3.75⭐
Serving Sin is my first introduction to both the author Angelina M Lopez and the series, and unfortunately I found it a hard read not because of the subjects raised, but because the world in which Roman exists was just so foreign to me, and my lack of knowledge of the characters, the world they live and their histories impacted my enjoyment of the story. Not to mention the pacing was very slow.

But I liked the characters and felt very much for Cen who is struggling to prove herself not just in an industry dominated by men, but to her father, and even Roman whom she secretly helped after he rescued her from kidnappers some years ago.

And I definitely got the impression the author cared not only about the subjects she raised which include rape, PTSD, and misogyny. But about the characters too.

And it certainly was a well-written story that focuses more on the characters, their emotions and connections than it does on the romance, but it worked; and perhaps if I'd read the earlier stories I would've liked it more. But sadly the slowness of how Serving Sin unfolded just put me off that possibility. However, it has not put me off reading more from this author in the future, and I'm sure fans of the series will enjoy this final story.

This book is all about the story, the connection, the emotional roller-coaster. The sex in secondary and that suits this story development just fine. I really enjoyed it. It was very different from the first two books. Cen knew she wanted Roman from the get go. It was so sweet to read their evolution. It's really fast paced. There's a lot of trials and tribulations here but it was worth it at the end. I'm a big fan of this author now. All the characters from the other books are very present on this one. This is a keeper.

I voluntarily reviewed this ARC on my own voluption. Thanks the publisher via Netgalley.

I really wish that I had known that there was some (mostly off-page) depiction of rape in this book; I would have saved it for another time. I had really enjoyed the first book in this series when I read it a couple years ago and thought this book would be similar. The topics in this one were weightier which I wasn't expecting. I'm also not a huge fan of time hops which this book used to fill in backstory. This will be a book enjoyed by readers who like a powerful heroine and a man who isn't afraid to let her do her thing but also by readers who are prepared for a little more grit in their romance.
Cenobia "Cen" Trujillo is her father's heir apparent. But manufacturing in Mexico isn't exactly ready for a female to be in charge. Nor for her to introduce new technology to the automotive industry and someone is sending her threats. So she seeks hep from the one man she knows can keep her safe, the same one who rescued her thirteen years ago, Roman Sheppard.
Roman has dark secrets in his past, things that keep him from reaching for happiness. Even knowing that Cen (who he can't seem to call be the name she prefers) is the one who helped pull his adopted country out of debt just makes her more out of reach. He finds her power sexy which is pretty awesome in a hero, even one who needs to pull his head out of his own butt in order to get to an HEA.

Four stars
Follows Hate Crush
This book comes out May 25th, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Carina Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I have really enjoyed Angelina M. Lopez’s spectacularly soapy Filthy Rich series. The series has the melodrama and glamour of a 1980’s nighttime soap, but with a lot less misogyny. Lopez centers the stories around strong women who fight to be on top in their chosen profession. The stories sprawl across time and continents, but (mostly) stay focused on the romance. Serving Sin tightens up some of the excesses of Hate Crush.

One of the joys of a romance series is knowing that interesting side characters are likely to get their own stories. In the first book of the series, Roman was the enigmatic, possibly nefarious, recently revealed bastard son of the King of Monte del Vino Real. Spoiler for Lush Money, Roman was enigmatic, but not nefarious. Roman has hovered on the outskirts of his recently discovered family, being interesting and mysterious. In Serving Sin, he’s still interesting, but we finally get to know him.

Thirteen years earlier, Roman had rescued Cenobia from kidnappers. Now Cen is the acting CEO of her family’s car company and about to revolutionize the Mexican car market. Cen is a great character – strong and dynamic enough to make Roman upend everything he has ever thought about himself. Sophia and Cen both have to battle against men entrenched in their power who don’t want change, and certainly not change led by a woman. She is magically always well dressed, even while on the run for her life. I loved it.

The only thing I wanted less of was calling Roman a warrior prince. That’s very much a personal taste issue.

I’m putting one content warning behind a spoiler tag because it is something that will be triggering for some people. Spoiler: When she was being held hostage, she was raped by one of her kidnappers, became pregnant, and had a son who has been raised as her brother. End Spoiler. Content warnings: violence, past kidnapping, past sexual assault, misogyny.

I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As all of the books in this trilogy have been, Serving Sin is wonderfully soapy (that's a compliment in my book) and fun and sexy, though this one has a touch more angst to it (CW for past sexual assault, kidnapping, PTSD) than the other two. I loved Cen, who, like Lopez's other heroines, is a brilliant badass. I liked Roman a lot--not quite an alpha, not quite a cinnamon roll, but strong and protective and gentle and careful with Cen. The thing I didn't like about Roman was him not calling Cen by the name she wanted him to call her, especially when she insisted on it, just because her name sounds like "sin."

The one thing that I didn't feel worked with Roman's character was his getting involved with Cen while she was still his client. For a man who prides himself on his professionalism and dedication to the case, I felt like he would have tried to fight those impulses harder, if only to remain objective to keep her safe.

Serving Sin is a fabulous end to this trilogy!

Roman and Cen are magnificent. I love the backstory of him saving her, and how strong and brilliant she is. I guessed the twists, but it didn’t dampen my enjoyment at all. This entire series is just magnificent and their love story was a perfect addition to it!