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Sins of the Fathers #3
By Virtue I Fall
A Standalone Mafia Bodyguard Romance!
Love is an inconvenience Anna Cavallaro doesn’t have time for.
She only has one goal: to become a fashion designer. Chicago’s elite already copies her style religiously, not least because she’s the daughter of the city’s notorious mafia boss.
When she’s accepted at a world-famous fashion institute in Paris, her father’s condition is to take her bodyguard along.
Anna definitely wouldn’t mind a few weeks of no-strings-attached fun with her brooding protector.
Santino Bianchi became the Outfit’s enforcer because he liked the thrill of the hunt and kill.
Babysitting his capo’s daughter is an honorable assignment he can’t refuse. His thoughts about Anna? Not so honorable.
Santino’s ignored Anna’s persistent flirting for years. Now, far away from home boundaries begin to blur. But Santino doesn’t have any intention to be the reason for a failed engagement and the ensuing scandal.
A summer fling in Paris.
Only two things stand in Anna’s way.
Santino’s iron will.
And… her fiancé.
Love is an inconvenience Anna Cavallaro doesn’t have time for.
She only has one goal: to become a fashion designer. Chicago’s elite already copies her style religiously, not least because she’s the daughter of the city’s notorious mafia boss.
When she’s accepted at a world-famous fashion institute in Paris, her father’s condition is to take her bodyguard along.
Anna definitely wouldn’t mind a few weeks of no-strings-attached fun with her brooding protector.
Santino Bianchi became the Outfit’s enforcer because he liked the thrill of the hunt and kill.
Babysitting his capo’s daughter is an honorable assignment he can’t refuse. His thoughts about Anna? Not so honorable.
Santino’s ignored Anna’s persistent flirting for years. Now, far away from home boundaries begin to blur. But Santino doesn’t have any intention to be the reason for a failed engagement and the ensuing scandal.
A summer fling in Paris.
Only two things stand in Anna’s way.
Santino’s iron will.
And… her fiancé.
310 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 2022
1093 people are currently reading
11073 people want to read
About the author
Cora Reilly
49 books29.1k followersI'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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If you are a fan of audiobooks, many of my books are already available as audios & on Audible:
https://books.apple.com/us/author/cor...
Join my Instagram Group on Instagram.
If you want to be notified of new releases and cover reveals, AND get the occasional bonus, then you should sign up for my
Newsletter!
or sign up for my masterlist!
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,747 reviews
December 3, 2022
4+ Stars
Yessssssssssssssss...I can't tell you how happy I am that I enjoyed this. I have a weird relationship with Cora Reilly books, which I won't rehash here as I've talked about it before in multiple reviews (long story short, I usually like her books upon first read, but they are always thisclose to being just short of 4+ star reads...and then I end up re-reading a lot of them over and over again and loving them).
Anyway, after reading and really not loving book one in this series (like, for real though), I skipped book two entirely; however, I have been dying for Anna and Santino's story forEVER and once I saw this was on Kindle Unlimited, I decided to give it a go. And thankfully, this was everything I wanted it to be.
I really loved the dynamic between Anna and Santino and, boy, was he just the most delicious asshole ever. Once again, in my opinion, Reilly missed the mark with the ending (which seems to be my main issue with all of her books and the reason I didn't rate this higher)...but also once again, I'm sure I am destined to re-read this thing later and upgrade it. Until then...book four.
Yessssssssssssssss...I can't tell you how happy I am that I enjoyed this. I have a weird relationship with Cora Reilly books, which I won't rehash here as I've talked about it before in multiple reviews (long story short, I usually like her books upon first read, but they are always thisclose to being just short of 4+ star reads...and then I end up re-reading a lot of them over and over again and loving them).
Anyway, after reading and really not loving book one in this series (like, for real though), I skipped book two entirely; however, I have been dying for Anna and Santino's story forEVER and once I saw this was on Kindle Unlimited, I decided to give it a go. And thankfully, this was everything I wanted it to be.
I really loved the dynamic between Anna and Santino and, boy, was he just the most delicious asshole ever. Once again, in my opinion, Reilly missed the mark with the ending (which seems to be my main issue with all of her books and the reason I didn't rate this higher)...but also once again, I'm sure I am destined to re-read this thing later and upgrade it. Until then...book four.
January 19, 2023
3 stars. This book reminded me of one of my favourite movies:
(Sara, 1997).
At first, I wasn't so sure whether I should even mention this movie in my review or not, considering its politically incorrect nature hehe, but then I came to a logical conclusion that admitting my love for a mafia romantic comedy that features a relationship between a 16-year-old girl and her 40-year-old bodyguard is probably one of the least offensive things this website has witnessed me writing so my shyness slithered away in shame, as it should. Here we go. 😌
The vibe is definitely vibing. If we scratch the "he's a much older, divorced, ex-military alcoholic" part, Santino and Anna's relationship dynamics has Leon and Sara's feel to it:
a hot-tempered man hired by a mafia boss as his daughter's bodyguard tries to resist the awakening feminine charms of a mischievous, sassy mafia princess
that screams trouble and, having set her eyes on the man, is out to seduce him.
Admittedly, I don't like bodyguard romances. I'm not crazy over grumpy & sunshine dynamics. This book didn't change that, but I certainly had fun reading it.
That being said, I have got 3 categories for books written by Cora Reilly:
— what tf was DAT? i'm coming for me
— not bad. never again, though
— not every secondary character needs their own book
This book falls into the 2nd one.
Mr. Sunshine on the line 🌞
After a relative success that Cora's last release — By Fate I conquer — turned out to be (for me, at least), I decided to give Anna (Dante's daughter), an aspiring fashion designer, and Santino's, her mobster bodyguard, book that I had been ignoring for ages a chance.
SANTINO
Santino is such an atypical hero for Cora, he's in the league of his own and definitely stands out among the others with his sense of humor, vulnerability stealthily hidden behind tough exterior and no-fucks-given attitude. He managed to surprise me because I couldn't draw parallels with any other male character she had written before, despite the fact that he's a possessive & protective playboy and MILF lover — the characteristics that fit Cora's typical hero profile.
Men with permanent piss off look plastered on the face are quite adorable, who hurt you boi?, but when a man can also make a funny joke without even meaning to and barely tolerates anyone, including you, on better days... <33 Cuteness overload.
The reluctant ones always fall the hardest.
Santino and Anna's banter has silly goose energy painted all over it — equal parts witty and silly. Anna's penchant for annoying the shit outta Santino will never be forgotten. 🙏🏻
The way Santino's mood vacillates between laid-back angry mode, mildly pissed off mode, haughtily annoyed mode and fiery furious mode throughout the book was sending me. His nicknames for Anna have a nice, personal ring to it, too, which is always welcome — pain in the ass, the little she-devil. 💕
On the surface, Santino is a little less intense and more laid back when it comes to Anna, compared to other Cora's heroes, but I liked that the author included quite a few jealousy scenes that showed he's still her normal jealous & possessive & condescending asshole hero whose reactions to other men taking interest in his woman I 💯 percent approve of
ANNA
One can tell Anna is Val's daughter through and through. Like mother like daughter. 😂 Horny genes run in the family. On the bright side, Anna doesn't take after her nondescript Cold Fish of a father. Thank god for small mercies. 🙏🏻
Just like Val, Anna is horny for one man only so naturally she embarks on a long journey of wearing the man down till her poor victim surrenders his impenetrable fortress, falling prey to her raging ovaries. R.I.P. A minute of silence for the battle that was lost from the minute Anna had set her eyes on him. 🙏🏻
To be fair, I liked Anna more than her mother Val from Bound By Duty. Anna definitely has more class and decorum while she's in her horny era.
The Girl-chases-the-Boy is my least fav trope in the genre, but somehow the fact that Anna chases and hunts Santino like a crazy bitch in heat in the first half of the book didn't make me cringe in distaste.
There's two species of girls-chasing-boys and boys-chasing-girls: 1) a pathetic whimpering mess of a human being, and 2) an assertive and obsessive idiot.
Anna falls into the second category. She chases without losing her pride and dignity in the process, and we love that for her.
Plus, the hell that Anna eventually puts Santino through makes up for her awkward, one-sided teenage crush. <3 I loved that she made Santino believe she had slept with the French guy and almost married her fiancé. Nice payback for all the times Santino caused her to experience jealous rage in the first part of the book, even if they weren't together back then and her secret crush didn't entitle her to his loyalty yet. 😌 Unlike most, I don't think any guy is actually worth nursing a heartbreak over as well as turning into a skank that would put out for anyone just to get back at the guy and not because she feels like having a little fun. But making the guy believe the worst and causing him pain without even lifting a pinky? Iconic. Commendable. Laudable.
I was actually pleasantly surprised by how skillfully Cora transformed the story about "unrequited h's crush" into "she falls first but he falls harder". Poor cluelessvictim man didn't know what had hit him.
I like that Cora understands the assignment: make a man lose his nerve cells, break in sweat, have a stroke and shed tears thinking he's losing his woman to OM/death before ever dangling the promise of a HEA in his face. 😍 It's just how it is, how it should be. Call it an obligatory trial period for the hero before he embarks on his life-long journey of worshipping his woman. 🙏🏻 As a romance writer, Cora gets it: men ALWAYS have to fear to lose a woman. They're too stupid to see the value of what they have secured without shitting their pants over losing it first.
If you don't put your man through hell to see whether he comes out of it alive, you're wasting your life. ❤️
MY PERSONAL ISSUES WITH THE STORY
Gonna be real quick and brief with my negativity coz I've been waffling for way too long already
╰┈➤ tiktok and dildo mentions
I wanted to kms reading about how a barely legal girl is so horny she rails herself with a dildo. 🤣
Cora's books are so archaic I wish she stayed away from modern agenda because being archaic and outdated in terms of values, beliefs and content overall is where her books' charms lie in.
No one can convince me otherwise, Cora's core fanbase are all weird bitches that love ridiculous traditional shit in books. Turning these books into some weird gen z manifesto to appease TikTok lovers? For god's sake. 🤧
Maybe Cora feels like it's necessary to include trending parts of our everyday lives in the series about the new generation, but it's still MAFIA series. TikTok and dildo references have no place in this weird woman's books that are meant to be PURE ESCAPISM with no physical evidence of real life matters. 🙏🏻
╰┈➤ Once Anna and Santino get together, their stay in Paris turns quite boring. Nothing to write home about. They should have kept fighting or something 😔
╰┈➤ I feel SCAMMED that Anna and Santino never get caught 🙄
Why wasn't there anyone who would loom like a dark ripper over this couple's fate, making readers wait with baited breath for all hell break loose?
Literally no one cares about our Romeo and Juliet, not a single stoopid nasty motherfucker takes an interest in uncovering what these idiots haven't even been hiding THAT well.
So much wasted potential for angst and cheap, trashy drama.
Once they come clean about their feelings, there's NO DRAMA? NO GUNS TO LOAD? NO BULLETS TO SHOOT?? NO FACES TO GET BEATEN TO A PULP???
WHOSE DAUGHTER ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE, FOR GOD'S SAKE?? Dante never delivered, but who's even surprised? Bold of me to think he'd be any less nondescript as a secondary character than in his own book. 🙄
This book isn't half as angsty as it could be, considering Anna has a fiancé throughout the WHOLE book
╰┈➤ This book is better than Cora's usual "secondary characters need to get their books too" books, but alas! It pales in comparison to her best ones.
Cora obviously practices favoritism when it comes to her characters. I wish she only wrote about couples she feels really passionate about it because these books always turn out top-tier.
I wish there was more passion, pain and anguish simmering between Anna and Santino. The tropes called for more edge and heartbreak than this book endeavoured to deliver. Or, rather, failed to deliver in good doses.
The story lacks something that would make it stick in your mind, something that will make it memorable and different from the other books with similar tropes.
(Sara, 1997).
At first, I wasn't so sure whether I should even mention this movie in my review or not, considering its politically incorrect nature hehe, but then I came to a logical conclusion that admitting my love for a mafia romantic comedy that features a relationship between a 16-year-old girl and her 40-year-old bodyguard is probably one of the least offensive things this website has witnessed me writing so my shyness slithered away in shame, as it should. Here we go. 😌
The vibe is definitely vibing. If we scratch the "he's a much older, divorced, ex-military alcoholic" part, Santino and Anna's relationship dynamics has Leon and Sara's feel to it:
a hot-tempered man hired by a mafia boss as his daughter's bodyguard tries to resist the awakening feminine charms of a mischievous, sassy mafia princess
that screams trouble and, having set her eyes on the man, is out to seduce him.
Admittedly, I don't like bodyguard romances. I'm not crazy over grumpy & sunshine dynamics. This book didn't change that, but I certainly had fun reading it.
That being said, I have got 3 categories for books written by Cora Reilly:
— what tf was DAT? i'm coming for me
— not bad. never again, though
— not every secondary character needs their own book
This book falls into the 2nd one.
“I’ll protect you until I take my last breath.”
Or until your father shows me mercy and puts me out of my misery.
Mr. Sunshine on the line 🌞
After a relative success that Cora's last release — By Fate I conquer — turned out to be (for me, at least), I decided to give Anna (Dante's daughter), an aspiring fashion designer, and Santino's, her mobster bodyguard, book that I had been ignoring for ages a chance.
SANTINO
Santino is such an atypical hero for Cora, he's in the league of his own and definitely stands out among the others with his sense of humor, vulnerability stealthily hidden behind tough exterior and no-fucks-given attitude. He managed to surprise me because I couldn't draw parallels with any other male character she had written before, despite the fact that he's a possessive & protective playboy and MILF lover — the characteristics that fit Cora's typical hero profile.
