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Seven Sexy Sins #6

A Marriage Fit for a Sinner

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The sixth book in the multi-author mini-series, Seven Sexy Sins

‘Now, il mio angelo, I make you mine.’

Billionaire Zaccheo Giordano walks out of prison with one thing on his mind — revenge on the treacherous Pennington family who put him there. And he’ll start with his ex-fiancée Eva Pennington.

When Zaccheo demands she wear his ring again to save her family from his wrath, Eva has to agree. At least a marriage in name only means she won’t have to reveal the painful truth that she’s infertile. Until Zaccheo makes it clear their marriage will be real in every sense, including giving him an heir…

Seven Sexy Sins ~ The true taste of temptation!

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Harlequin Presents brings you the multi-author Seven Sexy Sins miniseries …
From greed to gluttony, lust to envy, these fabulous stories explore what seven sexy sins mean in the twenty-first century!
Book 1: To Sin With The Tycoon by Cathy Williams
Book 2: The Sheikh's Sinful Seduction by Dani Collins
Book 3: The Sins of Sebastian Rey-Defoe by Kim Lawrence
Book 4: A Taste of Sin by Maggie Cox
Book 5: The Sinner's Marriage Redemption by Annie West
Book 6: A Marriage Fit for a Sinner by Maya Blake
Book 7: The Innocent's Sinful Craving by Sara Craven

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 20, 2015

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Maya Blake

648 books204 followers

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5 stars
109 (28%)
4 stars
124 (32%)
3 stars
110 (28%)
2 stars
32 (8%)
1 star
12 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for Alex is The Romance Fox.
1,461 reviews1,241 followers
December 31, 2015
2,5 stars....because I liked the hero...

A Marriage Fit for a Sinner by Maya Blake is the 6th book in the Seven
Sexy Sins series and this one is based on “wrath”.
Poor Italian billionaire Zaccheo Giordano!! After what the perfidious Pennington family put him through the last two years….I would want my revenge too!!!

Wrongly accused and framed for a crime he did not commit, Zaccheo first thought on his mind after his release from prison is to bring down that family……starting with his ex-fiancée, Eva Pennington, who turned her back on him when he went to jail.

He demands that she marries him after breaking up with her new fiancée….i loved Zaccheo's entrance to that party…..agrees to fathering a child with him…and if she refuses? He will destroy her entire family!!

Heavy!!!

I actually felt for the hero though his reasons for wanting to marry a title so he could enter the aristocratic world as a bit beyond me!!!!! But I believed that he actually loved Eva….what a damn fool, I thought!!
Someone who professed to love him and then turns her back on him when things get tough!! And her wanting to do everything to save her family, including marrying a total idiot was such …give me a moment to….
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And devious too…..keeping her secret that would have a terrible outcome for Zaccheo…………No, I never believed that she ever loved him!!! Poor guy!!! I so did not feel any chemistry between these two.

This wasn’t an awful book, just not a “WOWING ME “one.

1st reviewed in Oct 2015
I have enjoyed some of this author’s books, so I was expecting another good one.

A Marriage fit for a Sinner, her latest one, which is part of the Seven Sexy Sins Series, started off rather well!!!
What could be more dramatic but the hero’s entrance of landing a helicopter, which he’s in control of, in the midst of a firecracker display of note, on the lawn of a huge estate, where he plans to cause some beyond mayhem…..

Okay, so the hero, Italian millionaire, has just been released from prison where he’s served a 2 year sentence for something he had been framed and he’s got nothing else on his mind but to get his revenge on the people who did him wrong.

Those people happen to be the aristocratic Pennington family. Hell this family is beyond redemption. Greedy and wicked father, just as wicked daughter and the other daughter? Well, she sells herself to anyone with money so that she can save her family from ruin! Now, one would think that this poor martyr, Eva Pennington, would get our sympathy? Right? Wrong!!!!

She absolutely drove me up the wall!!!! Her behavior and how she handled things was so so stupid and dumb. Why the hell Zacchero would ever want me is beyond me.

So Zacchero does a lot of blackmailing….hot and cold towards poor old Eva…back and forth they both go! And then there’s that infernal inner dialogue that the two go through!!!

You know what made this book for me? Zacchero’s brother, Romeo. I absolutely adored him and I can’t wait for his own book. And that’s one of the reasons I am giving a 3 star rating and also for the plot which I thought was pretty good.

