You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Hmm this book is only worth the last few pages (like 15% of the book) just for the kids and how Dante and Val ended after all this books of the Famiglia and Camorra. And maybe an insight of how they experienced Serafina’s capture and all of that. The beginning of the book is like rereading their first book again and it was a lil bit tiring. Anyways, Anna’s and Leonas’ books are (I hope) something worth waiting for.
Eu sinceramente esperava muito mais desse livro, eu pensei que ele seria voltado mais pra relação do Dante e Valentina mas acabei recebendo um livro mais voltado pra Outfit e um Capo não tão forte quanto eu pensei. Achei as narrações do Dante do primeiro livro deles totalmente desnecessária pela repetição continua que a Cora adora fazer, acho que a única coisa REALMENTE interessante foi ter uma noção mais ampla dos acontecimentos de Twisted Pride, depois disso tudo passou a ser chato novamente. Eu senti um nojo muito forte na cena da Valentina com o Dante no escritório e os filhos deles chegando em seguida. Gostei da última cena do livro e do amor forte dessa família, mas esse livro foi realmente necessário??
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Rape
Repetitivo, sinto que não acrescentou nada de novo, limitou-se a recontar eventos já conhecidos de outros livros, sob uma nova prespetiva.
“It’s not a sign of strength to hurt the people you need to protect,” Leonas muttered the words I’d told him several times.
Wow. At the beginning I would admit I had my reserves about this book because I had my reserves with it comes about Dante. BUT it was really interesting being able to read his POV and also, read the other side of the story when it comes to specific situations on the past books that the Outfit was involved, like Aria's trip to Chicago (BBL) or all what happened in Twisted Pride. I mean, with this book we are really able to fill all the blanks.
Now, I'm really waiting for Samuel's and Danilo's book.
Cora never disappoints you. I totally love her and all her books
Wow. At the beginning I would admit I had my reserves about this book because I had my reserves with it comes about Dante. BUT it was really interesting being able to read his POV and also, read the other side of the story when it comes to specific situations on the past books that the Outfit was involved, like Aria's trip to Chicago (BBL) or all what happened in Twisted Pride. I mean, with this book we are really able to fill all the blanks.
Now, I'm really waiting for Samuel's and Danilo's book.
Cora never disappoints you. I totally love her and all her books
“It’s not a sign of strength to hurt the people you need to protect,”
Wow. At the beginning I would admit I had my reserves about this book because I had my reserves when it comes to Dante. BUT it was really interesting being able to read his POV and also, read the other side of the story when it comes to specific situations on the past books that the Outfit was involved, like Aria's trip to Chicago (BBL) or all what happened in Twisted Pride. I mean, with this book we are really able to fill all the blanks.
Now, I'm really waiting for Samuel's and Danilo's book.
Cora never disappoints you. I totally love her and all her books
Wow. At the beginning I would admit I had my reserves about this book because I had my reserves when it comes to Dante. BUT it was really interesting being able to read his POV and also, read the other side of the story when it comes to specific situations on the past books that the Outfit was involved, like Aria's trip to Chicago (BBL) or all what happened in Twisted Pride. I mean, with this book we are really able to fill all the blanks.
Now, I'm really waiting for Samuel's and Danilo's book.
Cora never disappoints you. I totally love her and all her books
Here's my long overdue review for this book.
Rating changed from 4 stars to 3 stars (I'm so sorry my loves @ Dante and Val, it's not you I promise but how the author loved treating you both like crap)
I reread this three times because the first time, I was just flailing over the fact that it's finally here. DANTEVAL ARE BACK (They're literally my second favorite couple from this mafia series). The second time was to visit some cute moments with Dante and the kids (I love the scenes so much). The third time being me soaking it all in aka understanding what's going on and where it went wrong (hence the rating change).