He didn’t like children, or people in general. He didn’t like when I talked to him. Or when I laughed too loudly. Or when I breathed too close to him. He barely tolerated my existence.
Men with permanent piss off look plastered on the face are quite adorable, who hurt you boi?, but when a man can also make a funny joke without even meaning to and barely tolerates anyone, including you, on better days... <33 Cuteness overload.
The reluctant ones always fall the hardest.
“Don’t draw me, Anna. If I have to answer to your father because he finds drawings of me in your room, I’ll be pissed.”
“And how’s that different from your usual mood?” I asked haughtily. “You’re practically Grumpy Cat in mobster form.”
Santino only stared me down but I was used to his dark expression, and stubbornly stared back.
Santino and Anna's banter has silly goose energy painted all over it — equal parts witty and silly. Anna's penchant for annoying the shit outta Santino will never be forgotten. 🙏🏻
“If I catch either of you smoking, I’ll spank both your asses with my fucking belt.”
“Kinky,” Anna said, and for a second, I wasn’t sure I’d heard her right. Had she really said that?
I rammed my foot down on the brakes with more force than necessary, jerking the car to a premature stop before the parking slots.
The way Santino's mood vacillates between laid-back angry mode, mildly pissed off mode, haughtily annoyed mode and fiery furious mode throughout the book was sending me. His nicknames for Anna have a nice, personal ring to it, too, which is always welcome — pain in the ass, the little she-devil. 💕
I was close to exploding. “File an official report and see if I give a fuck.” I turned to Samuel and Carlo. “I’m heading to the guardhouse. I trust you to keep them alive.”
On the surface, Santino is a little less intense and more laid back when it comes to Anna, compared to other Cora's heroes, but I liked that the author included quite a few jealousy scenes that showed he's still her normal jealous & possessive & condescending asshole hero whose reactions to other men taking interest in his woman I 💯 percent approve of
The door creaked open. Clifford and I both turned toward the sound. Santino loomed in the doorway, looking murderous. He prowled into the room. Clifford immediately stepped back from me, alarmed. “What—”
Santino grabbed him by the collar, lifted him away from me and shoved him toward the door. Clifford landed on the floor.
ANNA
One can tell Anna is Val's daughter through and through. Like mother like daughter. 😂 Horny genes run in the family. On the bright side, Anna doesn't take after her nondescript Cold Fish of a father. Thank god for small mercies. 🙏🏻
Just like Val, Anna is horny for one man only so naturally she embarks on a long journey of wearing the man down till her poor victim surrenders his impenetrable fortress, falling prey to her raging ovaries. R.I.P. A minute of silence for the battle that was lost from the minute Anna had set her eyes on him. 🙏🏻
To be fair, I liked Anna more than her mother Val from Bound By Duty. Anna definitely has more class and decorum while she's in her horny era.
The Girl-chases-the-Boy is my least fav trope in the genre, but somehow the fact that Anna chases and hunts Santino like a crazy bitch in heat in the first half of the book didn't make me cringe in distaste.
There's two species of girls-chasing-boys and boys-chasing-girls: 1) a pathetic whimpering mess of a human being, and 2) an assertive and obsessive idiot.
Anna falls into the second category. She chases without losing her pride and dignity in the process, and we love that for her.
Plus, the hell that Anna eventually puts Santino through makes up for her awkward, one-sided teenage crush. <3 I loved that she made Santino believe she had slept with the French guy and almost married her fiancé. Nice payback for all the times Santino caused her to experience jealous rage in the first part of the book, even if they weren't together back then and her secret crush didn't entitle her to his loyalty yet. 😌 Unlike most, I don't think any guy is actually worth nursing a heartbreak over as well as turning into a skank that would put out for anyone just to get back at the guy and not because she feels like having a little fun. But making the guy believe the worst and causing him pain without even lifting a pinky? Iconic. Commendable. Laudable.
I was actually pleasantly surprised by how skillfully Cora transformed the story about "unrequited h's crush" into "she falls first but he falls harder". Poor clueless
I like that Cora understands the assignment: make a man lose his nerve cells, break in sweat, have a stroke and shed tears thinking he's losing his woman to OM/death before ever dangling the promise of a HEA in his face. 😍 It's just how it is, how it should be. Call it an obligatory trial period for the hero before he embarks on his life-long journey of worshipping his woman. 🙏🏻 As a romance writer, Cora gets it: men ALWAYS have to fear to lose a woman. They're too stupid to see the value of what they have secured without shitting their pants over losing it first.
If you don't put your man through hell to see whether he comes out of it alive, you're wasting your life. ❤️
MY PERSONAL ISSUES WITH THE STORY
Gonna be real quick and brief with my negativity coz I've been waffling for way too long already
╰┈➤ tiktok and dildo mentions
I wanted to kms reading about how a barely legal girl is so horny she rails herself with a dildo. 🤣
Cora's books are so archaic I wish she stayed away from modern agenda because being archaic and outdated in terms of values, beliefs and content overall is where her books' charms lie in.
No one can convince me otherwise, Cora's core fanbase are all weird bitches that love ridiculous traditional shit in books. Turning these books into some weird gen z manifesto to appease TikTok lovers? For god's sake. 🤧
Maybe Cora feels like it's necessary to include trending parts of our everyday lives in the series about the new generation, but it's still MAFIA series. TikTok and dildo references have no place in this weird woman's books that are meant to be PURE ESCAPISM with no physical evidence of real life matters. 🙏🏻
╰┈➤ Once Anna and Santino get together, their stay in Paris turns quite boring. Nothing to write home about. They should have kept fighting or something 😔
╰┈➤ I feel SCAMMED that Anna and Santino never get caught 🙄
Why wasn't there anyone who would loom like a dark ripper over this couple's fate, making readers wait with baited breath for all hell break loose?
Literally no one cares about our Romeo and Juliet, not a single stoopid nasty motherfucker takes an interest in uncovering what these idiots haven't even been hiding THAT well.
So much wasted potential for angst and cheap, trashy drama.
Once they come clean about their feelings, there's NO DRAMA? NO GUNS TO LOAD? NO BULLETS TO SHOOT?? NO FACES TO GET BEATEN TO A PULP???
WHOSE DAUGHTER ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE, FOR GOD'S SAKE?? Dante never delivered, but who's even surprised? Bold of me to think he'd be any less nondescript as a secondary character than in his own book. 🙄
This book isn't half as angsty as it could be, considering Anna has a fiancé throughout the WHOLE book
╰┈➤ This book is better than Cora's usual "secondary characters need to get their books too" books, but alas! It pales in comparison to her best ones.
Cora obviously practices favoritism when it comes to her characters. I wish she only wrote about couples she feels really passionate about it because these books always turn out top-tier.
I wish there was more passion, pain and anguish simmering between Anna and Santino. The tropes called for more edge and heartbreak than this book endeavoured to deliver. Or, rather, failed to deliver in good doses.
The story lacks something that would make it stick in your mind, something that will make it memorable and different from the other books with similar tropes.
July 10, 2022
- 00000 stars
Santino
Honestly I’m glad Clifford wasn’t the H
He deserves someone better than a horny teenager.
"I have the most gorgeous teenage girl flashing her ass cheeks at me every morning and night in a desperate attempt to seduce me, I don't need TikTok for that."
“Newsflash, it's not an attempt if it's successful."
His answering sly grin warmed my belly more than the best hot chocolate in the city. I nudged his arm with mine, my smile widening. "I'm starving. Feed me."
He is what 27?28? How is this an APPROPRIATE thing to say!? (Ik it’s age gap okay but that still doesn’t make it okay for ME) And Anna? Darling WTF?? Idk why these Mafia women don’t have an ounce of self respect in them. It’s getting pathetic now honestly with the same cycle repeating, why can’t it be a made man obsessing over the woman for once? And NOT being a manwhore 🥴 is that really so hard?
Also let’s talk about the double standards that’s always in these books, Anna saw Santino fucking Clifford’s MOTHER
And to retaliate she went and kissed another guy just to make things even with ”Sonny”
And then Sonny gets jealous and beats up the guy. I’m sorry sir but wasn’t your ding dong inside a married woman a few minutes back? 🙃🙃
Hypocrisy at its finest
"Maybe you can come over later and help me with my window?"
“Of course," Santino said, and the way he said it and from the look in his eyes I knew he was sexing her up.
"Just let me take my little sister and her sewing machine up to the apartment." I stalked up to the next floor and went into our apartment. Santino followed shortly after.
“If you think I'll go to bed, while you go down fixing Mrs. French-Wench with dick, you're crazy."
“French-Wench?" I stared.
“It's late. Even my duties are over at some point. I'll tuck you in and then I'm free to do what I want."
I refreshed my makeup to look presentable for my meeting with Maurice. If Santino had fun with French-Wench, I'd enjoy the rest of the night with Maurice. I was done waiting for Santino to give in. I didn't know how much time I had in Paris, but what I knew was that my freedom had an expiration date, and I'd make the most of it until then, with or without Santino's help.
Well after this Anna’s dream finally came true and she got Sonny’s ding dong
Santino
Honestly I’m glad Clifford wasn’t the H
He deserves someone better than a horny teenager.
"I have the most gorgeous teenage girl flashing her ass cheeks at me every morning and night in a desperate attempt to seduce me, I don't need TikTok for that."
“Newsflash, it's not an attempt if it's successful."
His answering sly grin warmed my belly more than the best hot chocolate in the city. I nudged his arm with mine, my smile widening. "I'm starving. Feed me."
He is what 27?28? How is this an APPROPRIATE thing to say!? (Ik it’s age gap okay but that still doesn’t make it okay for ME) And Anna? Darling WTF?? Idk why these Mafia women don’t have an ounce of self respect in them. It’s getting pathetic now honestly with the same cycle repeating, why can’t it be a made man obsessing over the woman for once? And NOT being a manwhore 🥴 is that really so hard?
Also let’s talk about the double standards that’s always in these books, Anna saw Santino fucking Clifford’s MOTHER
And to retaliate she went and kissed another guy just to make things even with ”Sonny”
And then Sonny gets jealous and beats up the guy. I’m sorry sir but wasn’t your ding dong inside a married woman a few minutes back? 🙃🙃
Hypocrisy at its finest
"Maybe you can come over later and help me with my window?"
“Of course," Santino said, and the way he said it and from the look in his eyes I knew he was sexing her up.
"Just let me take my little sister and her sewing machine up to the apartment." I stalked up to the next floor and went into our apartment. Santino followed shortly after.
“If you think I'll go to bed, while you go down fixing Mrs. French-Wench with dick, you're crazy."
“French-Wench?" I stared.
“It's late. Even my duties are over at some point. I'll tuck you in and then I'm free to do what I want."
I refreshed my makeup to look presentable for my meeting with Maurice. If Santino had fun with French-Wench, I'd enjoy the rest of the night with Maurice. I was done waiting for Santino to give in. I didn't know how much time I had in Paris, but what I knew was that my freedom had an expiration date, and I'd make the most of it until then, with or without Santino's help.
Well after this Anna’s dream finally came true and she got Sonny’s ding dong
July 22, 2022
Rating: 3 shaky stars
I was shipping Anna/Santino since Fragile Longing. I have been waiting a long time for this story. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to all that I hope it would be. For the most part, I didn’t find this an enjoyable read. I thought there were some good parts, but there was a lot of stuff I didn’t like. The stuff I didn’t like was overshadowing those few good moments. I had to put the book down many times. I got so mad that I wanted to throw my kindle.
Dual pov plus a chapter in Val/ Dante povs.
Anna Cavallaro
There’s a lot of time jumps in the story. Anna is 12 –23ish over course of book. She is the oldest daughter of Dante, Capo of the Chicago Outfit. She is in an arranged match with a politician’s son.
Santino Bianchi
He’s 22 -33ish over the course of the book. Bodyguard/babysitter to Anna since she was 12. He used to be Outfit Enforcer. Dante /Val wanted more protection for Anna. Santino was one of Dante’s best soldiers, so he got selected for the job. He couldn’t refuse his Capo.
Clifford Clark
Anna’s fiancé- He’s a pretty nice guy. I felt bad for him bc his parents didn’t even tell him about the arrangement until he was 17. Anna knew about it for years before he did. He was just trying to make the best out of a strange situation. I hope he finds a nice girl.
There is a flashback of Anna first meeting Santino as her bodyguard. I was glad that was shown. Anna had a crush on Santino and was hoping they could be friends. I felt bad for Anna bc Santino was so mean to her when she was little. I thought it was cute that Anna used to draw Santino.
Arranged marriage
I was never a fan of Anna being promised to Cliffy. It really surprised me that Val came up with the idea(This happened in Bound by the Past). I was already shipping Anna/Santino. I wish this would have been a bodyguard trope without an arranged marriage trope.
Val talked to Anna about the match before they made a final decision. Val tells Anna how important the political partnership is for Dante and the Outfit. It’s a big thing to ask of an almost 13 year old. Anna wants to make her parents proud and do her part, so she agrees. I know they meant well and thought Anna would have more freedom by being with a senator’s son. Anna was able to go to Paris bc of it and had more freedom. At end of the day, it’s still an arranged marriage.
“I was proud that my parents knew I was strong enough to handle my future like this. I wanted to keep making them proud, even if that meant putting up with Clifford.”
I have my issues with Luca and Remo. Luca wouldn’t even talk about an arranged marriage for Marci at that age. I don’t see Remo ever arranging a marriage for Greta.
Blackmail
In Fragile Longing, Anna was blackmailing Santino. This book reveals the blackmail. I was surprised. I felt that Santino brought it on himself with his dumb behavior.