Okay, I’m ready for you Romeo!!!
Profile Image for Vashti.
1,233 reviews29 followers
October 4, 2015
What better way to make an entrance than to land a helicopter admist a blaze of pyrotechnics that you flew personally on the lawn of an engagement party of a stately home.Now who would make an entrance like this you ask,well,I' ll tell you.....the hero of this book,Zacchero is who.......Zacchero,ex convict,newly released from a 15 month prison stay,wrongfully accused is now hellbent on exacting revenge on the entire Pennington family for sending him to prison for crimes he did not commit.First on his list is younger daughter and ex fiancée,Eva who the engagement party is for,but not for long when Zacchero sets his plan for revenge and atonement in place.Marriage and an heir is the terms that is demanded and the clearing of his name.
What a fantastic read this turned out to be.Though the inner dialogues were long and wordy,I was reading this and loving every moment.Towards the latter part of the book,I was choking up for this couple and just feeling their pain.Maya Blake wrote a highly intense read with such a sizzling chemistry between this couple.I must make a mention of the hero's description as I want him for my book boyfriend.Huge,built like a mack truck,long flowing hair to his shoulders,a beard that is so sexy that the heroine loved too lol.And he is Italian,my weakness.
Am going to say,an enjoyable read,hero to die for,wonderful epilogue that had me smiling and Romeo.....His book is up next and I for one cannot wait to read it.
Profile Image for Esther .
960 reviews197 followers
April 5, 2023
Reread and still keeping it at 4 star rating.

Reread. This wasn't as good the second time around. But definitely a solid 4.0 rating.

I really enjoyed this HP!!!

Not going to say much about the plot, synopsis gives a good preview. Just a quick overview.

Great opening pages with some gripping scenes!!!Had me hooked from page one.

I really liked Zaccheo, the hero. He was alpha, somewhat obsessed with the heroine, full of angst and determined to have her at all cost. Eva, our heroine was strong, kind hearted and dedicated to her family. She also wrestled with her attraction/feeling for Zaccheo, but wasn't afraid to speak her mind or stand up to him.

Really great pacing in this book!! Started and couldn't put it down till I finished it at 1:30 AM. Wasn't really a normal or predictable HP, great ending and loved the epilogue!!!

This author is becoming one of my favorite in HP.
Profile Image for Vintage.
2,715 reviews721 followers
October 10, 2019
Hoo boy. It's page one, the first sentence and we are off to the HP races.

ONE PLATINUM CHRONOGRAPH WATCH. A pair of diamond-studded cufflinks. Gold signet ring. Six hundred and twenty-five pounds cash, and...Obsidian Privilege Card.

An Obsidian Privilege Card. Only in HPland.

Review:
This is one for the angst junkies. Unfortunately for all that the hero emotes and broods and dotes, the heroine simply sucks the oxygen and fun out of the book. There is innocent and trusting then there is stupid and a pushover. I'm all for family loyalty and would have done anything for my dad, martyrdom and all, but then he never shoved m aside for an older sibling, was condescending, set up my boyfriend to take the heat, and never committed fraud. Go Dad! You would think, just maybe, the heroine would have questioned. doubted, challenged the claim that the hero was guilty of whatever he was guilty of? Yeah, HP, I know.

As Vashti mentions in her review, the H swoops in in a helicopter to whisk the heroine away after he lays down what a snake her father is. In the days that follow the heroine calls her father and sister but never gets an answer. So just get in a taxi and hunt them down. Her lack of sympathy/empathy over the heroes stint in prison as she wallows in self-pity over everything is pathetic. Yes, the hero leers over her, but still manages to make sure she is safe at her nightclub job, is eating, gets a decent wedding gown, and need I go on? I’ve made it clear about my opinion of heroes behaving badly and the same standards apply to this bland fish-stick of a heroine.

She does improve as the story goes on, but the honors go to the hero in this one.

For me, a 2 star, but the overall angst raises it to a three.
Profile Image for Jenny.
3,160 reviews558 followers
October 3, 2015
Book starts with hero Zaccheo walking out of prison. He is obsessed with revenge on the family who put him there and his ex-fiancée, Eva. When Zaccheo demands she wear his ring again to save her father from prison and disgrace, Eva agrees. But Eva is afraid of how Zaccheo will react once he finds out that she can't give him what he wants most: children.

