By Sin I Rise: Part One

Sins of the Fathers #1

by Cora Reilly

Maddox – Mad Dog – White hates everything the name Vitiello stands for, after he witnessed his father and his men getting butchered by the Capo of the Italian mob in their territory. Raised by his uncle, the president of the Tartarus MC, Maddox is destined to follow in his footsteps. Now their chapter is on the rise again, but for their ultimate triumph they need to destroy the Vitiello empire. And what better way to do it than to steal the spoilt Vitiello princess and break her piece by piece until her father begs for mercy.

Known as the spoilt princess of New York, Marcella Vitiello grew up in a golden cage. If your father is the most feared man in New York, people gift you with reverence.

Destined to marry the boyfriend approved by her father, Marcella is sick of being treated like an untouchable porcelain doll.

She resents the life forced upon her by her family until everything she took for granted is ripped from her. Where she’s now, her name doesn’t bring awe, only pain and humiliation.

If you’ve grown up in a high castle, the fall is all the deeper.

Sins of the fathers have a way of catching up, who’s going to bleed for them?

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Mafia Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark, Contemporary, Forced Proximity

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2021

About the author

I'm an Mafia Romance writer. I'm a lover of good food, wine, travel and books, and I'm hopelessly addicted to bad boys (in books).

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Reviews

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oooof.



Cora Reilly is one of my top go-to authors for mafia romance and so I was really looking forward to this one when I heard about it. I was even a good girl and waited for book two to come out before tackling this as I was so sure I would want need to immediately jump into book two. It's sounds trite, but this took some willpower on my part.

So I'm fairly bummed I didn't love this thing. Or even like it all that much, really.

The plot had a lot of potential. Luca and Aria's daughter being kidnapped by the MC that Luca annihilated in a previous book?

Sign me up.

I mean, it was gonna be like a mix of Luca/Aria love and Remo/Seraphina kidnapping greatness, and I was ready.



Except, not so much.

Not only did Marcella and Maddox have exactly zero chemistry, I also found both of them to be pretty bland all around. And Reilly did a decent job giving Maddox a fairly solid backstory, so I'm not sure why. Maybe it was the general lack of any tension whatsoever. I never actually believed that Marcella was in danger, even when she got hurt. I felt like there were zero stakes.

But worst of all, this book had a...surprise I was VERY unhappy about.

I have very few hard limits. In fact, I have exactly two: 1) stories based around a main or parental character suffering from Cancer or some other terminal illness, and 2) animal abuse, suffering, or cruelty in any form.

And the MC in this had fighting dogs that were injured.

Now, in Reilly's defense, she did a decent job of not getting too graphic with this. Because, I'm not kidding. I have a black soul; but when it comes to animals hurting in any way, I am a hot mess. I even had a hard time with some of the newer Jurassic Park movies, and those are CGI dinosaurs. My point is, that if I was able to handle this element in this book (without immedately DNF-ing), that's really saying something.

But still...




But I digress.

Currently, I have no plans to continue to book two. It's $3.99 and not available via Kindle Unlimited (as this one and most of her books usually are). And frankly, I just didn't like this enough to pony up the cash and have to permanently keep what I think might be a dud.

And that says it all, no?

Edited: I have had a few people in the comments ask for my top favorite romance mafia authors, so here are some of my favorite series starters:

Twist Me by Anna Zaires
Crime Lord's Captive by Mia Knight
The Sweetest Oblivion by Lori Danielle
Crow by A. Zavarelli

[⚔Irunía⚔ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pre-review: Guys, focus, please, I have one urgent, serious question... *clearing throat* Are you all sure Maddox actually likes pussy??

Asking for a friend... 👉🏻👈🏻🥺

His dedication to the thoughts about Luca... ✨

I'd consider raising the rating if the second book features age-gap, taboo, cheating, enemies to lovers✨gay ✨ romance. Claimed by my girlfriend's father... sounds nice, if not a bit clichéd, no?

LAME UN-CO-ORDINATED THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS STORY mixed with spoilers AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO A READABLE REVIEW ❤️ Yet again, I deliver. 🤡

1) I believe that the name Maddox, which stands for 'mad dog', suits this hero PERFECTLY. The way he took orders from Marcella in order to prove his 🤡love🤡 and loyalty while being held captive by her daddy dearest had me tied in knots experiencing the severe jealousy case. I am in a dire need of a humanoid lap dog of my own SINCE RIGHT FUCKING NOW. 🙏🏻 I should probably read less and go out more frequently to find myself one. 💔

2) Luca I know would have detected his little princess' location without the help of his enemy and wouldn't have found himself at the mercy of one. ❤️ I didn't like this secret clown twin version of my man.

3) How quickly can one go from being attracted to someone to actually loving them? Marcella and Maddox' instant connection felt uncalled for, considering the circumstances of their acquaintance and the lack of time for developing any serious emotional connection. Reading some particularly sweet passages, I was wondering whether I'd missed a big chunk of text that would have made their feelings plausible in my eyes.

4) Luca and Maddox had better chemistry than Maddox and Marcella. 💔 Those guys have so much potential to turn into a precious couple: for one, common ground to build their relationship on: caring about Marcella's wellbeing; 🤡 for two, mutual (half-assed, apparently 😉) hatred that has the potential to transform into ❤️love❤️. CORA, RECONSIDER...

5) Marcella, stop creaming for Maddox. Take this issue into your own hands, my girl 😭⛔

6) CHEESY CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN LUCA AND MADDOX that would have made my 13-year-old self cry the tears of happiness and fascination. Either Marcella's old man is getting old or my rose tinted glasses keep cracking at the most inappropriate places, but SAVE ME FROM LAUGHING AT LUCA. Adult life shouldn't bring so much disappointment.

7) Maddox' easy abandonment of the revenge plan he had been harbouring FOR YEARS. EXCUSE ME? 🧐🧐 Where tf are bitter, frustrated, torn right from his heart emotions, empty hollowness, caused by being forced to make the toughest decision of his life and the loss of his life goal??? I appreciate the sweetness of his feelings towards Marcella, but I don't have the slightest idea how he had survived in the world of his lil motorcycle club groupies with that level of 'unwavering determination'.

MADDOX IS MARCELLA'S LAP DOG, OK?? 😭You can be sweet and caring without losing your last brain cells and letting the girl you barely know order yourself around.

8) Marcella was portrayed as this spoilt, intelligent, privileged ice princess and I really wanted to like her, but... I found her a bit bland, formulaic and... not that clever. 😔 Anyways, I'll take Ms. Reilly’s word for it.

Also

Lately I've been forcefully fed with reviews of people who keep complaining about the VIRGIN-MANWHORE atavistic formula in Cora's books, so I shall only comment that I liked its execution this time. Maddox had sex with OW after meeting the heroine but it wasn't an on-page scene and he stopped right after they finally got involved.
I fail to see a point in crying and whining about the characteristic, distinctive feature of the 99% of Cora's books. 🤡😂 It's no secret that she tends to stick to the formula like shit to a blanket (with a few exceptions like Kiara 🖤and Dinara 🤮) and I'm wondering why so many people who abhor and despise that kind of thing in romance keep eating the cactus when so many other mafia authors can serve them less patriarchal meals on the silver plate.
The older I get, the more time I spend being confused thinking about irrelevant stuff. ⌚

That being said, I'll probably read the 2nd part, because I'm sort of a masochist too. 🤡👍🏻

[M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mission name: "rescuing NevioAurora and the Cavallaro kids before it's too late!!"

1. This is NOT a hate review. It's true that my expectations are always low when it comes to Cora Reilly after how Savio, Sofia, and Adamo's books ended, but I went into this with an open mind. Saying all that, this was SO boringgg!! And coincidentally the same thing happened to me with TDT by Danielle Lori (similar trope); I liked the general idea and plot, but the execution was lacking. This one started good, even strong, but it was deflated before 50% and that's why I don't see the need for a duet for this couple. I'm sorry Cora, but I don't believe you when you say they have SOOOO much to tell... this could have easily been wrapped up in one volume.

2. OW on page is one thing, the MC having sexual interactions with them is stretching it too far. WHYYYY!!??? I thought she had learned her lesson after describing in detail Adamo and CJ's "special" relationship with an explicit sex scene (ew), but no. This happens twice here, with two different girls, although the interaction isn't described on page, but the point is the same; before meeting the heroine it's fine, I don't care, but after meeting the heroine? cut that shit.