Family/Friends
I think one of Cora’s strengths is writing family dynamics and friendships. I can’t get enough of the family scenes.
Leonas/Anna:
They are siblings that can fight like cats and dogs but have each other’s backs when it counts. I liked their scenes together. Leonas was really funny. I thought he was one of the highlights of the book. He really takes one for the team.
Ultimately, Val/Dante wants their children to be safe/ happy. I felt they should have caught on sooner to Anna not wanting to marry Cliffy.
Bea: Anna’s little sister Bea was so precious. I wish there would have been more scenes with her. She was 5 when Anna went to Paris. I got choked up when Bea gave Anna her Peppa the Pig .
Luisa:Anna’s friend/cousin. Anna says Luisa is the good cop to her bad cop. Luisa’s a goody two shoes. I really liked her and would like for her to get a story. They have been bffs their entire lives.
I thought Sofia would be in more of the book but she only briefly appeared.
Is Giovanni (Anna’s granddad) still alive? Is he still Consigliere?
I wish there was a scene where Pietro said I told you so.
Enzo (Val’s bodyguard/Santino’s dad): I love Enzo! He is such a protective Papa bear. I thought Enzo/ Santino had such a beautiful father/son bond. Santino tells Enzo everything. He’s really good at reading his son.
Frederica (Santino’s younger sister): I was really surprised by her vocation. I really want Freddy to get a story. It would be a different story for Cora. I think Arturo/ Freddy could be an interesting pair.
Arturo: Outfit Enforcer/Santino’s friend- I have been intrigued by Arturo ever since he first appeared in BBTP. He is Santino’s ride or die.
For those wondering about Emma/Samuel:
There aren’t any Emma/Samuel bread crumbs in the book. There are a few scenes from Fragile Longing when they were at the lake house. It didn’t show interaction between Emma/Samuel.
Brief mention of Camorra:
“The war with the Camorra has been dormant for a while. Nothing major has happened since Serafina was kidnapped.”
Paris
Anna gets accepted to this fashion institute in Paris. Dante will only let Anna go if Santino goes with her. Anna blackmails him into going with her. Santino tells Dante that he will go if he can have his position of Enforcer back when he returns from Paris.
Based on the synopsis, I thought that Anna/Santino would be spending a summer in Paris. They ended up spending 3 years in Paris. They did go home for birthdays, events, and summer etc…
I was really excited some of the story would be in Paris. However, the drama at the beginning of their trip was ruining it. I was looking forward to seeing these romantic scenes in Paris/ them slowly following in love. Anna loves going to museums/art galleries, so I was really hoping that there would be a scene of them going to the Louvre. There weren’t any scenes of her visiting a museum. There were some nice scenes in Paris, but I wish I could have seen more of it.
I thought the timeline in Paris started to get confusing because it kept skipping ahead in time. It showed the beginning of their trip. All of a sudden, Anna is saying it will be their last summer in Paris. A big chunk of the middle portion of their time in Paris was missing. I do like that Anna/Santino got to have a long relationship before they got married. I wish I could have seen more of it.
Broken Record
I thought Anna/Santino’s conversations started to become repetitive. I felt like they were making a lot of their own problems. Things could have been resolved with a talk. I started to feel bad for Santino bc Anna put him through Hell.
“Have you ever just for a second considered following your heart? Have you ever allowed yourself to consider canceling your engagement and giving us a real chance?”
The Wedding Planning
One of my worries for the book was how close it would get to the wedding. I didn’t want repeat of Lily/Romero. I felt things got dragged out way to long. I did like that Anna didn’t have to get married at 18/19 like most other girls in her circle.
Leonas love interest: The Outfit will finally get it’s “Golden Couple”.
The End
Everything worked out in the end. I thought the ending was nice. However, I really wish that there was an epilogue. I wanted to see them have a kid. I guess Santino went back to being an Enforcer? I wanted to know what’s going on with Anna’s fashion career.
I pray Amo/Greta’s story is good.
Safety Info
Anna’s a virgin
Santino: Casanova/boy toy
Anna is underage for 30 some % of the book. Nothing much happens with them before she is 18.
Cheating:Anna is engaged to Cliff but it was arranged by her parents. Cliff said that he didn’t plan to stay celibate while engaged. He tells Anna that she is free to have fun with om. Cliff isn’t into bedding virgins/blood. He says just be discreet about stuff. Anna/Cliff don’t have romantic feelings for each other. Anna/ Santino don’t cheat on each other.
Protection: Santino says he always used condoms in the past. They start out using condoms. Then, Ana gets on the pill.
Ow/Om drama: Yes
*More safety info in comments.
I was shipping Anna/Santino since Fragile Longing. I have been waiting a long time for this story. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to all that I hope it would be. For the most part, I didn’t find this an enjoyable read. I thought there were some good parts, but there was a lot of stuff I didn’t like. The stuff I didn’t like was overshadowing those few good moments. I had to put the book down many times. I got so mad that I wanted to throw my kindle.
Dual pov plus a chapter in Val/ Dante povs.
Anna Cavallaro
There’s a lot of time jumps in the story. Anna is 12 –23ish over course of book. She is the oldest daughter of Dante, Capo of the Chicago Outfit. She is in an arranged match with a politician’s son.
Santino Bianchi
He’s 22 -33ish over the course of the book. Bodyguard/babysitter to Anna since she was 12. He used to be Outfit Enforcer. Dante /Val wanted more protection for Anna. Santino was one of Dante’s best soldiers, so he got selected for the job. He couldn’t refuse his Capo.
Clifford Clark
Anna’s fiancé- He’s a pretty nice guy. I felt bad for him bc his parents didn’t even tell him about the arrangement until he was 17. Anna knew about it for years before he did. He was just trying to make the best out of a strange situation. I hope he finds a nice girl.
There is a flashback of Anna first meeting Santino as her bodyguard. I was glad that was shown. Anna had a crush on Santino and was hoping they could be friends. I felt bad for Anna bc Santino was so mean to her when she was little. I thought it was cute that Anna used to draw Santino.
Arranged marriage
I was never a fan of Anna being promised to Cliffy. It really surprised me that Val came up with the idea(This happened in Bound by the Past). I was already shipping Anna/Santino. I wish this would have been a bodyguard trope without an arranged marriage trope.
Val talked to Anna about the match before they made a final decision. Val tells Anna how important the political partnership is for Dante and the Outfit. It’s a big thing to ask of an almost 13 year old. Anna wants to make her parents proud and do her part, so she agrees. I know they meant well and thought Anna would have more freedom by being with a senator’s son. Anna was able to go to Paris bc of it and had more freedom. At end of the day, it’s still an arranged marriage.
“I was proud that my parents knew I was strong enough to handle my future like this. I wanted to keep making them proud, even if that meant putting up with Clifford.”
I have my issues with Luca and Remo. Luca wouldn’t even talk about an arranged marriage for Marci at that age. I don’t see Remo ever arranging a marriage for Greta.
Blackmail
In Fragile Longing, Anna was blackmailing Santino. This book reveals the blackmail. I was surprised. I felt that Santino brought it on himself with his dumb behavior.
Family/Friends
I think one of Cora’s strengths is writing family dynamics and friendships. I can’t get enough of the family scenes.
Leonas/Anna:
They are siblings that can fight like cats and dogs but have each other’s backs when it counts. I liked their scenes together. Leonas was really funny. I thought he was one of the highlights of the book. He really takes one for the team.
Ultimately, Val/Dante wants their children to be safe/ happy. I felt they should have caught on sooner to Anna not wanting to marry Cliffy.
Bea: Anna’s little sister Bea was so precious. I wish there would have been more scenes with her. She was 5 when Anna went to Paris. I got choked up when Bea gave Anna her Peppa the Pig .
Luisa:Anna’s friend/cousin. Anna says Luisa is the good cop to her bad cop. Luisa’s a goody two shoes. I really liked her and would like for her to get a story. They have been bffs their entire lives.
I thought Sofia would be in more of the book but she only briefly appeared.
Is Giovanni (Anna’s granddad) still alive? Is he still Consigliere?
I wish there was a scene where Pietro said I told you so.
Enzo (Val’s bodyguard/Santino’s dad): I love Enzo! He is such a protective Papa bear. I thought Enzo/ Santino had such a beautiful father/son bond. Santino tells Enzo everything. He’s really good at reading his son.
Frederica (Santino’s younger sister): I was really surprised by her vocation. I really want Freddy to get a story. It would be a different story for Cora. I think Arturo/ Freddy could be an interesting pair.
Arturo: Outfit Enforcer/Santino’s friend- I have been intrigued by Arturo ever since he first appeared in BBTP. He is Santino’s ride or die.
For those wondering about Emma/Samuel:
There aren’t any Emma/Samuel bread crumbs in the book. There are a few scenes from Fragile Longing when they were at the lake house. It didn’t show interaction between Emma/Samuel.
Brief mention of Camorra:
“The war with the Camorra has been dormant for a while. Nothing major has happened since Serafina was kidnapped.”
Paris
Anna gets accepted to this fashion institute in Paris. Dante will only let Anna go if Santino goes with her. Anna blackmails him into going with her. Santino tells Dante that he will go if he can have his position of Enforcer back when he returns from Paris.
Based on the synopsis, I thought that Anna/Santino would be spending a summer in Paris. They ended up spending 3 years in Paris. They did go home for birthdays, events, and summer etc…
I was really excited some of the story would be in Paris. However, the drama at the beginning of their trip was ruining it. I was looking forward to seeing these romantic scenes in Paris/ them slowly following in love. Anna loves going to museums/art galleries, so I was really hoping that there would be a scene of them going to the Louvre. There weren’t any scenes of her visiting a museum. There were some nice scenes in Paris, but I wish I could have seen more of it.
I thought the timeline in Paris started to get confusing because it kept skipping ahead in time. It showed the beginning of their trip. All of a sudden, Anna is saying it will be their last summer in Paris. A big chunk of the middle portion of their time in Paris was missing. I do like that Anna/Santino got to have a long relationship before they got married. I wish I could have seen more of it.
Broken Record
I thought Anna/Santino’s conversations started to become repetitive. I felt like they were making a lot of their own problems. Things could have been resolved with a talk. I started to feel bad for Santino bc Anna put him through Hell.
“Have you ever just for a second considered following your heart? Have you ever allowed yourself to consider canceling your engagement and giving us a real chance?”
The Wedding Planning
One of my worries for the book was how close it would get to the wedding. I didn’t want repeat of Lily/Romero. I felt things got dragged out way to long. I did like that Anna didn’t have to get married at 18/19 like most other girls in her circle.
Leonas love interest: The Outfit will finally get it’s “Golden Couple”.
The End
Everything worked out in the end. I thought the ending was nice. However, I really wish that there was an epilogue. I wanted to see them have a kid. I guess Santino went back to being an Enforcer? I wanted to know what’s going on with Anna’s fashion career.
I pray Amo/Greta’s story is good.
Safety Info
Anna’s a virgin
Santino: Casanova/boy toy
Anna is underage for 30 some % of the book. Nothing much happens with them before she is 18.
Cheating:Anna is engaged to Cliff but it was arranged by her parents. Cliff said that he didn’t plan to stay celibate while engaged. He tells Anna that she is free to have fun with om. Cliff isn’t into bedding virgins/blood. He says just be discreet about stuff. Anna/Cliff don’t have romantic feelings for each other. Anna/ Santino don’t cheat on each other.
Protection: Santino says he always used condoms in the past. They start out using condoms. Then, Ana gets on the pill.
Ow/Om drama: Yes
*More safety info in comments.
September 23, 2021
Why does the author portray the outfit as weak. I love the characters in the outfit but they are not treated fairly by the author wish she make them look stronger and better. Dante>Luca
June 30, 2022
My first Cora Reilly book after two years and it reminded me why I stopped reading her books in the first place.
I need to throw this out there because it’s been ignored by reviewers so far and it’s a large chunk of the book. Santino starts finding her attractive at the age of 16. The book is dual POV so we do get to read his POV. There’s a scene of her in a bikini and him thinking about her “womanly” curves. Her brother, yes typical Cora Reilly, calls her a “hot piece of ass” which he also mentally agrees with. At the age of 17, they kiss and Santino states that if she likes angry kissing, she’ll love angry fucking. Mind you, they have a ten year age gap so he’s saying all of this at his big ass age of 27 to a girl who’s still a minor. Idc what country you live in, it’s weird as hell. And it was harder to read considering 30% of this book is her being underage. This is becoming a troubling trend in Cora’s books.
This book just also didn’t give. Even when you take out the icky factor of it, they had no chemistry or personalities of their own. Anna’s only personality was wanting to have sex with Santino and fashion. I didn’t find her manipulative or cunning, she just came off like a brat. Just another female character that’s portrayed to be a “bad ass” but they’re really just insufferable. Santino also didn’t give a damn thing. I found him to be boring tbqh. It’s sad because Clifford had more of a personality than both of them combined 😭. The smut was boring too and that’s all they really did. I have no idea why they liked each other and they didn’t share meaningful conversations outside of him telling her why his sister is a nun.
Correction: they were calling Sofia a hot piece of ass and talking about her womanly curves. She was still underage.
I need to throw this out there because it’s been ignored by reviewers so far and it’s a large chunk of the book. Santino starts finding her attractive at the age of 16. The book is dual POV so we do get to read his POV. There’s a scene of her in a bikini and him thinking about her “womanly” curves. Her brother, yes typical Cora Reilly, calls her a “hot piece of ass” which he also mentally agrees with. At the age of 17, they kiss and Santino states that if she likes angry kissing, she’ll love angry fucking. Mind you, they have a ten year age gap so he’s saying all of this at his big ass age of 27 to a girl who’s still a minor. Idc what country you live in, it’s weird as hell. And it was harder to read considering 30% of this book is her being underage. This is becoming a troubling trend in Cora’s books.
