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The Sinful #1

Sinful Promises

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NEW EDITION NOW LIVE!!!

ALL MARIE ANNILLA'S BOOKS ARE STANDALONE.

***************************************************
His plan was to abduct her... but she ended up stealing his heart instead.

When Sofiya Melov was just five years old, her father promised to take her to a place where people dined on clouds that tasted like strawberries and drank from lakes of vanilla ice cream. This whimsical vision filled her early years with wonder, but his sudden passing scattered her dreams like leaves in the wind.
Raised under her mother's strict gaze, Sofiya spent the eighteen years following her father's death in a haze, conforming to expectations and rules.



But, one pivotal night changed everything ...



Entangled with the leader of the fearsome Russian mafia clan, the Silas, she found herself immersed in a world where secrets, lust, and darkness reign.
As she slowly unraveled her family mysteries, she unexpectedly found herself drawn to him.

Their journey, fraught with pain and betrayal, ultimately revealed that love can blossom in the most unexpected places.


******



Sinful Promises is a contemporary ennemies to lovers/ forbidden love/ she fell first, he fell harder/ grumpyxsunshine dark romance.
It's book one in the Sinful series but can be read as a standalone.


TRIGGER WARNING:
OW drama+ 1 sex scene (important to the plot)
strong language
death/ suicide
sexual language / scenes

483 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2024

131 people are currently reading
1776 people want to read

About the author

Marie Annilla

4 books87 followers
Marie Anilla's novels are packed with complex, electric, and tantalizingly spicy characters. Her stories have audacious female leads and men who will ignite your wildest fantasies and linger in your dreams.

She writes with one purpose: to ensure every girl finds the man she never knew she craved.

Marie has always dreamed of being a writer, weaving tales that bring her wildest imaginations to life. Living in a quaint village in England, she spends her time reading, writing, or enjoying her garden. When she's not lost in her stories, you'll find her teaching tricks to her mischievous cat, Tiger.

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5 stars
74 (17%)
4 stars
105 (25%)
3 stars
125 (30%)
2 stars
68 (16%)
1 star
40 (9%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 64 reviews
Profile Image for ˚₊‧꒰ა vruxreads ໒꒱ ‧₊˚.
561 reviews74 followers
September 2, 2024
Volk let some ow (who happens to be his favourite past fuck buddy) give him bj and wanted to desperately fuck her but couldn't because Sofiya (the heroine) was on his mind.

He was such a pathetic and looser hero. And no author doesn't write strong heroines.

Gimme all the dark shit and plot I'll devour it. But having ow and H doing sexual stuff is a big no for me.
Profile Image for LoveBooks .
262 reviews161 followers
April 21, 2025
₊˚✧୨ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞. ୧✧˚₊

୨୧ 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 ୨୧
➾ enemies to lovers
➾ forbidden love
➾ she fell first, he fell harder
➾ grumpy x sunshine
➾ obsessed men

¡! 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ¡!
➾ explicit sexual content
➾ strong language
➾ scenes of violence
➾ psychological manipulation
➾ trauma

꒰ঌ 𝐃𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ໒꒱
For all the girlies yearning for raw passion, filthy promises, and downright dirty sex, I've got you.

⊹ ⪩ 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 ⪨ ⊹
I don't know where to start, I liked a lot of things. I'm gonna make this short and say all the things I liked in this book;

1ও- the proposal (spoiler; he proposed twice🤫)
↳ +the letter that he wrote for her was so goooood, I loved it<3
2ও- I liked how obsessed he was with her>>
3ও- the plot twists were crazyyyy, and I liked them
4ও- spicy scenes!!
5ও- Alexsei!! - new book bf alert!

ʚ♡ɞ 𝐅𝐚𝐯 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬/𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬 ʚ♡ɞ
“She had become my addiction, my favorite drug.”

“You look like a fucking Goddess, Sofiya. You’re so beautiful, you look unreal.”

“He looked so painfully beautiful. So painfully mine.”

“Your absence killed my heart, but the sight of your beautiful face just brought it back to life.”

❝𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞.❞

★★★★☆
𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: I've got a really good feeling about this one!!
Profile Image for anii.
138 reviews137 followers
August 25, 2024
This book AHHH!! I’m absolutely obsessed. I freaking loveee dark romance, and this one had me hooked from the start with its perfect blend of tension and chemistry. And that plot twist?!! I’m still in shock over what happened.

