#borninbloodchronicles

[readsiplove]

Review of Bound by Honor by Cora Reilly. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 

*contains topics/scenes that may trigger some such as abuse and murder*

Premise: This book follows Aria Scuderi the mafia princess/oldest daughter of the Chicago Outfit and Luca Vitiello the mafia prince/oldest son and future Capo of the New York Famiglia. Aria is known for her beautiful looks and is thrown into an arranged marriage with Luca in order to strengthen the bonds between Chicago and New York to protect themselves against the Bratva and the Taiwanese. Aria is terrified of Luca because he is known for being a cold monster who choked his cousin to death with his two hands. However, Aria realizes that the cold exterior doesn’t exactly have roots inside his heart. 

My Thoughts: This book was the first book I’ve read by Cora Reilly and it will definitely not be my last! This book was addicting from start to finish and I finished it one day. It had a good amount of action and wasn’t super intimidating or gory. I loved that Aria never gave up on Luca and had the courage to make their marriage work. I also loved how Luca didn’t force anything against Aria and was considerate of her thoughts and feelings. I appreciated that Aria wasn’t a very whiny character and she was a headstrong heroine. I’ve added Luca to my list of book boyfriends already. He is such a charming character once you get to know him, and the way he acts toward Aria melts my heart. His character development is amazing!!! I can already tell that Luca and Aria will be my favorite couple in the Born in Blood Mafia series. 💞

Cons: -Not much plot (really didn’t mind it though and actually kinda loved it)                 -Aria’s siblings were kinda annoying honestly but it didn’t really deter my              love for this book. 

Final Thoughts: I loved it and would recommend it to anyone. This is a great first book to read if you’re jumping into the mafia/mob romance category. The steamy scenes were also very... *blushes* 

[readsiplove]

Review of Bound by Duty by Cora Reilly

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5 

*contains topics/scenes such as murder that may trigger some*

Premise: Book two in the Born in Blood Chronicles, Bound by Duty follows the story of Valentina and Dante Cavallaro who is the boss of the Chicago Outfit. These two are put into an arranged marriage after both of their respective first spouses have died. Dante is still very much attached to his first wife and has trouble forgetting her. Valentina never loved her first husband and she bares a secret about him that she promised to take to the grave. Desperate for her second marriage to work out, Valentina tries to break the cold hard exterior of Dante without much success. 

My thoughts: I really liked this book and Dante and Valentina’s relationship was more complex than Aria and Luca’s. I admit, Dante’s character is a little harder to love and warm up to for some reason. (I think it’s because he can’t forget his first wife and there’s always a feeling deep down that makes me feel like he won’t ever forget her???) I think I could have loved Dante more if we got a little more of him and his thoughts in a dual POV. I loved and disliked Valentina’s character at times. I loved how she was strong and smart and didn’t just want to be a trophy wife and I like how Dante agreed with her on that, but she sometimes came off as a little desperate and clingy at times. I understand where she’s coming from but maybe if those times were more limited, I’d love her even more. Sometimes, I wanted to shake Dante so he could come to his senses and realize he has a great wife beside him. This book had action and dialogue that kept me on the edge of my seat and it was pretty fast paced which I appreciate. This book had some crazy plot twists that kept me very entertained and the secret that Valentina is carrying was revealed pretty early on. 

Cons: Like I mentioned before, Valentina got slightly clingy but I didn’t mind it    too much. 

Final Thoughts: This was a great book and I would recommend it to people who like mafia/mob romances or is wanting to get into them. I really like Cora Reilly’s writing style and the whole vibe of her books. This had an amazing and sweet HEA that made me swoon. It was a great book, so I highly suggest you check it out! 

Buy on Amazon here and check it out on Goodreads here