This book just also didn’t give. Even when you take out the icky factor of it, they had no chemistry or personalities of their own. Anna’s only personality was wanting to have sex with Santino and fashion. I didn’t find her manipulative or cunning, she just came off like a brat. Just another female character that’s portrayed to be a “bad ass” but they’re really just insufferable. Santino also didn’t give a damn thing. I found him to be boring tbqh. It’s sad because Clifford had more of a personality than both of them combined 😭. The smut was boring too and that’s all they really did. I have no idea why they liked each other and they didn’t share meaningful conversations outside of him telling her why his sister is a nun.
Correction: they were calling Sofia a hot piece of ass and talking about her womanly curves. She was still underage.
June 20, 2022
By Virtue I Fall was hands down my most anticipated second generation book in the Sins of the Fathers series and boy did the exceptionally talented Cora Reilly take me on a wild and angst-filled rollercoaster ride of epic proportions I soon won't forget. My poor nerves have been through the wringer and I can’t tell you how often I wanted to throw my kindle against the wall or scream my heart out. I felt all the frustration and sheer agony the protagonists went through facing a difficult situation that neither of them knew how to handle the best way. The main question throughout the whole book remained the same for all involved - should I choose duty over my heart's biggest desire? And we all know how the Mafia world is conservative and values traditions and honor above anything else.
Anna Cavallaro's biggest wish is to become a fashion designer and study at a world-famous institute in Paris. She wants some time away from Chicago and the curious eyes that follow her every step as the Capo's daughter. Anna wants to have some fun and experience freedom before she marries. One of her father’s conditions is that Santino accompanies her as her bodyguard. She wouldn’t mind having a summer fling with her dark, brooding protector since she's had a crush on him for years. As a dutiful soldier Santino has been ignoring Anna's flirting and advances. He knows that she is off limits for many reasons. But now far away from home boundaries start to blur and Anna and Santino both find themselves entangled in a dangerous game of lies and deceptions that could cost them everything they hold dear to their hearts ...
I won't tell you what Anna is going to do and which man she is going to choose. That would be a major spoiler and take away from your reading experience. I thus strongly encourage you to just dive into the story and let yourself be carried away and experience every emotion right along with Anna, Santino and Clifford. I personally was more than happy about the outcome.
Anna Cavallaro is strong-willed and very persistent. She can be manipulative if she wants something. Anna has a naughty, rebellious streak but she can also be very sweet and caring. She adores her family and wants to make them proud. I loved her constant bickering with Leonas. The siblings share a strong bond despite driving each other crazy all the time.
Santino Bianchi is stubborn, controlled and a well-respected soldier of the Outfit. He gave up his position as enforcer in order to become Anna's bodyguard. Since he is 10 years older than her, he saw her for a very long time as only an annoying child that pushed his buttons constantly. But Anna grew into a beautiful, alluring and smart woman he couldn’t ignore anymore.
Clifford Clark is handsome, charming and very ambitious. Although he comes from a dysfunctional family that only cares about image he turned out to be a decent person. Since he is a Senator's son he knows what duty is and that it sometimes demands personal sacrifices. That's why him and Anna understood each other so well. As children of very influential fathers they knew how to carry the heavy burden of expectations on their young shoulders.
I've devoured and absolutely adored this fantastic story! The forbidden love trope is honestly one of my favorites and Cora Reilly truly did Anna's book justice. It was a bumpy ride to her well-deserved HEA but it was absolutely worth all the heartache and tears I've shed while reading. Only a great author like her can make me feel such a caleidoscope of emotions. Fans of Leonas Cavallaro will be ecstatic to hear that his future love interest is revealed in this book and the whole story surrounding it was such a pleasant and unexpected surprise. I now can't wait for his book to come out!
I've thoroughly enjoyed By Virtue I Fall and give it 5 shiny stars and a place on my most favorite reads of 2022 shelf. Thank you dear Cora for another fabulous story in your absolutely addictive Mafia world!!!
Anna Cavallaro's biggest wish is to become a fashion designer and study at a world-famous institute in Paris. She wants some time away from Chicago and the curious eyes that follow her every step as the Capo's daughter. Anna wants to have some fun and experience freedom before she marries. One of her father’s conditions is that Santino accompanies her as her bodyguard. She wouldn’t mind having a summer fling with her dark, brooding protector since she's had a crush on him for years. As a dutiful soldier Santino has been ignoring Anna's flirting and advances. He knows that she is off limits for many reasons. But now far away from home boundaries start to blur and Anna and Santino both find themselves entangled in a dangerous game of lies and deceptions that could cost them everything they hold dear to their hearts ...
I won't tell you what Anna is going to do and which man she is going to choose. That would be a major spoiler and take away from your reading experience. I thus strongly encourage you to just dive into the story and let yourself be carried away and experience every emotion right along with Anna, Santino and Clifford. I personally was more than happy about the outcome.
Anna Cavallaro is strong-willed and very persistent. She can be manipulative if she wants something. Anna has a naughty, rebellious streak but she can also be very sweet and caring. She adores her family and wants to make them proud. I loved her constant bickering with Leonas. The siblings share a strong bond despite driving each other crazy all the time.
Santino Bianchi is stubborn, controlled and a well-respected soldier of the Outfit. He gave up his position as enforcer in order to become Anna's bodyguard. Since he is 10 years older than her, he saw her for a very long time as only an annoying child that pushed his buttons constantly. But Anna grew into a beautiful, alluring and smart woman he couldn’t ignore anymore.
Clifford Clark is handsome, charming and very ambitious. Although he comes from a dysfunctional family that only cares about image he turned out to be a decent person. Since he is a Senator's son he knows what duty is and that it sometimes demands personal sacrifices. That's why him and Anna understood each other so well. As children of very influential fathers they knew how to carry the heavy burden of expectations on their young shoulders.
I've devoured and absolutely adored this fantastic story! The forbidden love trope is honestly one of my favorites and Cora Reilly truly did Anna's book justice. It was a bumpy ride to her well-deserved HEA but it was absolutely worth all the heartache and tears I've shed while reading. Only a great author like her can make me feel such a caleidoscope of emotions. Fans of Leonas Cavallaro will be ecstatic to hear that his future love interest is revealed in this book and the whole story surrounding it was such a pleasant and unexpected surprise. I now can't wait for his book to come out!
I've thoroughly enjoyed By Virtue I Fall and give it 5 shiny stars and a place on my most favorite reads of 2022 shelf. Thank you dear Cora for another fabulous story in your absolutely addictive Mafia world!!!
Want to read
April 5, 2021I liked Anna Cavallaro since she said this!!⬇️⬇️
Be selfish for once, Sofia. In this world, we women get so few choices, so little freedom. We have to grasp happiness by the collar and drag it with us. We can't hope for happiness to jump into our lap. Be selfish. You deserve it.
She looks like the type WHO WILL FIGHT FOR HER HAPPINESS!!
Be selfish for once, Sofia. In this world, we women get so few choices, so little freedom. We have to grasp happiness by the collar and drag it with us. We can't hope for happiness to jump into our lap. Be selfish. You deserve it.
She looks like the type WHO WILL FIGHT FOR HER HAPPINESS!!
June 24, 2022
4,5 stars
Tropes: Forbidden romance
Age gap
Bodyguard romance
Before I start I'd like to say that, although it’s an unpopular opinion, the Cavallaros are my favorite family from Cora Reilly's book, so I’m totally biased to their side. With that being said, I was very excited for this book and a little apprehensive too, so I tried to keep my expectations low.
Fortunately, it was so good and it was way more than I expected. I'm SO happy she did justice to my Cavallaro family.
However, I must say that of course it wasn’t perfect and I had some issues with it too so I’ll make this review in two parts.
What I liked:
First let's talk about Anna, the star of the book. Anna was my favorite SOTF girl literally since she was borned in Bound by duty (yes I’m a little biased) but now I love her even more. She's one of the best Cora’s characters and I'm so happy Cora made her justice. She's sassy, funny but at the same time she's sweet and romantic. I love how devoted she is to her family and how much she loved them. She is truly her parents' daughter and I absolutely loved how we could see both Dante and Val in her.
Now about Santino... I loved him so much!! He's so grumpy that it is kinda funny to be in his mind. But surprisingly he was sweeter than I expected. His jealous and possessive moments were the best. And I also loved how much he's loyal to Dante and the Outfit. We can see his admiration for Dante and his family but without being his little dog.
The story is lighter compared to the others, which was a breath of fresh air. This is not the typical explosive mafia books, it's more like a sweet and funny romance which was exactly what I needed right now. But if you expect something dark and explosive probably you will be disappointed, so keep that in mind.
By the way, the sexual tension between Anna and Santino is absolutely AMAZING. Anna and Santino together are fire and I loved the dynamic between the two of them. Their banter is delicious to read. They had quite a journey together and I loved the development of their relationship.
I can’t write this review without mentioning my best family, the Cavallaros. Dante and Valentina are my favorite couple in the series and I loved seeing the wonderful parents they are. Their little crumbs were amazing and now they have my heart more than ever. The bond Anna shares with her parents, especially her mom, is very special. Another highlight of the book is definitely Leonas. He’s a troublemaker and has a really funny sense of humor. I can’t wait for his book after the hints we got in BVIF. I have no words to say how much I love the Outfit next gen, they are such a chaotic gang. Plus, I loved seeing Anna, Luisa and Sofia's friendship in Anna's view. More than cousins and friends they are sisters and it's really beautiful to see.
Despite playing an important part of the book the side characters never took the focus out of the main characters. There was a perfect balance between the side characters and Anna and Santino.
As for Clifford, I can’t say much but he really surprised me. I was expecting him to be awful but he’s such a nice character. I adored him and tbh I kinda want him to have his own happy ending because I felt very bad for him.
What I didn’t like:
There were some inappropriate interactions between Anna and Santino while she was still underage. Nothing major happened while she was still a minor but still there were some controversial scenes when she was 17 and Cora wasted more time than necessary with Anna being underage.
A big part of the drama of this book felt unnecessary in the end. I finished the story with a feeling that everything could've been avoided. That was one of my biggest issues with this book. I can’t say much without giving spoilers, but I wish there was a bigger reason for their romance to be forbidden. It would've made some of the scenes way more angsty and emotional.
These two things are the reason I'm not rating it 5 stars. I even thought of giving 4 starts but since I love these characters so much I'm rating it 4,5.
Also, there were a few scenes with other women. I honestly don’t have problems with OW scenes in books so it isn’t actually something I disliked but I know a lot of people have problems with it so I felt I should mention it. The scenes happened when Anna was a minor, so Anna and Santino weren’t actually together. Tbh these scenes were kinda funny and shocking for me, so I didn’t mind it.
I missed more meaningful moments between Anna and Dante. They had some cute interactions but they weren’t as emotional as I was expecting. (But, to be fair, these meaningful moments happened between Anna and Val and I really appreciated them).
Btw, I also want to mention that I'm feeling so sad and kinda robbed because there weren’t any single emmasamuel crumbs!!! I hoped to have at least a scene with them but I got nothing. But okay, still (un)patiently waiting for their book.
Tropes: Forbidden romance
Age gap
Bodyguard romance
Before I start I'd like to say that, although it’s an unpopular opinion, the Cavallaros are my favorite family from Cora Reilly's book, so I’m totally biased to their side. With that being said, I was very excited for this book and a little apprehensive too, so I tried to keep my expectations low.
Fortunately, it was so good and it was way more than I expected. I'm SO happy she did justice to my Cavallaro family.
However, I must say that of course it wasn’t perfect and I had some issues with it too so I’ll make this review in two parts.
What I liked:
First let's talk about Anna, the star of the book. Anna was my favorite SOTF girl literally since she was borned in Bound by duty (yes I’m a little biased) but now I love her even more. She's one of the best Cora’s characters and I'm so happy Cora made her justice. She's sassy, funny but at the same time she's sweet and romantic. I love how devoted she is to her family and how much she loved them. She is truly her parents' daughter and I absolutely loved how we could see both Dante and Val in her.
Now about Santino... I loved him so much!! He's so grumpy that it is kinda funny to be in his mind. But surprisingly he was sweeter than I expected. His jealous and possessive moments were the best. And I also loved how much he's loyal to Dante and the Outfit. We can see his admiration for Dante and his family but without being his little dog.
The story is lighter compared to the others, which was a breath of fresh air. This is not the typical explosive mafia books, it's more like a sweet and funny romance which was exactly what I needed right now. But if you expect something dark and explosive probably you will be disappointed, so keep that in mind.
By the way, the sexual tension between Anna and Santino is absolutely AMAZING. Anna and Santino together are fire and I loved the dynamic between the two of them. Their banter is delicious to read. They had quite a journey together and I loved the development of their relationship.
I can’t write this review without mentioning my best family, the Cavallaros. Dante and Valentina are my favorite couple in the series and I loved seeing the wonderful parents they are. Their little crumbs were amazing and now they have my heart more than ever. The bond Anna shares with her parents, especially her mom, is very special. Another highlight of the book is definitely Leonas. He’s a troublemaker and has a really funny sense of humor. I can’t wait for his book after the hints we got in BVIF. I have no words to say how much I love the Outfit next gen, they are such a chaotic gang. Plus, I loved seeing Anna, Luisa and Sofia's friendship in Anna's view. More than cousins and friends they are sisters and it's really beautiful to see.
Despite playing an important part of the book the side characters never took the focus out of the main characters. There was a perfect balance between the side characters and Anna and Santino.