I loved everything about this book, from the characters to the writing.
It was so easy to get lost in, and I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to see what Maria writes next I want Alexsei’s BOOKKK. If you haven't read this yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up. You will love itttt!


Profile Image for Ellie (Remu's Version).
39 reviews
October 28, 2024
My brotha this was baaad. I mean it had some good scenes...but it gave me the ick so many times. Anyways starting the second book as we speak.
Profile Image for henrietta ✰.
309 reviews
Read
April 21, 2025
DNF @ 11% — chapter four threw me off BADLY. i need to start reading reviews of these dark romances, because finding out that there is OWD and the guy is an asshole with no character arc? yeah...no. i wasn't too fond of the FMC either: she was very much giving flat and had the aura that she would allow the MMC to walk all over her. i still will give the second book in this series a chance, because that third book was really good!
1 review1 follower
August 22, 2024
Honestly one of the best books i’ve read in a while it had everything it needed to make it THE book. the plot twists, the characters and their development, and the writing it was all so beautifully put together. In this book you can read the effort she puts into her books theres so much emotion in the writing which makes it hands down a 10000/10 book. everyone go grab a copy, get a snack or drink, get comfy and get to reading. Can’t wait to read more from this talented author!❤️
Profile Image for Sabrina.
270 reviews117 followers
September 30, 2025
1.5⭐️

I promise, I really wanted to like it 😭

The story was cool, I guess I liked it. But I hated the writing.. it was so rushed it made most scenes super cringe, some dialogues would’ve made more sense if they were in the inner monologue, the flashbacks of the FMC as a kid sounded too much like adult thoughts, some dialogues made no sense and the word “whore” was used so many times by the MMC (in inner monologue and dialogues) in the first half of the book that I lost count.

Regarding the characters, again because of the writing, I just couldn’t tell if the FMC was supposed to be fragile, brave or feisty ? I really couldn’t tell. One second she was begging for mercy and the next she was giving sassy answers. I guess the MMC was supposed to be seen as cold and detached ? I guess he was, but the insta love… dude was in love with her at the 40% mark- Also, there’s just something about a man calling a woman his wife when he hasn’t even proposed yet that kinda gives me the ick 🥲. And did that dude really say “what do you think ____ would say seeing you like that” talking about the woman she knew growing up as her MOTHER ? Speaking of, the mom trauma dumping on her 9 yo daughter to justify being harsh, and being super descriptive, was not it-

There were still some little sentences in the dialogues that I liked, there were just very few of them :/
Profile Image for ~☆Courtney☆~.
653 reviews13 followers
August 21, 2024
3.5⭐️ thank you Marie for sending me an ARC, this was a great debut and I would recommend this to anyone wanting to get into dark romance.

I sort of got a beauty and the beast vibe, so yes... maybe some Stockholm Syndrome. But we all love a bit of forbidden and unwanted attraction. 🥵

The plot twists were juicy and somethings I were not expecting.. I was shook.

T R O P E S

🖤Virgin fmc
🖤morally grey mmc
🖤Russian mafia
🖤kidnapping
🖤praise kink
🖤he falls first
🖤enemies to lovers
🖤plot twists


Reasons for rating

- While I did enjoy this, there were some things that didn't really need to be mentioned in the story, there fore it dragged.
- I get the fmc was kidnapped... but she didn't need to be crying all the time.
- And what happened to her friend..one minute she's there and the next she's never mentioned.
- There was a lot of back and fourth with wanting each other and pushing each other away.
Profile Image for Luna Bucci.
1 review
August 26, 2024
I’M OBSESSED !!! If you are looking for an amazing, steamy and angsty dark romance, this is the book you need !!🤭🤭 I can’t believe this is a debut novel ! It’s so so good 😩
1 review
August 23, 2024
This was the best yet stressful book I ever read! The ending was amazing! I could read again and again 💕.
Profile Image for Katebooks.
32 reviews1 follower
August 28, 2024
I just love finding out new authors and reading their amazing work. It means the world when an author comes to me and trust me with their book, it makes me feel so special so thank you Marie for giving me this amazing opportunity.

Mafia romance is growing on me and this book was so good, the plot was insane I was so in shock because of how good it was.

Mikhail the fkn man you are. I would never forget you baby and I don't want to either.

Sofiya you're a badass and girl I love you so much.