3. Marcella "Snow White" Vitiello, the star of the show. Her female characters are always similar and always have only two personalities; the too naive that she almost seems dumb girl, or the I'm not like the other girls girl, that's why Marcella was a surprise most of the time. Yes, she was privileged and spoiled, but that was a given considering her upbringing, but she wasn't a brat, nor was she too naive and sheltered, so she had a functional brain capable of knowing the lifestyle of her family, the dangers and the way to act in certain situations where her Vitiello personality was fundamental.

She fought her kidnappers as much as she could, and it really took time for them to break her down, so that shows how determined and strong she was even though she was raised as a princess. Also, I loved the fact that she knew how beautiful she was and that it was something she could use to her advantage, but she was also aware of how smart she was and how she tried to show that to everyone who thought she was just a pretty face.

4. Maddox "Mad Dog" White. This was another of the weak points in the story, and if you want to know what kind of mad dog he was, then think of a little poodle. He was not someone to fear, hardly the bad boy on the wrong side of the tracks seeking revenge, but who fell for the daughter of his enemy the second he saw her, constantly being caught between helping her or following his uncle's dumb as fuck plans against the Famiglia.

Basically all of his inner monologue was about Marcella being so fucking gorgeous, with her invisible crown and regal princess attitude. His words. Oh, also how much he wanted to make her cream. So everything he had to say and think about her was related to her physical appearance or strong personality, which she inherited from Luca, so the joke told itself.

5. The romance... or the lack thereof. Ok, so you already know that I'm not a fan of the idea of 2 books, but one would think that with all that space the author would take the time to develop this relationship properly, but once again, nope. From the beginning this relationship was full of lust since Maddox was dreaming about Marcella's body, and obviously Marcella wasn't blind so she also commented on how handsome her kidnapper was.

And I didn't have a problem with that for a while, but the confessions of love that Cora threw at the end weren't necessary considering that 1) they weren't properly developed, 2) there's still a whole other book to continue developing this aspect. So in summary, I was fine and I even enjoyed this banter filled hate-lust relationship, but I didn't like that they got very sappy out of nowhere and began to declare a love and devotion that wasn't seen until the end of the story, when they were together for like less than a sec.

6. Luca and Aria still are unseasoned chicken to me. I don't care how many years of marriage they have on them, I've never liked Luca's cheating ass, and I hated him even more when he thought of cheating on Aria AGAIN with the same woman he hurt her before. As for Aria, I kinda like her in small doses, but here she had no character at all. Literally the way she acted around her children and the things she said to Marcella after she was rescued sounded like an inspirational instagram post.

7. The Famiglia. Can we take a moment to appreciate how each Capo here was this cold and calculating man, sometimes unhinged (hi Remo!) who was only warm towards his family, or at least that's what we could see in the epilogues? ok, so now please explain to me why here all of them were so cold in their family relationships... Aria was like a poor motivational speaker, Luca was warm only in flashbacks, there was hardly any mention of the relationship between brothers and cousins even when they are supposed to be close, Marcella talked about her uncles and aunts as if they were a stranger, etc. The only saving grace were the MatteoGianna and Isabella mentions.

8. Amo Vitiello. He really went from a laidback 16-year-old who played Fornite, to an ax murderer researching interrogation techniques from overnight. Nothing else to say other than that I'm scared for Greta.

9. The Cliffhanger. So my 2 remaining working braincells would make me assume that the idea of two books would be to end the first one with some event that will leave me with my jaw on the floor, right? ok, so then explain me that ending without any suspense, no expectations for what's to come, no surprises at all. Just another point in my "this didn't need 2 books" crusade.

10. I'm gonna give her points for hurting one of the second gen princesses. I really didn't expect her to do it considering how tame her books are when it comes to hurting her main characters beyond the psychological, so this probably sounds bad, but points for the physical damage.

[Phuong ✯ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I said I would review this book. Sorry, I lied. Rants have to be earned and this book didn't earn shit.

Buddy read with my love Mina. Thank you for keeping me semi-sane all these months. 🖤

****
By 62% I Quit: First try (Sins of my own stupidity - a saga)

This book is slowly putting me in a reading slump since I started it Sep 15th. I promise I'll read the rest by the end of this year, cause I have a rant ready, but for now adios.

┍━━━━━━━━━━━━━┑
SINS OF THE FATHERS SERIES

#1 By Sin I Rise: Part One – 1.5 stars
#2 By Sin I Rise: Part Two – I'd rather reread Luca and Aria's book again before I read this
#3 By Virtue I Fall – tbr
#4 By Fate I Conquer – tbr
┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙

[Yeasmin Alo]

Honestly?
Still wounded by the fact Marcella wasn’t paired with Adamo
But who is Maddox? 🤔

[Sofs · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Vitiellos don’t kneel.”


By Sin I Rise is the first installment of Sins of The Fathers and Part I of By Sin I Rise duet. And what a good way to start this series.

Marcella Vitiello is more than the typical spoiled rich girl. Living in a traditional world but with the freedom her father gives her, she can’t stop wishing for more. She has many dreams, one of them being find love like her parents have. Maddox saw his father and MC family being slaughtered by Luca Vitiello. Years wishing for a change for revenge, he and his MC finally find it through Luca’s daughter, Marcella.

This is the start of a forbidden romance. One that Maddox and Marcella have everything to lose and hardly anything to win. Revenge and knowing the enemy doesn’t stop them from falling for each other, the problem is their current situation and aftermath.

“It’s better to die standing up than to live on your knees, Snow White.”

To me, Maddox is the star of this book. He’s simply AMAZING. I love Remo/Cassio/Savio and thought it was hard to top them but Maddox came like a wrecking ball. I don’t want to give much details because of spoilers and the best part is to enter this without knowing him but he’s all I wanted him to be and more. Also, he’s quite unique, I can’t compare him to any of the previous male characters. I want to scream to the world how I need more of this man.

Marcella is a good protagonist too. She truly is Luca’s daughter and I admire her love for her dad and family. She’s the typical spoiled rich girl but not bratty (thank god), her dad truly made her a princess. I felt for her through the book but her growth was fantastic. She definitely came a long way and has more to give.

It was SO good to see Luca and Aria again and finally meet Amo older. I truly love Amo, these events really have an impact on him. Luca is just beyond this world. I was so sad for him but also so proud for the amazing dad he became. Aria is still the sweet girl we know but not fragile as everyone thinks.

The book being split in two, was a good choice. I often I’m against this because it’s not necessary but the first book is used to build them as characters and their relationship. There’s too much happening to them, so many things they need to figure out and overcome that having all in one book would be too much and the best is to not rush it or leave things unanswered. Give them what they deserve and the ending they should have.

By Sin I Rise: Part I is a rollercoaster and I couldn’t stop myself from feeling for these two. I truly hope they can find their happy ending soon. Despite ending in a cliffhanger that left me anxious for Part II, it’s more suspenseful than hurtful so it gave me a bit of peace.

Now, can By Sin I Rise: Part 2 come fast? Because Maddox White has my heart and soul and has me around his finger. I can’t stay this long without him.

[currently being delulu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess it’s no surprise of the low rating but honest to god this has to be one of coras worst books to date and here’s why.

SPOILERS




Okay to straight up home girl really lies to her fan base that Marci was going to be this different girl and not what to accept

She’s like one of those authors who knows some of her her readers want something different out of there heroines but just lies and teases that “ this heroine is so unexpected your not ready for her”

Spoiler alert you aren’t only because Marcella was one dumb ass little bitch


I’d like to refer too to Marci and Maddox as dumb and dumber

A perfect match

Some people where worried that this was going to be a repeat of twisted pride but rest assured

Dumb and dumber story can’t even touch twisted pride



Okay so real talk Maddox is also a dumb fucking bitch


Man. Came out with lines Like this after his uncle cuts off Marcellas earlobe

“She ignored me and peered down at her feet. Then slowly she lifted her head but she still wasn’t looking at me. I stared at her profile, trying to sort through my whirlwind of emotions.
Even in a tattered and bloody wife beater and my old boxer shorts, Snow White looked more regal than any queen on a throne of gold and diamonds ever could. She carried her invisible crown with unabashed pride. Fuck, this woman had been born to be a queen and she fucking owned that title.”