As for Clifford, I can’t say much but he really surprised me. I was expecting him to be awful but he’s such a nice character. I adored him and tbh I kinda want him to have his own happy ending because I felt very bad for him.
What I didn’t like:
There were some inappropriate interactions between Anna and Santino while she was still underage. Nothing major happened while she was still a minor but still there were some controversial scenes when she was 17 and Cora wasted more time than necessary with Anna being underage.
A big part of the drama of this book felt unnecessary in the end. I finished the story with a feeling that everything could've been avoided. That was one of my biggest issues with this book. I can’t say much without giving spoilers, but I wish there was a bigger reason for their romance to be forbidden. It would've made some of the scenes way more angsty and emotional.
These two things are the reason I'm not rating it 5 stars. I even thought of giving 4 starts but since I love these characters so much I'm rating it 4,5.
Also, there were a few scenes with other women. I honestly don’t have problems with OW scenes in books so it isn’t actually something I disliked but I know a lot of people have problems with it so I felt I should mention it. The scenes happened when Anna was a minor, so Anna and Santino weren’t actually together. Tbh these scenes were kinda funny and shocking for me, so I didn’t mind it.
I missed more meaningful moments between Anna and Dante. They had some cute interactions but they weren’t as emotional as I was expecting. (But, to be fair, these meaningful moments happened between Anna and Val and I really appreciated them).
Btw, I also want to mention that I'm feeling so sad and kinda robbed because there weren’t any single emmasamuel crumbs!!! I hoped to have at least a scene with them but I got nothing. But okay, still (un)patiently waiting for their book.
July 2, 2022
4-4.5 Cherie stars!
"every f*cking thing I've done the last few years has been cause of you Anna. You are the goddamn sun I'm circling"
Santino & Anna! Anna & Santino! yes, they are here & taking us for a trip to the city of love aka Paris. I was really excited for this story and I'm very happy we finally got it. Get your passport ready and pack your bags, we're going to Paris with our mafia ice princess and our favorite bodyguard on an unforgettable trip!
Anna is Dante and Valentina's daughter through and through. I had loved Anna since she first appeared in Fragile Longing, and I was happy to finally get into her head. Anna is a mafia ice princess. She's cunning and goes after what she wants no matter what. And what she wants is just to live a life of freedom in Paris and Santino. Santino!! I was so excited to finally get Santino. I had been waiting to finally get his story and see what was behind that grumpy bodyguard mask. I really liked Santino, and I liked that we finally got to read his backstory and his present of course.
I really liked Santino and Anna together. The push and pull between them and the spark was everything. My favorite scenes were definitely when they were in Paris, just to see the evolution of their relationship was very rewarding. Anna and Santino were definitely a match, and I was very happy with the ending and how their story turned out.
Okay, now the side characters. This book made me love the Cavallaros', please the Dante and Val appearances made me so happy. Bea is just the sweetest child. Now, Leonas! I called dibs on Leonas, I'm so excited for his book! Keep your eyes open because this book gave us a little insight of what is to come, and I'm so excited.
*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review*
"every f*cking thing I've done the last few years has been cause of you Anna. You are the goddamn sun I'm circling"
Santino & Anna! Anna & Santino! yes, they are here & taking us for a trip to the city of love aka Paris. I was really excited for this story and I'm very happy we finally got it. Get your passport ready and pack your bags, we're going to Paris with our mafia ice princess and our favorite bodyguard on an unforgettable trip!
Anna is Dante and Valentina's daughter through and through. I had loved Anna since she first appeared in Fragile Longing, and I was happy to finally get into her head. Anna is a mafia ice princess. She's cunning and goes after what she wants no matter what. And what she wants is just to live a life of freedom in Paris and Santino. Santino!! I was so excited to finally get Santino. I had been waiting to finally get his story and see what was behind that grumpy bodyguard mask. I really liked Santino, and I liked that we finally got to read his backstory and his present of course.
I really liked Santino and Anna together. The push and pull between them and the spark was everything. My favorite scenes were definitely when they were in Paris, just to see the evolution of their relationship was very rewarding. Anna and Santino were definitely a match, and I was very happy with the ending and how their story turned out.
Okay, now the side characters. This book made me love the Cavallaros', please the Dante and Val appearances made me so happy. Bea is just the sweetest child. Now, Leonas! I called dibs on Leonas, I'm so excited for his book! Keep your eyes open because this book gave us a little insight of what is to come, and I'm so excited.
*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review*
April 27, 2021
Anna and Clifford would make an amazing story. We already got a book like bodyguard love story type and I think this mafia princess-politician type book would be exceptional. There are so many new opportunities for this. I hope the author chooses Clifford 😍
June 22, 2022
By Virtue I Fall review: 1,5 stars.
Arc provided in exchange for an honest review.
I need to be honest about it, I was not waiting so much about By Virtue I fall, and I was not surprised with what Cora made. The whole book was bad, with all my honesty.
Anna should be a cunning and cold princess, but she is a rich spoiled girl, who don't know how to react to rejection, crying, and acting like a kid instead of the strong powerful woman she is supposed to be. Her biggest dream of being a fashion student was so shallow and suddenly (at least in my point of view) when we compare it with all the drama she made about going to Paris, like was a big deal, but just serving her purpose of having an affair with her bodyguard. She acted like a "bad girl", but she was just a rich girl trying to be different and rebel, she make comments about other normal teenagers thinking of themselves as "bad" when she lives with mafiosos and this doesn't compare, but she was all the time pampered and spoiled. Anna isn't tough like she wishes and pretends to be. She is completely boring and appealing.
Santino suffered from his boss's spoiled daughter and was constantly being rude because he's tired of Anna, it's particularly displeasing with her all the time making moves on him. What made AnnaSantino the second version of LilyRomero, but worse.
Cora just made a transition from the start of Anna's course (in Paris) to the final soo confusing, like she didn't want to follow writing the book and just thought about going for another part of the storytime.
The final? A deception, no real emotion, and everything soo predictable, Anna made Santino's whole life hell because she wanted him when she didn't even have the balls to assume him and keep going with her idea of marrying Clifford. Like she hoped Santino to see her marry another man and just sit like a good dog, Cora made the "big plot" boring.
The forbidden trope was used in a very poor way, everybody accepted and I didn't feel at least a little thrilled with the book or Anna and Santino being caught. Nobody cared about them.
And finally, about Dante and Valentina Cavallaro as parents, in my opinion, they aren't the best parents that people envisioned.
Dante keeps being a cold fish, not a bad father, but nothing on the level of Luca in BSIR (what I didn't wait for and has a big surprise) so, a deception. And how capo keeps being a weak man and doesn't even control his soldiers, it's pathetic.
Valentina wasn't a bad mother, but Anna didn't trust her and their relationship was shallow.
They're not like Rocco Scuderi, but normal parents of the mafia (loving their kids, but still sacrificing them).
And last thing, Santino with his affairs and Anna always caught him was pathetic, so much humiliating.
The highest point of the book? Leonas and his cunning mind.
Reading Anna being humiliated by her bodyguard hasn't one pleasant experience.
Arc provided in exchange for an honest review.
I need to be honest about it, I was not waiting so much about By Virtue I fall, and I was not surprised with what Cora made. The whole book was bad, with all my honesty.
Anna should be a cunning and cold princess, but she is a rich spoiled girl, who don't know how to react to rejection, crying, and acting like a kid instead of the strong powerful woman she is supposed to be. Her biggest dream of being a fashion student was so shallow and suddenly (at least in my point of view) when we compare it with all the drama she made about going to Paris, like was a big deal, but just serving her purpose of having an affair with her bodyguard. She acted like a "bad girl", but she was just a rich girl trying to be different and rebel, she make comments about other normal teenagers thinking of themselves as "bad" when she lives with mafiosos and this doesn't compare, but she was all the time pampered and spoiled. Anna isn't tough like she wishes and pretends to be. She is completely boring and appealing.
Santino suffered from his boss's spoiled daughter and was constantly being rude because he's tired of Anna, it's particularly displeasing with her all the time making moves on him. What made AnnaSantino the second version of LilyRomero, but worse.
Cora just made a transition from the start of Anna's course (in Paris) to the final soo confusing, like she didn't want to follow writing the book and just thought about going for another part of the storytime.
The final? A deception, no real emotion, and everything soo predictable, Anna made Santino's whole life hell because she wanted him when she didn't even have the balls to assume him and keep going with her idea of marrying Clifford. Like she hoped Santino to see her marry another man and just sit like a good dog, Cora made the "big plot" boring.
The forbidden trope was used in a very poor way, everybody accepted and I didn't feel at least a little thrilled with the book or Anna and Santino being caught. Nobody cared about them.
And finally, about Dante and Valentina Cavallaro as parents, in my opinion, they aren't the best parents that people envisioned.
Dante keeps being a cold fish, not a bad father, but nothing on the level of Luca in BSIR (what I didn't wait for and has a big surprise) so, a deception. And how capo keeps being a weak man and doesn't even control his soldiers, it's pathetic.
Valentina wasn't a bad mother, but Anna didn't trust her and their relationship was shallow.
They're not like Rocco Scuderi, but normal parents of the mafia (loving their kids, but still sacrificing them).
And last thing, Santino with his affairs and Anna always caught him was pathetic, so much humiliating.
The highest point of the book? Leonas and his cunning mind.
Reading Anna being humiliated by her bodyguard hasn't one pleasant experience.
June 29, 2022
0.5 star ⭐️
Hey do check my Pinterest board of sin of fathers!🥺
https://pin.it/1lix0Aq (acc: katallister)
- I can not believe I am saying this but marcella was better than anna. 👀
once again cora reilly proved that she can not write good books anymore. I don’t understand why I even gave it 0.5 star? this book is sooo bad that I skimmed half of it. What has happened to cora? Where is the Cora that wrote the cammora chronicles & my fav remoserafina?🥲
This book is absolutely trash & a disaster! I hated the character of anna & surprising found santiago okay. Anna was super annoying, childish, manipulator and spoiled. She treated santiago like her lapdog. She forced, I repeated, forced santiago to like her. At time she even kept touching and flirting with him when he was saying no. And then when he finally gave up, started developing feeling for her, she was like, we are nothing but f*ck buddies. Like what??? She had a crush on santiago when she was 12 till she turn turned 22. She never truly had feelings for him. There was no connection or chemistry between the two except s*x. The book was always rushed. Within 10 chapters santiago goes from hating anna to completely in love with her. Excuse me?
Cora’s second generation is just not working. Both her books in this series show the Marcella & Anna treating their partners like trash with no respect. I would suggest Cora to show both leading characters to have self-respect, include juicy drama, intense sexual tension and chemistry between the chapters before any physical contact.
-now I can only hope that Leonas, greta, & nevio get their happy ending.
Hey do check my Pinterest board of sin of fathers!🥺
https://pin.it/1lix0Aq (acc: katallister)
- I can not believe I am saying this but marcella was better than anna. 👀
once again cora reilly proved that she can not write good books anymore. I don’t understand why I even gave it 0.5 star? this book is sooo bad that I skimmed half of it. What has happened to cora? Where is the Cora that wrote the cammora chronicles & my fav remoserafina?🥲
This book is absolutely trash & a disaster! I hated the character of anna & surprising found santiago okay. Anna was super annoying, childish, manipulator and spoiled. She treated santiago like her lapdog. She forced, I repeated, forced santiago to like her. At time she even kept touching and flirting with him when he was saying no. And then when he finally gave up, started developing feeling for her, she was like, we are nothing but f*ck buddies. Like what??? She had a crush on santiago when she was 12 till she turn turned 22. She never truly had feelings for him. There was no connection or chemistry between the two except s*x. The book was always rushed. Within 10 chapters santiago goes from hating anna to completely in love with her. Excuse me?
Cora’s second generation is just not working. Both her books in this series show the Marcella & Anna treating their partners like trash with no respect. I would suggest Cora to show both leading characters to have self-respect, include juicy drama, intense sexual tension and chemistry between the chapters before any physical contact.
-now I can only hope that Leonas, greta, & nevio get their happy ending.
July 1, 2022
I love bodyguard trope very much. Anna and Santino are a pairing I’ve been waiting for since first reading “Fragile Longing” their chemistry is off the charts. I devour this book in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down. If you love forbidden romance, age gap, and bodyguard trope this is the book for you...
July 21, 2022
UNDERWHELMING!!
No esperaba nada de este libro y aun así logró decepcionarme.
Desde el principio no estaba convencida de la pareja de Satino y Anna, la hija del Jefe del Outfit de Chicago con un guardaespaldas? HELL NO.
Sin embargo sucedió y dije le voy a dar un oportunidad.
Otra cosa que me tiraba para atrás fue la actitud de Anna en el libro de Sophia y SPOILER ALERT no cambió.
La primera parte del libro inicia con una Anna de 12 años presentándole a su nuevo guardaespaldas del que ella tenía un pequeño enamoramiento y un Santino siendo un imbécil porque odia ser la niñera de la hija de su Capo cuando el ama ser ejecutor.
Y así van narrando sucesos importantes durante los primeros años y como Anna se encaprichaba cuando el más la rechazaba, hasta llegar a los eventos de su viaje a Paris.
Anna me pareció un personaje insufrible, era una niña mimada, caprichosa, manipuladora y muy mosquita muerta.
Al principio me caía bien y me sentía mal por ella por como la trataba Santino pero después la odié.
Sedujo a Santino, lo hizo que tuviera una relación clandestina con ella, lo enamoró no importándole las consecuencias que eso le acarreaba a él, sólo para ella divertirse, mientras se casaba y aparte era una cobarde.
Santino al principio no me caía bien por imbécil pero después me dio lástima.