Their chemistry was everything and the way he was so obsessed with her was just pure perfection. The story is so good that makes you want to read and never stop and then you get to the end of the book and be like: no no no I need more!!!!

I don't like to give spoilers but here's one: he spends 75k just to see her. Who doesn't like a man like that?
190 reviews
August 31, 2024
the plot was all over the place but the interactions between the two main characters was off the charts. i loved the neck kisses and whispers. the mmc falls for the mmc after he captured her for her supposed dad. i’m still confused on all that. he softens and can’t stand to see her in pain. the mmc is mad at the situation but sees the fmc as an innocent. the fmc seems to be always a little attractied to the mmc but she falls as well but is scared of getting hurt. the enemies to lovers trope in this book is top tier! it broke my heart when the fmc went to the US but i was happy once the mmc came to confess his feelings for her. this is a pretty quick book for me bc i skim the chapters with straight plot bc i was confused.
Profile Image for Sarah.
152 reviews
October 10, 2024
I got to the 62% mark and was just so bored. I don't really care about the FMC or the MMC because they feel very one-dimensional. The FMC is this sheltered girl who never had broad exposure to the world. There is not more depth than that, but the premise of the FMC being naive to the bratva world and getting introduced to it could have been good. What exactly is redeemable about the MMC? He just seems like bratva stereotype who immediately just simps for the FMC? Why??? What attracted the MMC to the FMC?? Then like earlyish he is with OW thinking about how he wants the ~* virginal *~ FMC. The ending is cute though!

Honestly, it would help if this book was edited a bit more and the characters were made more dimensional. The twist with the parents and some of the quotes was really bffr. A Maya Angelou quote????

TW: Cheating/OW/some gore I guess/Mary Sue
Profile Image for YamiLawson.
44 reviews
August 22, 2024
This book is just perfect. The MMC is a green flag for her but a black flag for others. He got long Hair and he’s Russian 😏😍😍😍Sofia is so cute and reliable . The age gap is worth it and the book is booking 💅 period . Can’t wait to have it in paper 🫶🏻
Profile Image for EZY&#x1f4d6;&#x1fab4;.
52 reviews
November 10, 2024
This was an amazing read!! I had so much fun and I’m so grateful to have received the ARC for this book. 🥰💕
Profile Image for Val.
17 reviews2 followers
September 24, 2024
“I would journey to the depth of the earth just to feel your touch again. I would face death over and over to hear your laughter. I would humble myself to taste your kiss”

When I say I love this man, I mean I LOVE THIS MAN.

Sinful promises is a mafia romance with dual POV and just so happens be enemies to lovers.
This story follows our FMC Sofiya who is finally being let out from under her mother’s thumb and coming into her own after being home schooled and moving constantly since leaving Russia at an early age. She is in college and finally has a semblance of independence and friendship. That is until she shows up to her mother’s office and everything she thought she knew, changes.

Volk is our MMC in this story and all I can say is, wheww🥵
I love and live for a man that is wicked in more than one way, if you catch my drift. 😉
Volk is a man that was sent to capture Sofiya or so he thought until he was also tasked with babysitting her. Which isn’t what he had in mind when there are more important things to take care of than to watch some naive girl who has no idea what she’s dealing with. Between making sure she’s kept alive as well as leaving her clues as to what is happening to her, along the way Volk cannot deny the attraction that is electric between them.

I thourghly enjoyed the chemistry between these two characters and loved to see the elements in which they brought out in each other. If you enjoy mafia romances and dual POV please do yourself a favor and pick up this read.
DONT FORGET TO READ THE TRIGGERED WARNINGS AND BE MINDFUL

158 reviews2 followers
Want to read
September 20, 2024
yuck
pur si simplu nu-mi place cum scrie autoarea asta. zici ca face o compunere de generala
a si de unde e toata ura exagerata a aluia...ca dupa, in urmatorul capitol, sa zica de ea ca e a lui.
totul e cringe si mi-am luat second hand embarassment maxim.
O sa raman la autoarele mele faine
Profile Image for Alina.
741 reviews
manwhore-mmc
August 9, 2025
Note : note safe
He gets a bj and wanted to fuck ow but didnt because h was on his mind
Profile Image for Myriam.
126 reviews24 followers
August 22, 2024
It's hard to believe this is the author's debut novel—it’s that impressive! 😍
As a dark romance, it hits all the right notes: it's angsty, a slow burn, incredibly spicy 🌶️, and that plot twist? I’m still reeling from it. I didn’t see it coming at all!