I just loved this book. Zaccheo is an alpha hero literally walking off the page who leaves you breathless and wanting to read more. And the moment when Eva fainted? God, the epilogue and Zaccheo's love for his children had me melting into a puddle of swoons! I love it when H/h have twins, I find it super cute. I loved the chemistry and intensity between Eva and Zaccheo and read the book in a day.

Can not wait to read Romeo's story!
Profile Image for StMargarets.
3,226 reviews634 followers
October 3, 2019
Revenge story started out with a bang when the just-out-of-prison-for-a-crime-he-didn’t-commit Hero helicopters into the heroine’s engagement party during a fireworks display. The hero threatens the h’s father for manufacturing false evidence and then takes the heroine with him to London.

From there the story loses its edge as the hero uses shopping for engagement rings as revenge and the H/h swap stories of their parents and their angsty childhoods.

Not content with false imprisonment, revenge, mob families, and pursuit of a song-writing career, the author also loaded the plot down with infertility and miracle twins. Through all of this the hero was a nice guy and the heroine was bewildered and defensive and blindly loyal to that family that never got the proper comeuppance.

*sigh* My metaphorical kingdom for a decent revenge story!
2,343 reviews
January 30, 2016
4.5 stars.

Another enjoyable and entertaining read by Maya Blake. This was Maya's contribution to the Seven Sexy Sins miniseries with her focus being Wrath, which was a main feature in the story mainly Zaccheo. Not that he didn't have a right to be angry because he certainly did but his wrath knew no bounds. The person subjected to that wrath most was the heroine Eva, a person who didn't deserve it most of all but because of circumstances and misconceptions was burnt the most of all.

I enjoyed the set up and how the story began. How can it start off with more of a bang with a vengeful Zaccheo being released from prison after being incarcerated for a year and a half for a crime he didn't commit and was set up by her former fiancee's father. Talk about a twist in the gut and lots of wrath building beneath the surface just waiting to be released. Combined with the fact Eva broke up with him a few days prior to arrest spelled betrayal to Zaccheo and also feel that she was in on it from the start. So lots of conflict and tension before the pair meets once again. So set up was great and I felt like I was right in the action and drawn in immediately by the concept.

Eva and Zaccheo had mad chemistry with the tension so thick between them a knife could cut it. Lots of fireworks going on as well as tension due not only to the present situation but the past as well due to hurt feelings and misunderstanding. It was fun to see it all play out on the page. The tension was delicious and just what I crave in a romance novel. It got pretty steamy at moments because their chemistry and tension I thought they might explode. It was just a good back and forth all the way through and how he used blackmail to keep her close. He meant serious business.

What I was a little disappointed with was the lack of love scenes in the story. There was just so much sexual tension between them and all this build up I was expecting some major hot sexy times between them but sadly there was only one proper love scene. Now don't get me wrong that scene was great and hot and sexy and had that emotional connection I like to see from their first time scene but that was it. I was expecting more scenes like that one to show more of their development as a couple as well as how feelings were growing between them. There were a couple more times they made love but it was just regulated to a sentence or two and nothing more. I felt I was being told what was happening between them than being shown. I just wanted to see more of their passion for one another after that first time.

There was a good amount of angst in the story. It was just right. I loved it had angst in it as well as that friction between them. I love that they had a frought history between them with lots of misunderstanding that caused them to act certain ways because of them. It just created that intensity to their story and raised the emotional stakes surrounding them. It was really good.

The characters I liked them but they weren't my favorite characters of all time. They both had complicated family situations to contend with that it caused conflict in their own love story. And I understood them and why they acted liked they did but at times they frustrated me. Like Eva dragging out telling him her secret it seemed to take forever. I was like just tell him. At least she did tell him and he didn't find out another way but I wished it was a bit sooner and not put off as far it was because she was just obsessing until she got it off his chest. And I was kind of disappointed in him and his cowardly way he avoided her near the end. It kind of put me off of him when I supported him and sympathized with him for the majority of the book. It just didn't sit well with me. I don't know.

