Sweet Sinners By N.D. Roldan

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INITIAL THOUGHTS

I picked up Sweet Sinners by N.D. Roldan because the premise hits a lot of buttons I usually love in dark contemporary romance such as morally gray hero, messy history, secrets around a family tragedy, and a heroine stepping into power. I was in the mood for a dramatic, moody, bingeable read with some steam and a central mystery to chew on. I expected angsty push and pull, a few gasp-worthy reveals, and a satisfying, earned path to redemption.

At first, the story promised high stakes and the kind of taboo tension you only get when two people have a loaded past. As I got deeper into the story, my experience became a mixed bag. There are moments I really enjoyed, especially when Connor’s love of cooking came through and when the story allowed space for trauma recovery. There were also areas that pulled me out of the book, like a too-obvious twist and a long slow burn that did not fully pay off for me.

WHAT IT IS ABOUT

Cali becomes the head of her family’s company after tragedy, only to find herself living under the same roof as Connor, her former stepbrother who has just been released from prison for the murder of their parents. Forced together by circumstance and a lingering, forbidden attraction, they begin to question everything they thought they knew as new evidence surfaces and the truth about the murders slowly comes to light. It is a story about survival, redemption, and choosing love in a situation where love feels completely off limits.

MY REVIEW

Writing Style

Roldan’s prose leans accessible and cinematic. Scenes tend to play out like episodes, which makes the pages move even when the plot is in a slow simmer. I appreciate that the writing does not get bogged down in jargon when dealing with corporate threads or legal fallout. The voice aims for intensity and longing, and it delivers that by spending a lot of time in Cali’s head. Sometimes that internal focus worked for me, like when Cali wrestles with grief and the responsibility of leadership. Other times it dragged. I found myself bored and disassociating during the stretches of Cali’s endless complaining about work and during Connor’s vagueness around what happened in prison. The book tells us he killed someone in a fight, but the surrounding details remain hazy for too long.

Roldan describes the physical romance vividly when it arrives. There are three spicy scenes that feel immersive, textured, and heated. I could feel the passion, yearning, and hunger between them in those moments. The pacing decision to hold off on any real heat until page 259 is a creative choice. For some readers a long slow burn is delicious tension. For me, the wait did not feel equal to the payoff because too much of the middle was occupied by work drama and repeated arguments.

Themes & Messages

At its core, Sweet Sinners grapples with forbidden love, forgiveness, and the tug of loyalty. The book’s own materials frame it as “a dark, forbidden romance about survival, redemption, and a love that refuses to stay hidden,” and that tracks with what is on the page. In an interview about the book, Roldan says, “I’ve always been OBSESSED with forbidden love stories… Sweet Sinners came to life because I wanted to play right on that line between acceptable and taboo.”

Another recurring theme is the effort to separate who you were from who you are becoming. Roldan noted in her interview that she wanted “a story where… the main male character doesn’t necessarily have to be toxic to be compelling.” Connor is positioned as morally gray because of circumstances, not as a thrill-seeking villain. I liked that goal. When the narrative lingers on Connor’s care for food, the rituals of cooking, and the grounding power of creating something nourishing, the theme of healing through craft comes alive. I also appreciated the attention given to the emotional fallout of trauma. There is an honest attempt to show that love after harm takes time, communication, and space for fear and relief to coexist.

Where the messaging wobbled for me was forgiveness. I wanted the book to sit longer in the discomfort of forgiveness, especially given how quickly Cali’s belief about Connor’s guilt swings. I got whiplash from Cali going from believing Connor killed her dad to believing he did not. The pivot would have landed better if we saw a clearer inner calculus that rebuilt trust and showed how forgiveness was earned rather than toggled.

Characters

Cali is a newly minted CEO who is trying to hold it together while the ground keeps shifting. I like that she is allowed to be vulnerable about leadership. Being a boss is hard. The book does not pretend otherwise, and those glimpses of her learning curve felt real. That said, I struggled with how often she complains about work without the scenes moving the plot or her growth forward. I also could not get past the name Calliope. It is subjective, but I found it distracting. There is no given reason for the name beyond vibes. If her mom had a Greek mythology obsession or a story behind the choice, that detail would have helped it land for me.

Connor is the most compelling when he is in the kitchen. His passion for food is one of the loveliest character notes in the book. I loved those sensory beats and would have snapped up a few of his recipes at the back. Where I wanted more was in his backstory. Why exactly was he framed for his mother and stepfather’s deaths? Why are former prison friends indebted to him? Why is he receiving text offers to keep fighting illegally? The book raises tantalizing threads and then leaves them fuzzy. If the story had dug deeper into those questions, I would have connected more to his transformation and to the weight of his choices.

As for side characters, Dean surprised me by being a good guy. Given the genre, I was expecting him to be tied into Anna’s scheming somehow, so his arc subverted my guess. The use of Dean to stir up workplace conflict for Cali did not fully click for me. Maya’s concern about leaving Cali alone with Connor is understandable early, but that thread ends with Maya retiring, which felt like a puzzling emotional math. Worry rarely equals retirement. It would have helped to root Maya’s decision in something concrete.

Vibes, Settings, and Tropes

If you are a trope reader, here is what you will find.

