Sinful Vows

Messina Crime Family, Book 1

By: Lilian Harris

Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Callie Dalton

I never wanted a wife. No one is safe with me. No one is good enough for my daughter.

But if I want to rule over the wealthiest crime family in New York City, I only have two weeks to find one.

When Elsie broke into my home, I saw an opportunity, so I forced her into a marriage she didn't want.

No one crosses me, not even someone as beautiful as Elsie. She may fight me with that smart mouth, but she will obey me–or return to the hell she came from.

I told her she was mine for a year. Then she'd be free.

But the more I see them together, my daughter and my wife, the more she touches me like I'm worthy, the more I start to wonder, could she be mine?

But when war lands at our feet, when her life’s in jeopardy, I realize I was right all along.

No one is safe with a man like me. Least of all her.

©2023 Lilian Harris (P)2023 Lilian Harris

Amazing narration, captivating and romantic.

Sinful Vows is a fascinating story. From the description and on the surface it seems simple and even simplistic: young woman gets kidnapped, is captive for nine years, escapes and is “saved” by a handsome, sexy man who just happens to be a crime family boss, there is instant attraction between them and a forced fake marriage that will end in a year, he’ll be head of the crime family and she’ll go back to her family and try to restart her old life. But there is so much more going on underneath. Elsie is brave, determined, resilient – a survivor of unspeakable horrors. She sees an opportunity to escape and takes it, even though her chances of success are slim and she may wind up in even more horrific circumstances. She vows to return to her former “prison” and rescue her friend Kayla. Michael is violent, cruel, calculating, a product of his upbringing, groomed to lead the family one day, seemingly comfortable in this life of crime. He betrays very little emotion except rage and a need for revenge, for payback.

The story gets off to an intense, emotional start. Your heart will thump right along with Elsie’s and Kayla’s. The fear feels real. The evil surrounds them. And when Elsie escapes she escapes right into more evil, maybe even worse evil. Michael Marino has two sides: the cold, ruthless mob boss and killer, who does what needs to be done with no regrets and no remorse, and the soft, tender, loving side he shows with his daughter Sofia. Which side will Elsie get? When she first reveals she has been hiding in his basement she gets the head of crime family man, but the other guy wants to push through. There is something just starting to simmer between them. Actually, that simmer started when their eyes met through the window of the house where she was being held captive. But neither of them wants a connection. There is no room for anything but a pretend wife in his life, no woman should have to live in his world. And those emotions that threaten to burst out when Michael softens and gets near her make Elsie shudder with disgust at herself. How can she like or oh my god no want a cruel monster like Michael?

There are so many layers to each of them that even this fake marriage won’t be simple. Michael has emotions he has kept hidden for 20 years except where his daughter is concerned. He has secret plans for the family business that don’t align with his father’s way of doing things. Even though Elsie is a survivor, her captivity has left her immature and inexperienced in anything resembling real life and real relationships. But it’s also hardened her and she has a need for revenge as strong as Michael’s.

Sinful Vows is intense, violent, graphic – and incredibly romantic. Michael is rough, cruel and often oh, so sweet in both words and deeds. Elsie is argumentative, belligerent, recklessly brave – and drawn to Michael like a moth to the light. Their relationship is an unlikely blend of opposites that are maybe not quite so opposite after all. But can their differences be resolved, can she just slide right from fake wife to real mob boss wife?

I had no idea what to expect when I began listening to Sinful Vows but I was quite captivated by it. Author Lilian Harris did an amazing job of bringing depth to the characters and making me want a happily-ever-after for them in spite of them living in a world so unlike anything most of us are used to. Of course the marvelous narration by Teddy Hamilton and Callie Dalton didn’t hurt. Michael as portrayed by Teddy Hamilton is a perfect blend of not just a tough guy but one capable of truly awful things with a man who wants to be just a guy, who often just wants to do the right thing, and is so afraid to reach for love but more afraid to lose it. Callie Dalton’s Elsie is brash, mouthy, unafraid to push back, but also like a starry-eyed teenager ready to write “He kissed me!” in her diary. The pacing, tone and emotion are perfect. I am hopeful there will be a second and third audiobook to explore the stories of Michael’s brothers and to see if my guesses about how Michael and Elsie go forward are correct. I recommend this audiobook without hesitation.

I received a free audiobook of Sinful Vows from the author and Home Cooked Books. I voluntarily leave this review. All opinions are my own.

This was so good! What a great start to a series.

Elsie and her two friends were abducted by sex traffickers when they were 18. After 9 years of torture and abuse, Elsie takes an opportunity to escape when a notorious member of the mafia pays her enslavers a visit.

But Michael isn’t oblivious to his stowaway. He wants to see what kind of fire she has in her before he decides whether to kill her, return her to her captors, or keep her. When she shows her strength, her does the only thing he can to protect her: he marries her.

“I don’t want a wife who follows me. But one who walks beside me. I want a damn queen.”

Michael is very attentive and patient with Elsie, recognizing the trauma she endured and helping her reclaim her power. And he helps her exact revenge.

“I’ve always been the king, but I’ll gladly worship at your feet.”

There were a few questions I felt went unanswered, particularly about her two friends that had also been trafficked. The spicy scenes were done very well and do a great job of showing how SA victims often use CNC and rough sex as a way to cope and resolve their trauma, with a trusted partner of course.

The audiobook narrators were excellent! I love Teddy Hamilton and this was my first time hearing Callie Dalton.

New Series!

Sinful Vows is book #1 in the Messina Crime Family series. Elsie was kidnapped and forced into sex slavery for 9 years. She finally escapes...right into the back of mafia boss-to-be Michael Marino's vehicle. He needs a wife to take over as the boss, so Elsie becomes a prime candidate. We get single dad, mafia-esque, age gap, fake marriage turns spicy...all the goodies. I did find the story a little thin, and with so many back stories sometimes a little confusing, but overall it was fun. Lots of spice, not a lot of mafia, and almost no trauma from 9 years of captivity? Hmmm. Anyway, I am looking forward to the stories of the other characters.

The narration was fabulous. Callie Dalton (Elsie) and Teddy Hamilton (Michael) are a great duo. 5 stars!

Meow

Teddy makes me blush and have hot flashes reading the spice. Woof. Great story and characters here. Mind the TW for rape and sex trafficing. Found the story riviting and believable. It did not disapoint, could not stop listening

HOT!!

WOW. This book is so HOT!!

I had the pleasure of listening to the audio version. This is the way to experience this story. The narrators, Teddy Hamilton and Callie Dalton did an amazing job of voicing the characters. As far as the heat, it was brought up top notch by Teddy and Callie.

Michael is just who you would picture when it comes to mafia men. Everywhere he goes, he demands respect. Yet, underneath the tough exterior his hearth melts for his "girls". I love the way that he makes Elsie use her voice to say what she wants. As the story progressed, Elsie bloomed into a strong woman who was not afraid to take what she wanted from Michael.

Loved it!

Totally loved the story. Both leads were written well and really enjoyed them. This was my first book by this author will try more.

Awwwww

This was very heavy subject matter. So, know your triggers. It was cathartic for me. Sad thing, so many women experience crap like Elsie. This is quite possibly the only book ever in which Teddy Hamilton’s voice didn’t suit the character. I’m not saying he did a bad job, I just had a hard time picturing Michael with that voice. The performance was awesome. The story was great. On to book 2.

Teddy is the Perfect Michael

I had a good time with this one even though it is instalust/instalove. I did think Lilian should have spent more time dealing with Elsie's trauma. I didn't like how quickly she was ok with sex stuff after being forced into sex trafficking for 9 years. It could have been a slower burn and have them work through her trauma.

I do think the audiobook made this more enjoyable for me. teddy Hamilton did an amazing job as Michael. I could listen to him dirty talk and deliver the praise all day!

TW: Sex trafficking, SA, murder

Amazing audio start to this series!

I have never heard Teddy Hamilton in a mafia type narrator role and sweet baby Jesus it is a whole different side of him. He portrayed Michael Marino so very well. Michael has layers to him and Teddy was able to give life to them perfectly.

Callie Dalton is a new to me female narrator and she nailed Elsie. She is even great when narrating male character parts, which is an important factor for me. She has this smoothness to her voice and it just is very soothing. When there were emotional parts needing to be expressed she excelled at it. You could not only hear the emotion but feel it too.

Getting to listen to this series in audio is something I was hoping when I read these books all throughout this year. I cannot wait for the other audios to release!

Michael Marino is a feared man in the mafia. He is in line to take his father's place as the head of the family just as soon as he finds a wife. He doesn't want to be married at all but then he sees an opportunity to get what he wants.

Elsie has lived the last nine years of her life in a nightmare. She does not know how much more she can take and when she sees the chance to save herself, she does. She knows the name of the man whose SUV she hides in and the danger associated with him. Having no choice but to hide in his home she is found and he gives her an offer she cannot refuse....be his wife for one year and then she can walk away.

Michael, oh boy Michael was not what I was expecting at all. This man and the fierceness that he loves with. The love shines from him when it comes to his daughter, Sophia. Then there is how tender he is with Elsie knowing exactly what she has gone through the last nine years. He is never not a gentleman with her...never! He helps Elsie overcome her fears and the trauma she has suffered. She is a survivor determined to find those she left behind and claim control back of her life. There is nobody better than Michael and Sophia to help her heal! When trouble lands at her feet she does not back down.

I know this is a mafia romance but honestly there were so many times I was so absorbed in the love story unfolding between Michael and Elsie I completely forgot it was mafia. It is a beautifully written love story. The connection between these two is so strong.

Of course this was no easy flowing love story....I mean it is mafia. The underlying part of the plot had me interested from beginning to end. The further I got into the story the more and more the wheels in my head started turning and I had doubts about certain characters and that little plot twist at the end was nice....I was leaning towards that being how things turned out and I am so glad I was right. Not much more can be said because of spoilers just know that it was a great addition to the overall story that introduced readers to the Messina Crime Family! I am so ready for Raph's story next!

A little hokey, a little sweet, a lot dark…

The story is entertaining enough to keep me interested in listening to more installments. The female narrator is not my favorite - she reminds me of how a “Valley Girl” talks (“Like gag me with a spoon!”)