A review by danielle70
Bound by Honor by Cora Reilly

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. 

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'
 
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