Bound By Hatred (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles)

Comparing the author's 3 heroes in the series to Goldilocks and the 3 bears, the hero in this story, Matteo was just right. The 1st book had a cheating hero. He cheated within days of his marriage. The second the hero was faithful, which I loved but IMO he was too cold to the heroine for too long and in love with his dead wife. The hero in this book Matteo was just right. He was faithful, loyal, warm and funny. He was also protective, possessive and jealous, all things I love in a hero. They shared a kiss and then she ran & he chased. In fact he pursued her 6 months, making it a full time job. I was happy that there was no indicated that he smex OW during the 6 month separation. In fact a reference was made by him about how frustrated he was during that time he searched for her, implying that the frustration included sexual frustration. SOME SPOILERS BELOW Matteo fell in love with Gianna, the heroine, quickly and was extremely attracted to her. No other women would do. He was very protective of her. He stood up to everyone who called her a hoe, thinking that she had smex with OM while on the run. While it really upset him thinking that she smexed others, he wanted to marry her anyway. The fact is that she was a virgin and had only kissed around 4 other men which included him. When she was found with OM she intended to break up with him. She did not like the OM enough to get physical with him beyond kissing. Only Matteo's kisses turned her on. Matteo was extremely pleased that she was a virgin. While Matteo was violent it is in keeping with him being part of the mafia and so it is a given and expected that he will be that way. What was important to me was that he was not violent toward her, which would have been unacceptable to me. The smex scenes were hot and there was a HFN ending. END OF SPOILERS I will be reading the next book in the series, keeping my fingers crossed that the subsequent heroes are as good as Mateo.

I was anticipating this book because I loved the first so much. It was an odd type of anticipation because I wanted more from the author and every character. I was excited to see Gianna and Matteo's story unfold. But at the same time, I loved Luca and Aria so much I didn't want to read them just as background characters. This book however, was an awesome read and I'm so glad that I gave it a shot. First, for Luca and Aria lovers like myself, this doesn't disappoint. Although we don't get a POV for them in this book, they are heavily included. Secondly, the plot and action of the story was amazing. I was literally gripped in the storyline and couldn't wait to see what was on the next page. I have a few little rants about some of what happened, but this in no way reflects on the author's writing talent. Everyone complains about how Gianna was too stubborn and at one point you just wanted to slap her. I didn't really feel that way for ALMOST all of the book. Again, almost. I felt that Matteo was so patient with her and loved her in the no matter what kind, and for who knows what reason? That was sweet to see. I really enjoyed that this book gave us a POV for him. I loved his humor and how in this book, you get a glimpse into the brothers relationship and I loved it. His humor really balances Luca and brings out the best in him. I found myself laughing out loud at events and things they said. In fact, some of my favorite parts were the conversation and banter between Luca and Matteo. Gianna to me, wasn't annoying as much as confusing. I just didn't understand why she was so dead set against the marriage. Wouldn't it have been ok to be in NY with her sister and with a guy she actually was attracted to? She would've been able to see her other siblings and not be running her whole life, but for some reason it was SO bad for her that running was better. I just never got a feel for why she was so desperate to be away from them when you weighed it all out. Stubbornness, selfishness and pride are the only explanations and those aren't very flattering for her. I could've even handled it and understood for most of the book, but right up to the end, we're talking like 85% into the book and Matteo nearly dies and she wonders if she should just use this as her escape and run. She walks away while he lies there about to quit breathing and contemplates leaving him to die. This is after all they've been through. Of course, she goes back and tries to save him but then many readers have been upset that Luca gave her a deal to save his life and get freedom because he assumed she wouldn't help him. Why are they mad about that? We literally just read that she considered doing just that. So it make sense she can't be trusted freely. She took the deal and Luca was just being an overprotective brother. That's fine because, Aria does that, why can't he? After reading these books and reading reviews it's just easy to see how some people dont want to give the male leads a fair break. That's disheartening. By the end I felt like I was happy to see them work it out and this is the way it should be. Still, because it took so long and she was so prideful right up to the very last pages, I can't ever get fully on board with them as a favorite couple. I feel like she needed to show a little more humility and vulnerability earlier on. All in all, I really liked the book. I just couldn't quite give it 5 stars because of the disconnect I felt with Gianna. So, 4 stars it is.