Bound by the Past is not one of Cora's worst books but it's also not one of her bests. It could've been one of her bests but sadly, the author didn't steer that way. There was so much potential wasted here. From what I gathered while this book was still in the works was that we get to see Dante's relationship with Carla and how we could connect it with the man he was in Bound by Duty. I'm not the type to like reading the main character dwelling on their ex but I kinda want to for this one for the sake of understanding. Well, I did get it BUT, there really wasn't much into their relationship? Like it was just basic facts of what they were before and then the whole thing with Carla's death where it wasn't even emotional to begin with. You'd think that there would be some emotional shit going on (and not just during her death) because there was enough teasing about his past love life during promotion.
Moving on... the betrayals were just UNNECESSARY. Like categorizing them into five and trying to make sense out of them was absolutely UNNECESSARY. The only betrayal that made sense was the first and third (for me anyway). The ones with Aria and Serafina was what annoyed me. The events dragged on WAAAAAYYYY TOO MUCH. Reading the scenarios going on around Serafina's abduction was downright exhausting to read. And I meant this because everyone in the Outfit was mentally and emotionally down. Though it made me sad reading Ines' heartbreak. Still, these were just too unnecessary.
Dante is a smart character. He is smart. Yes he's not like Remo or Luca who are hailed for being brutal ~physically~ (let's be real here, Matteo and Nino had to step in most of the time to stop them from doing reckless shit and talking some sense into them). I feel like people don't give Dante enough credit for being smart. I mean yes he has his moments where his actions feel questionable but reading his strategies/plans for the future of the outfit actually made sense. Dude wants to have the Outfit afloat while the Famiglia and the Camorra are always at each others' and their enemies' throats. Dante's idea of forming connections was actually a smart thinking. He wasn't just thinking of surviving against their enemies but also authorities. I get reminded when I read these series that cops or other government officials are on these mob families' paychecks but I don't know if the author is aware enough that that doesn't really guarantee their safety/secrecy/protection/whatever? What just irked me here though is that this side of Dante being one smart Capo... WAS NOT UTILIZED ENOUGH. THIS WAS ONE OF THE WASTED POTENTIALS I'M TALKING ABOUT WHICH MAKES ME MAD. And this connects to the fourth AND fifth betrayal because Cora could've cut a BIG CHUNK of the scenes in those events and gave us Dante being a Capo with what the future holds for the Outfit but NO. We only got a short aftermath and it wasn't even enough.
Now the biggest WASTED POTENTIAL that I'm gonna talk about is Val not being Dante's Consigliere. I'm not here to discuss about traditions because this book just mentioned how the Outfit got rid of the bloody sheets tradition, Dante marrying Val who's a widow was also another thing to debunk traditions (remember how it's mentioned that the traditionalists actually prefer Dante and Aria?). SO WHY DIDN'T CORA GAVE US THIS? You really crushed Val's dream- DREEEAAAMMM- just so the whole "females are to be kept safe" agenda gets to rise. Umm, no. You don't get to dangle the idea of Val being a Consigliere in front of my face for a good portion of this book just to never let her and us have it in the end. This would've been such a good move and not just for the Outfit but for this author's mafia series in general. Allowing a woman in a high position? GASP UNACCEPTABLE!!! *having Val worked in the casino also felt like shit now because this mafia series keeps moving backwards.
This is too long already but GOOODDDDDD. I love these characters and I just feel like they got robbed so much. But let me talk about the things I actually LOVE from this book so I can end this review on a good note lol
- Dante being a GREAT dad (his moments with his kids, especially Anna, was just too precious to read. My heart melted when he and Anna actually have their own piano moments together.)
- Cavallaro Family Moments (LISTEN, I craved for some soft moments because BBD didn't really give me enough and I'm glad I got some here)
- Val and Anna (they're so precious together and they make me smile so much. I love how little Anna is both a mommy's girl and daddy's girl lol)
- Leonas (pls this little guy is pretty much a combo of Dante and Val, and he's pretty smart for his age. Also that scene of him getting dragged by Santino for gearing up like he was going to war was a funny sight)
- Bibiana getting her HEA (she deserves the entire world)
-The Falcone Brothers (I love them, like every breadcrumb of them I'll gladly take it. Thank you.)