I can’t recommend this book enough, and I’m eagerly anticipating her next release—fingers crossed 🤞 it's about Alexsei Romaniev! Sofiya’s story was a highlight for me; she felt so real and relatable, almost like she was living my own experiences.

It was also a very easy read!

And the nickname the MMC gave her? It’s making me want to learn Russian immediately. Seriously, you need to get this book!

Tropes :

- forbidden romance
- forced proximity
- Russian mafia
- kidnapping
- he falls first and HARD
- and crazy plot twists
Profile Image for moodreaderjessi.
164 reviews4 followers
August 29, 2024
𝔖𝔦𝔫𝔣𝔲𝔩 𝔓𝔯𝔬𝔪𝔦𝔰𝔢𝔰 by @authormarieannilla

What a ride to be strapped into 🤪 I honestly had zero idea what to expect when stepping into this new mafia world but I was left completely satisfied and happy as a clam with our two lovers 🖤

The story follows Sofiya, a girl who has had to endure a lot of strife and heartbreak in her short life but also has lived under the radar with her mother. Unknowingly what she was born into until she stumbles upon the man who will become “the king of Russia”.

Mikhail has also endured a dark past riddled with grief. He’s heartless, and cruel but maybe our little darling is the key to his undoing 😏

Fantastic job Marie, I cannot wait to see what’s in store next!!
Profile Image for Megan.
104 reviews
March 15, 2025
3.25
It was good. I enjoyed the storyline and progression. Personally, I felt that there wasn’t much character development for either main characters. we saw some at the end and in the epilogue from the MMC, but the FMC pretty much stays the same. There were a couple of typos I found (which not typically a big deal, we’re all human), however in some areas, they were significant enough to affect the clarity of the intended meaning. I did also feel like there was some unnecessary length, IMO towards the end the filler bits were a smidge too long.
But it was a good time! Will be continuing the series
2 reviews
August 23, 2024
- This book is amazing on so many levels. If you’re looking for tension, development, a spicy love story, etc. This is the book for you.

- The plot is solid, the writing is immaculate, the characters are really well made, and you can just see the effort that the author put into this story. Skipping past this book is not something I would ever tell someone to do.

I’d recommend reading ALL of her books. They’re all good very good reads.

Love Marie and people need to stop sleeping on her books!!!
Profile Image for Larissa .
9 reviews
August 23, 2024
Girl, let me just say that ur writing is just IMMACULATE. Sinful promises was my first book on Wattpad, and I am so damn grateful that I came across it on TikTok. The plot was soooo nice and ur book has me thinking up at night. The amount of spice is SO PERFECT. And PLEASE NEVER QUESTION UR WRITING. U are such a talented writer and I can’t find any reason why people shouldn’t read this book. U deserve a lot and I can imagine u being a best selling author. Love u bestieee💕💕
Ty for reading this lol.
14 reviews
September 10, 2024
Simply amazing

Honestly one of the best books i’ve read in a while it had everything it needed to make it THE book. the plot twists, the characters and their development, and the writing it was all so beautifully put together. In this book you can read the effort she puts into her books theres so much emotion in the writing which makes it hands down a 10000/10 book. everyone go grab a copy, get a snack or drink, get comfy and get to reading. Can’t wait to read more from this talented author!❤️
Profile Image for Brittany.
681 reviews9 followers
December 16, 2024
sinful promises

Okay excuse me but I will happily add this to another successful win of a threads find! We all know I’m such a sucker for mafia romances so this was definitely going to be something I needed. I absolutely fell in love with Volk and Sofiya. Their love story is a bit twisted and poor Sofiya doesn’t even know that her life is literally about to go up in flames. Honestly there’s so many twists and it just keeps you on your toes the entire time. I cannot wait for more of this series!
Profile Image for Reem.
12 reviews
Read
September 4, 2025
This novel was pure torture! I hated it so much and almost quit reading it multiple times. Sure, it had a few good moments, but the plot was terrible. There was no major 'wow' event or any real stakes.

It's labeled as a dark romance, but it doesn't feel like one at all. The mafia elements are so superficial and barely there. The whole thing is just... depressing. I forced myself to finish it, but I have no idea how to rate it. Whenever I think about it, I just remember how much it hurt to read.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 64 reviews

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