This was a really good book. When Gianna Scuderi 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. All Gianna wanted was to be free she didn't want to be forced to be married and she certainly didn't want to be married to a man like Matteo who is rich and sexy and a killer he was second in command to his brother Luca who was the boss. I had love hate relationship with Gianna at times she didn't think about no one but herself I felt that in book one it was her fault that Aria her sister got roofied I mean it was Gianna who wanted to go out. In this book she left, but didn't think about what it would do to her family so she goes on the run for six months and she really was lucky her father wanted to give her to a man twice her age. While on the run she realized that no boy lived to Matteo and she got an innocent person killed and everyone thought that she was having sex all over Europe. Gianna was also to stubborn to listen to Aria when she told her to tell Matteo that she was a virgin and she got a shock and so did he. Matteo was the type of person that used humor in every situation I think it was his way of covering up his feeling I think that it Gianna would have really looked she would have seen how he felt. This book was well written like the other books in this series and I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

This is the third book from Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles, and I have to say, I'm not completely sure how to feel after reading this book. I mean, I'm pretty sure it deserves my 3 stars, but there's a lot to this book that leaves me conflicted. Okay, so the idea of this book is pretty interesting. I mean our heroine, Gianna, is this spunky chic who doesn't back down, isn't happy with the cards she's been dealt, and wants out. Then our hero, Matteo, is a bit like Luca except Matteo likes to play with knives and has a real sense of humor. We know Gianna plans to break out, go to Europe, and never get caught, but at the same time, Matteo plans to find her and force the marriage between them. Now is the point where I have to admit that going into the book I didn't like Gianna and I had no clue who Matteo was. For whatever reason I always got him confused with Romero (I hope that's his name). Still, I really like Reilly's style of writing, the voice she gives each one of the characters, and how her past two books kept me on my toes when it came to the romance between the heroines and heroes. Therefore, I simply had to give this one a go. Alright, the main issue I have to express is Gianna. I actually really liked her in the beginning. I loved her desire for independence, her ways of thinking, and how she desperately wanted to get out of the mafia and all it represented. She's the first character of the series to express everything that is wrong with the mafia, and she had perfect examples. Then when she actually was on her own she was real, she was cool, she was struggling like you would expect, and she gave it her all. Enter Matteo. I actually didn't like him much in the beginning. I couldn't get ahold of his character, and what I could see seemed very stereotypical player. About halfway through the book my opinions flip-flopped. Gianna's attitude just became too much for me. She was MEAN. I completely understood why, but it was grating after a while. I desperately wanted her to show some vulnerability or sweetness to Matteo, but she kept her attitude through the entire book. The worst part with this issue is that during the entire time I cringed at her toughness, I pitied her. These emotions I felt for her were exhausting and might have ruined the book if I didn't appreciate the fact that at least Gianna was a complex character that kept me on my toes. Next, I must speak about Matteo. Like I said, didn't like him in the beginning. However, I kind of loved him by the end. I'm always a sucker for a hero that has a good sense of humor. After the last two heroes from the series, these books desperately needed a character like him. He was just...a good guy (despite the fact he was a killer). I honestly think his humorous and straightforward personality was the balm to Gianna's chaotic one. Plus, I found him super sexy. He was totally the only one to make those sex scenes hot. *Sorry, some spoilers* Quick Rant: The ending was BS. Sorry, but I hated the ending. HATED IT. I thought it was fake and made no sense after everything I struggled through reading. Gianna, much as I ended up disliking her, was screwed over. She didn't get any of the things she wanted in life. After just 6 months of freedom, that was it. She will now be hated by everyone at every party she will ever attend, she's lost most of her family, she has absolutely no purpose with her life (no job, hobby, etc.), and I honestly do not think Matteo will ever be able to fully trust her. Don't get me wrong, Matteo's eternal love is sweet and all, but after everything she went through I can't help but feel hugely disappointed. *Spoilers/rant over* To finally finish, this book certainly kept me intrigued. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, which is something I truly appreciate. The book has a decent pace (eh, maybe a bit slow in the middle) and is well written. It certainly has its high and low points and is not my favorite of the series, but it has done nothing to diminish my excitement for the next book.

