Stolen by a Sinner by Michelle Heard Review (The Sinners Series Book 3)

⭐️ 5/5
🌶️ 3/5

As much as books with an FMC with an abusive past breaks me, they can also be some of the most beautiful books there are. Stolen by a Sinner is no exception.

So many emotions rushed through me while I was reading this story that my heart struggled to keep up. I am amazed by how Michelle Heard always manages to write characters that creep so deep into your heart that they can never leave.

Please note that this book contains mentions of serious abuse. Not between the MCs, but the emotional scars that it inevitably left in Lara makes it a hard book to read. If you are triggered by these things, but you still want to read the book, just proceed with caution.

Plot Summary

Working as a maid for the Polish mafia Lara had to learn how to cut herself off from the world. There would be no feeling, no letting your guard down and absolutely no leaving or dreaming.

Well… leaving by yourself.

You can be stolen. But is that really better?

After the Turkish mafia attacks her boss, she is taken captive and interrogated. It isn’t long before she once again finds herself in the position of a maid. This time just for a different mafia boss.

A mafia boss that is not as insane as the one she grew up with. Instead he is a dangerously gorgeous man and instead of fantasising about escaping, she fantasises about him in other ways.

Now the question is, will she be able to step out of the maid’s uniform she has been wearing all her life and step into a ballgown?

My Thoughts

I mentioned at the start that the emotional depth of the characters in this story is phenomenal.

Michelle Heard managed to capture the inevitable scars that Lara got throughout her life, not just the physical ones, in a remarkable manner. You feel what she feels so deeply.

On the other hand you get Gabriel and his inner struggles that is simply captivating.

These scars and struggles leave place for tremendous character development, which, is one of the things that can seriously make or break a story.

I like the parallels that she drew with Cinderella’s story. It is something small, but I like the depth that it brings to the story. It is also a powerful tool that Michelle Heard used to portray the growth in Lara, in particular.

Where to Read?

You can get Stolen by a Sinner by Michelle Heard on Amazon. If you buy it using my link, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

You can get the Kindle version of Stolen by a Sinner for free with a Kindle Unlimited trail.

There is an audiobook of Stolen by a Sinner, you can listen to it for free with an Audible Premium Plus trail.

Series or Standalone?

This book is part of a series of interconnected standalones. Each book features a different couple with their own story. The characters from the other books do show up in each others’ stories, but not in a way that will confuse you if you haven’t read the previous books.

So, if for some reason you don’t want to read the previous books, you don’t have to. But I do recommend reading them all, they are all really good.

Tropes

I despise slow burn.

Seriously, I usually feel that they just want to prolong the story and now they are constantly stretching it out just to make the book longer. But it this case, it was necessary for the sake of the story and I loved it.

Both characters had some things to work through before they could really accept that they had fallen for each other.

Then, of course, because it is dark mafia romance and you can’t expect anything else, Gabriel is a jealous and possessive MMC with serious “touch her and you ☠️” vibes.

Pet Names

Gabriel calls Lara Ödülüm, which is Turkish for “my reward”. I think it is absolutely adorable. Especially when Lara at some point tells him that he is also her reward.

Eventually Lara takes up calling Gabriel Aşkım, which, is Turkish for “my love”.

Quotes

“I’ll never win when it comes to the women in this house. They have me wrapped around their little fingers.”
– Gabriel Demir

“The beating organ in my chest that’s been threatening to soften with compassion and guilt gives up the fight and aches for this woman.”
– Gabriel Demir

“Taking care of Lara, it felt like I was doing something worthwhile.
Yeah, just like that, the woman has grown on you.“
– Gabriel Demir

“I don’t know how Lara did it, but she has me wrapped around her little finger.”
– Gabriel Demir

So you’re really doing this? You’re pursuing Lara?
I let out a humorless chuckle, thinking I don’t have much choice in the matter.
The heart wants what the heart wants.
– Gabriel Demir

I’m taking this angel for myself. “You belong to me, Lara.”
– Gabriel Demir

“How did you do it, Lara?”
Lifting my hand, I place it over his. “Do what?”
“How did you bewitch me?”
I wish I knew because then I’d keep doing it. A smile curves my lips as I admit, “I don’t know, but I’m happy I did.”
– Gabriel and Lara