Bound By The Past (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles Book 7)

Dante has sworn to put the Outfit above all else, but his life has been a series of betrayals against the organization and his men, all for the sake of a woman. Val has vowed to stand by Dante’s side, and she always knew that their life together would be full of dangers. Nothing prepared her for the devastating events that would threaten their very existance. Can their love and loyalty save them or will they become their downfall?
Dante has learned to hide his feelings, so that he can survive and protect those he loves. That doesn’t mean he is not a passionate man, a man who loves deeply. Val is his perfect match, loyal to him and determined to claim him. Dante is a fascinating character and in Bound by the Past his motives and feelings are revealed! I loved the suspense and action in the book, but also the scenes with Dante and Val! Intriguing and filled with unexpected twists, this book is amazing!

I am not a big fan of Dante, I dont know if its because I love Luca, but he never really won me over. It’s not that I just love the familigia, or just them because I do like Remy and Nino. however I am dying. And am anxious because I know Cora is going to kill us.. there has to be a conclusion with Luca (my love) Dante these two hate each other with a passion and then we have Remo.. sweating over here

Bound by the Past is the seventh book in the Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles Series by Cora Reilly.

ARC was provided by Cora Reilly in exchange for an honest review.

We all first fell in love with Dante Cavallaro and Valentina Cavallaro back in Bound by Duty…It has been a few years. We all know that Dante is known for his Ice Prince and “Cold Fish” persona but in Bound by the Past, we definitely get to see more of what is going on. It is definitely has been worth the wait. We finally get an inside scoop inside Dante’s head.

Bound by the Past is just how it sounds, we travel back and see past events and spreads over many years. This book is mostly in Dante’s POV and getting to experience first hand his inner turmoil and what really goes behind his “Cold Fish” persona was such a huge roller coaster of emotions.

This was divided into five parts and from the very beginning part, it will shatter you so hard because getting to see everything first hand through Dante’s POV is intense and captivating. The extensive insight from the very beginning of Dante’s past all the way through his and Valentina’s marriage to more events in the future was truly gripping and it will catch you wanting more and more.

Cora structured the book into events that was very well thought out. Each event showed what shaped Dante and the Outfit. There are a lot of surprises that will catch you off guard. And there are a lot of scenes that you will absolutely love.

Cora, this was absolutely perfect. I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for us because this one just blew me and I am still recovering!

WOW!!! Bound by the Past is a treat that I wasn’t expecting.

First of all, this is not a standalone, you should read at least Bound by Duty (Dante and Val’s story) so you’ll understand this one, but honestly you should read all the Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles and then at least the 3 first books in the Camorra Chronicles, otherwise you will have major spoilers that will spoil all the other books in the series for you.

Let’s be honest here, Dante and Valentina were never among my favorites. To be honest I didn’t even like them very much, even though I really like how the story in Bound by Duty went by Dante and Val just never really catch my love. But BBTP changed my mind I do love them now! Being able to take a peak inside Dante’s head was crucial to me, to be able to understand him and understand the reason to a lot of things in Bound by Duty! I loved the whole book and I don’t want to give spoilers and its so hard to write this review without letting any slip by.

In this book we get to see the past of Dante, and it shows all of his betrayals to the Outfit. But more than that it gave me the feels, I felt so many feelings that I got whiplash, and loved every minute of it. We get to see Anna and Leonas, which I am so in love with them that I want their books right away PLEASEE CORA!!! You get to see Dante’s relationship with his family and with Val’s family as well. You get the see the man behind the Cold Fish mask. You get to see other characters that are so amazing you’ll fall in love with them and will cry at night because you don’t know if they’ll get a book and when that’ll happen. The secondary characters shone very brightly to me and I’m so anxious to read the stories of the future couples we saw in it. All in all this book was amazing, and I absolutely loved every minute of it! I could not put it down for the life of me.

Maybe this books won’t be to everyone’s liking (I don’t see how that’s possible but I know it happens) but one thing is absolutely clear to me, over the years of accompanying Cora’s work, at every release I get surprised with how much her writing keeps improving, don’t get me wrong it was NEVER bad, but it just keeps getting better and better at every book. If you’ve read my previous review of Sweet Temptation you’ll see that I said that was one of her best books, and I’ll just stop saying it because at every new books it just gets better and better and it just blows my mind. I’m a huge fan of Mrs Cora Reilly.

Read this book! It is amazing, FREAKING AMAZING!!!

Bound by the Past is the 7th book within the Born in Blood Chronicles and it predominantly narrates Dante Cavallaro’s POV of his life and the many betrayals that lie within it.

We were first introduced to Dante in Bound by Duty, where he came across callous and calculated, being given the nickname “cold fish”, he certainly lived up to that title from what we were shown from his first book and the brief appearances of him from other books.
Bound by the Past shows anything but a cold, emotionless Dante. He is compelling and enigmatic and passionate, this man feels like no other. His emotions and turmoil throughout the various chapters of his life are like a whirlwind, ready to leave chaos and destruction behind, regardless of the consequences. The side to Dante that has never been shown before is gripping because he loves like no other. Cora Reilly drops the curtain on Dante’s facade and shows a man who fights himself to retain control before his emotions erupt like a raging volcano.
The book is broken down into five betrayals Dante has committed in order to protect those he holds dearest and loves the most, and with each another layer of Dante’s outer shell is peeled off and shows his inner anguish.

