Book Review: Sinners Anonymous By Somme Sketcher
Sinners Anonymous By Somme Sketcher
Tropes: Dark Mafia Romance, Forbidden Love, Age Gap, Arranged Marriage, Enemies to Lovers, Obsessed MMC, Slow Burn, Touch Her and You Die, Cosa Nostra, Morally Grey FMC
Summary:
💚 LD -
I'm a big fan of you, Mr. Angelo "Vicious" Visconti. Let me say that upfront, because everything that follows is going to sound like the ramblings of a woman who lost an entire weekend to this book and that's exactly what happened. I absolutely devoured it. Started on a Friday night "just to see what the hype was about," and suddenly it was 3 a.m. and I was bargaining with myself: one more chapter, then sleep. (Spoiler: there was no sleep.)
Could I find a fault if you forced me? Not really. Yes, it was a little predictable if you've read enough of this genre, but here's the thing: predictability doesn't matter when the execution is this good. The angst is delicious. The forbidden-love tension is wound so tight you could snap it. Every stolen glance, every "we shouldn't be doing this" moment had me physically gripping my Kindle. This is the kind of book where you know exactly where it's going and you still gasp when it gets there.
And we need to talk about the smut, It's not just steamy for the sake of it; every scene carries emotional weight, raises the stakes, and pushes these two closer to the point of no return. The church scene in particular? Iconic. Unholy. Will live in my head rent-free forever. (If you know, you know. 😮💨 And if you don't know yet... you're so lucky, because you get to experience it for the first time.)
“I know war is coming, but with her, all I know is peace.”
🤍 AD -
Have I mentioned how much I love mafia romance? Because I do, and this book is exactly why. Angelo Vicious Visconti is chef's kiss and I don't say that lightly. The genre is full of brooding mafia men who are really just walking trench coats with anger issues, but Angelo is the real deal. This man literally went to war for her. He burned his entire world down for one woman, and I could not love him more if I tried.
What sets him apart is the balance. He's protective without being suffocating, dangerous without being a complete walking red flag (okay, fine, maybe a small one but it's the fun kind), and underneath all the menace, his devotion is absolute. Every choice he makes orbits around her, and watching a man that lethal go soft for exactly one person is the entire reason I read this genre.
Rory deserves her flowers too. She's sharp, stubborn, and refuses to be intimidated by him, which makes their dynamic crackle, she gives as good as she gets, and Angelo clearly loves her for it. My one tiny complaint: the bird puns. I'm sorry, Rory, I love you, but they were a lot. Somewhere around the fifth one I started bracing myself every time she opened her mouth.
An instant favorite. Mafia romance supremacy continues, undefeated.
“Out of all my sins, you’re my favorite.”
💙 AG -
I'm going to be the honest one of the group: this book and I did not start off on good terms. The opening chapters were a struggle for me. The pacing felt slow, I wasn't immediately connecting with anyone, and there's a lot of setup before the story really finds its feet. I'll admit I picked up my phone more than once and seriously considered moving on to something else in my TBR.
I'm so glad I didn't.
Somewhere along the way I couldn't even tell you the exact chapter, this book quietly grabbed hold of me and refused to let go. And the reason, without question, is Rory and Angelo. They are the beating heart of this story. Once their worlds properly collide, every interaction between them is electric: the banter, the wariness, the push and pull of two people who know they shouldn't want each other and absolutely cannot help it. I went from skimming to savoring. From "I'll read a chapter before bed" to "well, it's midnight and I have no regrets."
What I appreciated most is that their relationship is earned. Nothing between them feels rushed or unearned; the slow start I complained about is actually laying the groundwork, and the payoff is so much better for it. By the back half of the book I was completely, hopelessly invested racing through the final chapters, heart in my throat, absolutely adoring a story I'd nearly given up on.
So if you're fifty pages in and wavering, take this as your sign to keep going. Trust the process. It's worth it.
“I swear to God, Rory. You better know how to fly, because if you fall, I’m coming with you.”