Espero que Cora se redima con el libro de Amo y Greta y nos traiga una gran historia LO DECRETO.
No esperaba nada de este libro y aun así logró decepcionarme.
Desde el principio no estaba convencida de la pareja de Satino y Anna, la hija del Jefe del Outfit de Chicago con un guardaespaldas? HELL NO.
Sin embargo sucedió y dije le voy a dar un oportunidad.
Otra cosa que me tiraba para atrás fue la actitud de Anna en el libro de Sophia y SPOILER ALERT no cambió.
La primera parte del libro inicia con una Anna de 12 años presentándole a su nuevo guardaespaldas del que ella tenía un pequeño enamoramiento y un Santino siendo un imbécil porque odia ser la niñera de la hija de su Capo cuando el ama ser ejecutor.
Y así van narrando sucesos importantes durante los primeros años y como Anna se encaprichaba cuando el más la rechazaba, hasta llegar a los eventos de su viaje a Paris.
Anna me pareció un personaje insufrible, era una niña mimada, caprichosa, manipuladora y muy mosquita muerta.
Al principio me caía bien y me sentía mal por ella por como la trataba Santino pero después la odié.
Sedujo a Santino, lo hizo que tuviera una relación clandestina con ella, lo enamoró no importándole las consecuencias que eso le acarreaba a él, sólo para ella divertirse, mientras se casaba y aparte era una cobarde.
Santino al principio no me caía bien por imbécil pero después me dio lástima.
Espero que Cora se redima con el libro de Amo y Greta y nos traiga una gran historia LO DECRETO.
June 4, 2021
I'm rooting for Santino and Anna. Please make them Endgame!😭
So excited!!
So excited!!
June 28, 2022
First off thanks Clair bear I luv u🥺
2.💫
yikes 😬
I’m not gonna get down on myself.
If I really think about it I hyped it up in my head and the little crumbs we got leading up to this so that’s on me.
Idk why but a lot of authors second gen just ain’t hitting,
I understand they want to keep the parents perfect but no one said you had to ruin them … but god idk if your gonna make mafia story’s in the second gen I’d appreciate less ya know fluff.. if that makes any sense if you’ve read Marcella and madocs books then you know what I’m talking about.
I’m sounding like I hated it and that’s not the case I didn’t hate it but I also think Cora needs like a huge break to focus on her other projects there’s only so long you can drag out certain mafia tropes and similar storylines the parents had before people get bored … and also the author
I really do feel that she as well is getting a little tired of this and has hinted at wanting her readers to hype up her other new books she had coming out soooo
As far as characters go I liked Anna she’s my girl.
She’s not what I thought she was gonna be … kinda like Marci with all those teasers where we thought she’d be a bad bitch.. but than again that’s just me who thinks that but other ppl can feel like she was a total different character.
Santino .. um .. uh 😐 hmmm eh uh .. yea
Okay so semi spoilersh if you’ve read fragile longing then you remember that exciting built up with the secret Anna had on santino.
Jokes on me thinking that was gonna be one hell of a secret😂😂😂
Cliffy you cutie pie you where a great surprise . 🥰🥰🥰
Sofia home girl you glad you happy with your sis’s leftovers.
The way I actually feel I might have liked Samuel and Emma’s book more if it came out in April 😔😔
Surprisingly Val is in this more than Dante so I’m still confused of the whole “
Sins of the father”
Also I am one of those people who don’t LOVE ow scenes ……
But I can’t say I wasn’t warned before reading this I read a few reviews and I even messaged someone who gave me deets I still hated ow scenes tho but I do make exceptions for mafia .. especially if you’re reading Cora’s mafia it’s just a given
BUT what’s that saying when the ow scenes are hotter than with the main FMC … who remembers twisted cravings 😒
Just my opinion tho
All in all I didn’t hate it but I didn’t really love it either.
2.💫
yikes 😬
I’m not gonna get down on myself.
If I really think about it I hyped it up in my head and the little crumbs we got leading up to this so that’s on me.
Idk why but a lot of authors second gen just ain’t hitting,
I understand they want to keep the parents perfect but no one said you had to ruin them … but god idk if your gonna make mafia story’s in the second gen I’d appreciate less ya know fluff.. if that makes any sense if you’ve read Marcella and madocs books then you know what I’m talking about.
I’m sounding like I hated it and that’s not the case I didn’t hate it but I also think Cora needs like a huge break to focus on her other projects there’s only so long you can drag out certain mafia tropes and similar storylines the parents had before people get bored … and also the author
I really do feel that she as well is getting a little tired of this and has hinted at wanting her readers to hype up her other new books she had coming out soooo
As far as characters go I liked Anna she’s my girl.
She’s not what I thought she was gonna be … kinda like Marci with all those teasers where we thought she’d be a bad bitch.. but than again that’s just me who thinks that but other ppl can feel like she was a total different character.
Santino .. um .. uh 😐 hmmm eh uh .. yea
Okay so semi spoilersh if you’ve read fragile longing then you remember that exciting built up with the secret Anna had on santino.
Jokes on me thinking that was gonna be one hell of a secret😂😂😂
Cliffy you cutie pie you where a great surprise . 🥰🥰🥰
Sofia home girl you glad you happy with your sis’s leftovers.
The way I actually feel I might have liked Samuel and Emma’s book more if it came out in April 😔😔
Surprisingly Val is in this more than Dante so I’m still confused of the whole “
Sins of the father”
Also I am one of those people who don’t LOVE ow scenes ……
But I can’t say I wasn’t warned before reading this I read a few reviews and I even messaged someone who gave me deets I still hated ow scenes tho but I do make exceptions for mafia .. especially if you’re reading Cora’s mafia it’s just a given
BUT what’s that saying when the ow scenes are hotter than with the main FMC … who remembers twisted cravings 😒
Just my opinion tho
All in all I didn’t hate it but I didn’t really love it either.
June 28, 2022
annasantino are my best friends. my ride or dies. my manifesting worked annasantino best people ever (also annaleonas best siblings)
June 29, 2022
In all honesty, I didn't care about Anna's book in the slightest when I found out she was also getting a book. I only picked it up since practically every arc reader was praising BVIF on Twitter. My expectations weren't that high, but the book's middle part pleasantly surprised me.
I say only the middle part since Anna is underage for at least 35% of this book and the last 20% was a tad bit dramatic for my taste.
The beginning was hard to read since she's 12 when they meet and he's 22. When you realize that this guy watched Anna grow up it becomes super creepy. They kiss for the first time when she's 17 too.
I genuinely don't understand what was the thought process behind making Anna so young. It only added problematic aspects to the story, it's completely meaningless since you already have the conflict - they can't be together because he's her bodyguard and she's Capo's daughter, so why make her underage on top of that?
Enter my favorite snippet from the book:
"I never touched her before she was of age."
"So you waited for her birthday to touch her?" lol
Really sums up how Santino viewed Anna. Especially when you consider how he talked about/to her while she was still 17.
Example 1: "If you like angry kissing, you'll love angry fucking." After he kissed her for the first time.
Example 2: "I wanted to protect her virtue from Cliffy and every other guy so I could destroy it myself. Fuck. My mind couldn't stop seeing Anna as the woman that she was. A fucking gorgeous, very tempting woman who played her assets in all the right ways."
This book also failed to make me believe that Dante was as cunning as they made him out to be in his books. He suspected that something was going on between Anna and Santino but did nothing to prevent it, his explanation didn't help either.
"Today the scales fell from my eyes. I'd chosen ignorance too long, wanted to cling to an image of Anna that didn't reflect the truth. Anna wasn't a little girl anymore".
On that note, the way Anna went about not wanting to marry Clifford really annoyed me. Out of every possible moment she chose the worst to break it off and completely humiliated the person who has done nothing wrong. Her actions did nothing but add unnecessary drama to the story, this book could've easily been a couple of pages shorter. Other than that I liked her, especially how manipulative she sometimes was. It was interesting to read about.
Their relationship in Paris was extremely cute and quite entertaining too. The fact that I was never bored throughout the story also helped.
So all these + other bizarre things like Leonas saying "You look like a hot piece of ass" to his first cousin = this mess. And to be honest, I have no idea what to rate that said mess. Giving this 3 stars is a bit generous but surprisingly even though I found a lot of things problematic, I still enjoyed reading it. Might change the rating later though.
Considering all of this, I really hope BFIC won't be a disappointment. I've been waiting for that book for more than two years now and when I say I'm obsessed with the idea of Amo and Greta, I'm not joking. The fact that Cora started writing about them after the release of Twisted Pride calms me a little bit since she wrote her best books during that time. So all I can do now is hope that it'll have that old spark.
I say only the middle part since Anna is underage for at least 35% of this book and the last 20% was a tad bit dramatic for my taste.
The beginning was hard to read since she's 12 when they meet and he's 22. When you realize that this guy watched Anna grow up it becomes super creepy. They kiss for the first time when she's 17 too.
I genuinely don't understand what was the thought process behind making Anna so young. It only added problematic aspects to the story, it's completely meaningless since you already have the conflict - they can't be together because he's her bodyguard and she's Capo's daughter, so why make her underage on top of that?
Enter my favorite snippet from the book:
"I never touched her before she was of age."
"So you waited for her birthday to touch her?" lol
Really sums up how Santino viewed Anna. Especially when you consider how he talked about/to her while she was still 17.
Example 1: "If you like angry kissing, you'll love angry fucking." After he kissed her for the first time.
Example 2: "I wanted to protect her virtue from Cliffy and every other guy so I could destroy it myself. Fuck. My mind couldn't stop seeing Anna as the woman that she was. A fucking gorgeous, very tempting woman who played her assets in all the right ways."
This book also failed to make me believe that Dante was as cunning as they made him out to be in his books. He suspected that something was going on between Anna and Santino but did nothing to prevent it, his explanation didn't help either.
"Today the scales fell from my eyes. I'd chosen ignorance too long, wanted to cling to an image of Anna that didn't reflect the truth. Anna wasn't a little girl anymore".
On that note, the way Anna went about not wanting to marry Clifford really annoyed me. Out of every possible moment she chose the worst to break it off and completely humiliated the person who has done nothing wrong. Her actions did nothing but add unnecessary drama to the story, this book could've easily been a couple of pages shorter. Other than that I liked her, especially how manipulative she sometimes was. It was interesting to read about.
Their relationship in Paris was extremely cute and quite entertaining too. The fact that I was never bored throughout the story also helped.
So all these + other bizarre things like Leonas saying "You look like a hot piece of ass" to his first cousin = this mess. And to be honest, I have no idea what to rate that said mess. Giving this 3 stars is a bit generous but surprisingly even though I found a lot of things problematic, I still enjoyed reading it. Might change the rating later though.
Considering all of this, I really hope BFIC won't be a disappointment. I've been waiting for that book for more than two years now and when I say I'm obsessed with the idea of Amo and Greta, I'm not joking. The fact that Cora started writing about them after the release of Twisted Pride calms me a little bit since she wrote her best books during that time. So all I can do now is hope that it'll have that old spark.
June 29, 2022
3.5.. waited almost two years and annasantino served but the book was just too short for the time jumps
June 30, 2022
Well... I didn't hate it but.. I didn't love it.
Anna was a kind of a danger to herself and others.. but whatevs.
3.5 stars
3 on the spice scale
Anna was a kind of a danger to herself and others.. but whatevs.
3.5 stars
3 on the spice scale
December 19, 2022
“Every fucking thing I’ve done these last few years has been because of you Anna. You are the goddamn sun I’m circling.”
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes: Age-gap, Forbidden Romance, Bodyguard x client
By Virtue I Fall, the third book to the Sins of the Fathers series, was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of the year (wasn't just beaten by BFIC probably, I still need it) and I still can't believe it's finally here.
I'd worked on myself not to have any expectations towards the book so my reaction and thoughts would all be genuine so there we go—how can I even start it? Well, first with the things I liked.
Coming back to Cora Reilly's mafia world is always a pleasure, no matter what. Getting to see the old characters again and to get to know the new ones is always such a great experience, and this book just evidenced it again.
Anna Cavallaro is exactly what I expected her to be—a sly, smart, determined, loyal and (most of all) stubborn mafia princess. She loves her family and designing clothes and much as she has an enviable sense of duty. She also has a grumpy ten-years older bodyguard—who could barely stand her presence most of the time—who she is in love with. And Santino Bianchi, a former enforcer to Chicago's Outfit, is a grumpy, hot and protective man. He had become Anna Cavallaro's bodyguard after a request he couldn't deny from her father, but when he accepted the job, he sure didn't expect her—his duty—to become the bane of his existence.
The Chicago Outfit's oldest heir has had a massive crush on Santino since forever, and has been trying to flirt with him all the way long, but he's done a great job ignoring her attempts—even when it got harder since she grew up to be a beautiful and remarkable woman. Still, she was his to protect, not to desire. And even though his iron will made him resist for a long time, once the limits of their relationship were blurred, there was no coming back to them. The chemistry, the angst, the steamy moments and the struggle for self control existent between them are something else.
I also liked Valentina and Anna's scenes so much—I even think I started liking Val better after this book. I thought Anna'd share more scenes with her father, but I was pleasantly surprised with the mother and daughter's scenes. They have a beautiful relationship and you can see how much they love and care for each other. Which also happens with Dante—in the scenes in which he figures, you can see how much he cares for and how much adores his family, and how it's mutual.
And I need to mention some other characters that had a big part in my opinions on this book. Like Luisa, my sweet girl, she hadn't appeared much, but she really is so cute and I hope we'll get to see more of her in the future. Not to mention her friendship with Anna, I liked their few scenes together a lot, plus the ones with Sofia, too. Also Leonas, RJ and Riccardo; the beagle boys'—as Anna usually calls them—friendship is something I loved and have been wanting to see more since Bound by the Past, and after this book I just am sure that they'll not let me down—this trinity will cause lots of problems yet, and I surely can't wait to enjoy those.
