Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles
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0.5. LUCA VITIELLO by Cora Reilly
SYNOPSIS
I was born a monster. Cruelty ran in my veins like poison. It ran in the veins of every Vitiello man, passed on from father to son, an endless spiral of monstrosity. A born monster shaped into an even worse monster by my father’s blade and fists and harsh words. I was raised to become Capo, to rule without mercy, to dish out brutality without a second thought.Raised to break others. When Aria was given to me in marriage, everyone waited with bated breath to see how fast I’d break her like my father broke his women. How I’d crush her innocence and kindness with the force of my cruelty. Breaking her would have taken little effort. It came naturally to me.I was gladly the monster everyone feared. Until her.
BOOK REVIEW
Luca’s POV and reflection on the events that happened in Bound by Honor. Not going to lie, I liked his perspective a little bit better, just because Aria was annoying sometimes, while Luca was such a doll. Plus, you get a better insight into why and how he turned out to be the way he was.
1. BOUND BY HONOR by Cora Reilly
SYNOPSIS
Born into one of the leading Mob families in Chicago, Aria Scuderi struggles to find her own path in a world where no choices are given. Aria was only fifteen when her parents betrothed her to Luca – The Vice – Vitiello, the oldest son of the head of the New York Cosa Nostra to ensure peace between the two families.
Now with eighteen, the day Aria has been dreading for years is looming dangerously: her wedding to Luca. Aria is terrified of marrying a man she hardly knows, especially someone like Luca who got his nickname ‘the Vice’ for crushing a man’s throat with his bare hands. Luca might be one of the most sought after men in New York thanks to his good looks, wealth and predator-like charisma that radiates power, but the society girls throwing themselves at him don’t know what Aria does: that the bad boy aura isn’t just a game; blood and death lurk beneath Luca’s striking gray eyes and arrogant smile. In her world a handsome exterior often hides the monster within; a monster who can just as easily kill as kiss you. The only way to escape the marriage to Luca would be to run away and leave everything she’s ever known behind but Aria can’t bear the thought of never seeing her family again. Despite her fear, she decides to go through with the marriage; Aria has grown up among predators like Luca and knows that even most cold-hearted bastards have a heart and she has every intention of working her way into Luca’s.
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BOOK REVIEW
An arranged marriage in the mafia world is always more about business than love. Aria was promised to Luca, and despite being frightened by the very idea but being the dutiful girl familiar with mafia rules and principles, she came to terms with this. She was well aware of the fact that the only way out of the marriage was by death, so Aria decided to do her best not to be miserable in this arrangement and become a good wife to her ruthless husband, who in his turn also tried hard to be warm toward his innocent young wife.
“The path stretching before us was one of darkness, a life of blood and death and danger, a future of always watching my back, of knowing every day could be Luca’s last, of fearing that one day I might have to watch him receive a lethal injection. But this was my world and Luca was my man, and I would go this path with him until the bitter end.”
Aria was the damsel in distress. She was too young and sheltered and innocent and blah blah blah for an arranged marriage to a man who crushed his enemies’ throats, a future Capo. She believed that the only way to get through all her supposed troubles was to make Luca be good to her, to make him love her if he was capable of having such a feeling at all. Not going to lie, I found her cliche-annoying, and the only thing that kept me afloat was charming Luca, hard as a rock on the surface and a complete softie inside.
“Maybe love is a risk, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take and as you said, it’s not a choice. I never thought I would, never thought I could love someone like that but I fell in love with you. I fought it. It’s the first battle I didn’t mind losing.”
I absolutely loved damaged Luca who carried so much on his broad and sexy shoulders and hated him only once (SPOILER! when cheating was involved). He was super adorable when trying to consider Aria’s feelings and accommodating her distress. He was so cute when realizing his fascination with and then love for Aria. I cannot say too much sigh… But I promise you’ll find a weird combination of his harshness and cluelessness understandable and quite appealing.
The chemistry between Aria and Luca was amazing and the sex scenes were quite hot! However, foreplay before the main action was unnecessarily long and even frustrating at times. But that’s just my personal opinion.
I highly recommend binge-reading this addicting series!