Any and all rational thoughts are thrown out of the window when it comes to Dante’s dedication and commitment to love and protect his family, they hold priority over everything else for him and rightly so. His unbreakable bond with Valentina and his children was heartwarming, he constantly proved how worthy he is of their love. Valentina is an unbreakable, strong, independent woman who is full of love, she is undeniably the strongest woman within their world. Her strength has allowed Dante to lean on her for support and advice, she shines within this book because she never cowers away from the brutality, she is the epitome of a real woman. The question that has been on everyones’ lips since Bound by Duty is whether Dante loves Valentina, sometimes words alone can’t answer questions but in this sense, his actions, inner turmoil, emotions, everything show that his love for Val is fierce and burning, like an inferno of lava ready to explode. Val is Dantes’ best friend and partner like no one else has ever been, their bond is strengthened by their undying love and respect for each other that has always helped Dante to recover from whatever he has been faced with. Their power is unlike any other which is why it makes sense why they are dubbed the ‘Power couple’, they’ve truly earned it. If you hadn’t before, be prepared to fall in love with this couple.

Those of you who have undermined Dante previously get ready to be blown away, although we know a lot of the events that have transpired, you aren’t ready for some of the twists and surprises that happened behind the scenes. The groundwork has already been set in motion and believe me when I say you will not see it coming, it will leave you anticipating for more.
The Outfit has followed tradition for long enough, a transition is about to come and this will change everything.

Readers have awaited this book for a very long time and for anyone who missed the Cavallaros, this one is for you. Reilly hits it out of the park, she has delivered it in a way that won’t allow you to recover or ever forget Dante Cavallaro.

This book “Bound By Past” was in the dual POV and we got to read about Dante’s feelings toward Val and further development in both MC’s relationship.
I loved this one more because this not only focuses on their relationship but also on the problems being caused by others and also gives insight in other characters love interest.
This book made me love Dante so much because he did so much Val and even betrayed outfit so many times to save her.
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Spanish & English Opinion – 5

ESP ::

Me encantó el libro. Es la primera vez que leo el libro 7 de la serie. Justo releí antes el libro 2 y me encantó hacer esa conexión.

Confieso que Dante era el Capo que me causaba menos emociones, pero este libro cambió por completo mi noción. Es el capo que protege de forma incondicional, que ve en su esposa una compañera y un equipo, que tiene ideas actuales en un grupo antiguo.

Val es una mujer que crece al lado de Dante. Ambos se vuelven más sabios, mejor pareja y mejor equipo. Su dinámica familiar es muy cariñosa y me encantan los dilemas morales que la vida que llevan les representa.

Me encantará saber la historia de Ana, pero también la de Leonas. ¡Me urgen!

ENG ::

I absolutely loved this book. It was the first time I read it (and I decided to do so after rereading the book 2 of the series, which was a great thing to do!)

Dante was the Capo that stirred less emotions in me, but not after this book. It was amazing to get to know the man under the controlled face and actions. He’s fiercely protective of the ones he loves and he always let that love dictate his actions in the end. He has contemporary ideas in a world full of ancient rules and that’s interesting.

Val is his team. They are partners and lovers. She’s smart and he admires that and values it. They make each other better and that is my favorite part, their love, trust and dynamic. Also, the way they love their kids and how they educate them. Whenever they get torn between their world and their morals. It’s just stunning, interesting and original.

Now, I really want to know what will happen with Anna but also, Leonas! Need their books ASAP!

Cora Reilly ended Bound by Duty in a way of wanting more from Dante and Valentina. She truly showed the reasons behind Dante’s feelings and actions. I knew there was more to Dante and Valentina, Bound by the Past showed that. The character development was something i really liked.

Valentina Cavallaro always standing by Dante meant so much. They both have gone through a lot in Bound by Duty. Learning how to deal with their emotions and expressing them. I feel like this book finally showed just how strong of a foundation they have based on their relationship. I always see them as equals. She continues to be one of my favorite parts of this book because of the way she’s always there for Dante, both emotionally and physically.

Now, in this book I really felt for Dante. To have that much going on and still wanting to be there at all times for your family is tough. Though, he did learn to balance everything out. I really enjoyed finally have his pov and reading his thoughts towards certain actions of the past and present. The past scenes really interested me. To know just how his life as Capo began and the things he had to experience to become who he is in the present was definitely something.

All in all, this book really connected all the pieces.It really showed just how strong both of these characters have become. They truly got the ending they deserved and I am so happy that it was written so well.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads! ever since Bound by Duty I was dying to read more of dante & val. Thank you Cora for fulfilling the wishes of your fans!

The story pans over the course of many years. We got to see the protective brother side of Dante and let me tell you, it made me love him even more if that’s even possible. without giving any spoilers I would just like to say that Cora has done an amazing job in unravelling the complexity of Dante.

and our Val has always been my favorite, not just as a character but as an inspiration too. The strong personality is someone, I believe, all girls would aspire to be. the way weaves through life while being a constant support to her husband is commendable.

we got serafina’s & remo’s POV in their book but this one gave us a peak at the family’s condition. goodness! That was heartbreaking. Cora has written their pain so beautifully, it would make you cry.

the way Dante handled the situation was exactly the kind of maturity i was expecting. no disappointments at all. He was pragmatic, sensible in his approach.

Eagerly waiting for the next generation’s books now!

The first time I read Dante’s first book, I didn’t like it. This time around, I did. With this one, I was fairly excited for it, but rather bored when reading it. I feel that while Dante has been central to much of what has been happening in the previous books, I didn’t need a rehash of what we already know. For example, when Serafina was taken, I didn’t need to know his perspective of that. Between my knowledge of him through his first book, and the Dante we saw portrayed in Twisted Pride, I got a handle on his inner dialogue as is. Other than him and Val having children, I didn’t feel like there was much progress for them. It was just their story alongside the other stories happening. I feel this book was just a tool to set the children’s books up.