… tf


Honestly there relationship had literally 0% fucking development he saw her thought she was hot and and that’s all he thought about

Like by chapter 9 the man was questioning why he even kidnapped her and was willing to give it all up because he lives to make her cream … his exact words

Also .. he said shit like This that was supposed to show Marcellas innocence but really kinda proved how dumb he was


“If I had any diseases, you would have gotten them through the pussy-tonguing you just had.”
He had a point, and I hated feeling stupid.”


But you know I don’t mean to give you false hope into thinking Marcellas any smarter or a better character


She thinks and says shit like this after getting her ear cut of and only knowing Maddox for less than a week while knowing he’s the whole reason she was kidnapped


“He met my gaze and I touched my ear, wondering what he saw now.
“You’re still fucking gorgeous. Knowing you, people will probably soon ask plastic surgeons to cut their earlobes off because you started a trend.”



…..

“Her arm shot out, grabbing my hand. “No, stay with me.”
“Marcella, are you—”
“Stay.”




Yeahhhh


Again if I’m being honest I’m not the biggest fan of Cora Reilly but she did write the Camorra chronicles pretty good

But this opening for the spin of series really was so lack luster

It was missing the usual edge I guess she puts into her books


It was mostly the fact that she was presenting a completely different story then what she was actually promising



What exactly was Lucas sin here?

Tbh he was basically portrayed like the best dad ever here




And Marci loved him and would never turn her back on him

She thought he was the greatest man ever and she wants her parents great love story like her own


She literally said her parents relationship was relationship goals … tf


Oh and apparently her kidnapping has changed the entire family her brother included who was a fun loving brother but his now so harded and has become a killing machine in less then a few weeks because… Cora really had no other ideas for him and how to give him any other character development for his own story



And obviously is going to make this series as wholesome as she can because I’m pretty sure all the kids aren’t going to be going through as much as we thought


It seems more like she’s trying to make it seem they all have such amazing great parents witch was very off putting


It’s called sins of the father.. I was expecting ya know


… them having to deal with there fathers sins and deal with the actions of what they did

For them ya break. away from there parents and have there own stories to tell …




Did this really need two parts? No . No it doesn’t I’m
Telling you really doesn’t


The ending where
Marci basically tells her dad she wants to be apart of the business had me fucking rolling

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/Kindhearted...



As Luca apparently is a natural born feminist now .. because he didn’t put much of a fight is saying no because she’s his princess I guess





As for safety detail


Maddox has sex with two different club girls of page


Same story same cut and dry bullshit he’s a guy who likes sex has many of it


She’s a virginal blushing stereotype mafia princess who knows nothing about sex and only like it with the std hero

[C.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book that I read by Cora Reilly was Sweet Temptation. Luca Vitiello(Capo of the Famiglia N.Y. and the East) was a side character in that book. Luca’s massacre on the Tartarus MC was talked about in that book.

"Now that Luca had destroyed an entire chapter in cold blood, the retribution of the MC was only a matter of time. They were volatile, bound by fewer rules than us.~Cassio, Sweet Temptation

I was intrigued by Luca and wanted to know more about why he slaughtered that MC so read his book Bound by Honor. The massacre wasn’t in that book. The massacre took place in Bound by Love(book 6). The actual event wasn’t shown just the aftermath. Luca was already having problems with the MC’s. Luca thought that his wife Aria cheated on him with the Outfit’s Capo Dante. She didn’t really cheat on him. Luca went ballistic and single handedly slaughtered the whole chapter of the N.J. Tartarus MC. I think there like 10 people. Unbeknownst to Luca, a five year old Maddox was hiding and witnessed his father and men getting butchered. In this book, it’s the first time readers actually see Luca going on his killing spree through a flashback.

Afterward, Maddox mother fled with him to Texas to live with his Uncle Earl White (his father’s brother). In present day, Maddox and his Uncle Earl are back and have been rebuilding their chapter for several years. They’ve wanted to get revenge on Luca for 20 years. Earl (president of this chapter of the Tartarus MC) comes up with the plan to kidnap Luca’s daughter Marcella. I’m glad that Maddox wasn’t fully on board with the plan. The chapter took a vote on it. Earl promised Maddox that no harm would come to Marcella. Well, Earl lied to Maddox. As far as Maddox knew, the plan was to kidnap Marci and exchange her for her father. Earl has other ideas. Maddox is good at finding loopholes with security, so his job was to track Marci and he kidnapped her.

My thought on most the bikers: (special place reserved for Earl and Creepy Cody)



The author said that this book would be darker. I know some people wished that the book would have been even darker, but not me. I wasn’t a fan of the torture stuff. I prefer the authors other captive/captor books because the heroines weren’t really getting physically tortured. When I read the synopsis, I worried about what the “humiliation” would entail. I worried about the bike guys trying to rape her or making her get nude etc….Trigger Warning:

“You aren’t the person we want. I have absolutely zero interest in hurting you. Your father will pay, not you.” The words sounded final”.~Maddox

When Marci gets kidnapped Earl has Maddox put her in an empty dog kennel cage. Maddox was hesitant about it.

Dog Pit Fighting:Earl has dogs that he uses in dog pit fights.. Maddox is against it. When he was 9 he tried to set some dogs free and got punished for it. Marci does bond with Earl’s favorite dog Satan. The dogs do get rescued in the end. Growl has a shelter that he takes them too.

The first night Marci is in the cage, one of the guys comes down drunk and wants to rape her. He can’t get in the cage though bc it’s locked. He says crude stuff and he pees through the bars in the cage. Maddox ends up coming.

nude video: 32% Earl has all the guys gather around her cage and forces Marci to take her clothes off. They film her naked and put the video on social media. Maddox didn’t know that Earl was going to do that and worried was relieved that they didn’t do worse. A nude video is still horrible. I wish that Maddox would have spoken up more. He said once Earl makes up his mind there is no changing it. I don’t like revenge porn type stuff in books.

Creepy Cody: tries to attack Marci but she beats him off with a shoe. He is always threatening to rape her. The other guys want to gang rape Marci. Maddox protects Marci by asking Earl if he can keep her in his bedroom as a prize. Marci plan is to seduce Maddox to try to get his help to escape. The sex between Maddox and Marci is consensual. She doesn’t get rape in the book. Maddox keeps his bedroom door locked. Creepy Cody taunts Marci from the other side of the door when Maddox is out.

Earl cuts Marci’s left earlobe off:52% Maddox is away from the house when this happens. Earl has a key to Maddox room and Creepy Cody comes in and drags Marci down the stairs. Earl tells her that she is too pretty. Earl cuts Marci’s left earlobe off and sends it to Luca. Marci decides to not get reconstructive surgery because she wants a reminder not to take things for granted.

Earl doesn’t plan on exchanging Marci for Luca. He just wants to keep torturing her. Earl questions Maddox loyalty. He says their moving Marci back to the kennel and all the guys are going to share her. To prevent that from happening, Maddox ends up calling Luca and reveals their location to him to come get Marci. Timeline wise, I think Marci’s captivity was maybe 2 weeks or a little more

Vitiello Whore tattoo :70% Cody ends up tattooing “ Vitiello Whore” onto Marci’s back. The guys plan to gang rape Marci later. Luca shows up before any of that happens. She decides to get a tattoo to cover it up.

Marci does get rescued and returns home. Marci asks Luca to spare Maddox and give him a chance to prove himself. Maddox gives up his revenge for Marci. Marci decides she wants to join the family business. She wants to lead the Enforcers to hunt down MC 's that might be loyal to Earl.

Self Defense:

I was really hoping that Luca would have taught Marci some self defense. I wanted her to have some secret knife wielding skills. Matteo is the best with knives. Nope she didn’t get any self defense training I think it was foolish of Luca not to at least try to teach her stuff. Luca didn’t want his precious daughter around weapons. I wanted to know that Marci at least knew self defense even if she wasn’t good at it. The way Marci’s abduction happened self defense probably wouldn’t have helped but still. Luca tried to teach Aria self defense. I hope Matteo teaches Isa how to use knives etc… Remo wanted to teach Greta to learn cage fighting but was disappointed when she wanted to take ballet. Greta wouldn’t hurt a fly. My point is that Remo at least wanted to teach her. Years ago, Nino said he didn’t understand why the Famiglia didn’t teach girls self defense. I think Luca should have taught her kidnapping scenarios.