- Dante playing basketball (idk but this the picture in my head of Dante in basketball shorts while dribbling the ball just won't leave my imagination lmao)
- ROMANTIC DANTE (pls he spews these poetic shit to Val and I get into crying mode because I love this side of Dante: the free from the past Dante who shows his love for his wife. Like ma'am I've been making edits of DANTEVAL and I swear I swoon at him throwing some romantic shit here and there)
- Santino (LKAJFLKJDKLFDLFLG LEAVE ME ALONE I ACTUALLY THINK I'M GONNA LIKE THIS DUDEALGJJG LEAVE ME ALONEEEE)
Overall, this was a decent read. I'm honestly not that excited for Sins of the Fathers because I'm scared of Cora ruining these kids' personalities and stories. Her writing is starting to regress. I'm seeing tropes used over and over. I'm also seeing how biased she is of some characters and you either know who I mean or you don't. I'm not holding on to much here but I won't lie if I say I'm so close to be done with this world if only I got some of my favorite characters' books already.
Rating changed from 4 stars to 3 stars (I'm so sorry my loves @ Dante and Val, it's not you I promise but how the author loved treating you both like crap)
I reread this three times because the first time, I was just flailing over the fact that it's finally here. DANTEVAL ARE BACK (They're literally my second favorite couple from this mafia series). The second time was to visit some cute moments with Dante and the kids (I love the scenes so much). The third time being me soaking it all in aka understanding what's going on and where it went wrong (hence the rating change).
Bound by the Past is not one of Cora's worst books but it's also not one of her bests. It could've been one of her bests but sadly, the author didn't steer that way. There was so much potential wasted here. From what I gathered while this book was still in the works was that we get to see Dante's relationship with Carla and how we could connect it with the man he was in Bound by Duty. I'm not the type to like reading the main character dwelling on their ex but I kinda want to for this one for the sake of understanding. Well, I did get it BUT, there really wasn't much into their relationship? Like it was just basic facts of what they were before and then the whole thing with Carla's death where it wasn't even emotional to begin with. You'd think that there would be some emotional shit going on (and not just during her death) because there was enough teasing about his past love life during promotion.
Moving on... the betrayals were just UNNECESSARY. Like categorizing them into five and trying to make sense out of them was absolutely UNNECESSARY. The only betrayal that made sense was the first and third (for me anyway). The ones with Aria and Serafina was what annoyed me. The events dragged on WAAAAAYYYY TOO MUCH. Reading the scenarios going on around Serafina's abduction was downright exhausting to read. And I meant this because everyone in the Outfit was mentally and emotionally down. Though it made me sad reading Ines' heartbreak. Still, these were just too unnecessary.
Dante is a smart character. He is smart. Yes he's not like Remo or Luca who are hailed for being brutal ~physically~ (let's be real here, Matteo and Nino had to step in most of the time to stop them from doing reckless shit and talking some sense into them). I feel like people don't give Dante enough credit for being smart. I mean yes he has his moments where his actions feel questionable but reading his strategies/plans for the future of the outfit actually made sense. Dude wants to have the Outfit afloat while the Famiglia and the Camorra are always at each others' and their enemies' throats. Dante's idea of forming connections was actually a smart thinking. He wasn't just thinking of surviving against their enemies but also authorities. I get reminded when I read these series that cops or other government officials are on these mob families' paychecks but I don't know if the author is aware enough that that doesn't really guarantee their safety/secrecy/protection/whatever? What just irked me here though is that this side of Dante being one smart Capo... WAS NOT UTILIZED ENOUGH. THIS WAS ONE OF THE WASTED POTENTIALS I'M TALKING ABOUT WHICH MAKES ME MAD. And this connects to the fourth AND fifth betrayal because Cora could've cut a BIG CHUNK of the scenes in those events and gave us Dante being a Capo with what the future holds for the Outfit but NO. We only got a short aftermath and it wasn't even enough.