Now, the things I not necessarily disliked, but that I think that could've been better. First, I think Cora should've added a little more drama by the middle of the plot. I don't know how to explain that, I just kinda feel that she could have added a bit more of angst scenes maybe, and a couple more scenes to develop Anna and Santino's relationship, showing more of the time they spent in Paris together. And before I forget, there's Clifford...he just is something, I'd say—not bad, not good, he just is there—, and I think maybe he could've had a bigger part in the plot.
Also, I think if some transitions between chapters weren't as smooth as they could/should be—I mean, some chapters ended abruptly just when I started to get involved with them—but I don't blame Cora for that, at all. When writing, it's normal not to realize these little mistakes, so it has more to do with the editor and the beta readers, who couldn't notice, too, and if they did, they didn't notify the author then.
I further feel like I need to warn: some stuff (if I can say that word) between Anna and Santino happened while she was still underage. It was nothing really disturbing or that particularly bothered me, but some people might feel some discomfort while reading it, so keep it in mind.
Last but not least (coming back to the good things here), one of the biggest highlights of the book for me was Leonas Cavallaro. The Outfit's future Capo is pretty much the opposite of his father—who, by the way, he loves but doesn't lose a chance to piss off—and is an A+ promise to the next Outfit's books. His relationship with her older sister, the loyalty and companionship between them, is probably one of the best things to read throughout the story. Also, getting to know about his future love interest just made me more interested in him, and I am very excited to see Cora's plans for him.
Thank you, Cora, Emily and Social Butterfly, for providing me the ARC for this book!
An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes: Age-gap, Forbidden Romance, Bodyguard x client
By Virtue I Fall, the third book to the Sins of the Fathers series, was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of the year (wasn't just beaten by BFIC probably, I still need it) and I still can't believe it's finally here.
I'd worked on myself not to have any expectations towards the book so my reaction and thoughts would all be genuine so there we go—how can I even start it? Well, first with the things I liked.
Coming back to Cora Reilly's mafia world is always a pleasure, no matter what. Getting to see the old characters again and to get to know the new ones is always such a great experience, and this book just evidenced it again.
Anna Cavallaro is exactly what I expected her to be—a sly, smart, determined, loyal and (most of all) stubborn mafia princess. She loves her family and designing clothes and much as she has an enviable sense of duty. She also has a grumpy ten-years older bodyguard—who could barely stand her presence most of the time—who she is in love with. And Santino Bianchi, a former enforcer to Chicago's Outfit, is a grumpy, hot and protective man. He had become Anna Cavallaro's bodyguard after a request he couldn't deny from her father, but when he accepted the job, he sure didn't expect her—his duty—to become the bane of his existence.
The Chicago Outfit's oldest heir has had a massive crush on Santino since forever, and has been trying to flirt with him all the way long, but he's done a great job ignoring her attempts—even when it got harder since she grew up to be a beautiful and remarkable woman. Still, she was his to protect, not to desire. And even though his iron will made him resist for a long time, once the limits of their relationship were blurred, there was no coming back to them. The chemistry, the angst, the steamy moments and the struggle for self control existent between them are something else.
I also liked Valentina and Anna's scenes so much—I even think I started liking Val better after this book. I thought Anna'd share more scenes with her father, but I was pleasantly surprised with the mother and daughter's scenes. They have a beautiful relationship and you can see how much they love and care for each other. Which also happens with Dante—in the scenes in which he figures, you can see how much he cares for and how much adores his family, and how it's mutual.
And I need to mention some other characters that had a big part in my opinions on this book. Like Luisa, my sweet girl, she hadn't appeared much, but she really is so cute and I hope we'll get to see more of her in the future. Not to mention her friendship with Anna, I liked their few scenes together a lot, plus the ones with Sofia, too. Also Leonas, RJ and Riccardo; the beagle boys'—as Anna usually calls them—friendship is something I loved and have been wanting to see more since Bound by the Past, and after this book I just am sure that they'll not let me down—this trinity will cause lots of problems yet, and I surely can't wait to enjoy those.
Now, the things I not necessarily disliked, but that I think that could've been better. First, I think Cora should've added a little more drama by the middle of the plot. I don't know how to explain that, I just kinda feel that she could have added a bit more of angst scenes maybe, and a couple more scenes to develop Anna and Santino's relationship, showing more of the time they spent in Paris together. And before I forget, there's Clifford...he just is something, I'd say—not bad, not good, he just is there—, and I think maybe he could've had a bigger part in the plot.
Also, I think if some transitions between chapters weren't as smooth as they could/should be—I mean, some chapters ended abruptly just when I started to get involved with them—but I don't blame Cora for that, at all. When writing, it's normal not to realize these little mistakes, so it has more to do with the editor and the beta readers, who couldn't notice, too, and if they did, they didn't notify the author then.
I further feel like I need to warn: some stuff (if I can say that word) between Anna and Santino happened while she was still underage. It was nothing really disturbing or that particularly bothered me, but some people might feel some discomfort while reading it, so keep it in mind.
Last but not least (coming back to the good things here), one of the biggest highlights of the book for me was Leonas Cavallaro. The Outfit's future Capo is pretty much the opposite of his father—who, by the way, he loves but doesn't lose a chance to piss off—and is an A+ promise to the next Outfit's books. His relationship with her older sister, the loyalty and companionship between them, is probably one of the best things to read throughout the story. Also, getting to know about his future love interest just made me more interested in him, and I am very excited to see Cora's plans for him.
Thank you, Cora, Emily and Social Butterfly, for providing me the ARC for this book!
November 29, 2022
I can write hundreds of reasons why this book made it to my worst books list and write a very long essay about it, but I will not waste more time on this book.
But let me say one thing, fuck Santino for fucking married women, I will never root for a homewrecker. He definitely deserves a life of misery with Anna the narcissistic.
But let me say one thing, fuck Santino for fucking married women, I will never root for a homewrecker. He definitely deserves a life of misery with Anna the narcissistic.
June 24, 2022
4.5/5
Choose love or duty?
Anna Cavallaro's greatest desire is to become a great fashion designer, she has been accepted in a prestigious fashion institute in Paris and it won't matter if she has to resort to blackmail or manipulation (which by the way is one of her best weapons) in order to fulfill her dream.
The main condition her father sets for her is to be accompanied by her personal bodyguard who has been taking care of her for 5 years: Santino.
The big problem? Ana has had a huge crush on Santino since she was 12 years old, she will resort to any tricks necessary to be able to have a good summer in the company of her sexy caretaker.
Ana has a strong will, if she wants something she will not rest to have it. We can see that she is very naughty and rebellious, but she is also very affectionate and very loving with all her family. I must admit that the last part of the book made me despair because of her lack of courage and immaturity in the situation that was developing at that moment, which she showed, but really with. Girl you had to take your pants off and make a decision.
Santino is a well known soldier who unfortunately had to give up his future position as Enforcer in order to be Ana's bodyguard. As a good soldier he has always stopped any advance or flirtation of Ana towards him, with a promise to be the future Enforcer of the Outfit, he will embark on an adventure with Ana for Paris, only now water a big problem: she is 18 years old and is a beautiful and sexy woman, far from Chicago things will change.
Soon they will both find themselves entangled in a web of lies and deceit, and they won't know how to get out of it without being heartbroken.
Clifford Clark is a handsome and charming guy, but even coming from a dysfunctional family he is a great guy with good feelings, who will do everything he can to make the marriage work and make them happy. As a senator's son he knows what sacrifices and honor are, so the arranged marriage has to happen.
"And I'll try to be a good husband..."
(Very personal opinion: Clifford, Anna doesn't deserve you, I'm very angry with her).
For fans of Dante and Valentina I can tell you that you will enjoy reading them again and will love even more the loving and understanding way they both show each other in a bit difficult situations, both for the Outfit and family situations.
"My love for my family had always and would always trump my sense of duty".
In this book Cora once again shows us her great ability to write family scenes that will make you shudder. She manages to transmit in an impressive way the paternal/maternal love and the great love that the Cavallaro brothers have for each other.
I must warn you that this is one of the few Cora books where the mafia takes a step aside and we have a book that is totally romance with a bit of drama.
By the way, I almost forgot, for the Leonas fans you will definitely love this book and I think we have a little glimpse of their future, I can't tell you more because that would be the end of the surprises, you have to read it and find out for yourselves.
-------------------------------------------------------------
¿Elegir el amor o el deber?
El mayor deseo de Anna Cavallaro es convertirse en una gran diseñadora de modas, ella ha sido aceptada en un instituto prestigiado de moda en París y no importará si tiene que recurrir al chantaje o a la manipulación (que por cierto es una de sus mejores armas) para poder cumplir su sueño.
La principal condición que su padre le pone es ser acompañada por su guardaespalda personal que lleva 5 años cuidandola: Santino.
¿El gran problema? Ana tiene un gran enamoramiento por Santino desde que tiene 12 años, recurrirá a todos los trucos que sean necesarios para poder para un buen verano en compañía de su sexy cuidador.
Ana tiene una gran voluntad, si ella quiere algo no descansará para poder tenerlo. Podemos ver qué es muy traviesa y rebelde, pero tambien es muy cariñosa y muy amorosa con toda su familia. Debo admitir que la última parte del libro me desespero por su falta de valentía e inmadurez ante la situación que se desarrollaba en ese momento, que mostró, pero realmente con. Chica tenías que tomarte los pantalones y tomar una decisión.
Santino es un soldado muy reconocido y que desafortunadamente tuvo que renunciar a su futuro puesto como Enforcer para poder ser guardaespaldas de Ana. Como buen soldado siempre ha frenado cualquier avance o coqueteo de Ana hacia el, con una promesa de ser el futuro Enforcer del Outfit, el se embarcará en una aventura con Ana por París, solo que ahora agua un gran problema: ella tiene 18 años y es una mujer hermosa y sexy, lejos de Chicago las cosas cambiarán
Pronto ambos se encontrarán enredados en un red de mentiras y engaños, y no sabrán cómo salir de ahí sin tener el corazón roto.
Clifford Clark es un chico guapo y encantador, pero aún viniendo de una familia disfuncional es un gran chico y de buenos sentimientos, que hará todo lo posible para que el matrimonio funcione y sean felices. Cómo hijo de un senador sabe lo que son los sacrificios y el honor, así que el matrimonio pactado se tiene que llevar a cabo.
“And I’ll try to be a good husband..."
(Opinión muy personal: Clifford, Anna no te merece, estoy muy enfadada con ella.)
Para los fans de Dante y Valentina puedo decirles que disfrutarán de leerlos nuevamente y amaran aún más la forma tan amorosa y comprensiva que se muestran ambos en situaciones un poco difíciles, tanto para el Outfit cómo situaciones familiares.
"My love for my family had always and would always trump my sense of duty”-
En este libro una vez más Cora nos demuestra su gran capacidad para escribir escenas familiares que te harán estremecer. Logrando transmitir de una manera impresionante el amor paternal/maternal y el gran amor que se tienen entre todos los hermanos Cavallaro.
Debo advertirte que es uno de los pocos libros de Cora dónde la mafia toma un paso al lado y tenemos un libro totalmente de romance con un poco de drama.
Por cierto, casi lo olvido, para las fans de Leonas definitivamente amaran este libro y creo que tenemos un pequeño vistazo de su futuro, no les puedo contar más, porque se acabarían las sorpresas, tiene que leerlo y enterarse por ustedes mismas.
Choose love or duty?
Anna Cavallaro's greatest desire is to become a great fashion designer, she has been accepted in a prestigious fashion institute in Paris and it won't matter if she has to resort to blackmail or manipulation (which by the way is one of her best weapons) in order to fulfill her dream.
The main condition her father sets for her is to be accompanied by her personal bodyguard who has been taking care of her for 5 years: Santino.
The big problem? Ana has had a huge crush on Santino since she was 12 years old, she will resort to any tricks necessary to be able to have a good summer in the company of her sexy caretaker.
Ana has a strong will, if she wants something she will not rest to have it. We can see that she is very naughty and rebellious, but she is also very affectionate and very loving with all her family. I must admit that the last part of the book made me despair because of her lack of courage and immaturity in the situation that was developing at that moment, which she showed, but really with. Girl you had to take your pants off and make a decision.
Santino is a well known soldier who unfortunately had to give up his future position as Enforcer in order to be Ana's bodyguard. As a good soldier he has always stopped any advance or flirtation of Ana towards him, with a promise to be the future Enforcer of the Outfit, he will embark on an adventure with Ana for Paris, only now water a big problem: she is 18 years old and is a beautiful and sexy woman, far from Chicago things will change.
Soon they will both find themselves entangled in a web of lies and deceit, and they won't know how to get out of it without being heartbroken.
Clifford Clark is a handsome and charming guy, but even coming from a dysfunctional family he is a great guy with good feelings, who will do everything he can to make the marriage work and make them happy. As a senator's son he knows what sacrifices and honor are, so the arranged marriage has to happen.
"And I'll try to be a good husband..."
(Very personal opinion: Clifford, Anna doesn't deserve you, I'm very angry with her).
For fans of Dante and Valentina I can tell you that you will enjoy reading them again and will love even more the loving and understanding way they both show each other in a bit difficult situations, both for the Outfit and family situations.
"My love for my family had always and would always trump my sense of duty".
In this book Cora once again shows us her great ability to write family scenes that will make you shudder. She manages to transmit in an impressive way the paternal/maternal love and the great love that the Cavallaro brothers have for each other.