• Forbidden stepbrother romance. The taboo of former step-siblings is the central tension. Personally, the step-sibling angle felt cringy at times. It reminded me of certain search terms that live rent free in internet culture. That is my taste talking. Some readers will eat that taboo right up. If this is catnip for you, I think you will enjoy how the book leans into it.
• Slow burn. Roldan herself says in the interview, “Sweet Sinners is SUCH a slow burn… we’re talking page 200+ before we get the spice spicin.” That checks out. The atmosphere is heavy with longing and frustration before the first spark catches.
• Morally gray hero with a domestic soft side. Connor’s best scenes are in the kitchen. There is something irresistible about a bruised knuckle man plating a delicate dish with care.
• Corporate heiress learning to lead. Cali’s struggle to grow into power gives the book a workplace backbone. We get boardrooms, strategy conversations, and confidence wobbles.
• Forced proximity and alliance. The house arrest setup and the search for truth force them into a truce that keeps them in each other’s space.
• A central mystery. The story promises a whodunit regarding the deaths of their parents. The blurb line “He Took Everything from Her. Now He’s the Only Thing She Craves,” sets that high stakes tone right away.

Favorite Quotes

“Before I can fire back, he crushes his lips to mine, stealing whatever breath I have left. I clutch at him instantly, pulling him closer, nails digging into his shoulders as his tongue sweeps past my lips. His taste floods my senses—hot, demanding, addictive—and my body arches closer, desperate for more. He bites down on my lower lip just hard enough to make me moan, pain and pleasure blending into one perfect rush” (Cali, p. 259).

“The week has been perfect—stolen glances in the kitchen, whispered conversations on the stairs, and rushed, hungry encounters that left my skin branded with his touch” (Cali, p. 305).

“I chuckle softly, abandoning the mess for once and walking toward her. She’s curled up on the couch in one of those sinful little dresses she loves, completely oblivious—or maybe too aware—of what it does to me. Six months together, and Cali still hasn’t figured out that I can’t concentrate on anything but her when she’s dressed like this” (Connor, p. 345)

What Worked For Me

• The food. I am going to say it again. Connor in the kitchen is a win. There is a generosity and sensuality to the way cooking is written that makes the romance feel tactile. If this had been a chef romance with the same characters and without the specific step-sibling complication, it might have landed even better for me.
• The frankness about leadership. Watching Cali recalibrate as a new CEO felt honest. The book acknowledges that stepping into power is lonely and that you do not wake up with a manual. When the narrative slows down and lets her reflect, those pages sing.
• The sex scenes. When they finally arrive, they are descriptive and emotionally charged. I felt the passion, the ache, the sense that these two people have been starving for each other and are finally allowed to feast.
• Trauma is not tidied up. The story does not gloss over the impact of violence and loss. It allows conversations about fear, grief, and healing to take up real space. I always appreciate when a romance honors the time it can take to feel safe again.
• Author intent. I liked hearing Roldan’s perspective in the interview. Her line about wanting a dark romance where the male lead is compelling without being toxic aligns with what many readers are seeking right now. The intent shows up in Connor’s caretaking qualities.

What Didn’t Work For Me

• The twist. Anna being revealed as the killer of their parents was painfully obvious to me. If you clock the villain early, the journey needs to deliver extra delights so that the destination still satisfies. For me, the breadcrumb trail was a little too bright.
• The slow burn balance. I do not mind a long wait if the middle is deeply character building or crackling with micro tension. Too much of the center section felt like wheel spinning. Repeated arguments and work complaints weakened the payoff of the late-coming intimacy.
• The backstory gaps. Key pieces of Connor’s history stay vague. I wanted a clearer account of how he was framed, why some former inmates feel indebted to him, and who is pushing him to fight. Those answers would have given his arc more heft.
• The step-sibling romance. This is purely taste. The trope did not work for me here. I would have preferred Connor as an employee on the estate, like a groundskeeper or chef. That setup would still give us class tension and forced proximity without the baggage that pulled me out of the fantasy.
• Logic leaps. Calliope as a name needed a story and did not get one on the page. Maya’s retirement coming from worry did not track. Cali’s rapid flip from believing Connor is guilty to believing he is not needed more exploration so it felt emotionally earned.
• The epilogue choice. The happily ever after energy could have been sweet. Then the story slides into marriage and Cali taking Connor’s last name, paired with a paragraph about how her father would have felt considering the company’s legacy name. With a legacy brand on her shoulders, taking his name felt like a step backward in her arc. Again, taste, but I wanted a different symbolic choice for her.

Final Thoughts

Sweet Sinners has all the ingredients for a high-drama, bingeable dark romance. I see what Roldan set out to do. The intent to write a forbidden love that is both passionate and ultimately hopeful is clear. There are sections I genuinely enjoyed. Connor’s culinary through-line is charming and sensual. The sex scenes are hot when they finally show up. The book also gives honest space to trauma and the work of healing, which I respect.

Where it missed for me was in the predictability of the mystery, the pacing of the slow burn, and the gaps in Connor’s backstory. The step-sibling trope is going to be a love it or hate it factor. If that is your catnip, you might click with this more than I did. If you need your mystery to keep you guessing or your slow burn to deliver consistent micro tension along the way, you might feel the drag.

Would I recommend it? With caveats. If you are a dark romance reader who loves taboo setups, a big slow burn, and a morally gray hero who expresses care through acts of service like cooking, this could hit. If the step-sibling angle turns you off or you need tighter plotting, consider sampling a few chapters first. My personal rating lands at 3 stars. Spice is a solid 2 out of 5 for descriptive scenes that come late but deliver heat.

Let’s Talk

Forbidden romances are always a conversation starter. How do you feel about step-sibling romances in general, and what makes them work or not work for you? Also, do you prefer a long slow burn, or do you need on-page chemistry to spark earlier to stay invested?