Bound by the Past

Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles, Book 7

By: Cora Reilly

Narrated by: Ava Lucas, Connor Crais

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Dante

My life is a tale of betrayal. I killed so many because they betrayed our cause, because they betrayed the Outfit. A hypocrite. A liar. A murderer. That’s what I am.

Five times I betrayed the Outfit. With my blood I made a vow to our cause, swore my life to it, promised to put the Outfit first. Above all else. Five times I chose a woman over the good of the Outfit. I betrayed my father. My vow. My men. You reap what you sow. Would my betrayals destroy everything I swore to protect?

Valentina

On our wedding day, I made a vow to stand by Dante’s side. In good and in bad times. To love him through it all.

Growing up in the mafia, I knew the challenges in our life would be numerous. I never expected them to tear at the very base of our family, of our existence.

©2020 Cora Reilly (P)2020 Cora Reilly

The support of the love for family

From the entire series u appreciate the realness of the raw trauma from lost and yielding to family. Dante love for the family Val created with him and the way she was his refuge was just amazing to read. I was unable to put this book down.

great love story

They say in life its all about the journey ......Val and Dante have a journey that spans over a decade ...Dante is the Capo who no longer feels worthy to be loved after all in his eyes as capo he had done unspeakable things in the mafia......He recently lost his first wife Carla ... Then he is pressured to marry again in walks Val ... she longs to be wanted and loved ..... She is Chosen to fill the position in hopes that it will be a role to play ,,, Lets just say they get more than what they bargained for .... lol... and more than they ever hoped for ... the narration by Connor Crais and Ava Lucas is five star Stellar ...

Dante aka The Undercover Super Freak

We now get A LOT of the "why's" that happen throughout the bound by blood series. Specifically why Dante keeps Aria's father around despite not agreeing with his methods, or liking him for that matter. Also it's nice to get Dante's pov from the events of Bound by The Past. Since that book was only in Valentina's. Reading how much Dante really desired Val had me fangirling and blushing at times. Interesting to read how he was affected by Gianna and Lily's storylines, and his thoughts about what happens to Fabiano. Dante and Valentina will always be one of favorite couples, being close in age with the characters I can relate to them on a more personal level. And I feel they have a more mature relationship, than other couples in the series, appearing to have less of a power difference. Dante allows Val more of a role in the Made world, even wanting her to be his Consigliere. Their spicy scenes skating on the dominate/submissive themes are always a fun read. I'm glad we got to see more of their lives after Bound by Duty. But I almost wish that this book focused on them, with the kidnapping and aftermath could have been a separate book, maybe a novella. Since this is more of Dante's book, and reflecting on his "betrayals", so plot wise it makes sense. I loved how they introduced Ines and Pietro's (Serafina's parents) romance, I wish they would have gotten a book, so we could see more of their story.

***Spoilers***

I believe the enjoyment of the end of this book definitely depends on what order you read it in. I wrote this review after reading the book twice. The first time before reading Twisted Pride and then chronologically (which is after Twisted Pride according to Cora's website). And while I still enjoyed it, the ending wasn't as impactful knowing that Serafina was not suffering like they believed while she was in captivity with Remo. I actually found myself skipping over some of those parts. When I read it the first time around, I was experiencing Serafina's kidnapping, failed rescue, trade and return to Remo from the lens of Dante and his family. So I was on the edge of my seat. But now that I know Serafina was "safe" and falling for Remo, the angst and thrill disappears. Plus when she saves Remo originally I believed she had finally lost it, only leaving because she knew her babies would be respected more in Vegas, and I was shocked that she goes back. But now I know she returned because she loved Remo and she's not "brainwashed". During my first read through this was one of my favorite books, now it's more middle ground. The Serafina and Remo storyline was needed, since we have to know how it impacted her family. But again it's just not as impactful when you read this book after Twisted Pride.

Dante is the Outfit

This is a great overview of life in the Chicago Outfit with special focus into the thoughts of Dante and how he handles being a Capo and all the responsibilities that go with that position. It takes in dealings with the New York Famiglia as well as the Las Vegas Camorra. Strong characters and life changing events with underlying to die for romance. What more could you ask for. Enjoyed the story and wanted it to continue. I loved reading the book and enjoyed that the audio version brings it all to life. Narration was good. Worth the time and the credit. Can't wait for the rest of Cora Reilly's books to be available on Audible.

❤️❤️

Love the storyline so much, we get to see Remos and Serafinas story from the other POV and why Dante had Scuderi as his 2nd for TOO LONG A TIME.

It was okay

I enjoy this type of story, and I love this author, however, the male narrator was distracting because of the way he over pronounced every name. It was quite annoying to me and took some of the enjoyment out of the story for me.

Ingenious

Cora Reilly really knows how to build an entire world full of intertwining characters and stories without losing track of a single detail. This book is written from Dante’s POV from before his marriage to Valentina up through the end of their story as it’s written in Bound by Duty, which was told from Val’s POV. From that point forward in the timeline, this book is told in dual POV.

This book shows us the stories from Cora Reilly’s previous novels as those plots unfold from within The Outfit. And Cora manages to make it all consistent and cohesive. What a talented writer.

I’ve read all the books from both of her series, and I’ve always wondered why The Outfit in Chicago only got one book. This book is the answer to that, and it’s thoroughly enjoyable.

The narrators are amazing. Especially Connor Craig, who manages to convey a unique voice for each of the many male characters in the book. There are fewer female voices to keep track of, but Ava Lucas does all of them justice.

My only critique is that the plot started to drag a bit after Serafina was kidnapped. Still, I listened to the entire thing in 2 days, so it definitely pulled me in.

I love that Cora Reilly writes actual mafia plots. Many authors of mafia romance simply place their characters in front of a mafia setting, while that aspect of the book remains in the background. Cora blends her romances seamlessly into her well developed crime universe.

Well worth the credit!