WOW what can I say this was a good book I like how the fact that Matteo never gave up on Gianna because even though Gianna never wanted to be apart of the Mob world she felt like she was slowly becoming one of the wives that she never wanted to be like for example her mother and her sister aria. One thing I can say that about Aria and Gianna is that they are both different one Aria is more like the submissive wife and Gianna is more of a independence type of person. But one thing that I noticed with Gianna is that she likes to run away from her problems she never wants to face them she always thinks running away will solve the problems when in actually it makes it worst. But I am glad that Gianna has finally faced her problems and realized that she was running away from love. And the only one reason that Luca and Gianna wasn't getting along because Luca didn't want to see his brother hurt by Gianna actions but most of all this was a good story.

This is a great Mafia series. It is the third in the series, so make sure to read Bound by Honor and Bound by Duty first. The main characters Gianna and Matteo are introduced in Bound by Honor. I instantly felt the connection between them and wanted to know how their story would play out. It actually plays like a game of cat and mouse. He wants her. She wants him. Their story involves twists and tangles which make you wonder if they will end up together. She doesn't want to admit she wants him. Her sister explains what love is to Gianna and their sister, Lily. "Love is when you feel safe in someone’s arms, when he’s the first thing you want to see in the morning, love is surrendering. You risk getting hurt but you don’t care. You are willing to give someone the power to break your heart. Love means seeing someone at their worst and still seeing the good in them, love means someone is perfect for you despite their imperfections.” Does Gianna feel these things for Matteo? It is a great read as she tries to figure it out. Thank you, Cora Reilly. I can't wait for more. There are some editing errors mostly in the beginning of the story. Although I know some people base ratings off such things, I did not. I think this story is worth the read and the author has great potential.

I’m reading this entire series from the beginning to the end for the second time. It’s great writing great storyline, great romance I love everything about

If 'The Godfather' had a love child with Mills and Boon...this would be it ;) the story is a little unrealistic but that's the point, right? Escapism! Despite the Mills and Boon reference and the mere 3 star rating, I did actually enjoy this book. I took stars away for editing! There are so many grammatical errors, it made my head spin! My own grammar is less than perfect, so maybe I should give it 4 instead of 3, but fortunately the errors did not detract too much from the story. Though you do not need to read the two books that precede this week one, I do recommend it as you get a better glimpse into how Gianna and Matteo's story really begins as Aria and Luca's unfold. All the characters and the plot makes so much more sense this way and I urge you to read the previous two first. All these books are dark, erotic, gritty and well written despite the awful grammar...if you can believe that! Do not read further if you do not wish to inadvertently run into any spoilers! ***SPOILERS*** Gianna decides to run away and escape the dark future she is sure awaits her if she continues to live amongst the monsters that comprise the mob, her father and Matteo being her greatest Nemises. With Aria's help she flees to Europe to try and make a life for herself but cannot stop looking over her shoulder. Her Freedom is not what she had hoped it would be and she finally settles in Munich, low on cash and tired of running. Just as she decides to move on Matteo and her father's thugs track her down and find her in a compromising situation...her would be boyfriend is murdered in front of her and she's whisked away back home where everyone believes her only to be a slut and treat her despicably for her 'betrayal'...all except Aria and Matteo, who still decides to marry her despite that he believes she is 'used goods'. And so the love/hate relationship begins. Mostly the 'love' is expressed in nothing more than sweaty sex, albeit great sex. The hate is more prevalent...mostly only on Gianna's side. At times I wanted to slap some sense into her because she really does act her age, a teenage spoilt brat, but part of me does understand why she is the way she is. It takes her a long time to stop being prideful and to finally be honesty with herself and Matteo. In the end she realizes she is just as dark and twisted as the made men of her 'family' and not only accepts it it embraces it. All in all a good read, a HEA that always makes me sigh dreamily afterwards and a pleasant way to while away an afternoon by the pool. Ok I changed my mind and decided to give this a 4 star after all :)