give away far more than she expected, Alaric decides he’s playing for keeps.

He wants both of them.

Can the three of them escape the clutches of Birdie’s selfish stepmother together?

And will Birdie be forced to choose between the two who have her heart…or will it be shattered forever?

These Black Rose Auction stories are really hit or miss with me. This one I was not a fan of. I dislike large age gap romances when there are unbalanced power dynamics at play. If power was equal, I can totally get behind an age gap. Unfortunately, Birdie is just way too sheltered and naive for me to buy that she has freedom of choice in this story. No amount of sex can convince me that this is a healthy relationship. Birdie is treated like a child (gross) throughout the entire story. Not a fan at all.

Black Rose Auction

• #1 Wicked Pursuit
• #2 Divine Intervention
• #3 Stolen Vows
• #4 Irresistible Devil
• #5 Shattered Innocence
• #6 Royal Heart

Next up on the TBR pile: