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rosereadsalot's review
4.0
This book was so fast paced and I flew through it! I can’t wait to see the other sisters get their own stories and I’m about to binge the rest of the series.
However, this book has the cheating trope!! It would have been 5⭐️ otherwise… but I hated the cheating and I hated how they talked about the girl after it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Vomit, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Sexual violence, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and War
hannibanani29's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Cursing, Infidelity, Gun violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Suicide attempt, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Suicide, Pregnancy, Grief, and Toxic relationship
zeaing's review against another edition
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
TLDR: this book is boring as hell, practically no chemistry between the characters, felt rushed (esp with the amount of loose ends there were) and my two stars are generous.
ive seen this book recommended everywhere so of course i went to it with high hopes and it fell so short. as someone who loves dark romances and books with forced marriages (we don’t talk about it LMAO), seeing people say this was one of the best books in this genre felt like such a let down - but i think many authors mark their books as dark just bc they’re mafia so Reilly gets a pass on this ig.
honestly 75% of this book was just him practically begging her to fuck him despite her not being ready and being scared. idk if i’d call it r*pe but like the first time they were intimate was literally because she wanted to see her sister. even when they eventually did do it imo it just felt like she felt like it was her obligation for letting her see her sister and not like she genuinely wanted him. like he wanted so much from her despite treating her so badly, esp in the first 50% of the book. i could not stand him at all, and my standards for men, esp in dark romances and mafia books is so low but he is deffo not going to be my book bf anytime soon.
like when i said before there was no chemistry, i meant it. he literally treated her like shit, even when he was ‘nice’ until like the very last couple of pages. aria deserves better than him considering how much of a cunt he is. tbh he seems like the character in another book that would be the MMC’s best friend but the one that the FMC low-key didn’t like but put up with him just for the MMC.
i think dual pov couldve really added to this story. like getting to see what luca thought about aria wouldve maybe made my rating a little higher bc arias pov was low-key boring asf. also considering part of the reason for why they even had to get married was bc of the taiwanese mafia, why were the never mentioned ?!?. idk the book just had a bunch of other loose ends but those are like big spoilers. also he cheated on her, idc that they barely had a relationship i CANNOT STAND cheaters in books, i only ‘let him off’ because of their lack of relationship, but i absolutely hate luca.
i liked aria until like the last couple of pages. like she seemed pretty relatable and i understood her a lot and actually agreed with a lot of her actions but with what’s revealed at the end, the way she just low-key forgave him made me want to scream.
tbh the most likeable person in the entire book was literally gianna, aria’s sister. her and aria’s other sister lilliana were actually pretty entertaining and the only reason this book didn’t have 1 star. like everyone else was so annoying at one point or another but they were just <3
i guess reilly suceeded though, like tbh her writing style was pretty nice so i’ll be reading the next book in the series to see if she improves bc i wanna give her another chance (or understand the hype tbh). i just don’t get how can how you write be so good but what you write be so… bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
lilwanderingpages's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Rating update on March 10th, 2022:
4.25 to 4.75
I'll keep what I said because I continue agreeing with everything BUT I've been thinking about the rating of this book because I'm reading of the books in the series and now that I just finished "Bound by Vengence" I can no longer keep the old rating. Now it's 4.75, I think there are only two or three books left so let's see how it'll turn out (I'm hoping for more Aria and Luca).
*********************
Well, I've read the book already but when the audiobook appeared as a suggestion I was just like "why not?" and I don't regret a thing.
I'm growing used to audiobooks and I'm loving it. I don't know if it's because I read the book before listening but I feel like I liked it better this time.
The thing is: this book will never get five stars from me because I just HATE one part of it and I can't pretend it's not there when I'm rating it (even though I do it throughout the rest of the book).
The fact that he cheated on her makes me sick.
While I'm writing this, I already started listening to "Luca Vitiello" - bound by honor by Luca's pov - doesn't change much about what he did because I understood what he meant even without knowing about his side on this (I'll write more about that when I finish that one). All of this is just to say that there is no good reason for cheating. Hell, there's no REASON at all to cheat and make be on the cheater's side (I started a disclaimer but I just don't feel like it rn).
4.25 to 4.75
I'll keep what I said because I continue agreeing with everything BUT I've been thinking about the rating of this book because I'm reading of the books in the series and now that I just finished "Bound by Vengence" I can no longer keep the old rating. Now it's 4.75, I think there are only two or three books left so let's see how it'll turn out (I'm hoping for more Aria and Luca).
*********************
Well, I've read the book already but when the audiobook appeared as a suggestion I was just like "why not?" and I don't regret a thing.
I'm growing used to audiobooks and I'm loving it. I don't know if it's because I read the book before listening but I feel like I liked it better this time.
The thing is: this book will never get five stars from me because I just HATE one part of it and I can't pretend it's not there when I'm rating it (even though I do it throughout the rest of the book).
