The Auction by: Sadie Kincaid

The Auction (Wages of Sin #1)
Author: Sadie Kincaid
Published: April 2026
Publisher: Mira
Pages: 384
Format: ARC Ebook/ARC Audiobook
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary:
I was trained to be a pawn, but I will rise as a queen.

My life has never been my own. After the death of my parents, I was saved by my grandfather, with the promise that he would turn me over to the Brotherhood on my twenty-first birthday.

I was kept away from the outside world so I could one day be sold to the highest bidder—pure and unsullied. Penance for my parents’ alleged crimes.

That’s how I come to be sold at an auction.

And who buys me but the reclusive billionaire, Lincoln Knight?

Some say that he’s a monster, more dangerous than any of the evil men from the Brotherhood. That he wears a mask to cover his scars. But I believe he’s hiding more than just his face behind his mask.

My fate is sealed when he takes me to his crumbling mansion deep in the woods. I’m trapped. Entirely at his mercy.

I have to escape.

But something here isn’t what it seems.

Lincoln isn’t what he seems. Maybe he’s not a monster at all. I’m drawn to him in a way that I can’t explain. Until I discover that his secrets go far beyond his mask.

He’s everything I’ve been taught to fear, but what if everything I’ve ever known has been a lie?

Review:
First, I'd like to thank Mira for sending me a copy in exchange for a review! I have to say, I may have gone blind into this one and I'm SO GLAD I DID!! But let it be known, the cliffhanger that it leaves you on... be prepared for it! I'm anxiously waiting for book 2 now after that abrupt ending, GAHH!!

Right from the beginning, I was HOOKED! From the start to the very end, I was on the edge of my seat, DEVOURING this book, I couldn't get enough. I don't always read dark romances, but what I will say is the select few that I have read, have all been really good! There's so many layers to Imogen and Lincoln, and yet there are a lot of connections between the two that go very far back. There's a significant age gap between these two, yet somehow that faded to the back of my mind as both characters came together during scenes. How he'd take care of her, how she would form a bond with his help that became almost an anchor for Imogen.

I will say that while things got extremely dark AND spicy, there were some moments that I personally could have passed on. There's also a couple of kinks that had me scratching my head, but to each their own!

The relationship between Lincoln and Imogen was unmatched! Like I said, the many layers were pulled back, piece by piece and you see this push and pull between the two of them. How they both want more, and yet fight against it as well. Of course Lincoln being the 'twisted tortured hero' he had moments that left you craving more and others that had you gasping at his actions. Literally this GIF was me at times, I couldn't help but laugh thinking about it as the story progressed...

Like I said earlier, I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen. The way that Imogen has kept her strength, always being told to know her place and what these 'monsters' will do and use her as. It's taken a lot for her to take that strength and also use it to her advantage. She's innocent to a degree, so it was very interesting to watch her take back her life in certain scenes. I mean as best as a captured woman can do.

Overall, this was incredibly hot, spicy, dark and twisted in the best way! The narration was phenomenal, the narrators did an amazing job bringing these characters to life! I couldn't put it down, and then Sadie Kincaid hits you with this friggen cliffhanger, I literally sat on my couch wondering if I had received an unfinished copy. I still don't know how I'm going to have to wait for book two, but we will see...

That's all for my review, I hope you enjoyed it and be sure to grab your copy today... or if you hate cliffhangers, wait until book 2 comes out later this year!

So until the next time, keep reading!

Your Graduated Bookworm!! :)