Reviewed by Lady Macbeth
TITLE: Craving Sin
SERIES: Sinful Things #1
AUTHOR: Riley Hart
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 330 Pages
RELEASE DATE: August 27, 2026
BLURB:
Rian
As head of the O’Shea family, I don’t make mistakes.
I certainly don’t become obsessed with a guy. Stalk him. And then proceed to kidnap him to a secluded cabin when an attempt on my life is made.
But that’s exactly what I did.
While my family hunts down the men who tried to kill me, Doctor Preston Abbott is trapped with me, and I expect him to nurse me back to health before paying the ultimate sacrifice. Abbott…who is also the governor’s son.
Each day my interest in him grows. He cares for me, shares parts of his life with me, willingly gives his body to me and begs for more…even though he knows he’ll die by my hand.
I never thought I would want someone again this way, that I would crave another person the way I do Abbott. He’s too good for the violence of my world, and all the sinful things I revel in. I’m a monster but he’s mine until the end.
Mine to crave…mine to touch…mine to kill…
Craving Sin contains MCs dealing with grief, violence, darker themes, and morally gray characters with no redemption arc. This is still a Riley Hart romance, so you can expect a happily ever after for our guys.
REVIEW:
I’m so very happy Riley Hart decided to give Rian a happy ending, I’ve wanted this book since Rian was introduced in the 2nd book of the Sins of the Father series.
Rian O’Shea is the head of the Irish Mafia and he has been ruling the family business, along with his nephew Tiernan, since his brother Sloan died. Rian and Sloan were very different: Sloan was cruel and horrible, like their father, while Rian is still ruthless, but he also loves his family fiercely.
After his wife’s death, years before the start of the story, Rian has been also a broken man: the regrets of making his wife living a hard life (not because he didn’t love her, but because of the family affairs), the powerlessness of not being able of saving her from the illness that ended her life, his inability of showing his own son the love he felt for him because he subjected him to that kind of life too, all these things made Rian build up walls so high that he closed himself into a prison of grief and sadness.
Abbott is a sad man too: he lost his mother, the only person in the world who loved him, because of a robbery gone wrong; his absent and distant father, the Governor, never showed him a hint of affection, he kept his own son close only to appear like a devoted parent in the public eye. Abbott has also been living with the regret of having never exposed his father as the cheater he is, wondering if his mom would still be alive if she had had the chance of leaving him.
When Rian meets Abbott purely by chance in the hospital where he works as a surgeon and the younger man smiles at him, Rian feels like his body has gone into a shock and he can’t keep his distance from the handsome man.
A shooting in the hospital parking lot will set off a chain of events that will see Rian injured, Abbott kidnapped and both of them sharing a secluded house.
Having Abbott so close, it makes impossible to Rian to control his attraction: he feels tormented because not only because he knows very well that Abbott could turn out to be a liability for the family safety and that he needs to die, but also because, since Moira, Rian has never felt so emotionally close to another person in his life.
What I loved the most about Rian and Abbott’s relationship:
First, Abbott doesn’t lose himself into Rian’s world: he’s still a thoughtful man, a genuine person, he cares about not disrupting Rian’s relationship with his son and the other members of his family.
Second, Rian is not “healed” by Abbott: he’s still a very morally grey character, he doesn’t suddenly turn into a softie, but he pushes himself to be more open about his feelings, especially towards Cillian.
By allowing himself to accept Abbott’s love, it makes him more vulnerable and brave at the same time, he finds the courage to take risks with Cillian and he doesn’t let the fear of losing him keep him distant from the son he adores.
I think one of the most beautiful scenes of this story is indeed Rian and Cillian heartfelt conversation: I’m not ashamed to admit I cried, it was beautiful and emotional.
The sex scenes are scorching hot, Rian has no hesitation whatsoever in having intimacy with a man and the both of them share an incredible physical chemistry.
I loved to see the mini mob again! Cillian is incredibly mature, Ollie is the sweetest and Rory is still the chaos gremlin. I hope they will be present in the next books of this series too.
And speaking of the next book, it will be about Conan: I was hoping for a bi awakening for him too, since it’s clear that between him and Fia there’s only a platonic kind of love. I really hope that the release date listed is just a placeholder, I need that book soon!
Very much recommended (but read at least Sweet Vengeance first to have a better understanding of Rian and Cillian’s relationship,
RATING: 
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