The fact that he cheated on her makes me sick.
While I'm writing this, I already started listening to "Luca Vitiello" - bound by honor by Luca's pov - doesn't change much about what he did because I understood what he meant even without knowing about his side on this (I'll write more about that when I finish that one). All of this is just to say that there is no good reason for cheating. Hell, there's no REASON at all to cheat and make be on the cheater's side (I started a disclaimer but I just don't feel like it rn).
Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles - reviewed:
0.5 - Luca Vitiello:
TSG - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/57f24b82-8331-460a-bd4d-ae02fc323861
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4561568230
1.0 - Bound by Honor:
TSG - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/eb670dd1-294d-4e23-9bab-bc9c11aef33f
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4558103572
2.0 - Bound by Duty:
TSG - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/a71e2654-573c-4d41-a224-363bbfb62ba0
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3021719736
3.0 - Bound by Hatred:
TSG - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/8e3fc6be-670e-4ae3-8bf1-eba71c361dcd
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4578787289
4.0 - Bound by Temptation:
TSG - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e0ad773e-86e3-46fc-a250-df3cc60c318b
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4585687182
5.0 - Bound by Vengeance:
TSG - https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/902ff414-f764-429f-b3a2-dfcd8fd35d0b
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4593389597
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, Murder, and Rape
Minor: Self harm, Suicide, Confinement, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
findmeinunderland's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Sex, violence, moral ambiguity
I loved it.
I figured they would’ve come to a stage of obvious emotional affection a lot sooner than they did, but I’m a sucker for a slow burn. I was waiting for more playfulness like in the scene at the gym but mafias are usually more dark so it doesn’t bug me as much as it usually would, but that scene came so naturally it was hard not to want more of that dynamic, can’t wait to see if the other books provide that
I loved it.
I figured they would’ve come to a stage of obvious emotional affection a lot sooner than they did, but I’m a sucker for a slow burn. I was waiting for more playfulness like in the scene at the gym but mafias are usually more dark so it doesn’t bug me as much as it usually would, but that scene came so naturally it was hard not to want more of that dynamic, can’t wait to see if the other books provide that
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Rape, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
rachaelboyd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Infidelity
Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Misogyny and Suicide
monirgzz's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, and Sexism
Minor: Alcohol, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Medical content, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Suicide
ella_hades's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
lanorton's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
4/5 spice lots of scenes that are well written. This book would have been a 4.5/5 stars if I had stopped before the last few chapters. I really liked their growth together and how they pushed each other. Then he sees no problem with not informing her weeks ago that her little sister was sold into a marriage. Also the big ending is I actually love you I don’t just want to Fuck you. So yup ends on a fairly big Cliff hanger and not a great ending overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
danielle70's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
This was a really fun book. It's not super depressing or emotional, just a good time. The couple worked really well together. If you like a very docile heroine and commanding hero, here's your book. I like more outspoken heroines with more sway over their man, but this was good too. The pacing was solid, I read this super fast and never got bored. The characters were solid too. I think if you like the whole innocent heroine thing and a morally gray hero whose only morally gray component is that you're told he's a big player in the mafia and he kills bad guys occasionally (but you never reeally see anything bad or outrageous), then you will absolutely love this. I promise I did enjoy this lol. I don't know how to get my point across. Basically, I had a lot of fun reading this. It's a super quick read. I loved the super close sister dynamic.
I loooooved the first 3/4 of this. I enjoyed all of it, but I have a very different personality from the heroine so maybe that's it, but she needed a bit more of a backbone in my opinion. I can suspend my disbelief but come on, no one bites their tongue that often. I also feel like the whole innocent/naive thing was a lil heavy-handed. It makes me uncomfortable after a minute when the heroine, who lives in modern-day Chicago doesn't know much at all about anything, especially someone who grew up in a mafia family. Sure, ok. I did really like her sister Gianna, so I'm pumped to her read her book.
I loooooved the first 3/4 of this. I enjoyed all of it, but I have a very different personality from the heroine so maybe that's it, but she needed a bit more of a backbone in my opinion. I can suspend my disbelief but come on, no one bites their tongue that often. I also feel like the whole innocent/naive thing was a lil heavy-handed. It makes me uncomfortable after a minute when the heroine, who lives in modern-day Chicago doesn't know much at all about anything, especially someone who grew up in a mafia family. Sure, ok. I did really like her sister Gianna, so I'm pumped to her read her book.
Tropes:
- mafia romance
- opposites attract
- shy/innocent heroine & grumpy/cynical hero
- super possessive hero
- the whole 'I hate that I love you' thing
- 'touch her and you die'
- hurt/comfort (not a lot, but it's there)
- 'I hate everyone but you'
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Sexual content
Spoilery content warnings: *death of a parent *heroine gets roofied and the creep who did it planned on assaulting her (but he didn't) *infidelity (they were newly married and barely knew each other so like they weren't emotionally involved yet, ya know?)