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lezreadalot 's review for:
A Little Sin
by Rawnie Sabor
“Fiends don’t do well without mortals to corrupt, and getting to corrupt you is the best thing I’ve done in years.”
REREAD 2025. 4.5 stars. Still a near perfect goddamn romance. I swore to myself that I was going to take my time with this reread, draw it out over a week at least, but I'm so in love with Reyna and Violet, and I couldn't help but absolutely devour this again. I think I liked it just a teeeeeensy bit more this time? Evie and Natalya are still my favourite, but oh man, there's a lot about Reyna and Violet's dynamic, and the ways they change and grow with each other, that mean so so much to me. The book is obviously really sexy, and I LOVE it for that, and the way it showcases kink. But where it really gets me is the character interaction, how much Violet grows on her own but can still lean on Reyna. The very premise of a pride demon being the one to give a brittle, closeted lesbian her confidence back is one I'm enamoured with. And I love the family relationships, and how certain things are and are NOT handled. I recently read a romance where a horrible, shitty parent gets a half-assed redemption arc at the very end, and it made me appreciate this, and the way Sabor handled the parent/child relationship, so much more. I was still really frustrated with Reyna during the third act conflict (she didn't grovel enough!) and I still have a lot of nitpicks with the author's writing (too many adverbs and a lot of wonky word choice!) but those things couldn't stop me from loving this.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Allie Shae, and it was sublime. Just like in the first book, I thought her voices were a peeeerfect match for these characters. And the raw <i>emotion</i> she was able to put into some of the really tough scenes, and the sex scenes... so good. I don't think I'll ever reread this <i>without</i> the audio. I already counted this book as an all time favourite, but the reread definitely solidified it. There are soooo many moments that stand out in my mind (Violet growling at Aleksander and then immediately turning into a kitten with Reyna; the afternoon on the dining table; "Violet smokes?") and I'm already looking forward to revisiting them. This series has a piece of my heart.
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“The violet flower is a symbol of humility. Being of Pride, I’m innately drawn to it.” Reyna bit her lip with a grin. “It suits you. Being virtuous.”
4.5 stars. I enjoyed this a liiittle less than the previous book in the series, but only a little less. I LOVED it, so so much. It's really not like me to speed through a 500+ page book that I have to read physically, but once again, wild horses couldn't pull me away. I enjoy the world and the paranormal aspects, but mostly I just adore these books for their couples, their dynamics, and the love that the author writes between them. I'm sooooo sad that there aren't yet anymore sapphic books in the series, other than a little novella about Evie and Natalya, which I'm making myself save for later. Might actually go back and read Blake and Flea's romance, because I do like them. We'll see.
Anyway, this book follows the romance between Reyna, a cocky pride demon who's being mercilessly hunted by a supernatural entity, and Violet, a cut-throat, highly-strung business woman who grudgingly realises she could benefit from the kind of relief Reyna gives. It starts as a totally platonic arrangement for stress relief; Reyna, as a pride demon, feeds off submission and being able to build others' confidence, and Violet needs an outlet to relinquish control and relax. At the beginning of the book, Violet doesn't even know that she has feelings for women, and that aspect, of a Pride demon helping her realise things about herself... ohhhh I adored it. Even if it didn't play out exactly in the ways I'd have preferred. Like the other book, it's pretty sex-forward, but in a way that feels necessary and vital to the characters' story, to their growth. And also it was just really hot.
I immediately loved Violet as a character. My heart was breaking for her from the first page. We're introduced to the insecure, fraying at the seams, shaky Violet before we see that confident, ultra-capable, bitchy mask that she wears for the rest of the world. Both those aspects of her personality have some truth behind them, and what was great about the book was seeing her develop stability and the type of confidence that wasn't just a wall or a defence mechanism. One of the first things I loved was how different she is around Reyna, as opposed to everyone else. One of my favourite tropes is a strong, HBIC woman who takes no shit from the world at large, but melts and gets super soft for her gf. If written well and believably, it never feels like a contradiction. And gosh, did I ever love how this author wrote it. I completely bought Violet as the take-charge, boss-from-hell who's completely capable of scaring sidhe and facing down powerful vampire kings, but who totally crumbled, in the best way, for Reyna. (And who crumbled in heartbreaking ways under her mother's criticism and scrutiny. The ED stuff and casual suicide ideation especially were hard to read.)