I must warn you that this is one of the few Cora books where the mafia takes a step aside and we have a book that is totally romance with a bit of drama.
By the way, I almost forgot, for the Leonas fans you will definitely love this book and I think we have a little glimpse of their future, I can't tell you more because that would be the end of the surprises, you have to read it and find out for yourselves.
-------------------------------------------------------------
¿Elegir el amor o el deber?
El mayor deseo de Anna Cavallaro es convertirse en una gran diseñadora de modas, ella ha sido aceptada en un instituto prestigiado de moda en París y no importará si tiene que recurrir al chantaje o a la manipulación (que por cierto es una de sus mejores armas) para poder cumplir su sueño.
La principal condición que su padre le pone es ser acompañada por su guardaespalda personal que lleva 5 años cuidandola: Santino.
¿El gran problema? Ana tiene un gran enamoramiento por Santino desde que tiene 12 años, recurrirá a todos los trucos que sean necesarios para poder para un buen verano en compañía de su sexy cuidador.
Ana tiene una gran voluntad, si ella quiere algo no descansará para poder tenerlo. Podemos ver qué es muy traviesa y rebelde, pero tambien es muy cariñosa y muy amorosa con toda su familia. Debo admitir que la última parte del libro me desespero por su falta de valentía e inmadurez ante la situación que se desarrollaba en ese momento, que mostró, pero realmente con. Chica tenías que tomarte los pantalones y tomar una decisión.
Santino es un soldado muy reconocido y que desafortunadamente tuvo que renunciar a su futuro puesto como Enforcer para poder ser guardaespaldas de Ana. Como buen soldado siempre ha frenado cualquier avance o coqueteo de Ana hacia el, con una promesa de ser el futuro Enforcer del Outfit, el se embarcará en una aventura con Ana por París, solo que ahora agua un gran problema: ella tiene 18 años y es una mujer hermosa y sexy, lejos de Chicago las cosas cambiarán
Pronto ambos se encontrarán enredados en un red de mentiras y engaños, y no sabrán cómo salir de ahí sin tener el corazón roto.
Clifford Clark es un chico guapo y encantador, pero aún viniendo de una familia disfuncional es un gran chico y de buenos sentimientos, que hará todo lo posible para que el matrimonio funcione y sean felices. Cómo hijo de un senador sabe lo que son los sacrificios y el honor, así que el matrimonio pactado se tiene que llevar a cabo.
“And I’ll try to be a good husband..."
(Opinión muy personal: Clifford, Anna no te merece, estoy muy enfadada con ella.)
Para los fans de Dante y Valentina puedo decirles que disfrutarán de leerlos nuevamente y amaran aún más la forma tan amorosa y comprensiva que se muestran ambos en situaciones un poco difíciles, tanto para el Outfit cómo situaciones familiares.
"My love for my family had always and would always trump my sense of duty”-
En este libro una vez más Cora nos demuestra su gran capacidad para escribir escenas familiares que te harán estremecer. Logrando transmitir de una manera impresionante el amor paternal/maternal y el gran amor que se tienen entre todos los hermanos Cavallaro.
Debo advertirte que es uno de los pocos libros de Cora dónde la mafia toma un paso al lado y tenemos un libro totalmente de romance con un poco de drama.
Por cierto, casi lo olvido, para las fans de Leonas definitivamente amaran este libro y creo que tenemos un pequeño vistazo de su futuro, no les puedo contar más, porque se acabarían las sorpresas, tiene que leerlo y enterarse por ustedes mismas.
July 2, 2022
I really wish Santino hadn’t fucked someone’s married mom on their bed.That’s just nasty.
August 3, 2023
"Love wasn't written in my stars. But I wanted lust and excitement, danger and joy. I wanted to collect a myriad of memories before my future caught up with me."
It was such a fun ride, I enjoyed every second of this book. I absolutely loved Anna & Santino's epic love story, I was never bored and was hooked from the very first banter between them. This is a mafia princess/bodyguard, forbidden romance with an age gap. It follows Anna Cavallaro (Dante & Valentina Cavallaro's eldest daughter from Bound by Duty) and her angsty relationship with her bodyguard Santino, whom she has always had a complicated camaraderie with. Santino was such a grump which made teasing him even more fun for Anna. The sexual tension and chemistry between them was palpable but their banter was even more top tier! It was really nostalgic to meet all the Outfit characters again. Val as always was ever the feminist, strong, smart and a fierce but intuitive mother and Dante would forever remain my favourite capo because his actions in this book proved that the man can do no wrong when it comes to protecting the women in his life and his family's peace and happiness. And don't even get me started on Leonas because anything that came out of his mouth was nothing less than hilarious! Him and Anna are basically Dante's twin souls lol. I can't tell you how much I loved the sibling bond between them! I'm beyond excited for Leonas' book because that plot would definitely be something new and refreshing to read in Cora's mafia world! Overall, this book was perfectly written and I got to see every scene as I imagined . It was funny, romantic, swoony and just a delightful read!
ARC received in exchange of an honest review
It was such a fun ride, I enjoyed every second of this book. I absolutely loved Anna & Santino's epic love story, I was never bored and was hooked from the very first banter between them. This is a mafia princess/bodyguard, forbidden romance with an age gap. It follows Anna Cavallaro (Dante & Valentina Cavallaro's eldest daughter from Bound by Duty) and her angsty relationship with her bodyguard Santino, whom she has always had a complicated camaraderie with. Santino was such a grump which made teasing him even more fun for Anna. The sexual tension and chemistry between them was palpable but their banter was even more top tier! It was really nostalgic to meet all the Outfit characters again. Val as always was ever the feminist, strong, smart and a fierce but intuitive mother and Dante would forever remain my favourite capo because his actions in this book proved that the man can do no wrong when it comes to protecting the women in his life and his family's peace and happiness. And don't even get me started on Leonas because anything that came out of his mouth was nothing less than hilarious! Him and Anna are basically Dante's twin souls lol. I can't tell you how much I loved the sibling bond between them! I'm beyond excited for Leonas' book because that plot would definitely be something new and refreshing to read in Cora's mafia world! Overall, this book was perfectly written and I got to see every scene as I imagined . It was funny, romantic, swoony and just a delightful read!
ARC received in exchange of an honest review
November 30, 2022
Anna really strikes me as someone who will fight for her happiness.
But hooking up with your bodyguard whom your father trusts completely is a whole different thing .😄
Just imagine Anna and Santino sneaking in the middle of the night to meet each other or Santino getting jealous over Clifford and Anna's relationship and have to act like he don't care about it
even though he do .
From what I read in fragile longing I think Anna will drive Santino crazy she will use her antics like she did in FG to help Sofia . It's gonna be super fun because Anna knows she has the power as she is the daughter of the capo.
I am shipping Anna and Santino together . 🧡💘🤞🤞
But hooking up with your bodyguard whom your father trusts completely is a whole different thing .😄
Just imagine Anna and Santino sneaking in the middle of the night to meet each other or Santino getting jealous over Clifford and Anna's relationship and have to act like he don't care about it
even though he do .
From what I read in fragile longing I think Anna will drive Santino crazy she will use her antics like she did in FG to help Sofia . It's gonna be super fun because Anna knows she has the power as she is the daughter of the capo.
I am shipping Anna and Santino together . 🧡💘🤞🤞
July 4, 2022
3⭐️
this book gave me a fucking headache. no joke the way it was "no i want you but can't have you" crap was exhausting. it was just so so so so so repetitive. i loved some parts tho ehhhhhh ya idk it was just ok? idk i already forgot most of it.
idk why my head hurts after reading this.
“Because if you were promised to me, I’d make sure no other guy would get within a mile of you.”
this book gave me a fucking headache. no joke the way it was "no i want you but can't have you" crap was exhausting. it was just so so so so so repetitive. i loved some parts tho ehhhhhh ya idk it was just ok? idk i already forgot most of it.
idk why my head hurts after reading this.
September 4, 2021
I love bodyguard romance. I love Anna's rebel behavior. Hope at least for his daughter's sake Dante will change lots of useless rules of outfit.
Though Outfit is boring hope Anna would not disappoint me like Sofia
Though Outfit is boring hope Anna would not disappoint me like Sofia
January 1, 2023
Update: I changed the rate from 3 stars to 2 stars.
This review is more detailed than my one on ig and contains what I didn't like in the book.
—“𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐬𝐬 , 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥.”
—📖𝐁𝐲 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐞 𝐈 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥
3 stars
⭐⭐⭐
𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩, 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.
By Virtue I Fall is the third book in Sins of the Fathers series. It's about Anna Cavallaro and Santino Bianchi. It starts since Anna was still a teenager. The book is lighter than Cora's previous books and what was mentioned about Leonas' girl is interesting and suggested a lot of possibilities/theories. It makes you wonder what happened.
Clifford
There's a depth in his character more than both of the main couple. I'm sure there's more could be told about him. And he didn't deserve this humiliation.
Despite Anna's opinion there's nothing common between the two of them, I see he in the same situation. He knows the pressure accompanies being a public figure. He doesn't deserve this humiliation. He asked Anna to not leave him at the altar yet she did extacly that.
I love and respect him and hoping maybe one day he can get his hea.
The only thing I loved in that book was Clifford. And he is a secondary character. For me it's important to like the main couple. What's the point of the book or the couple then if that didn't happen?
Leonas :
Is rebel and loyal. He doesn't care about the old traditions. He is different from Dante which led to them going head to head a lot.
Dante & Valentina:
I didn't feel as if they are Dante & Valentina who I used to know. I don't mean them being supportive parents but their inner monolgue and how they forming their thoughts. The why they phrase their words. There's something different about them. Something missing And I felt like the relationship between Dante and Anna is formal and distant.
—Expected and easy to guess the end.
—Most of the second half could be avoided if she was honest and break the engagement after returning from France and not waiting until the wedding. That's why I feel the drama and tension were forced. Like, why waiting for all that time?
—Dante & Valentina won't force her to marry Clifford, if said so. She said so. They said so. And Leonas knows about the relationship so where is the forbidden trope 🙈
—Their development as a couple in France was rushed and lacking. I wish if I could see more into their relationship other than sex.
—Santino’s with his Casanova reputation and superiority complex towards any other man got on my nerve. I just couldn't see him hot or anything. Plus his kiss while she was still minor and his thoughts wasn't pleasant for me.
— Anna isn't strong willed or though. All what she does is blackmailing and manipulating the others and definitely isn't the ice princess who was described in FL.
—Clifford told Anna he will be a good husband and will respect the bond and she wanted to for Santino to share her with Clifford after the marriage behind Clifford's back. It's not a character I would love. Not my cup of tea.
— How they were in a difficult moment after refusing to continue the marriage and her family facing the threat of the Clarks got revenge. And her fiancé standing in front of her being hurted and humiliated and she was joking. She's irresponsible.
—And her saying people always say she's an old soul in a young body. As far as I remember it's only her mom who see her like this.
*𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.
This review is more detailed than my one on ig and contains what I didn't like in the book.
—“𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐬𝐬 , 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥.”
—📖𝐁𝐲 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐞 𝐈 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥
3 stars
⭐⭐⭐
𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩, 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.
By Virtue I Fall is the third book in Sins of the Fathers series. It's about Anna Cavallaro and Santino Bianchi. It starts since Anna was still a teenager. The book is lighter than Cora's previous books and what was mentioned about Leonas' girl is interesting and suggested a lot of possibilities/theories. It makes you wonder what happened.
Clifford
There's a depth in his character more than both of the main couple. I'm sure there's more could be told about him. And he didn't deserve this humiliation.
Despite Anna's opinion there's nothing common between the two of them, I see he in the same situation. He knows the pressure accompanies being a public figure. He doesn't deserve this humiliation. He asked Anna to not leave him at the altar yet she did extacly that.
I love and respect him and hoping maybe one day he can get his hea.
The only thing I loved in that book was Clifford. And he is a secondary character. For me it's important to like the main couple. What's the point of the book or the couple then if that didn't happen?
Leonas :
Is rebel and loyal. He doesn't care about the old traditions. He is different from Dante which led to them going head to head a lot.
Dante & Valentina:
I didn't feel as if they are Dante & Valentina who I used to know. I don't mean them being supportive parents but their inner monolgue and how they forming their thoughts. The why they phrase their words. There's something different about them. Something missing And I felt like the relationship between Dante and Anna is formal and distant.
—Expected and easy to guess the end.
—Most of the second half could be avoided if she was honest and break the engagement after returning from France and not waiting until the wedding. That's why I feel the drama and tension were forced. Like, why waiting for all that time?
—Dante & Valentina won't force her to marry Clifford, if said so. She said so. They said so. And Leonas knows about the relationship so where is the forbidden trope 🙈
—Their development as a couple in France was rushed and lacking. I wish if I could see more into their relationship other than sex.
—Santino’s with his Casanova reputation and superiority complex towards any other man got on my nerve. I just couldn't see him hot or anything. Plus his kiss while she was still minor and his thoughts wasn't pleasant for me.
— Anna isn't strong willed or though. All what she does is blackmailing and manipulating the others and definitely isn't the ice princess who was described in FL.
—Clifford told Anna he will be a good husband and will respect the bond and she wanted to for Santino to share her with Clifford after the marriage behind Clifford's back. It's not a character I would love. Not my cup of tea.
— How they were in a difficult moment after refusing to continue the marriage and her family facing the threat of the Clarks got revenge. And her fiancé standing in front of her being hurted and humiliated and she was joking. She's irresponsible.
—And her saying people always say she's an old soul in a young body. As far as I remember it's only her mom who see her like this.
*𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.
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