"All my life a possible threat to my safety had dangled over my head like a Damocles sword, but it had always been abstract, never something palpable I could grasp. Now Dad’s worries had manifested into reality and my annoyance for his insistence to keep me heavily guarded at all times seemed childish and naïve. Maybe it would have been good to prepare me in a similar way like he had Amo, really show me the dangers of our world. Now I was confronted with them with little preparation."

Luca should get Maddox to help point out his security flaws.

Marcella Vitiello(just turned 19)



New York mafia Princess, daughter of Capo Luca Vitiello. I ended up liking Marci. I thought that she was strong considering everything she went through during her captivity. She was determined to not let her captures break her. She is definitely her father’s daughter. She would rather be respected than liked. Marci is a perfectionist. She has her future planned out graduation, marriage, babies etc… On the outside, it seems like Marci is the girl who has everything. She has a loving family, beauty, and a fiancé that treats her like a princess. On the inside, she feels like she is bound by invisible shackles. She longs for a love that her parents have and wants a man that isn’t afraid of her father. Marci resents the fact that her brother Amo can where sweats, get poor grade, and sleep around and it’s acceptable yet if she messes up she risked social ruin. Marci is a spoiled princess but she isn’t ungrateful.

Vitiello Family: I’m glad Marci would never leave her family. I worried that this would be another Fina situation where she has to choose. I didn’t want Marci’s relationship getting ruined with her family. She loves her family and takes pride in her name. The family scenes shown are mostly with Aria, Luca, and Amo. Valerio is in a little bit of it. Matteo gets a few good scenes. The rest of the family is shown briefly but none of the rest of the family has dialogue. I think/hope that there will be more family scenes in the next book.

There is a chapter from Luca’s pov. It’s sad to read. The kidnapping is their worst fear come to fruition.

Amo Vitiello(15 soon to be 16) Marci’s younger brother and future capo. I really liked their sibling relationship. I liked Amo. However, I didn’t like that Amo screwed half Marci’s friends. I hope Greta doesn’t get harassed by jealous girls from Amo’s past. At the start of the book, Amo is more playful and plays video games. However, Marci’s kidnapping is the catalyst for unleashing his dark side.

“Playing Fortnight?” I asked, relieved he was back to his routine. “That’s for kids and losers,” he muttered. “I’m doing research on interrogation methods used by the Mossad and KGB.”



Amo’s thoughts on Love:

Amo grimaced as if the whole love discussion made him sick. “If love turns you into an idiot, I’d rather not fall in love.

Maddox “Mad Dog” White (25)



I did feel bad for the trauma poor little Maddox had to go through. I thought Maddox dad was probably not a great dad. Maddox father wasn’t a great dad. He hit Maddox mother. Maddox said that he didn’t have many happy memories. He hoped that maybe his father would one day become a good dad. Deep down he knew that would never happen. He says rather have a bad dad than no dad. Mafia men would disagree.

I didn’t know what to expect with Maddox. He was only mentioned very briefly in the anthology. He wasn’t how I thought he would be. I thought he’d be more of a douchbag. He was nicer than I expected. I thought Maddox would be a little more alpha but he seemed kind of beta to me. Not that I mind that when it came to him and Marci. However, I questioned his future leadership capabilities in regards to the Tartarus MC. He is the V.P. of the Tartarus MC but it kind of seemed like in name only. Some of the club guys didn’t seem to listen to him. He is called “Mad Dog” because he knows no fear, yet it didn’t seem like he was feared. I saw Maddox as one of those decent people that get caught up with a bad crowd.

I found myself frustrated with Maddox. I felt that he was a bit delusional when it came to the kidnapping situation and his Uncle Earl. There is plan of how things will go but things just spiral out of control. Maddox knew what his Uncle Earl was like so I think he should have known better. Earl did lie to him. I do get that he was in a precarious situation and had to know when to speak up and when to back off. Maddox kept telling Marci that he would protect her. I lost count of the amount of times he said it.He did try to protect Marci but bad things still happened to her. At times, I got tired of hearing say he will protect her etc…

I liked the scenes between Marci and Maddox when it was just them. I wanted to see a little more of them together before professing their love. I liked them better together than Adamo/Dinara in Twisted Cravings.

I liked Maddox’s nickname for Marci “Snow White”. He was obsessed with Marci from the moment he met her.

"From the very first moment I spotted Snow White, she’d burned herself into my brain. Every fucking night, the image of her naked body tortured me in maddening detail.”



Smoking: I hated Maddox smoking. He smoked up a chimney the whole book.

I hope Maddox gets a new word other than “cream” in the next book.

Gray (17): Maddox half brother. Maddox Uncle Earl is his father. I felt bad for him and hope he doesn’t do anything stupid in the next book. I thought Maddox was a good brother and tried to protect Gray. I wish that there would have been more scenes the two of them.

OW/OM stuff:- I didn’t think it was that bad in this book compared to some of the authors other books. There weren’t any detailed sex scenes shown with other people. No cheating.

Before Maddox and Marcella officially meet, he gets a “blowy” (his words not mine). It ‘s not shown. The club girl just got done giving his younger brother one (Ew) He can’t get Marci off his mind.

Club girls/pass-arounds are girls that hang out at the clubhouse and sleep with all the guys. They hope one of them will make them their “old lady”. They are the property of the MC .

Maddox sleeps with one other club girl, Cherry, the night of Marci’s kidnapping. Marci is in the kennel. All the guys go to celebrate their victory over kidnapping Luca’s daughter. Maddox tries to get his mind off of Marcella so he sleeps with a club girl. He takes her back to his bedroom but it’s not shown.

Maddox isn’t with anyone else after this. I thought it would be way worse than it was in the book I still wish it wasn’t in there but Cora always seems to at least squeeze a mention in of them banging another woman.

As for Marcella, she is a virgin in the story. She has a fiancé named Giovanni that she has been dating for a little over 2 years. She isn’t in love with him and there is no passion in their relationship. She isn’t thrilled at the prospect of marrying him and longs for a love like her parents have.

Marci says that she and Giovanni have only kissed, a couple boob grabs, and he rubbed her through her jean a few times. She has been pushing for more with him. He keeps turning her down for fear of her father and because she is supposed to wait until marriage. She said whatever else they did was their business. There is a scenes where her parents aren’t home (Amo is though) and she wants to go to her bedroom with Giovanni. He is hesitant because of her parents. They end up going to her bedroom. They kiss but she’s not into the kiss and he is distracted by fear that her parents will show up. Marci gets up and takes her dress off and is in her new set of bra and panties. She lies on the bed and pulls him on top of her. Giovanni pulls away and won’t touch her. She gets angry and says there are three people in their relationship Marci, Giovanni, and her father. She wants a guy that isn’t afraid of her father. Marci breaks off her engagement to Giovanni and knows that it was a mistake getting engage in the first place.

In the past, Marci thought that she loved Giovanni but realized for a while that she loved the idea of him. She said they dated 3 months before they even kissed and she was the one to initiate the kiss. They never had oral sex. She was never interested in giving a bj to him (not that he’d let her if she had wanted too) and wasn’t eager at the idea of him going down on her because she said “his tongue had felt as if a goldfish was floundering for its life on land in my mouth whenever we kissed.”

Really, he did her a favor by not doing more with her. I wasn’t crazy about the scene. She didn’t even enjoy kissing him, so I’m sure he would have been bad at everything else.

Giovanni was her only boyfriend/ guy she kissed before Maddox.

Protection/STD discussion:

I’m glad that they have a discussion about STD’s in this book. I’m glad that there was acknowledgment that you can get STD’s from oral sex which doesn’t seem to ever be mentioned in books.

“I’m not sure if I want to get whatever sexual diseases you have.” “If I had any diseases, you would have gotten them through the pussy-tonguing you just had.” He had a point, and I hated feeling stupid. “But don’t worry, I usually use condoms and if I forgot, I got tested. I’m clean.”

I wasn’t thrilled to hear that Maddox doesn’t always use protection. You can still get STD’s when using protection. I hope he doesn’t have any kids out there that he doesn’t know about.

Maddox and Marcella have unprotected sex. Marcella is on the pill but she couldn’t take it when she was kidnapped. That’s up in the air at the end of the book. Aria gets Marci a pregnancy test but she hasn’t taken it yet. I hope that she doesn’t end up pregnant. I’m not ready for Aria and Luca to be grandparents. There is already so much stuff Mari’s/Maddox plate already. Luca already hates Maddox. I don’t mind surprise baby storylines but not in this case. I hope it doesn’t end up being another Gianna/Matteo situation where she is debating on keeping the baby or not. Luca/Aria talk about raising the baby. The author said that there will be a surprise pregnancy trope in one of the next generation stories. I hope it isn’t this one.

Update on the “Bloody Sheets” tradition: The “bloody sheets” tradition is no longer required. Luca did away with it when Marci was a teenager. However, if “bloody sheet” aren’t presented at someone’s wedding, the girl can be considered a “slut”. A lot of people still present the “bloody sheets” due to pressure.

I loved getting to see Growl in this book! I really liked the scenes with him. It was a nice treat. I love Growl.



Cliffhanger/open ending: There is a cliffy/open ending at the end of this book which isn’t surprising since it’s a duet. It wasn’t as bad a cliffy as I thought it would be. spoiler> I’m glad Marci wasn’t still in captivity. I hope Maddox has more of an explanation for riding off. Maybe he will look for his brother. He just gave his word to Luca that he wouldn’t hurt Marci. It was a miracle that Luca gave him a chance. They did ask a lot of him though. I hope there isn’t a long separation.I think this could have maybe been one book with a 100 or so pages added to it. However, there was a lot of stuff to still work through in the story.

[Clara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great advice to all of you guys, never, and I repeat NEVER, trust the first reviews of the Beta readers who acquire an ARC copy of the book because they LITERALLY kiss Cora Reilly's ass and praise everything she writes just to be able to continue receiving ARC copies for free.

[Siobhan Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initial thoughts: I devoured this in less than 24 hours. OMG. So effing good. I need part two like yesterday.

Dark, gritty, steamy, and utterly compelling. This book sunk its hooks in me fast and didn’t let go until the end. I’m not sure if I consumed it, or it consumed me! Absolute perfection and I can’t wait to read more!

[Mai]

Lately her books are lackluster for me. *fingers crossed* this one will be better.

[Lori [semi-hiatus]]

Did anyone else see she plans to split this into 2 books? What... 🙄
I didn't think she needed the money that bad 😒

[bookaddict lass (kate) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up because i hate to hate on books🙁cora just go back to writing alpha males because that's plain embarassing what i just had to read🙈🙈
please never show this book to any mafia friends you have. they might take offense (i would) and ill have to fear for this author's life okay

[Sejla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowza! By Sin I Rise (book #1 in the new and highly anticipated Sins of the Fathers series), was such a wild and unforgettable ride that left me breathless. I loved, loved, loved it and had seriously no idea what a rollercoaster of emotions Marcella Vitiello's story is going to be! Now my thoughts and feelings are all over the place, while my entire being is begging for part two of the story. A huge round of applause for my queen of Mafia Romance Cora Reilly who came up with such a complex, intriguing and super angsty story, while creating two very loveable and multi-layered characters I absolutely adored.

After witnessing his father and his men getting brutally butchered by the Capo of the New York Famiglia at the age of five, Maddox – Mad Dog – White hates everything the name Vitiello stands for. For many years, this name only brought him nightmares. Now at the age of twenty-five,  all he wants is to take revenge on the man that destroyed his childhood. With his uncle Earl, the president of the Tartarus MC, who took him and his mother in and raised him, Maddox is determined to destroy the Vitiello empire once and for all. They make a plan to abduct Luca Vitiello's daughter and break her piece by piece. It all starts off the way they planned until Maddox's desire for revenge is suddenly at odds with his obsession for the gorgeous captive he can’t stop thinking about.

Marcella Vitiello is known to the world as the spoilt Princess of New York. Many hate her because they think that she has everything, when the things she wants most are always out of her reach. All Marcella wishes is to break out of the golden cage she's been born into. But being part of the Famiglia doesn’t leave you with a lot of options. Especially if you are a woman! Resenting the life forced upon her, she will learn the hard way to cherish everything she had after it's suddenly ripped away from her. 

Maddox and Marcella couldn't be more different at first sight. She's a Mafia Princess who loves shopping and is destined to marry a rich mobster and be his trophy wife, while he's a tattoed and pierced biker who’s going to become the president of the Tartarus MC, following in his uncle’s footsteps. They are mortal enemies and most certainly don't hang out with the same crowd. But despite all that, there's a special, undeniable connection between them that goes far beyond the insane chemistry they share. The more these two will get to know each other, the more they will realize how much they misjudged each other.

Marci is so much more than a gorgeous body and face. At the age of nineteen, she’s going to college and is among the best students! She's a very smart, sensible and responsible young woman who wishes for a man by her side who has the courage to stand up to her father and is not afraid of him. She finally finds that man in the blond, blue eyed biker Maddox.

Maddox was born into the MC life. Drinking, women and riding a Harley are all he knows. His club and revenge mean everything to him, until he meets Marcella, who he nicknames Snow White because of her long black hair, pale skin, sky-blue eyes and full red lips. At first he will despise her for her spoiled life, bare of any hardships. But after some time the stunning beauty will open his eyes and make him question his loyalties to his uncle and his club brothers who want to make her pay for her father’s sins.

I don't want to give away too much from the plot, but let me tell you this: when MC meets Italian American Mafia then all hell breaks loose. There's so much hate between the Tartarus MC and the Famiglia, it's no joke! Can a love that bloomed in such a hopeless place survive against all odds? There are still so many challenges the two main protagonists have to face, and much more differecies they have to overcome! I'm glad the author choose not to rush or gloss things over!

Now I'm waiting with bated breath for part 2 of this mind-blowing and fast paced story that won't leave readers unaffected!  Thank you dear Cora for another 5 stars favorite read.

[Miftahul · Rating 1 out of 5]

By sin i rise. The sin i did was read this book. God forgive me.

“Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life” - hozier

This is by far the worst book by cora and she wrote many bad books..almost all. Tell me how, how the fuck did Lucca and Aria went from boiled chicken to uncooked chicken, they were bad in their book, what the fuck are they in this book i cant even explain. Seriously, the only Sin Lucca did was marry a doormat who has a personality of unseasoned sauce ( gordon ramsey would hate her). But anyway, this book is not about them so forget them the way Cora forgot them to give personality. But i must agree that Cora is good at recycling, she thought about the woods that would be cut to make paperback for this book which is why she re wrote Twisted Pride with a different name, so u can either read Twisted Pride or this shit. I recommend Twisted Pride. Anyway, so Fina here is spoiled and took 😡🐕’s nickname seriously and treats him like his name. Like a dog. Not that he deserves it cuz he kidnapped her and all but he was a beta like all Cora’s hero. Useless and cocky..but useless. Idk what to say about 😡🐕 cuz he is all about the cream, he is more like a cat than a dog. Mad Cat here tells Disney Fina to “cream” for him, not “cum for him” but “cream” as he fucks her like inexperienced teenager. The word “cream” is fine once or twice but he always, ALWAYS uses that, its weird and just weird. Mad Cat calls Disney Fina “snow white” how original, its so fucking original that i wanna choke myself on a cactus. he calls her SNOW WHITE. Are they teenagers? Seriously, which MC dude who wants to kill the girl’s father would call her snow white? Where is her apple? Please someone shove the apple in her mouth and end her and our misery. Disney Fina is so fucking annoying, she really did get most of her trait from her mother. She is her mother’s daughter. Two uncooked chickens gave birth to Fina with black hair.

The funny thing about this book is that i was stressing on the fact that we had to read Serafina’s kidnapping from EVERYONE’s pov and creepy Samuel who is her bro got crazy when she was kidnapped like she was his lover or something....oh i forgot she was his soulmate 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️makes sense🙄, i didnt even recover from that trauma Cora got Disney Fina kidnap. Now i guess we have to read her kidnapping from Amo, all the soldiers, new york cops, new york buildings, the bike, the dogs, the cage, the bed Disney Fina fucked Mad cat and all other POVs. Oh i cant wait 🙄 this boring was so fucking boring that i realised my Statistics class i more interesting than this and i hate math, I LOATHE math but i enjoyed doing that more than reading this idiot sandwich of a book. ( Gordon Ramsey save my soul). The dialogues between them made me cringe, I literally felt my body cringe while reading their dialogue. They went like “they called me 😡🐕 for a reason” “my dad is the cruellest man” “cream for me” dont get me started on “your royal pussy”. The good thing was that atleast Amo was not as creepy as Samuel, cuz seriously tho, Samuel scared me. He is the type of guy i see in pornhub fucking their sister while she is sleeping. I feel bad for the dogs in this book cuz first RIP DOGGY POOF ( fragile longing) and now Mad Cats dogs. This is just review first part of the book when Disney Fina was kidnapped, it gets worse when unseasoned Lucca find her.

I dont recommend this book, which i think was clear by my rating and review. But listen carefully, dont waste ur time. U read Twisted pride? U re good.

😾😾😾😾😾😾🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎

[bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝑺𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆. 𝑭𝒖𝒄𝒌, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆.”

Okay, so where do I start? I've been looking forward to months waiting for information about this series of books and especially about the characters I already knew would be my favourites. One of these characters, obviously, is the princess of New York: Marcella Vitiello.
And that's the first point I'd like to address on this review, how much Marcella has become one of my favorite characters. Her strength, pride, intelligence and determination are worthy of a Vitiello. The character fascinated me from the first appearance and I believe Cora will be able to address her ambition in part 2 of the book (I'm already imagining each anxious scene ok). I really think Marcella could be one of the best characters Cora has ever written.

“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒔, 𝑺𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆.”

As for Maddox, I really expected to like him and his character build when I read the teasers. However, after reading the entire book, I can only say that I didn't like the character. I loved him. Everything I expected about the character was successfully overcome. His thirst for revenge against Luca makes the character strong, determined and utterly intriguing. I don't want to give away any possible spoilers, so I'm going to stick to those features already introduced by teasers. But keep what I say: Maddox is amazing, especially after starting to have feelings for Marcella.

“𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔, 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔, 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒇����𝒓𝒆.”

Now, the point that most surprised me and made me even more anxious for the next books was Amo Vitiello. And I feel like we need to talk about him, even though he's just a supporting character in this story. His fury and rage builds during the series of events in the book and all I can say is that he will likely be an even more unpredictable version of Luca. I dare say that maybe the perfect mix between Luca and Matteo. Can't wait for BFIC.

Anyways, By Sin I Rise: Part 1 is a gripping story of an unlikely and forbidden couple full of ups and downs, passion and anger. Maddox & Marcella will definitely make you fall in love. Can’t wait for Part 2.

𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬.

[Taha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wtf did I just read? I'm ngl this was the worst book cora has ever written..Marcella literally gets her ear cut off and she's having sex the next day with the captors' niece??? Can't believe I wasted my time reading this 😭😭😭. This book was soooo bad, I didn't even bother finishing it.

[Bookgasms Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** BETA READ *** 

I am absolutely obsessed with Cora Reilly's stories and could not devour By Sin I Rise (BSIR) fast enough. Reilly did a fantastic job describing the acrimonious history between The Familia and the Tartarus MC. Maddox and Marcella were just perfection. Both loyal to their respective families but drawn to one another. 

Overall, BSIR is another Cora Reilly blockbuster. From the gorgeous cover to the hot and simmering tension between Marcella and Maddox, I could not stop reading. I loved the dual perspectives in the story and seeing the raw and powerful emotions they evoked in one another. I loved seeing Luca and Amo and seriously can not wait for part two! Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula 

[lady d ⚡️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

i hate lucas sexist, boring, non existent personality so i can only imagine how growing up extremely sheltered and not living a full life, will affect marcella as a character. i did not enjoy aria and lucas books at all, and i’ll never forget him cheating on her bc she wouldn’t “put out” the first night of her wedding, i won’t forgive him like most people did bc he’s “hot” and this invisible “character development”. aria was a doormat and he was a pig, so hopefully their daughter isn’t some virgin innocent heroine who doesn’t get to live her life or go to college and get a job. while that’s the basis of a lot of mafia books, more are changing now so i hope she gives more of these upcoming female characters a backbone, a career, and passions besides their husbands and providing babies.
Update the highlight of this book was Growl for me. A silent character but underrated. I felt like I didn’t see much of him and Cara in their own shorter book so this made me happy. The Famiglia has changed a small bit but still has a long ways to go. Also Amo being like 15/16 and having slept with “half of new york” wtf while Marcella is sheltered and handled with little kid gloves, you think Aria would get Luca to loosen up on the girls a bit, especially with all the things she wasn’t able to do as a child and as a young woman.

[ana clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

“... our bond had been fatal from the very beginning. Maddox had saved me, and I had saved him. That was all there was.”

This review might be a little large because I’m writing it right after finishing the book. I have many thoughts in my head, my mind is blowing, and I’m not sure if I’ll have it in order before part two is live.

I have been very excited about SOTF books for so long, and “By Sin I Rise: Part One” was easily my most anticipated release of this year. I am so glad this book has finally arrived, and even more because I’m sure this actually is the best way Cora could’ve debuted the series.

“Snow White looked more regal than any queen on a throne of gold and diamonds ever could. She carried her invisible crown with unabashed pride.”

Let me start talking about Marcella. Marcella Vitiello being her father’s daughter is the main reason why I wanted to read this book so badly. The New York’s spoiled princess is everything I expected her to be, and much more—in the best way possible. Her personality is a full mix of her parents’ and maybe a little of Gianna’s. She’s sly, intelligent, hot, cunning, proud, sassy, determined, perceptive, carrying and thoroughly loyal—to her family and to her own convictions. She has always had a (limited) freedom girls in her world are not used to, has been the best student of her class and had been protected from the mob’s world real cruelty by her father. Even though, she can’t help wishing for more. She has dreams, ambitions, and wants to find a love as great as her parents’.

“It’s better to die standing up than to live on your knees, Snow White.”

And Maddox, he was a surprise for me. I don’t know what I was expecting from him, and I don’t want to give many details about him to not give any spoilers, but I gotta say he is an amazing and intriguing character, and quite different from all Cora's previous male characters. He is part of the Tartarus MC, the next in line to be the prez. He’s sick for revenge on what Luca did to his father, and he always knew nothing would ever stop him from getting what he always wanted, wished and planned to do—to break Luca in all ways possible—until Marcella. As he soon finds out, having his enemy's daughter within his grasp will make things get out of his control, and lead his priorities to shift. Throughout every page, we’d got to know him better, his feelings and thoughts and toward many things and situations, and he really did surprise me on several moments.

“A love that was never meant to be, a love without a chance at a happy end.”

Their relationship may not have the best and easiest beginning, but their bond is undeniable and strong. Their chemistry and connection can be felt from the first scene, and even though people will never understand what they have, this relationship and their feelings that started by lust and had turned into something else, are worth dying for.

By Sin I Rise: Part 1 is a real emotional rollercoaster, and I couldn’t help myself feeling for them and wanting more. By now, I can say: splitting the book in two was the best decision for Marcella and Maddox. This first book developed their relationship and the characters individually, but there’s still a lot for them to figure out. There’s so many things happening, and everything in just one book would be so much to handle, and many things would probably be unanswered and unresolved. This decision was truly the best, so they can get what they deserve, after all.

“My family was more important than being number one.”

Cora was never so right as she was when she wrote that “Vitiellos don’t kneel.” . The Vitellos are invincible—just like Maddox says Marcella always carries her invisible crown with her, the whole family does that, too. They are aware of their power, intelligence and good appearance, and they know they’re respected and feared for who they are, for their actions and legacy. And besides it all, they're a real family filled with love, trust and loyalty.

It was SO good to see Luca and Aria again, to see them being the amazing parents I’ve always known they would be, and to meet Amo older. I love this guy so much, and besides Marci and Maddox, he’s the main reason I cried while reading it. He’s so grown and everything that happened throughout this book had several effects on his mind, actions and personality—it stiffened him by the worst and hardest way possible—and I am so freaking excited to meet him again and to finally have his and Greta’s book.

Now, can By Sin I Rise: Part 2 come fast? I know December is close, but I am not sure about how I’m supposed to survive until then to finally see Marcella and Maddox having the happy ending they deserve.

ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.

[mira · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

“I have darkness running in my veins. I am my father’s daughter, don’t ever underestimate me because I’m a woman. Being a woman doesn’t mean I’m not strong. And trust me when I say that nothing you did will leave a scar.”

this wasn't BAD despite the low rating. i couldn't stop myself from comparing this to twisted pride. god it was literally a bad version of that book. i liked marci and everything she did. i found her strong-headed and determined but i don't think maddox should be her love interest.

marci literally went from one lapdog to another. i just can't see maddox being a good fit for her. i would've probably started liking him at the end but that ending ruined it for me.

now i'll do the comparison (to twisted pride) both started with the kidnapping shit to pay for someone else's sins. maddox literally kept saying how he wanted to "protect" marci but he let all that shit happen to her? the girl literally had her earlobe cutout and what did he do? he had SEX with her. that's all he cared about. im sorry wtf? he literally let his little club watch her naked and do all kinds of crap.

like marci deserves someone who will do absolutely ANYTHING for her (yes yes he did eventually but then that ending??) i'm just disappointed because i wanted this love story where they both fought to be with each other but in reality, it felt like a fucking business transaction. like they said they loved each other but i don't see it. just because you sacrifice something for the other person doesnt mean its love. ugh idek how to feel anymore.

idek what will happen in the second part but i really hope there will be a good explanation for that ending because honestly if he did what i think he did then i will be so pissed. i honestly think marci needs a new love interest LMAO. i'm just so butt hurt.

ok despite me shitting on the characters. i did like the pacing of the book. its a fast read and like all cora reilly's books its so easy to fall into the world. i'm just excited for amo and greta's book and i need them ASAP.

i also found it so cute that his nickname for her was snow white BECAUSE excuse me his last name is WHITE. that was hella cute ngl.

oh and i totally now understand why cora wants another book for them because what they had wasn't a love story in any way and they actually need a shit ton of work to get through everything that happened.

[~Calliope~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[San (slikestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Snow White & Mad Dog Stars! ✨

“I have darkness running in my veins. I am my father’s daughter, don’t ever underestimate me because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I’m not strong. And trust me when I say nothing you did will leave a scar”

Sins of the Fathers is here! And it’s a new era! Maddox & Marcella have welcomed us to the second generation & it’s the best start that I could’ve imagined. By Sin I Rise has been one of my most anticipated books this year and it didn’t disappoint, it was a spectacular welcome to Cora’s new mafia world.

I’m going to be completely honest, I was (a little.. okay maybe a lot) scared to read this book at first because I loved the Vitiellos from the previous books. BUT, I’m so happy I gave this book a chance because it truly made me happy to see Marcella all grown & see the Vitiellos again. I will say that this book is dark, and it’s under the series of Sins of the Fathers so be prepared because Marcella really did suffer for her fathers’ sins. If you are hesitant to read this just keep in mind, that the Vitiellos’ are loyal and strong & don’t let life break them.

The book begins with some flashbacks of Marcella’s & Maddox’s childhood as we finally see Maddox point of view of the MC massacre Luca committed that killed his father. Fast forward time, Marcella is a grown woman who is about to get engaged & Maddox is a grown man seeking revenge against the Vitiellos. The MC sees Marcella as the perfect target to go through their revenge & so they plan to kidnap her to make Luca suffer. After that, we are taken on a wild ride as Marcella’s world comes crashing down once she’s kidnapped and she’s forced to spend time with the enemy, Maddox. BSIR is enemies-to-lovers & forbidden romance filled with angst and passion that will keep you on your toes wondering what will happen next.

“Vitiellos don’t kneel”

Marcella, Marcella, Marcella! Our little Marci has grown! We get a small glimpse at the beginning of the book of Marci’s childhood but the book mostly focuses on her as a grown teenager. I got so emotional reading that the second generation is all grown now, where did the time go? I always knew Marcella was going to be special—she’s Luca/Aria’s daughter— but she was even better than I imagined. Marcella really has the Vitiellos loyalty and strength in her blood & Aria’s determination. Most might see her as the spoiled princess of New York, but there is more behind the perfect facade. The kidnapping completely changed Marcella’s life, but she didn’t break if anything, Marci came out stronger from these events. I was scared that the Vitiellos would overshadow Marcella in her own book, but Marcella really shined and showed us who the boss is. Marcella was captivating, strong, loyal, sensible, but most importantly MARCELLA IS A VITIELLO. One thing is very clear, Marcella is her father’s daughter through & through, and seeing her endure everything she did in the book only made me admire her more. With that being said, Marcella also has her own personality & combined with her Vitiello genes it makes her lethal.

“It’s better to die standing up than to live on your knees, Snow White”

Enter Maddox White! At the age of 5, Maddox saw his dad get killed in the most brutal way possible by the Famiglia Capo, Luca Vitiello. Since then, Maddox has been seeking revenge against Luca. When the president of MC plans to kidnap Marcella, Maddox seems to be closer to his goal but he did not imagine the possibility of falling for the enemy's daughter. Maddox was a surprise—a pleasant & hot surprise. Through his POV we are able to see and understand his thirst for revenge. The character development that Maddox went through in the book was wondrous, and I have a feeling Maddox will only get better in Part 2. I loved that Maddox was an alpha and is not scared of anyone (including Luca) which is what Marcella needed in her life. Together, both Marcella & Maddox, are unstoppable & devoted to one another.

The side characters in this book were amazing! We get the side appearances of the Vitiellos & we get Luca’s POV in a chapter. Reading Luca’s POV was heartbreaking, but it also made my heart feel so full reading about the Vitiello bond they all share, it’s truly unbreakable and they will stand with each other through it all. I love the bond Marcella had with each of her family members, especially Amo & her father. I was so delighted to see Amo & Marci’s relationship, their everlasting bond was everything. Amo was everything I had dreamed of and more & I’m happy to see that his appetite hasn’t changed & that baby sumo wrestler has only evolved. I’ve said it before & I’ll repeat it again, Vitiellos are the best family. Period.


BSIR is one of my best reads this summer, Maddox & Marcella have come to conquer our hearts!

*ARC provided in exchange of an honest review*

[tori · Rating 1 out of 5]

0.5 stars.

Just wanted to say before you start reading this (for whatever reason) that these are MY opinions and it’s completely fine if you disagree with them, just don’t go on hating on me because of that.
Honestly speaking, I started reading this with an open mind and with low expectations after some messes in this Mafiaverse. I really, really tried liking Marcella and Maddox and tried sympathizing with them but the one word I have to describe this whole experience is: annoying.
Marcella is CONSTANTLY annoying and saying things like “I’m not vain, I’m not a spoiled princess” blablabla and then proceeds to worry more about how nice the teeth of the person who’s kidnapped are than about the fact they kidnapped her??? And her worrying more about Maddox smoking in the room than about other stuff in that moment?
I found it weird how Marcella was trying to ‘seduce’ and ‘manipulate’ Maddox into doing what she wanted but she couldn’t even use the word for oral sex. Not to mention the moment when someone CUT a piece her ear off and she was more worried about being ugly and about what other people would say than about the fact she LOST A PIECE OF HER EAR?????
Maddox was pretty inconsistent too. Out of nowhere he decided to change his whole perception on life and give up on his revenge, one he was working on for YEARS, for a girl who he knew was trying to manipulate him. I understand he was in love but it happened way too fast.
Even Luca did something weird; trusting Maddox with a motorcycle just because Marcella asked him too. It was kind of out of character for him, in my opinion.
Overall, AMO WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE BOOK I ABSOLUTELY LOVED HIM AND CAN’T WAIT FOR HIS BOOK.

[TheBookPlatypus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

We have Marcella Vitiello’s story!
This is a enemies to lovers romance with kidnapping trope. While Cora Reilly is probably best known for her mafia romance, this one is heavily plotted around a Motorcycle Club.
Marcella Vitiello (age 19) is Luca Vitiello daughter, Capo of the Italian mob on the East Coast.
He, many years ago decimated an MC - killing everyone in sight, and left a small child to witness everything who was the son of one of the MC members.
Fast forward to the child, Maddox-Mad Dog- White- who is now an adult(age 25) is seeking revenge for his father is brutal death.
And that is the basis of this story.

▪️Enemies to Lovers
▪️Mafia Vs MC
▪️Virgin h/Experienced H
▪️Dirty talking H
▪️Pierced 🍆
❌Dog Fighting/Abuse❌
❌Violence and Murdering❌

So even though this world is based in the USA, there are some wording that was off for me. I don’t know if it’s my age (I’m 30) but examples would be like “hot pants”.. I had to Google that one.
“Going to the loo” .. while I understand that’s a bathroom I’ve never in my life heard an American call a toilet, a loo.
“A pump gun”.. again being heavily in the gun world… this would be called what I’m assuming the author was describing, is a shotgun.
“Blasé”… this is coming from a MC member that didn’t graduate high school.
None of those took away stars or ratings for me - it was just not my personal normal by living in America for 30 years.

