Midnight Sin by Alina Sullivan

Midnight Sin by Alina Sullivan takes inspiration from the fairy tale classic, Cinderella, and was my first book by the author. I was intrigued by the story and thought that Alina Sullivan had a lot of potential and was impressed with her writing, especially since this was her debut release. While I enjoyed the smut, I felt that Rina and Damien could have benefited from further character development and tension between the two. I wasn't completely convinced of their chemistry and relationship because everything was happening too fast. I would have been more invested in their romance if I had further context or background knowledge about who they were as individuals such as their dreams, motivations, aspirations, and etc. The characters also made questionable decisions that frustrated me. I did not understand why Rina accepted her fate so easily and allowed her stepmother and stepsisters to torment her when she was old enough to leave. Damien similarly allowed his father to dictate his life and engagement when he was in his 30s. It would have been more believable if Rina and Damien were younger.

"In this forbidden love, we had found solace and comfort, and now, it seemed, we were destined to build a future together."

In the end, I enjoyed this book and thought that Rina and Damien were really cute together. Although I wanted more from these two, I was content with what we got. The intimate scenes were sexy and there was a slight hint of the ddlg kink as well, which surprised me. I wish we got more of that because I can see the author excelling in this particular sub-genre. I also felt as though the antagonists got off easy and many moments were left "off the book"—meaning we didn't get to know what really happened, which left me disappointed. Rina and Damien's story does end in a happy note but we're also left with questions as to what happened to Tatiana, Rina's best friend. It looks like Alina Sullivan will be writing a book for her in the future called Year of Sin. Fans of Cinderella retellings and instalove romance will most certainly enjoy this one.

*This ARC was generously provided by the author for an honest review*

Rating: ★★★☆☆