Now the biggest WASTED POTENTIAL that I'm gonna talk about is Val not being Dante's Consigliere. I'm not here to discuss about traditions because this book just mentioned how the Outfit got rid of the bloody sheets tradition, Dante marrying Val who's a widow was also another thing to debunk traditions (remember how it's mentioned that the traditionalists actually prefer Dante and Aria?). SO WHY DIDN'T CORA GAVE US THIS? You really crushed Val's dream- DREEEAAAMMM- just so the whole "females are to be kept safe" agenda gets to rise. Umm, no. You don't get to dangle the idea of Val being a Consigliere in front of my face for a good portion of this book just to never let her and us have it in the end. This would've been such a good move and not just for the Outfit but for this author's mafia series in general. Allowing a woman in a high position? GASP UNACCEPTABLE!!! *having Val worked in the casino also felt like shit now because this mafia series keeps moving backwards.
This is too long already but GOOODDDDDD. I love these characters and I just feel like they got robbed so much. But let me talk about the things I actually LOVE from this book so I can end this review on a good note lol
- Dante being a GREAT dad (his moments with his kids, especially Anna, was just too precious to read. My heart melted when he and Anna actually have their own piano moments together.)
- Cavallaro Family Moments (LISTEN, I craved for some soft moments because BBD didn't really give me enough and I'm glad I got some here)
- Val and Anna (they're so precious together and they make me smile so much. I love how little Anna is both a mommy's girl and daddy's girl lol)
- Leonas (pls this little guy is pretty much a combo of Dante and Val, and he's pretty smart for his age. Also that scene of him getting dragged by Santino for gearing up like he was going to war was a funny sight)
- Bibiana getting her HEA (she deserves the entire world)
-The Falcone Brothers (I love them, like every breadcrumb of them I'll gladly take it. Thank you.)
- Dante playing basketball (idk but this the picture in my head of Dante in basketball shorts while dribbling the ball just won't leave my imagination lmao)
- ROMANTIC DANTE (pls he spews these poetic shit to Val and I get into crying mode because I love this side of Dante: the free from the past Dante who shows his love for his wife. Like ma'am I've been making edits of DANTEVAL and I swear I swoon at him throwing some romantic shit here and there)
- Santino (LKAJFLKJDKLFDLFLG LEAVE ME ALONE I ACTUALLY THINK I'M GONNA LIKE THIS DUDEALGJJG LEAVE ME ALONEEEE)
Overall, this was a decent read. I'm honestly not that excited for Sins of the Fathers because I'm scared of Cora ruining these kids' personalities and stories. Her writing is starting to regress. I'm seeing tropes used over and over. I'm also seeing how biased she is of some characters and you either know who I mean or you don't. I'm not holding on to much here but I won't lie if I say I'm so close to be done with this world if only I got some of my favorite characters' books already.
Al fin, me encanta Cora sinceramente, su pluma es mágica te engancha de una manera que no se puede describir. Voy a decir que no soy muy fan de Dante sinceramente pero este libro me hizo conectar bastante con el, aunque sigue siendo mi Capo menos favorito, sorrynotsorry, estuvo bueno leer algunas cosas desde el punto de vista de Dante y Val, pero tampoco me pareció el mejor libro de Cora, siento que fue un libro para ponernos en contexto de lo que sigue, creo que sin este libro en las historias que siguen no estaríamos tan en contexto.
Me gustaron mucho Leonas y Anna, me muero por leer sus libros y ya tengo mis predicciones para los próximos libros.
En fin, Bound by the Past es un libro super necesario a mi parecer para lo que sigue en el mundo de Cora Reilly pero no fue uno de sus mejores libros.
Me gustaron mucho Leonas y Anna, me muero por leer sus libros y ya tengo mis predicciones para los próximos libros.
En fin, Bound by the Past es un libro super necesario a mi parecer para lo que sigue en el mundo de Cora Reilly pero no fue uno de sus mejores libros.