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2. BOUND BY DUTY by Cora Reilly
SYNOPSIS
Dante – The Boss – Cavallaro’s wife died four years ago. On the verge of becoming the youngest head in the history of the Chicago mafia, Dante needs a new wife and Valentina was chosen for the role. Valentina lost her husband, too, but her first marriage had always been for show. When she was eighteen, she agreed to marry Antonio in order to hide the truth: that he was gay and in love with an outsider. Even after his death, she kept his secret, not only to preserve the honor of a dead man but also to protect herself. But now that she’s about to marry Dante, her castle of lies threatens to crash. Dante is only thirty-six but already feared and respected in the Familia, and he’s notorious for always getting what he wants. Valentina is terrified of the wedding night that might reveal her secret, but her worries prove unfounded when Dante shows her the cold shoulder. Soon her fear is replaced by confusion and indignation. Valentina is tired of being ignored. She’s determined to get Dante’s attention and desire, even if she can’t get his heart that still belongs to his dead wife.
BOOK REVIEW
Dante and Valentina’s story was much more morbid than that of Aria and Luca’s. The main characters were both previously married and got scarred in their distinct ways. And while Valentina’s marriage was definitely one of convenience, Dante’s marriage seemed to be driven by love. His adoration of his deceased wife and strong will to respect her memory were admirable but woefully extensive, nonetheless.
“Sometimes I think you hurt me on purpose to keep me at arms-length. When will you finally move on? Your wife has been dead for four years, it's time you stop pitying yourself and realize that life goes on. When will you stop clinging to the memory of a dead woman and realize there's someone in your life who wants to be with you?”
Hmm… the conflict of the entire story evolved around Dante’s past and refusal to move on. To be completely honest, it felt overly repetitive and underwhelming. Even a little plot twist at the end didn’t change the overall impression of Valentina and Dante’s love story (if I can even name it a love one).
“You don’t know what I want. Maybe we want the same thing.” My voice was a bare whisper.
He scoffed. “I can see in your eyes that it’s not true. You want to make love, but I can’t give you that. I do want to possess you, want to own every part of you, but not for the reasons you want me to. I’m a heartless bastard, Valentina. Don’t try to see anything else in me. The business suit and emotionless face is the thin layer covering up the fucking abyss that’s my soul and heart. Don’t try and glimpse beneath it, you won’t like what you find.”
Up until the very end, Dante was such a cold and aloof main character, with norms and principles of a highly intelligent and calculating man but no human emotion whatsoever, at least not openly on the display. And since there was Valentina’s POV only, it was hard to understand his true feelings toward her. His desire to possess Val in all ways possible was obvious (the sex scenes were hot but I wanted to smack Dante for his refusal to get emotionally closer during the act argh) but love? Not really (SPOILER! And even in the very end, he didn’t say that he loved Valentina in the book WTF). Anyway, I still have not completely figured out what I think of Dante (there will be certain edits of the post once I do find out). Maybe, it will all become clear once Bound by the Past comes out, but until then, I’ll leave it be.
3. BOUND BY HATRED by Cora Reilly
SYNOPSIS
When Gianna watched her sister Aria getting married to a man she barely knew, she promised herself she wouldn’t let the same thing happen to her. Matteo – The Blade – Vitiello set his eyes on Gianna the moment he saw her on his brother Luca’s wedding, and Rocco Scuderi is more than willing to give his daughter to him, but Gianna has no intention of marrying for any other reason than love. A few months before the wedding, Gianna escapes her bodyguards and runs away. She has enough money to flee to Europe and begin a new life. But staying undetected when the mob is searching for her is a challenge that takes everything, especially as one of their best hunters and assassins is after her: Matteo Vitiello.
After six months on the run, Gianna finally settles into a tentative routine in Munich, but then Matteo and a couple of her father’s soldiers find her with another man. Despite her pleads they kill her boyfriend, and Gianna is forced to marry Matteo. Her emotions alternating between guilt over having dragged an innocent into her world and hatred toward Matteo, Gianna is determined to make life hell for her husband. But Matteo is a master at mind games and their struggle for power soon turns into hate-fueled nights of passion.
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4. BOUND BY TEMPTATION by Cora Reilly
SYNOPSIS
Liliana Scuderi has been in love with Romero from the moment she first saw him. After her sisters were married off for tactical reasons, she hopes she might be allowed to choose a husband for herself, but when her father promises her to a man more than twice her age that hope is crushed. No begging can make him change his mind.
Romero has always ignored Lily’s flirting. Her age and status made her off-limits but even someone as dutiful as him has only so much control. Wanting her when she’s supposed to marry another man could mean war between New York and the Chicago Outfit, and Romero has always put the Cosa Nostra first.