Reyna didn’t want Violet cowered into submission. She didn’t want her scared. She wanted Violet to fall apart under her command.
Reyna was a total dream. I mean, I usually think cockiness as a character trait is gross and not that attractive, but thankfully, the way she wields her sin of pride isn't anywhere as obnoxious as it could have been. She gets power when others submit to her, but she also thrives off of building confidence and poise in others, and I loved that as the vehicle for the growth in their relationship. There are also hints that she's definitely not always the epitome of pride, and they're all in the ways she bends, or considers bending, for Violet. I liked her backstory, though I'm often leery when deceased partners get compared to new ones. I mostly liked the way this was handled. A lot of tragedy, but also an opportunity for Reyna to learn. It's REALLY difficult for her, but sometimes she gets to need people and be taken care of too, and I LOVED the way Violet did that for her. (I'm especially thinking of that scene with Aleksander.) I really loved the way the D/s was handled. No matter how cocky she is, Reyna is always kind and attentive, gives lot of praise. In those early moments before it becomes romantic, I loved how effectively she made things quiet and serene for Violet. And uhhh, it was really hot. This was my first time reading free use, I think, and... thumbs up, A+, no notes, et cetera.
Family relationships were a big part of this. I loved seeing Violet's relationship with her sister. Blake was in the previous book a bit, and I loved her attitude and bitchiness, and I loved her even more here. We're seeing their bond at it's best in years, and it's really sweet, how Blake is so ferocious in wanting to protect Violet. Their scenes together always made me vaguely emotional.
I also really loved and appreciated that we DIDN'T have a miraculous reconnection between mother and daughter at the end. I was sad for Violet, but it just would not have been believable, after we've seen Linda be horrible for the entire book, for her to turn over a new leaf and suddenly become accepting and nonjudgmental. It was such a sad moment, going from Linda's genuine worry and love after Violet was injured, to her condemnation and disgust when Violet comes out. But it was such a good moment of character growth, and I'm so proud of Violet for kicking her out.
I did like the villain in this one, even if it was more of an amorphous entity more than anything else. The fact that it couldn't be stopped or reasoned with made it even more sinister. Like the first book, I appreciated getting the villain POV, because it was able to clue the reader into a few things about the nature of wraiths, and it made sense that the characters wouldn't know and shouldn't find out until later.
I had more writing nitpicks with this than in the first book. Just a general sense that it could have used a closer edit, for readability and word choice. There were lots of instances where a word was used in a way that didn't quuuite make sense in the context. (The common disposition? Provokingly good?) It was fine, because I could always see what the author was going for, but it was definitely jarring. And I also started to notice an overuse of certain words. Like, everyone keeps sneering. All the damn time, often in situations where sneering didn't feel appropriate. And the word tragic was used waaaaaay too often. That genuinely annoyed me a bit, because it's a heavy word, and seeing it used all the time makes the situations sometimes feel trivial. So yeah, the writing could have definitely used more polish.
But nevertheless, I loved this so much. I loved them together SO MUCH; perfect example of a couple that makes each other better. Even if it's in unconventional ways. Thinking about the way Violet blossomed and lit up under Reyna's care... UGH THEY'RE PERFECT. I really loved the exploration of kink and D/s, but more than anything, the love story made me smile. SO many things about this made me smile. Flea and Blake's bickering, the growth of Christina the assistant, every time Violet got to verbally rip someone apart, only to turn into a puddle at Reyna's feet within the next few pages. The plot of this wasn't very substantial, but that was because most of the book was concerned with their personal growth and with the romance. And those aspects were handled so damn well. I genuinely can't wait to read more from the author, and I'm eagerly anticipating Vex's book.
Content warnings:
She trailed her hands to Violet’s waist, pulling her nearer, and Violet’s hands slipped from her jaw to her shoulders. Then further to rest around her neck. Hanging lazily. A calm hold that Reyna wanted to grow old in.