Overall I did really like this book. It was a nice blend of angst, tension and passion that created a conflict riddled love story that needed to get a happily ever after. The story's flow was good and I was engaged pretty early on and was never bored. Wanted a little bit more sexy scenes on the island but the one big love scene was pretty good and very hot so it kind of made up for it. It was a good story and another winner by Maya Blake.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Xai Xai.
347 reviews28 followers
August 21, 2016
wow! wow! wow! An alpha with an undeserved bad boy reputation. 'Sizzling' and Scorching if I may say so! The H is ' to die for'. He evolved from a polished , pretty boy to a bulky, rough edged , 'sizzling' hunk! Didn't know jail could 'sexyrise' a man.The sex appeal of a bulky H with long hair and beard .OMG! I loved that! Phew! Our H had issues with blue bloods and aristocrats because of harsh and cruel treatments. He was betrayed by the h family. Wrongfully incarcerated he served his time and zeroed in with the intention of ripping away their lives.He forces marriage on the h and demanded an heir. The h had compassion, humility,strength and talent. She met every ',ying' to his 'yang'. Her secret tested their happiness, love and marriage. His quest for revenge literally tore everyone's lives and piece them back together from the moment she walked down the aisle. This was an awesome read.The H reminds me of the H in Michelle Reid's 'Golden Ring of Betrayal'. The passion and possessiveness!!!! Looking FWD to more reads from this author!!!
Profile Image for Rgreader.
734 reviews54 followers
January 1, 2016
A Marriage Fit for a Sinner began with fireworks. I hoped it would continue on that explosive path. Unfortunately the heroine enabling her bad relatives and the hero not getting the justice for himself rather ruined a potentially great romance. Even the epilogue was a let down with the heroine still in contact with her bad daddy.

This Presents had potential. It gets 3 stars for the great beginning.
Profile Image for Fanniny Moreno Zavaleta.
465 reviews101 followers
October 21, 2017
DNF
I don't even remember where did I stop reading and started skimming then stopped and re-started but when I realized I was reading the epilogue 🙃

I'm not a fan of the kind of heroine that claimed she loved the H with all her heart but never ever visited him in jail or try to get an explanation of why he "committed" the crime.
And then it's the H the one that has to prove his love to her by forgiving the man (her dad) that set him (the H) up to go to prison for a crime committed by daddy dearest. Besides daddy dearest was never good to the h and his change of heart didn't convince me at all, I couldn't forget the H's observations of how cynical, selfish, conniving and evil the h's dad and sister were and that's how they stayed in mind.

Conclusion: I wanted blood more than the H did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for 3houd.
463 reviews182 followers
July 27, 2019
After spending fourteen months in prison paying for a crime he didn't commit, our hero Zaccheo Giordano (I kept calling him Zucchini but whatever) walks out with one thing on his mind. Taking his revenge from the Pennington family which was the reason of his downfall. So, he decides to avenge himself by forcing his ex-fiance Eva Pennington to leave her new fiance in the engagement party and get engaged to him (of course you CAN see the logic!).
This book was one of the seven sexy sins series, it's based on 'Wrath', though the hero wasn't actually as angry as I thought him would be, just bitter and unreasonable. He was likable, the heroine was a tad dull but ok. The book really started well and continued beautifully until well after the middle, but alas, the ending was stupid, rush and lacking, I didn't like it. But a good book altogether.
Profile Image for atomickitten.
1,000 reviews162 followers
February 20, 2024
3-3.5 stars

I love Maya Blake, I absolutely do, but this book wasn't as good as some of the others I've tried. It was still a good read, just something was missing.

And the heroine wasn't exactly my cuppa.

But yeah, still a very relaxing read.


Profile Image for Vee.
715 reviews204 followers
May 26, 2019
4.75 stars!

What a great story.. It could be one of my fav but sadly and weirdly it didn't touch me deep enough to have all my 5 stars. The miracle babies are a great touch. I believe the hero loved the heroine and vice versa. Love both MOCs.
Profile Image for Shatarupa  Dhar.
620 reviews84 followers
June 18, 2018
This is the first book I am reading of the series, and 'Wrath' is the sin on which the story revolves. And what a revenge story it is! My first M&B where the book starts from the male protagonist being released from prison. Also, HP comes of age; social media messages, hashtags etc. in print here, completely steeped in reality. But where is my long-haired, bearded picture of Zaccheo on the front cover? Not fair.
‘I love you, Eva. More than my life, more than everything I’ve ever dared to dream of. You helped me redeem my soul when I thought it was lost.’

Looking forward to reading the other books in the series. As well as Brunetti's Secret Son, Zaccheo's friend, Romeo's own story.
Profile Image for RomLibrary.
5,789 reviews
June 8, 2021
Billionaire Zaccheo Giordano walks out of prison with one thing on his mind — revenge on the treacherous Pennington family who put him there. And he’ll start with his ex-fiancée Eva Pennington.