Marcella is a very strong character. Not once did she cower or shed tears in front of any of these men. She was locked in a dog kennel for most of the book. And still remained calm and collected. She’s witty and mouthy and never once became a wilting flower.

I think what I struggled with is Maddox’s character. He desperately wanted to seek revenge on Luca but was wishy-washy on his feelings with Marcella. She fell in love with him quick without any relationship build up for me which kind of caught me off guard when the L word was thrown out. The relationship was just hard for me to believe. And that’s where I struggle with this book.
“I loved Maddox, loved him as much as I’d always dreamed of loving someone, desired him as fiercely as I had hoped for. My thoughts revolved around him in a way I never experienced before..”

What I loved about this book the most was seeing Luca, Matteo, and even Amo. Amo is only 15 but of course he’s no average 15 year old. And is following the steps of daddy.

This book does leave off on a cliffhanger. And while this book was not my favorite of this author, I will continue reading this series.

[fay · Rating 2 out of 5]

It surprises me how Cora manage to write shallower characters in every new book.



Preview:

Am I delusional thinking I could be patient and wait for part 2 to read this one ?🤡

Date release September 15.
Hope this serie is better than the author's latest works.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book: By Sin I Rise: Part One
Author: Cora Reilly
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 stars
Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Hero: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heroine: ⭐⭐⭐💫

*Updated Audiobook review: it was so good! Loved the narrators, they truly brought this story to life and did justice to the book. Happy to have had the opportunity to listen to this new version of By Sin I Rise: Part 1.

"This life left nothing untouched. It was only a matter of time before we’d be dragged into the darkness."

I want to start my review by saying that I went into this book with no expectations whatsoever, due to a heavy workload and other personal reasons I've been a bit MIA from social media therefore, not so much in touch with the teasers and snippets but OMG did this book blew my mind!

This is Cora at her best! It was a dark mafia romance at its finest and I loved every minute of it (I pulled an all-nighter, went to bed until 4 am last Friday and it was worth it!). This is a book into the darker side, so, please bear that in mind. At the same time, it has lots of action, romance, amazing steamy scenes, great character development, and an overall solid plot. Won't share more, you deserve the full experience...

What can you expect from our main characters? Let's start with Marci, she makes no apologies for who she is nor does she have to (in my opinion) throughout the book; I liked her but in the last 3 or 4 chapters I truly began to fall in love with her personality, I think Cora can further develop her character even more and that's a lot to say because Marci is fierce, vulnerable and a true survivor.

Now, what truly stole the show were her brother, dad, and love interest. Amo Vitiello, I see you and I want you! Daddy Luca Vitiello, you took me back into 2015 and made me fall all over again in love with you. But Maddox"Mad Dog" White my heart beats for you, this guy is something else, WOW! Last Friday I was in awe of this character and how much I liked it, he will have a serious fanbase (I'm calling dibs on the I Luv Maddox fan club presidency!). He's so different and now holds my #2 spot of favorite male characters from Cora only behind my true love (Nino Falcone, he almost took your place, baby...).

Something we were all a bit not so happy about, was the cliffhanger. The only thing I can say is that as readers we won't like it, but after reading the book I can say it's necessary...

Hope love this book as much as I did, give it a chance.

PS: Is it December already? I need part two, a-stat!

Hope you like my review, remember reading and enjoying stories it's in the eye of the beholder. Be kind.

[bia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5
arc provided in exchange for an honest review

“what Maddox and I had defied logic. It went against everything he and I had believed in.”

I am doing this review on the exactly moment I finished the book so it may be a little confused because I have so many thoughts on my head rn but I need to write them

I have been excited for sins of the fathers for so long and the series finally arrived with the first book , and for me by sin i rise part 1 was such a great start to the series

I will be honest here , my loyalty and biggest love will always be camorra and the falcones so the story’s I was most excited to read was amo/greta and nevio/aurora butttt i was really curious to know how marcella’s story would develop since her pair was going to be different from Cora’s previous books. I started the book with normal expectations and the book actually surprised me on a positive way.

I will start talking about Marcella because she was my favorite part of the book . If you expect just an spoiled bitch with no personality , Marcella it’s not it , she is so intelligent, cunning , insightful , loyal and ✨the hottest ✨ , the perfect badass seriously ,but at the same time a sweet girl with who she loves , a true queen honestly

Marcella and Maddox have something really important in common, they both are fiercely loyal to who/what they believe and that’s one of the biggest challenges for them as couple seeing that they are on different sides of the war… will their love for each other be enough to get over their differences?

Maddox wants revenge. He hates luca with all his body and want revenge for his father and the people he considered family . He has to use Marcella to get to her dad but he can’t stop falling for her on the process . and let’s just say here , he is SO hot like with all the aesthetic bad boy from the MC, seeking for revenge , with a lot of tattoos and piercings ( seriously the piercings got me 🛐) , blue eyes …. he is definitely a sin

their relationship is a rollercoaster of emotions , fear ,love ,loyalty , tension , hate ,they really got me from the first page the last one , they both suffer on the book and helped each other so much to develop along the story , and while reading I realised how much they were made for each other .and let’s not talk about how their chemistry and sexual tension is insane ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Talking about the Vitiellos , their stans can rise and shine because we got to see soo many scenes with them , cute family scenes and also the bloody ones , we also got some beautiful moments of aria and Luca as couple and as parents too .and HIM amo vitiello…. he is all grown up and got to see him a lot on the book and let’s just say he changes a lot during it , all that happens with Marcella really affects him .

I am happy that the book was split in two parts because we can see that a lot happens on the book and if it was just one , it would be so rushed and not that good . But I need the second one RIGHT NOW SERIOUSLY …. The end of the first part just put me on excited mode for the next one , I can’t wait for them to find their happy ending with a lot of cute moments !!

[Natasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think i've read a book where the H is a dormant, usually it's the h. It's refreshing tho, Maddox being the spinless, pathetic one in this case. 😍
All Marcella needed to do was buy a dog leash probably something sparkly and take him on supervised walks with Luca as this book was mainly revolving aroud Luca's feelings.
Poor cheating Luca got his feelings hurt by his own daughter.😩 someone call Grace to come and give this man a bj.

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thank you to Social Butterfly PR and the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

The Next generation of the Born in Blood and the Camorra Chronicles have arrived. I don't know when I have been this hyped for a story in recent memory. Well I'm sure I have, but this one is very high up there.

I have eagerly awaited every little tidbit Cora Reilly has thrown our way in the lead up to this release and I was so happy to be able to read an ARC for this.

As you may be aware by now, By Sin I Rise features Marcella Vitiello, our princess of mob in New York. The daughter of the most brutal capo in generations. And she is in the sights of Maddox White, the son of the MC that Luca ruthlessly eliminated almost 20 years ago.

Maddox has been biding his time and when the opportunity it arises, he is going to make Marcella pay… for the sins of her father.

Now, this book is part 1, of a duet that will make up the first story in this new series. And I do think that with this initial release, that could be a detriment for some people. Cora Reilly has never really broken stories up like this before and it may be jarring for some readers, since this part does not have an HEA. In fact, I was just really starting to know these two and then we were left on our butts.

I think the nostalgia of being back in New York and seeing the Family again is going to make people very happy. I know it carried me a lot of the way through this book, just seeing how things have changed and what things have stayed the same.

The biggest change for me is that I feel like this book is more New Adult than I would like, not the characters are really any younger than previous series but I do feel like there was more punches pulled than I was expecting. That may change, with how this book is setting up part 2, but I can't pretend I wasn't feeling a little bit let down in that regard until the very end.

Overall, I feel like I will have a better and firmer feeling on my final rating once I have part 2 in my hands, which thankfully will be out in December, because this novel really was a set up and beginning of what could be an epic romance. Marcella is just starting to show her spine of steel and Maddox has some growth and changing to do.

The spice was limited in this one, just due to certain circumstances of the plot and what I did get felt… off.. I don't know how to explain, but again, I feel like a lot of that is due to having an unfulfilled conclusion. Like, they are just in the beginning stages of getting to know one another, so things are a bit held back still.

I do foresee many readers wanting to wait until they can read both parts at once. Which is a risk authors take when they split a book in half. I myself, if I wasn't a reviewer, would have held off too. So that I'm not left in this weird limbo for a month.

But it is SO great to be back with a world I love and I am highly anticipating more from The Sins of The Fathers.

I am going to sit this rating at 4 stars. With the potential to go up if the conclusion proves satisfying.