Lily suspects her sisters and Romero would risk everything for her, but is her happiness worth that much? Is love worth a war between the Cosa Nostra and the Outfit?
5. BOUND BY VENGEANCE by Cora Reilly
SYNOPSIS
Growl
He’d never had something to himself, never even dared to dream about owning something so precious. He was the unwanted bastard son who’d always had to content himself with the leftovers of others. And now they’d given him what only a few weeks ago had been out of his reach, someone he wasn’t even allowed to admire from afar, one of their most prized possessions. Thrown at his feet because he was who he was, because they were certain he would break her. He was her punishment, a fate worse than death, a way to deliver the ultimate punishment to her father who had displeased them so greatly.
Cara
She had always been the good girl. It didn’t protect her. She didn’t know his real name. People called him ‘Growl’ to his face, and the Bastard behind his back. Both were names he couldn’t possibly have chosen for himself. His eyes were empty, a mirror to throw back her own fear at her. He was a brutal hand of the Las Vegas Camorra. And now she was at his mercy.
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6. BOUND BY LOVE by Cora Reilly
SYNOPSIS
Nobody expected them to fall in love. When Aria was given to Luca in marriage, people were sure he’d break her.
Aria feared the worst from a man like him. A man without mercy. But somehow she gained his love. Love - a weakness a Capo like Luca shouldn’t risk. When Aria betrays Luca by going behind his back for her family, she realizes too late that she might have lost what she’s fought so hard to get in the first place: Luca’s trust. The trust of a man who never allowed himself to trust someone unconditionally before.
Can their love survive in a world of betrayal and death?
BOOK REVIEW
“There are few good things in our world, Luca, and if you find one, you cling to it with all your might. You are one of those good things in my life.”
Bound by Love was painfully beautiful but still frustrating. I absolutely loved seeing Luca and Aria grow as a couple but as individuals? Not many changes took place. Just like any normal married couple, they had their ups and downs, and oftentimes found themselves being confused and even lost in the process of handling their problems. Aria was still pretty much naive and annoying acting on a whim but with best intentions in mind sigh, while Luca was… well, Luca. I breathed out with relief when they stayed by each other’s side and had cute babies together but got a little bit mad at how the major conflict was resolved…
“Born in Blood. Sworn in Blood. Maybe I hadn’t made a blood oath, but what bound me to him was stronger than any oath. I was bound by love.”
7. BOUND BY PAST by Cora Reilly
SYNOPSIS
Dante
My life is a tale of betrayal. I killed so many because they betrayed our cause, because they betrayed the Outfit. A hypocrite. A liar. A murderer. That’s what I am. Five times I betrayed the Outfit. With my blood, I made a vow to our cause, swore my life to it, promised to put the Outfit first. Above all else. Five times I chose a woman over the good of the Outfit. I betrayed my father. My vow. My men. You reap what you sow. Would my betrayals destroy everything I swore to protect?
Valentina
On our wedding day, I made a vow to stand by Dante’s side. In good and in bad times. To love him through it all. Growing up in the mafia, I knew the challenges in our life would be numerous. I never expected them to tear at the very base of our family, of our existence.
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BOOK REVIEW
Mostly Dante’s POV and reflection on some of the events that happened throughout the whole Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles, as well as Twisted Loyalties and Twisted Pride. With this incredible book, you get a much more in-depth insight into why and how he turned out to be the way he was, his thought process, and the reasons behind his seemingly contradicting actions. I was absolutely enchanted by the way Dante handled certain things, and how understanding, loving, and supportive Val was to his side at all times. The two proved yet again to be one of the best of the original couples in the entire series, and I was immensely grateful to be reunited with them. Witnessing Dante and Val create an incredibly strong and precious bond together, as well as with their children was heart-gripping and enchantingly beautiful!
For those of you who love the BBMC series as much as I do, the book will not disappoint and will leave you craving more of the intriguing characters and their HEAs.
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8. BOUND BY BLOOD by Cora Reilly
SYNOPSIS
‘Born in Blood. Sworn in Blood…’ isn’t only the motto the Famiglia lives by.
Bleeding for love is something every couple in this book has experienced. Through hardships, their love morphs into something even more beautiful and resilient. A love each of them is willing to fight for.
This anthology contains stories for the following couples:
Aria & Luca
Romero & Liliana
Growl & Cara
Mauro & Stella
Matteo & Gianna