When Zaccheo demands she wear his ring again to save her family from his wrath, Eva has to agree. At least a marriage in name only means she won’t have to reveal the painful truth that she’s infertile. Until Zaccheo makes it clear their marriage will be real in every sense, including giving him an heir… (less)
Profile Image for Sudakshina.
280 reviews
November 14, 2015
It was a drag fest! We had a poor little rich heroine who was mopping so much in the end that she drove me crazy. An alpha hero who was on a misguided revenge trip till he realized he loved the poor little rich heroine too much. A happily ever after ensued with the hero forgiving the heroine's father for framing him and sending him, an innocent man to the prison.


Profile Image for Sania.
939 reviews
September 28, 2025
Standalone/Cliffhanger: Standalone
Ages of H and h:
Was There Descriptive Sex:
Descriptive Sex &/Or Drama Between H/h With OW/OM: No
>>If So, Before or After H/h Hookup:
Contains Cheating:
Amount of Sex In The Book:
HEA/HFN/etc Ending:
Will This Meet My 'Safety Gang' Buddies' Approval: Yes
Any Triggers/Warnings: Yes
>>Detail:
Do You Recommend This Book: Yes.
Will You Re-read This Book: No
Would You Read More Books By This Author: Yes

My Thoughts
Enjoyable story, very fast paced
Profile Image for Alison.
1,854 reviews16 followers
October 11, 2022
This has your typical revenge alpha male taking out all his anger and bitterness on the heroine of the story.

I love the angst of this scenario, but this story didn’t quite deliver it in the right way (for me).

It was a quick and easy read- with no attachment to the characters whatsoever- yet, still entertaining enough.

2.5 ⭐️’s



SPOILER CW/TW:

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Endometriosis, reference to infertility, successful pregnancy and birthing, blackmailing, coercion, abandonment, unhealthy familial relationship
Profile Image for Karim Lalani.
104 reviews
July 16, 2019
A hugely enjoyable MODERN by the very talented Maya Blake. I believe this is the fourth- maybe fifth of her books for Mills &Boon that I have read now and while I felt it took a while for the story to come alive for me, once I'd got into it, I could see that all the hallmarks of fine story-telling that she puts into her books were resplendently presented on the page. This comes highly recommended to her legion of fans who will devour it!!
Profile Image for Uxia.
14 reviews1 follower
June 4, 2017
I don't believe that the H loves the h even for a moment. No romance at all in my opinion.

The revenge is also absurd and I never understand why she goes along with H's blackmail.
195 reviews20 followers
dnf
July 1, 2022
Note to self: Hero and heroine were happily engaged before. False arrest. Then the heroine is engaged to om. He kisses her in front of the H.
Profile Image for Izzie d.
4,305 reviews362 followers
April 24, 2017
Another hero who blamed the innocent woman, treats her badly when he really loves her and then says I love you and all is forgiven.
710 reviews12 followers
October 28, 2015
Maya Blake always writes wonderful stories , however she has written such an excellent story that you will not want to put it down till the end. She writes about Zaccheo Giordano who is imprisoned for something he didn't do but was set up by Oscar Pennington the father of Eva who he was briefly engaged to. When he is released he has revenge on his mind and the first order of business is breaking up Eva's engagement party in a spectacular way. I am not giving away any more of this story it has to be read by all romance readers. It is an amazing story that has everything and more that us romance lovers want and then a dose of more. Even her secondary character are wonderful, how she deals with family issues and the darkness that Zaccheo feels rules his life. I couldn't wait to see what would happen but also hated for the end. A KEEPER . I am anxiously awaiting her next book which is about a secondary character Romeo and maybe if we are lucky Zaccheo and Eva will make an appearance. What a fantastic book.......
21 reviews
January 30, 2016
8/10. I liked the start of this book and then lost interest when the hero was forcing her into marriage and organising her life (picking up all her belongings/furniture from her bedsit and relocating them to her suite in his apartment into the exact same setup as it was in her bedsit) however the story picked up again and became a page turner. Enjoyed this book, enjoyed the characters, they both definitely had chemistry, but why he kept away so long after she told him her secret I don't know. It was 2months at least. Happy ending as always and would read this author again.
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