Introduction
Published in April 2026, The Auction is the first book in the Wages of Sin authored by Sadie Kincaid. It is a dark romance that works as a modern re-telling of the Beauty and the Beast. Its cliffhanger ending has left people excited for the next installment.
A Summary
Imogen has spent her entire life preparing to be bought. Used by sick, evil men. So when she is bought by a recluse known as a monster, she is prepared for the worst. However, as time goes on, she learns that not everything is as it seems, and that love can fester in the most unexpected places.
Lincoln is harboring a secret. He is not who he says he is. He lives the life of a monster. He murders, tortures and lies to get what he wants, and all while concealing the part of himself that could ever be noticed. But when Imogen comes into his life, he never expects to fall in love, and he finds himself torn between what he knows and what he wants.
As the danger rises, both of them must come to terms with the truth and learn to trust each other to survive.
Writing Style
There are two POVs - Lincoln and Imogen - and the chapters are fairly short but they do get longer throughout the novel as the story unfolds. The writing style is very typical of dark romances - with its spice and lusting present from the get-go.
My Thoughts
I truly expected to like this book ー even love it ー from everything I had heard, but I realized quickly that wouldn’t be the case. Most of my reviews try to be somewhat fair and level-headed but I will be more opinionated than usual in this so hope you all enjoy!
First and foremost, it takes a lot of skill to center a book around human trafficking AND make it a romance. That was not a skill possessed by Kincaid throughout this novel. Human trafficking is a truly horrific part of society and I do believe it has its place in literature but this was so untasteful to sit through. Imogen is supposed to be a woman who has been sheltered from the outside world but has been solely prepared for a life of pain and trauma, yet she comes across as extremely naive and child-like throughout the entire book. There are some pathetic attempts to make her seem knowledgeable and prepared, but it doesn’t work when she immediately falls in love with her buyer. Also, from a writing standpoint, the use of ‘sir’ in this book was grating - and I am putting that lightly. It should have been stopped earlier in the novel and the fact it wasn’t is mind-boggling to me.
Then we also have Lincoln’s perspective, which is a whole new level of creepy. I have no problem with age gaps in novels ー two consenting adults can do whatever they like as long as they aren’t causing harm to others. However, that changes when you count the fact he knew her as a child. In fact, he has a picture of her as a child stuck in his desk. It’s weird. On top of all of this, he has this whole ‘I’m going to hell for loving her but I’d do anything to have her’ which gets boring but also somehow makes him creepier.
The smut in this book is… Not great at the best of times. The power dynamic feels unnatural and predatory, only made worse by her child-like naivety that even Lincoln himself comments on. The tampon scene and the butter scene deserve their own level in hell. Don’t do that. That’s weird. Butter belongs on toast.
And my final complaint is with the writing itself. I can move past one or two grammatical errors but this book has too many for me to be comfortable not mentioning it. This book was published by Harper Collins, and yet there are multiple instances of missed quotation marks, incorrect uses of their/they’re/there and capitalized letters where they do not belong. It feels like too much time was spent making the cover look pretty, and shoving the tropes in forcefully, rather than creating a good dark romance.
Spice Level
This book is a dark romance, and has its fair share of spice, especially in the latter half of the novel. There is food play, some kink and a whole lot of exploration. Spice level - 3/5
Trigger Warnings
Please note this is a non-comprehensive list and there may be triggers in this book not explicitly stated here.
- Parental Death
- Human Trafficking
- Rape (off-page)
- Sex (including food play)
- Age Gap Romance
- Torture
- Murder
Recommendation
Even if you adore dark romance, I cannot in good faith recommend this. There are so many better books in the genre for you to read than whatever this is supposed to be. Go read those instead.
