I knew going into When Sinners Hate it would be darker and grittier than When Sinners Fall. The male protagonist of this installment, Abel Cortez, is cold, calculated and downright dangerous. He is not someone whose path you would want to cross, even on his best of days. The authors presented his character in a way that readers will either hate him or admire him for his loyalty.
It's easy to think you know hate. That was the plan. But I knew nothing of hate before I met him. Note: The House Of Skin Series deals with themes some may be uncomfortable with. These are bad men who make no apologies for their particular trade. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: When Sinners Hate
Author(s): Rachel De Lune, Charlotte E. Hart
Series: House of Skin #2
Also in this series: Darker Shades , When Sinners Fall, When Sinners Dare , When Sinners Fear, When Sinners Rise
Published by Self Published on February 27, 2023
Pages: 319
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Source: Author 
Purchase: Amazon
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Especially when you're set on revenge.
Men are all the same, and getting them to bend to my will has never been a challenge. I'd just break whichever Cortez brother I had to marry and let him feel my wrath, because this was my chance to finally prove myself to my father.
He was a monster hiding in plain sight, wearing fine, cut cloth and pouring champagne. And after that day, he broke me.
Abel Cortez. Menacing. Possessive. Cruel.
My enemy.
My husband.
Abel Cortez is no prince charming. He’s intense, cold and ruthless. To make matters worse, he is involved in the most despicable business: human trafficking. Definitely not someone you can love, but one whom you can admire for his loyalty to his family. Family comes first for Abel, and woe be unto the person who made the mistake of trying to hurt any of his family members.
“I’m nowhere near a good man. Never have been and don’t intend to be. But I am a good brother.”
Abel Cortez is no prince charming. He’s intense, cold and ruthless. To make matters worse, he is involved in the most despicable business: human trafficking. Definitely not someone you can love, but one whom you can admire for his loyalty to his family. Family comes first for Abel, and woe be unto the person who made the mistake of trying to hurt any of his family members.
Alexia (Lexi) Ortega sought revenge for the murder of the brother. The best way to get it was by marrying one of the Cortez brothers. She hoped to use her charms to get her way, but she never counted on Abel being the one she would have to marry. Suffice it to say, those charms would never work on a man like Abel.
Abel and Lexi’s relationship held high levels of toxicity. Hate, anger, and the need for revenge fueled their relationship, and their damaged pasts didn’t help the situation. Abel did time in prison for murder and Lexi father used her as a sexual pawn in illegal business activities.
Throughout the story, Abel and Lexi fought each other every step of the way. She pushed, and he pulled. Eventually, Abel got her to be honest with herself, stand up for herself, draw on her inner strength and ditch the manipulative bitchiness. Not only do readers get to see the real Lexi, they see some ‘redemptive’ qualities in Abel.
When Sinners Hate is a dark, enemies to lovers romance which is not for the faint of heart. The abysmal treatment of women will make you cringe. None of the characters will ever be candidates for sainthood. Their actions were brutal and downright evil. This is the second book in the series, however, it needs be read in order of release. Each book features a different couple, however, there’s an over-reaching story arc which picks up in each book beginning with the novella.
Readers who enjoy romance stories featuring anti-heroes and lots triggers will definitely enjoy When Sinners Hate.
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About Charlotte E. Hart
Charlotte is a Dark Erotic Suspense/Romance author living in the heart of the Shropshire countryside in Great Britain. She’s lived all over the UK, but finally settled in a small town that still reeks of old school England. Writing and poetry have become a revolution for the soul, and she cherishes every second that she’s sitting at the laptop tapping her way into a new character. “Life is a torrent of differences, different needs and wants, and it doesn’t always end that well. Yet we strive …” Most of Charlotte’s work is intended for mature audiences only.
About Rachel De Lune
Rachel began scribbling her stories in the pages of a notebook several years ago and still can’t resist putting pen to real paper. What ifs are turned into heartfelt stories of love where there will always be a HEA. Rachel lives in the South West of England and if she’s not writing HEAs, she’s probably reading them. She is a wife and has a beautiful daughter.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
This definitely sounds like it tests the boundaries, and a solid dark romance. Just love an intense story.
Great review.
This sure is dark, but it’s nice to hear that they both grow and learn.
I think I’ll skip this one.
Talk about playing the long game for revenge. This sounds dark and twisted in all the right ways!
Darker romances are tricky for me and I probably would cringe at the treatment of women in this one. Glad to hear you enjoyed the story, Nadene.