Review: Bound By Honor
So once again, shout out to my girl Nina who never fails to recommend a book I don’t enjoy. This time she recommended me to read Bound by Honor by Cora Reilly, and although I’m not usually into gang stories and such, I found myself really enjoying this book. Honestly really really enjoyed the relationship between Aria and Luca and I’m so very obsessed with them. So obsessed, that I bought the Pink: Hot ‘N Sexy For a Cure (Books for Boobies Anthology) just so I could read the short story of Luca and Aria.
I commend Reilly on her writing ability and her world building, and character building skills. The characters within her novel have complex personalities and they develop at the right pace in accordance with the events within the novels. Although the world within the novel is basically the mafia, the ‘normal’ world around them is still present and it’s not disjointed in anyway. I literally know nothing about the world inside the mafia, but Reilly writes it well and very believable. She doesn’t write very likeable heroes, but in the end, I ended up liking them anyway.
So story-wise, I thought it was pretty good. Although an arranged marriage is kind of a bit cliché, the context in which this one is set, is not. The progression of the relationship between Luca and Aria was nicely paced and the nature of the relationship itself was in the context of the world of the mafia. I loved how there was a mixture of more intense action, and less intense action. Honestly, I can’t exactly pinpoint it, but I loved the book so much that I’ve read it a number of times since the first, and it hasn’t gotten any worse.
According to Gianna, Luca is a beast, and she’s right. He’s over six feet tall and made of solid muscle, his eyes convey danger, and he’s pretty much a domineering alpha male who doesn’t seem to care about anything at all. During the story, Luca becomes Capo dei Capi and he’s now head of the New York Cosa Nostra mob – this position gives his total control and honestly, it makes him all the more hotter. Although Luca needs to be tough, we see a number of times throughout the story – particularly the end, of him displaying some sort of emotion, especially towards Aria. He’s so very possessive and dominant and it’s hella sexy – especially the amount of, and description of the bedroom scenes, yes please.
Aria is literally the opposite of Luca, she’s not as tall, blonde, and dainty. However, she’s strong willed and is making an effort to make the best of the situation. Although her marriage to Luca was not one of her choice and was less than desirable, she takes it in stride and keeps going, even bouncing back quickly after catching Luca cheating on her. Despite the fact that Luca could probably kill her with just a look, she manages to soften him up to her and they form a strong relationship. She admits to loving him although she knew it wasn’t possible to feel the same. However, Luca also admits it at the end of the book and I thought that it was great.
Maybe I’m blindsided for my absolute love for this book, but I can’t really fault it, haha. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys erotic adult novels, anything to do with the mafia, and hot dominant males. It’s a solid:
