Sin and Redemption

by Cora Reilly

A horrible incident entwined their lives forever.
As an enforcer for the Famiglia, Maximus Trevisan has no trouble hurting others, but his life begins to unravel when he’s forced to hurt someone he’s meant to protect.
Sara’s plans for her future were simple. Marry the man she was promised to, have several children, and build a happy family. But when her life plans are ripped from her hands, she’s left with no choice but to marry Maximus. It’s the last thing she wants, but it’s a burden she’s willing to carry in order to protect her family’s honor. Yet the darkness from their past follows them.
Can they overcome their demons, or will they let it destroy them?

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance, Romance, Forced Proximity, Contemporary, Dark, Marriage Of Convenience

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2025

About the author

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

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Reviews

[Maddy ✨ ~The Verse Vixen {AFK brb} · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, Sin and Redemption. Or should I say-Clown and Manipulation 🤡. I was so excited for this book—like genuinely hyped—because I actually liked the last book in the series. I thought, “Wow, another chance to dive into mafia - romance brilliance!” Only to be slapped in the face with this.
What a cruel betrayal, Cora. Let’s unpack this dumpster fire.

Let’s talk about Sara, the queen of emotional manipulation. 👑 First, she survives a horrific ordeal (fine, serious moment here), but instead of dealing with her trauma like a normal person—oh noand her first thought is, “Maximus, make me a baby.” Not therapy, not healing, not even basic self-reflection—just, “Put a baby in me.” Like, ma’am, are you okay? Clearly not.Negative. This woman needs therapy, not a baby, and definitely not a man like Maximus.



But the audacity doesn’t stop there. No, Sara takes things to a whole new level when she guilt-traps Massimo into sleeping with her during her fertile window. Her fertile window. Because trauma sex isn’t messy enough; let’s slap a biological clock on it for extra drama. And poor Maximus, sweet green-flag Maximus, is just over here trying to process his trauma, but does Sara care? Nope! Because it’s all about her need for a baby. Therapy? Nah. Let’s turn Maximus into a walking sperm dispenser instead. he was stuck playing her emotional support clown. 🤡

And the cherry on top? After the whole forced session (that she requested, mind you), Sara’s like, “Cool, thanks for the DNA deposit. You can move out now. Bye!” Silence. Ghosted. AUDACITY🤡
I nearly choked laughing at how ridiculous this was. The emotional maturity of a goldfish.

Oh, but the real kicker? The miscarriage subplot. Sara loses the baby at 12 weeks and decides she wants a burial. A BURIAL. For a fetus. What exactly are we burying here? coz she doesn't want it to flush in the washroom . I was half-expecting her to pull out a shoebox coffin and a tiny tombstone. Like, I get that grief is complex, but this was so over-the-top I couldn’t even take it seriously. Burn the clothes, have a memorial, do something symbolic, sure—but a burial? This isn’t Pet Sematary, girl.“I don’t want to flush it down the toilet— we can bury it BWHAHAHAHAHA. 🤡 I’m sorry, was that supposed to be emotional? Because I nearly choked on my coffee. Girl, it’s a 12-week fetus, not a fully developed baby. Why is this book turning it into some kind of back-alley funeral plot? Did she expect Massimo to go dig a hole in the garden for this? It was so absurd I had to reread it to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.




And can we PLEASE address the anti-doctor nonsense? Sara’s refusal of medical intervention for her missed miscarriage had me screaming into a pillow. Like, why? Just why? Then, when she finally carries to term, she goes full lone-wolf mode and gives birth alone. No doctor, no midwife, no sanity. What is this, the Stone Age? because THIS is where the clown parade reaches its peak. Picture this: Sara goes into labor IN THE STREET. And with a harsh scream, baby girl SLIDES OUT and lands in her arms. No doctors, no midwives, just vibes and questionable science. 🤡 HOW, Cora, HOW? Did gravity just decide to lend a hand? !! Did physics and biology just take a vacation for this one? How tf- He manages to cuts the umbilical cord… IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. With WHAT? His mafia knife? His teeth?! Are we now auditioning for Survivor: Labor Edition? The sheer absurdity of it had me cackling so hard I nearly dropped my Kindle. I half-expected her to start boiling water and cutting sheets.



And don’t even get me started on the lack of character depth. The original series had real stakes and compelling characters who grew from their struggles. This second-gen series? Just trauma dumps and overdramatic nonsense. Sara is a mafia princess, but she acts like a whiny child who thinks Pinterest quotes are a personality. Even Maximus’s incredible patience and green-flag energy couldn’t save this mess.

Seriously, what is WITH Cora and this bizarre obsession? Like, “Hmm, what shall we traumatize the FMC with today? Oh, I know—humiliation by sex tape sent to her dad because THAT hasn’t been done enough in this series!” Ma’am, it happened in Luca’s daughter’s book too, and let me tell you, that was a dumpster fire as well. 🤡 Why are we reusing this nonsense? Did she think readers were like, “Yes, please traumatize another FMC this way, we love that!” Spoiler: We don’t.

Speaking of Massimo, poor sweet king. He deserved better. Instead, he got stuck babysitting Sara’s emotional chaos while she dragged him into her baby-fever spiral. Honestly, I spent half the book hoping he’d pack his bags and run far, far away.
At this point, Cora’s books are just trauma bingo cards. “Accidental pregnancy? Check. Forced humiliation? Check. FMC guilt-trapping the MMC into sex? Double check!” 🤡 Where’s the originality? Where’s the depth? Where’s the character development? Oh, right—buried in the backyard next to Sara’s fetus.



In conclusion, Sin and Redemption is a masterclass in how to ruin a perfectly good premise with a lead character so insufferable you start rooting for the plot to take her out .only to get trauma, guilt sex, and a one-woman fertility crusade. Accidental pregnancy trope? Of course, it was going to crash and burn. 🤡😭. Cora, please, for the love of all that’s holy, STOP making your female leads this spineless and manipulative -or at least stop making them so aggressively unlikeable. My expectations for the next book are officially six feet under. Rating-2/5,(only for Maximus's patience),would rather re-read the IKEA catalog.

[Fatima Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idk why i even try with cora reilly books anymore. I just need to understand that the OG books were the only good things by her, it’s my 4th disappointing read by her in a row. They had 0% chemistry. The story was similar to her previous books. Max had 10000- aura. I really can’t believe sometimes this is the same author who wrote my husband Remo falcone.
This had ALL the tropes that I adore. But it was like as if someone took my favorite north indian food , South Indian food, italian food, Chinese food and put all the delicious dishes in a mixer, and now everything is un edible. Does this make sense?
She really needs to STOP COPY PASTING SITUATIONS AND CHARACTER from her previous books.it’s freaking high time now.
Ps. THIS IS NOT WHAT A “MARRIAGE IN CRISIS” TROPE IS! Idk what the hell was this but this wasn’t it. Ugh.

[annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I swear maximus is the best one in the second-gen and he had to be paired up with sara? the fucking lame-judgmental-boring-stupid sara? i'm literally so angry with this book rn and i really thought it'd serve angst.

cora went from purely misogynist to purely misandrist. tbvh, i'd prefer the former because i'd rather read about their stupid bloody sheets and forced marriages than the fmcs and their lame families blaming the mmc for having nonconsensual sex with the fmc.

• what happened: max & sara got kidnapped and forced to have sex, but moments later they were saved. sara did say to him "it's okay," but she proceeded to whine for a whole year. they got married because she was pregnant, but they she lost the child.

maximus was forced to fuck sara, and then her stupid family and matteo (tf?) blamed him, and sara wasn’t even saying anything at all. like NOTHING. they all treated him like he raped her because he wanted to. he was a victim too.

in BFIR – aurora tried to have sex with nevio when he was clearly unconscious, and then she and his family blamed him for fucking her! all while he was the victim too.

i'm so done with this type of fucking thing. it's not appealing at all. cora should put a big stop to these types of stories.

similar type of plot was in posses me but it was executed so perfectly. that one served the angst, pining, and traumas, but sara ruined this one.


"i still remembered his disgusted expression in the cell afterward. was it that? did the idea of touching me again disgust him?"

yeah, you stupid bitch, apparently being forced to rape you in the cell was a little unhygienic and uncomfortable for him.

sara literally went crazy after 40% and just wanted a baby. because of the guilt, max agreed but they'd have only sex, which always hurt sara because she just wanted him to finish inside her. she'd force him to do it without thinking about his feelings or anything. she's literally the most selfish character i've ever read about. i've no sympathy for her.

max did everything to salvage their marriage. ffs, the man tried. they never had good conversations, but he still tried, while this bimbo was never putting in the effort. i was so done with her. some of cora's books are so great despite the black/grey shit in them, but the new ones are getting on my nerves.

PREGNANCY PLOT BE BANNED FROM HER BOOKS PLS!!

this stupid selfish sara never ever thought about him. everyone literally told her to try, but she never did. max told her to get professional help, but she was like, 'i want a baby.' like fuck offfffffff 😭

the epilogue and trevisan family are the only reason i'm giving it two stars rn.

maximus trevisan, i pity you! you've been the best husband and character out there. i deeply feel sorry that you were kind enough to marry this shitty sara. you deserve better <3 #JusticeForMax

[taz · Rating 1 out of 5]

cora put your pen down i beg

[Natasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cora's writing needs serious improvement.

The plot was all over the place, half of the scenes felt really disjointed, the dialogue was so weird and robotic.
The chapters were very short for such traumatic storyline.

Sara and Maximus felt undeveloped as characters especially Sara. They went through a horrific event and all i felt was literally nothing, bc the writing was shit.

Everything felt so superficial, no emotions, no in depth explaining, a lot of time jumps hard to follow.
All of this made it impossible for me to connect to the story or the characters. Max and Sara had no chemistry whatsoever and overall the story was boring.

The two star rating is only for Max because he was a sweetheart.
I still can't belive Cora wrote a normal male character who is not manwhore and didn't cheat.

A miracle.🙄

[Book Lover · Rating 1 out of 5]

. My god what a shit show... Cora said there would be another FMC like Kiara... I mean how dare she compare her with this crazy woman. I have no words to explain how much I hated Sara, like seriously, woman.
I often say that I kiek cora reily's writing... when in reality. I have only loved twisted loyalties, emotions and pride and everything after that was a total garbage
And yeah, I will be reading other stories from her on the first day because I just love red flag authors

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sin and Redemption is a standalone in the Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles, featuring Maximus Trevisan (son of Growl and Cara from Bound by Vengeance) and Sara Cancio (daughter of Romero and Liliana from Bound by Temptation).

Maximus and Sara (the images are from Cora's Pinterest Board):


This book left me with a whirlwind of emotions, some moments I loved, and others left me conflicted. It’s one of those stories where you can’t help but keep thinking about the characters long after you’ve finished, even if you didn’t agree with everything that happened.

What I Loved:
Max and Isabella stood out as two of the best characters. Max’s journey through guilt, trauma, and healing was raw and deeply human.

I also thought the kidnapping scenes were handled well. It’s a tough subject to write about, I appreciated that Cora didn’t shy away from the hard parts.

While I understand that some readers felt Maximus’ trauma was downplayed, I appreciated how the author differentiated between the ways men and women process such experiences. Yes, Max had trauma, but Sara’s trauma involved physical and emotional pain that was unique to her situation, she was kidnapped, raped, forced into pregnancy, and had to deal with the fallout of losing her child. These aren’t experiences one can simply "get over."

I also liked how Maximus’ guilt wasn’t ignored, even as he repeatedly invalidated his own trauma.

What I Didn't Like:
Max got blamed way too much, especially when Liliana slapped him. I get that she was furious, her daughter had been through hell, but it felt unfair. At least she apologized right away.

Sara’s family wasn’t exactly kind to Max either, but honestly, I kind of understood where they were coming from. Their main focus was Sara, and given what she’d gone through, it made sense.

What really bothered me, though, was the missed opportunities with other characters. I wanted more about Cara’s sister Talia and her husband, Killer. And Romero’s sisters, I was hoping for updates there too, but nothing.

And poor Growl. Hasn’t he suffered enough? Now his leg is amputated below the knee. It felt over the top, especially since characters like Luca and Remo somehow walk away from worse without a scratch.

Sara’s Healing:
Here’s something that really bugged me: a lot of people were calling Sara "whiny" or saying she should’ve just "gotten over it." That’s so unfair. She was trying to heal in the best way she knew how. Wanting another child wasn’t about replacing the one she lost, it was about finding a way to move forward. For many women, having a rainbow baby is one of the only ways they can cope with such a deep loss.

That said, I think the real villain in their story wasn’t Sara or Max, it was the lack of communication. Neither of them truly opened up to the other because they were dealing with trauma and, let’s face it, they were practically strangers. Both of them were private people even before the kidnapping happened. We know what Max was going through because we got his POV, but Sara didn’t, and Max wouldn’t tell her. He just wanted to make her happy, even if it hurt him. Everything started to improve once they finally started communicating.

Maximus is such a good man. I’d put him right up there with Nino Falcone as one of Cora’s best male characters.

Final Thoughts:
This book made me feel so much. I don’t agree with everything the characters did, but I can see where they were coming from.

The story stayed with me. It’s messy, emotional, and complicated, just like the characters. Whether you loved it or hated it, it definitely gets you thinking.

Official Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4n7...

[Amy Vasquez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know what to say if I’m being honest. I have a few complains Maximus being blamed pissed me off seeing as how he was a victim too and none of that was his fault. The scenes were incredibly short and the pacing was weird. I felt like I didn’t get to know Sara cause in all honesty she has no personality. Also what the heck was that with Ryan!? Your telling me Luca and remo get a few scratches after all their crazy attacks and that’s how Ryan ends up!? Cara is a baddie throughout this whole book which makes me love her even more. Lily blaming Maximus will forever piss me off. The plot could have been developed better seeing as how their trauma was huge and this was just not the way it should have been solved. I want to give this book a 1.5 for being very forgettable but in all honesty Maximus not being a cheating, rude, arrogant person really upped the rating since it’s a first in Cora’s books and I don’t want to discourage this upgrade in male character. Isa was the biggest highlight in this book and I would have wished she was in more of the book along with everyone else like aria didn’t show up a single time in this book which was mad weird and everyone else were merely mentioned hopefully Isabella’s book will have her interact with her cousins more naturally and not like their strangers like Sara with amo and Marcella cause that was mad weird. Also did I miss their interactions cause when did they fall in love cause I definitely didn’t witness it the last ten percent Is cute but it doesn’t feel deserved, they had zero chemistry the first ninety percent of the book like nothing, dry desert. Anyways only reason this book isn’t lower is cause Maximus really was a highlight.

[alexleasins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max deserved sm better

[Realm of Niara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for maximus, saramax chemistry, cara, ryan

Writing was awful at first, plot was executed badly , it was too fast

But last 50% of the book was fine

Till date i will never understand Famiglia don't u dare to put alessio in this hell hole

Maximus was perfect no complains simply one of the best after nino
But the way his trauma was ignored by everyone just because he is a man lily slapping him as if he isn't the victim what they expected him to do? He was protecting her
it was too much even that piece of sh!t maddox never faced this treatments why he has to suffer so much in this?

And what was that with growl?? It broke me i fking hate this i don't wanna see my fave characters suffer like this
He went through enough

He is such a good father, father in law and grandfather

[zey · Rating 2 out of 5]

i have to say my expectations were low, and cora didn’t prove me wrong. the first half of the book was awful: the writing, the pacing it was really bad. it improved in the second half but i have to say max is the only thing that made it bearable enough.

i hate how everyone but cara overlooked max’s trauma especially what sara did to him was so cruel. he literally threw up and was so uncomfortable and sara guilt trapped him even though he was just as much of a victim. i hated sara for a good chunk of the book it was so f*cked up

thank god max was genuinely the nicest kindest mmc ever he did everything he could for sara. and for famiglia, the entire organization is so shitty i hope they all die. i would kms if alessio moved to nyc. everyone deserves to be as far away from famiglia as possible.

[Dul · Rating 2 out of 5]

These two needed a psychologist from the beginning.

It's incredible how I still find myself believing that the author will one day write a book I truly enjoy, but this one wasn't so bad – if only they had changed the things said about Maximus, especially considering he was a victim of everything that happened.

It infuriates me that they made him believe he was a rapist, and that he even told himself this – it really affected me negatively. Reading this book and experiencing their emotions was a huge emotional burden because I didn't enjoy the book at any point.

I really feel that the subject matter wasn't handled in the best way, and I nearly lost my mind when Sara demanded to have a baby with Maximus when neither of them was ready for that.

There are things I didn't completely like, but I think because the book's subject matter wasn't handled well, everything else became secondary to me, which led to me finishing the book without feeling any connection to the couple.

[val · Rating 1 out of 5]

one star for maximus and growl

[Chanice · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 2 stars are for Max and Max only :))) Sara can get in the bin

[Larisa O · Rating 1 out of 5]

No words...I am so frustrated. 😡

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most anticipated reads for 2025 and I was not disappointed!

I have read all the books in Cora's mafia verse so all the side characters'appearances were good to see and definitely a few hints on new character storylines (Isabella had a lot of screen time here!).

Onto Max and Sara - their story was heartbreaking. 2 strangers thrust into an extreme situation who then had to make a hard choice in order to survive. When it seems like Max and Sara had a new lifeline to help heal over the trauma they then lost the child (please do check trigger warnings).The ex fiancee was sort of Irrelevant in the story line we had no further dramas from him which kept the focus on Sara and Max.

I like how the story jumped a year later and they were still acting like strangers because trauma does not have a time frame and it was realistic. There was no instant bonding and it took a lot of work from both sides (more Max but Sara got there eventually) and when they did get there it was beautiful to read.

Side note - Cara is strong and badass in this and one of the strongest fmc within the series. She helped when there was an attack and was even holding a shotgun which was a nice surprise. Her relationship with Ryan was lovely to see after all these years ☺️

Maximus may be up there with my top favourite mmcs from Cora. He was steadfast, he remained faithful, his only hope was for Sara to be somewhat happy and although he has done nothing wrong, poor maximus felt the weight of guilt for his necessary actions. Other than A LOT of miscommunication🙄 he was trying to anticipate what Sara wanted to be happy.

There was a moment between Isa and Matteo where Matteo indicated that Max wasn't also a victim of the SA. I sort of read this as men in the mafia don't show weaknesses and aren't allowed to be a victim, having read a lot of mafia books where any sort of storyline with a trauma front he MMC is swept under the rug. It seemed realistic for me that men in the mafia wouldn't see this as traumatic for Max and focus on Sara but I loved that Sara understood Max's feelings a bit more and never held him to blame, understanding he was a victim too.

One of my favourite moments! When Luca, Romero and Matteo first saw Max after the incident I loved how they didn't judge him or punish him. After seeing the video they chose to do nothing to Max which cements for me that the Trevisan men are well respected and have found their place in NY.

There was some good 🌶️in this and it reminded me a little of Kiara and Nino in the slow, drawn out scenes and learning to appreciate sex.

All in all, another good write from Cora and I cannot wait to see whose story we get next (maybe Leonas or Isabella?!!))

[purlpur · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️
книги кори прості як двері. цим вони мені подобаються, коли хочеться розвантажити мозок. але я вже втомилась від того, що авторка не розвивається. скоріше навпаки, все стає тільки гірше 😔

логіка з сюжетом не товаришують. напочатку несемося історією, ніби галопом, хоча якраз там важливі події, які впливають на характер персонажів. їх потрібно було достатньо розписати, аби читачі відчули.
певні елементи задля просування сюжету кора використала зі своїх же попередніх книг. хочеться сказати "це ж було вже" 😅
��же мовчу, що екстрену контрацепцію в цій книзі геть ігнорують, коли об'єктивно це потрібно було зробити. але, шош, тоді б не вийшло майбутнього драматичного повороту 😑

сара. в ній головна проблема. як гг вона ніяка. так, травм та драми в її житті достатньо, тому можна було б списати на це, але розвиток персонажу протягом усієї книги мінімальний. через більшість її вчинків я читала книгу так 😬🤦‍♀️
максимус трохи витягнув цю історію. напевно, один з кращих чоловіків у кори і точно найкращий з другого покоління. і він точно заслуговував на щось краще ніж сара 🥲

окрема згадка про гроула. кора, навіщо ти так з ним вчинила 😭

у підсумку книга виявилась поверхневою. їй не вистачило глибшого занурення в емоції та переживання персонажів.
свої найкращі книги кора вже давно написала. вже більше нічого від неї не очікую, починаючи з серії про друге покоління, шкода 😞

[☁️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.7 (pity) stars ✨ She tried to nibble on the NinoKiara nachos.

I don’t know why I’m bothering to write a review when the whole entire book can be summed up with this interaction:

“That’s some serious sexism there, Dad,” Isa said, crossing her arms. “Men can be victims of sexual abuse too.”
“I’m sure it can be the case, Isa,” Matteo said in a voice that suggested he wasn’t convinced.”

I felt physically ill reading the r*pe scene for Sara and Max. It was literally horrible. Congrats to those who are strong, but I had put the book down multiple times just at that point. My nails are a pretty shade an emerald green thanks to that.

Maximus is probably the best second gen MMC for Cora by far. If I could just rate this book based on him it would have been 5 stars easily. Max is so patient, understanding, caring, and selfless. He only cares about Sara being happy and healthy. He tried the best he could to make their marriage work at the beginning. Sara is so traumatized and understandably so. She’s raped and then miscarries. Her life is falling apart.

Cora had me at the first half I’m not gonna lie. Then Sara basically forces Max to repeat how he was forced to rape her. I was ILL for Max. It was little horrible. And Sara couldn’t understand how this was literally 9/11 for Max. I was so upset for Max.

Then they fall into a domestic rhythm later, but honestly I was bored. Sara is a sweetheart, but a pretty bland character. They needed a secondary couple or more conflict to keep the book going for that long. I really didn’t care about the Russians or that conflict tbh. Give me interpersonal conflict with someone somewhere.

Cara and Isa are easily the best secondary characters in this book. Cara loves her son so much and she’s a great mother. Isa actually has personality and is the only one who seems to believe that men can actually be abused.

The writing of this book is everywhere. The first chapter writing is absolutely crazy. Who introduces themself with “It’s me, Maximus Trevisan.” 😭 It’s never mentioned what ages either of them are the whole book. The writing was a little juvenile. There were grammar mistakes. She needs a new team (better editor for sure).

Btw, Battista and Ambra are having an ugly baby name off. Just call her Amber I know it was killing you on the inside. Using Alessia as a name which is basically Alessio is sort of crazy. It’s like she ran out of names.

This book is still better than BFIR (9/11), but she is not tipping AmoGreta’s second gen crown soon.

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

She just revealed the tropes and another pregnancy? I don’t know how to feel about this cause the last book also had a similar trope and we all know how that ended. Two in a row is kind of pushing it. 💀

……………………………………

I hope with this one cora leaves out the ow drama cause the past few books of hers have been ruined for me by ow drama. They’re apparently married in this so pls no cheating scenes like LucaAria’s book. Let’s focus on the healing journey in this. Anyway I will give this one a chance.

[a&#x1f9da;‍♀️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star ⭐️

like why do I even try anymore 😭

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was it the best written book ever? No. Did I still completely fall in love with Maximus? Yes.

[C.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.75

Sin and Redemption is a second generation standalone book about Sara Cancio( daughter of Lily and Romero, Bound By Temptation) and Maximus Trevesian( son of Cara and Growl, Bound by Vengeance). Those are two of my favorite couples of Cora’s, so it was a nice surprise it was revealed that their kids were getting a story together. I thought this book was better than Nevio’s book. I did still have my issues with the book.

Sara Cancio 20 at start of the story, art history student at college


(model: Brigette Satterlee, Cora's Pinterest choice)

Maximus Trevisan 23 at start of story, Enforcer for Famiglia


(model: Mike Chabot, Cora's Pinterest)

***Review Contains Spoilers***

In BFIC, there was this mystery over some bad thing that happened to Sara. It was plaguing me ever since, wondering what happened. I worried that maybe Sara was gang raped by the Bratva. There was a fan theory that Max was forced to rape Sara and she ends up pregnant. I was nervous going into the book. I ended up going into the book blind.

At the start of the story, Sara is at college and her brother Flavio(he’s 17 at the start of the story) is supposed to pick her up but his car breaks down. Sara’s father Romero has Maximus come pick her up. They don’t know each other well but she trusts her dad. Sara and Max do find each other attractive.

Why doesn’t she have bodyguards? I guess they wanted to give her more freedom. However, Sara’s aunt and cousin were just kidnapped 3 months ago. These bodyguards don’t come through half the time when it counts anyway.

There was an accident, so Max has to take a detour and realizes they are being followed. His truck gets rammed and they both black out from hitting their heads. My heart was raising and I was shaking reading this part bc I knew something bad was going to happen. Max starts coming to and realizes that they are in a cage in a warehouse. There are a bunch of exotic animals in other cages. Max knows the situation is bad. Either Bratva or bikers have kidnapped them. Sara asks if it’s the Outfit and Max says no. This Bratva named Jabba(like Jabba the Hut from Star Wars) comes in and they know each other. Sara’s an added bonus bc she wasn’t supposed to be there. Jabba asks her name and she tells him and that wasn’t wise bc her dad has killed many of their men. Long story short, Jabba forces Max to rape Sara while being filmed. Max refuses at first and the guy shoots inches from Sara’s head. He gives Max a choice either he rapes her or watch her get passed around or maybe they will just shoot her. Max tries to fake it at first but the guy says he isn’t stupid. Sara says it’s ok, so he is forced to have sex with her/take her vcard. In the middle they here sounds, it’s the Famiglia come to rescue them. If only they were a little sooner. Romero and Valerio are there and realize what happened to Sara. They take Max in for questioning.

The men in Sara’s family were sent the video and others too. Luca knows that Max had no choice.

I didn’t like when Luca said only crime was letting them get kidnapped. Max got knocked out, so there wasn’t really anything he could have done. I think Luca is looking weaker this next gen series with all these women in his family getting kidnapped. I know it’s the mafia and everyone is in danger. However, it still looks bad if the women in the Capos family keep getting kidnapped. Also, Greta was supposed to be the safest girl in Vegas and got attacked. I’m tired of the women getting hurt. I don’t want any more kidnappings.

I’m surprised how well Romero took it. I worried he would beat Max. Sara’s brother Flavio feels guilt and thinks if he had been there it wouldn’t have happened. I’m glad Amo pointed out that Flavio might have been forced to rape his own sister if he had been there.

Amo/Max- They are each other’s ride or die and have a wonderful friendship. Amo didn’t need to see a video to know that it wasn’t Max’s fault.

It really drives me nuts that there is no mention of Max being related to the Vitiello’s. Max refers to Amo as bff but he is also a blood cousin.

I’m glad there were only a few mentions of Cressida and she wasn’t shown at all.

Meanwhile, Sara is taken to a female doctor and the doctor asks if she could end up prego. There’s no mention of the morning after pill, I guess for plot sake.

The following day, Sara decides she wants to go see her cousin Isa.

Isa Vitiello- (17 at the start of the story) Sara says that she and Isa aren’t close. Isa has her own friend trio with her cousins Valerio and Flavio. Isa becomes a confidant to Sara in this book bc Isa was kidnapped by Unholy Trinity 3 months ago. She didn’t suffer physical harm but was still traumatized. Isa loves Stephen King novels and has been writing dark stories to help her deal with her trauma. Isa does give Sara some good advice in the book. Isa will get a story Alessio Falcone(one of her kidnappers). In BFIR, Isa had 3 pregnancy tests in her locker. There wasn’t any mention of that in this book, so I’m left to wonder about that for years. I hope that ends up being nothing. I hope Isa doesn’t become a case of self fulfilling prophecy. She hates being compared to her mother Gianna. There was no mention of whatever did or didn’t happen at Amo/Greta wedding with Alessio. Sara says Isa didn’t seem interested in anyone, so she thought for a while that she might be lesbian but Isa assured her that she wasn’t. Can Isa please have some secret knife wielding skills in her book? I did like Isa in this book. I hope she doesn’t get ruined in her book.

I thought Sara’s cousin Marci would be a confident for her as well bc Marci went through horrible stuff with her own kidnapping and nude video etc…. Sara was Marci’s little shadow when younger, yet there weren’t any scenes with them. We still don’t know the name of Marci’s son.

I’m glad that Isa pointed out that men can be victims of sexual abuse too.

It’s different,” Matteo, who had entered the scene without my noticing, said. “Maximus is a tough guy. He’ll survive.” “That’s some serious sexism there, Dad,” Isa said, crossing her arms. “Men can be victims of sexual abuse too.”

Max is a Made Man so he is supposed to be tough. He doesn’t think of himself as a victim even though he was forced into a sex act against his will. Cara is a fierce mama bear protecting Max and tells him it wasn’t his fault.

“But you and Sara were both victims in this.” I got up, frustrated. “I’m not the victim. I wasn’t hurt.”
“Yes, you were! You were forced to do something sexual you didn’t want to do. You’re a victim.” Was she blind to the f*cking truth? “I’m not a f*cking victim, so stop calling me one. I’m a f*cking rapist.”

Sara is engaged to a guy named Paolo. It’s an arranged thing and she only has platonic feelings for him. They haven’t spent much time together. The wedding is in 2 months. I’m glad she didn’t have feelings for him. I guess Paolo saw the sex video. They both agree to call off the wedding. I thought Lily and Romero would want Sara to have a love match since they risked everything for their love. I don’t want any more engaged to other people in this next gen series.

Sara finds out she is prego and wants to keep the baby. She always wanted to be a mom. Max steps up and agrees to marry her and take responsibility for the child. The Cancio’s want to keep the wedding date the same. The wedding is 6 weeks away. Poor Max is the replacement groom. They do get new rings though. It was sweet and thoughtful that Max brought Cara, Gianna, and Isa to help him pick out a ring for Sara.

He even gets a place for them a block away from Sara’s family even though he has no desire to live in the city. It seems like the Camorra Enforcers make more money bc Fabi’s living in a mansion. Max needs to borrow money from Amo for the place. However, it is short notice. Max says he was living the bachelor lifestyle before and not saving or thinking of future. I would think he’d be getting paid even more.

The Cancio Family- It was nice to actually see Lily in this book bc she wasn’t in Amo’s book and wasn’t really in Marci’s book. I like that the Cancio’s seem more normal than other mafia families. Sara is really close to her siblings and like a second mom to her two younger sisters. Inessa (7 years younger)and Alea(9 years younger) were cute and they liked Max. Inessa reminds me a little of a young Lily. I just wish there were more scenes with the sisters . Sara and her mother Lily are best friends and super close. I think Lily and Romero are one of Cora’s most normal couples.

Romero’s side of the family wasn’t mention or shown in the book. I’m not surprised. It bugged me that his family wasn’t in his book either.

I didn’t like that Lily slapped Max. She did say right after that she shouldn’t have done it. I get that she was displacing anger onto him but he didn’t deserve that. He was a victim too. There was tension btw Flavio and Max for a while.

It disappointed me that there were no parent pov chapters. Maybe only the Sins of the Fathers will have parent povs? The story was told in dual pov.

It was a bummer that Aria was only mentioned and not shown.

The day after the wedding, Sara has another appointment with the doctor. This is the first time Sara asks Max to come with her. He is actually looking forward to being a part of the pregnancy and becoming a father. They find out the baby has no heartbeat. Sara is shocked bc she still had morning sickness. The doctor said bc of hormones she could still have morning sickness and it’s called a “missed abort”. She is angry that Max seems so emotionless. She asks Max if he is happy that the baby is dead. He gets really upset and says no. There was a real lack of communication between them. It was very sad after all the trauma they already endured. They decide to bury the fetus under a tree at Max’s parents. Sara becomes depressed and barely has an appetite.

Then, the story skips ahead a year. I get confused with all these time jumps in the next gen. Max finally is able to get his revenge. Sadly, Max and Sara are living like strangers and roommates. Sara is so consumed by her own grief, trauma, loss and depression that she hasn’t been taking Max’s feelings into consideration. She has lost a lot of weight bc she doesn’t have an appetite. Over their first year of marriage, Max kept trying to make their marriage work. He invited her to his parent’s house and she would always make excuses. She spent most of her time with her family. Lack of communication was big problem in their relationship. All this traumatic stuff happened at once the kidnapping, forced sex, pregnancy, and miscarriage. Both don’t know each other that well. Sara was socially awkward to begin and stuck to her family, so she didn’t know what to say. Max is a mafia guy and masks his emotion. Neither were the best communicators. Once they start talking and communicating more things get better.

I didn’t like Max reckless behavior at times in his quest for revenge. I didn’t want him messing up his handsome self.

Praise the Lord, there was no ow drama! There weren’t any scenes with Max and ow. There was no nasty bachelor party scene or mention of a bachelor party. Max was completely celibate after he was forced rape Sara. He had trauma over that too. Max remains faithful in his marriage even though they don’t have sex for over a year. Max even gets offended when Sara assumes that he is sleeping with ow bc he takes his marriage vows seriously. I don’t blame Sara for thinking that bc of his past and them not communicating. I’m glad Max didn’t cheat bc that was a worry I had for the book.

“Can you please not be with any other women as long as we have to be intimate?” I clenched my jaw and turned sideways, glaring at nothing in particular. “I know it’s a lot to ask—” “Dammit, Sara,” I muttered, turning back around to her. I couldn’t fucking believe her. “That’s what you think of me? Yes? That I’ve been fucking other girls all this time?” She blinked up at me and swallowed hard. “We weren’t intimate…and I know you and Amo used to be wild.”

I nodded grimly. “Used to be.” I raised my finger with our wedding ring. “Before I put this on. Maybe our marriage is hardly that. Maybe it’s mostly for show, but my parents taught me to honor marriage so that’s what I’m doing.” “I’m sorry for insinuating you weren’t faithful,” she said quietly. I gave a terse nod. I was done with this conversation. “Is there anything else you want from me?”



Cara and Growl raised such a good boy!!!!!! Max is one of, if not the best males Cora has written. He is so patient and does everything to try to make his marriage work even when Sara was closed off for a longtime and not trying. He doesn’t give up.

I wanted them reach a better place in their marriage before deciding to have a baby. Sara decides she wants a baby. At the time, she and Max were living like strangers. Sara asks Isa for advice and Isa says maybe work on the marriage and building intimacy first. Sara ignores what she says and tells Max she wants a baby. He is surprised and thinks maybe she wants to do ivf. She wants the natural way. He doesn’t think it’s a good idea since their marriage is not in good place and doesn’t want her to relive her trauma. I hated how she guilt tripped Max into trying for a baby and treating him like a sperm donor. He would do anything to make her happy. I wanted Max/ Sara to build on their intimacy and slowly build up to sex since they had that traumatic incident. There is an awful sex scene with them the first time they have after the rape. He wants to prep her and make good for her. She just wants it over with and all clinical. She was all just do it like before and that he owed her. He wants to vomit afterward. It made me cringe. Max said they had sex at least 2 more times after that and it was bad. Cora already did the Sofia and the Tree horrors, Rory and the sh*tshow party, and now this.



Max can’t take it anymore and wants to have a real marriage. They do start to spend time watching movies/ date nights while trying for a baby. Sara starts to enjoy sex. They do get there eventually. Sara does say sorry for stuff and Max says she doesn’t ever have to say sorry. Sara does feel bad that she didn’t take his feelings into consideration. He doesn’t hold anything against her. He’s the best.

They do spend a weekend at the Hamptons with Amo/Greta and that is a turning point for the couple. I wish Greta could have been in more of the book. I really wish there would have been a scene with Greta helping at Growl’s shelter when Max/Sara visited.

Eventually, after 6 months of trying Sara gets prego. She wants to name the baby Ambra(Amber in Italian) bc of Max’s amber eyes. I thought it was cute that Max said they could have a “Trevesian Trio”. Sara wanted 3 kids but later decided she wanted four.

Max’s dog Bacon I think it’s so cute that Max has a dog name Bacon! He is gentle and loyal. He helped protect Sara. He is a rescue dog. The dogs name made me think of those dog treat commercial Beggin Bacon.



The Trevsians- Growl has been a highlight of this next gen series. It warms my heart to see how far Growl has come. I just reread BBV and it’s night and day. He and Cara have created this beautiful/wholesome family. They are doing good things with their rescue dog shelter. I’m happy Growl had a conversation about his past and how Cara grew to love him.

“There was a point in my life when I thought nothing good would ever happen. Then I was given your mother. Fuck. I didn’t deserve her. I probably still don’t, but I knew she was my only shot at happiness. It wasn’t easy. The circumstances were shitty, and your mom probably shouldn’t have forgiven me, but she did, and I count my blessings every day.” “Our situations are different.” “Indeed. You had no choice in what happened. I chose to be a bad person.”

I just love Growl so much!!!



Cara was a real badass in this book. She was so protective of her son. Cara is one of my favorite women that Cora has written. Cara knows how to use a shotgun and protects her family! I love Cara/Growl as a couple. I was very mad that Growl had to get his leg amputated!!! Leave my man alone, Growl has been through enough. I felt it was just for shock. I worried that she killed him off and was hoping not. Jabba’s father wants revenge for his sons’ deaths. Max killed 3 of his sons. The Famiglia men know that he is coming to N.Y. to avenge his sons. Max/Sara spend the night at Growl/Cara’s. Jabba’s father and some other bratva come there. Growl hides behind car and a grenade gets thrown and goes off. He put a belt around his thigh. His calf is split open. Cara has to let the dogs out of cages to chase the guys off and kill them. He has surgery and the doctor says can’t save the leg. Growl gets a futuristic leg.

Primo- Max’s younger brother. It bothered me that Max said that he wasn’t as close with his younger brother Primo as they were when they were kids. Poor Primo was upset and a little hurt that Max didn’t make him his best man.

After I finished the book, I realized there were no mentions and no scenes of Cara’s mom. Is she still alive?

No mention of Cara’s sister Talia but I figured there wouldn't be.

There is a possible new Pakhan in N.Y. and it’s Artur Mikhailov (Dinara’s brother/Adamo Falcone’s brother-in-law). I wonder if he will be paired with a Famiglia girl?

Epilogue- The epilogue was so sweet! The epilogue jumps ahead 5 years. Max/Sara have a house built on Max’s parents property. It shows Growl chasing his granddaughter around and making dinosaur noises. I was happy Growl had a granddaughter. The Cancio’s come over for a cookout. Sara gives birth to second girl named Alessia.

*A Touch of Fate: Emma/Sam's book comes out June 25, 2025.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

*Safety Info is in comments section

[Lisbeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tanto Sara como Maximus experimenten pesadillas a raíz del trauma, pero nadie menciona ir terapia.

Sara carga con un gran peso emocional. Fue fácil empatizar con ella y comprender su situación. Sin embargo, es importante saber que no se puede esperar que su transformación sea instantánea, ya que ha pasado por experiencias muy difíciles. Por otro lado, Maximus no reconoce que también fue una víctima y se centra únicamente en cómo redimirse y mejorar las cosas para Sara, sintiendo que le ha robado oportunidades.

Es fundamental entender que, en situaciones así, puede que una persona no pueda preocuparse por los demás mientras lucha por su propia supervivencia emocional. Ambos personajes han atravesado un trauma significativo y no recibieron la ayuda necesaria para procesarlo. Nadie estuvo presente para guiarlos y no se les puede juzgar por enfrentar la situación de la manera en que lo hicieron, aunque haya sido desordenada y dolorosa. El tema del abuso debió haber sido tratado con sensibilidad y profundidad. Otra vez, Cora opta por un enfoque superficial. Esta falta de atención al tema me dejó una sensación de insatisfacción y desconexión con la historia.

[Tamiris Passos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I miss the old Cora Reilly who wrote sweet temptation, bound by duty, twisted emotions, Twisted pride and Twisted Loyalties.

[Meri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9/ 5

This book contains several TW, so it is very important to read them before starting the book.

Definitely the wait for the release of this book was long, I have to admit that after Cora's last books, I didn't have any kind of expectations.

From the beginning Cora was very secretive, so she didn't reveal a lot of spoilers or anything about the book. But from the little she had revealed, you could get an idea about the plot the book would take.

Definitely the beginning of the book grabs you from page one, the book starts with a brief introduction of the eproa ajea and in one breath totally introduces you to the story, I was very surprised since I have always said that Cora is one of the most vanilla "Dark Romance" writers I know, but in this book we see her introducing new themes and writing things that she had not dared before, she did it in a good way, a little fast for my taste, but it is understandable being the first time she writes this kind of themes in such detail.

I have to start with the Trevisan family, who definitely took the book. This time we get to see Ryan and Cara as parents, and you must admit that it is the most wonderful thing I have read in this book.

The strength that Cara shows in the face of various situations that develop is amazing, the fierceness with which she defends her children from everyone is admirable, and seeing Ryan being an understanding, loving father with a great line of communication with his children warmed my heart.

I was surprised to see what Maximus and his brother's relationship is not as close, but they still stand side by side and are there for each other.

Maximus, I have no words to describe this great character, he has definitely made his way into my favorite male characters.

He is the new enoforcer of the family. The right hand of Amo Vitiello and a trusted man of Luca Vitiello. We can see how at the beginning of the book he is at a crossroads and has to make some decisions that will haunt him in the course of the story. But being the great man that he is, he decides to take the rounds of the situation, at the beginning it takes him some work but he succeeds, with the help of his family, the advice of his father and his mother, he will do everything in his power to make Sara happy and make this arranged marriage they are in work and be good for both parties.

The development of Maximus as a character is amazing, we can see him in all possible stages, fiancé, husband, friend, son and in all of them he is wonderful.
The way he helps Sara help them both overcome the trauma they went through, the patience he shows (look my patience with Sara was running out) the determination and fortitude he shows made me cry with him. He definitely deserves all the good things he gets at the end of the book, that family and love he wanted to repeat from his parents, he gets it despite the obstacles he faced.

We can see all the members of the Trevisan family giving their all to make Sara feel comfortable every time she went to their house, being patient with her and giving a lot of advice to Maximus to help him improve his marriage.

Now let's go with the Cancio family, I must admit that personally it is not one of my favorite books is Liliana and Romero's book, but still I was looking forward to read Sara.

We can see a character that at the beginning of the book is like any mafia girl who was raised in a very traditional family, who is already in an arranged marriage she is conscious and happy with her future, but soon all this will change.

Due to the great trauma she goes through with Maximus she finds it necessary to marry him. We can see that everything that happened leaves a lot of traumas in her: abortion, self-harm, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress.
I definitely feel that if Maximus had not been her partner, I would not have been able to have the patience I had to read it, I understood and empathized with her trauma, but for many moments she put Maximus aside and forgot that he was also a victim and that he also suffered with all the consequences and what happened after the "event".
But as I have already mentioned many times Maximus was her savior, he helped her to heal, to grow as a person, and together they achieved what they longed for, a great and loving marriage.

A very important point that I want to leave here, is that if there was something that I disliked, it was the way in which most of the characters minimized Maximus' trauma for the simple fact of "being a man" and I know that in a mafia world, but nowadays and with all the situation that we live in, I could see everyone being empathetic with Sara and supporting her and Maximus being coldly judged, blaming him for everything, when both protagonists were victims.

The secondary characters were very few, with few appearances and only the necessary ones, this book focused much more on the couple and their development through the story.

This new book by Cora, leaves me eagerly awaiting her next book, crossing my fingers that I won't have to wait a full year for the next book.

----------------------------------------------------------

Este libro contiene diversos TW, así que es muy importante leerlos antes de empezar el libro.

Definitivamente la espera para el lanzamiento de este libro fue larga, he de admitir que después delos últimos libros de Cora, no me había hecho ningún tipo de expectativa.

Desde el inicio Cora fue muy reservada, así que no reveló muchos avances ni nada del libro. Pero por lo poco que había revelado, te podías dar una idea sobre la trama que llevaría el libro.

Definitivamente el inicio del libro te atrapa desde la página número uno, el libro empieza con una breve introducción de los eproa ajea y de un suspiro te introduce totalmente a la historia, me sorprendió mucho ya que siempre he dicho que Cora es de las escritoras de "Dark Romance" más vainilla que conozco, pero en es libro la vemos introducirse en temáticas nuevas y escribiendo cosas que antes no se había atrevido, lo obordo de una buena manera, un poco rápido para mí gusto, pero es entendible al ser la primera vez que escribe tan detalladamente este tipo de temas.

Tengo que empezar con la familia Trevisan, que definitivamente se llevaron el libro. En esta ocasión pdemos ver a Ryan y Cara como padres , y debe admitir que es la cosa más maravillosa que he leído en estre libro.

La fortaleza que muestra Cara ante diversas situaciones que se desarrollan e asombrosa, la fiereza con la que defiende a sus hijos de todo el mundo es admirable, y ver a Ryan siendo un padre comprensible, amoroso y con una gran línea de comunicación con sus hijos me calentó el corazón.

Me sorprendió ver qué la relación de Maximus y su hermano no es tan estrecha, pero aun así se apoyan codo a codo y están el uno para el otro.

Maximus, no tengo palabras para describir este gran personaje, definitivamente se ha introducido entre mis personajes masculinos preferidos.

El el el nuevo enoforcer de la familia. La mano derecha de Amo Vitiello y un hombre de confianza de Luca Vitiello. Podemos ver cómo al inicio del libro se encuentra en una encrucijada y tiene que tomar algunas decisiones que lo atormentaran en el transcurso de la historia. Pero siendo el gran hombre que es, decide tomar las rondas de la situación, al principio le cuesta un poco de trabajo pero lo logra, con ayuda de su familia, los consejos de su padre y de su madre, hará todo lo que está en sus posibilidades por hacer feliz a Sara y hacer que este matrimonio arreglado en el que se encuentran funciones y sea bueno para ambas partes.

El desarrollo de Maximus como personaje es asombroso, lo podemos ver en todas las etapas posibles, prometido, marido, amigo, hijo y en todas es maravillosos.

La forma en que el ayuda a Sara a qué ambos superen el trauma que vivieron, la paciencia que muestra (miran que mi paciencia con Sara se estaba terminando) la determinación y entereza que muestra me hicieron llorar con el. Definitivamente merece todo lo bueno que obtiene al final del libro,esa familia y amor que quería repetir de sus padres, lo obtiene a pesar de los obstáculos que se le presentaron.

Podemos ver a todos los integrantes de la familia Trevisan poder todo de si para que Sara se sintiera cómoda cada que iba a casa de ellos, siendo paciente con ella y dando muchos consejos a Maximus para ayudarlo a que su matrimonio mejorara.

Ahora vamos con la familia Cancio, debo admitir que personalmente no es de mis libros favoritos es libro de Liliana y Romero, pero aun así tenía muchas ganas de leer a Sara.

Podemos ver a un personaje que al principio del libro es como cualquier chica de la mafia que fue criada en una familia muy tradicional, que ya está en un matrimonio arreglado ella está conciente y feliz con su futuro, pero pronto todo esto cambiará.

Debido al gran trauma que pasa junto a Maximus se ve en la necesidad de casarse con el. Podemos ver qué todo lo sucedido deja muchos traumas en ella: aborto, autolesiones, trastornos alimenticios y estrés post traumático.
Definitivamente siento que si Maximus no hubiese sido su pareja, no ha ría podido tener la paciencia que tuve para leerla, entendí y empatice con su trauma, pero por muchos momentos ella dejaba de lado Maximus y olvidaba que el también fue una víctima y que también sufrió con todas las consecuencias y lo que pasó después de el "acontecimiento"
Pero como ya he mencionado muchas veces Maximus fue su salvador, la ayudo a sanar, a a crecer como persona, y juntos lograron lo que tanto anelaban, una gran matrimonio y con amor.

Un punto muy importante que quiero dejar aquí, es que si hubo algo que me desagradó, fue la forma en que la mayorías de los personajes mínimo el trauma de Maximus por el simple hecho de "ser hombre" y se que en mundo de mafia, pero hoy en día y con toda la situación que se vive, podía ver a todos siendo empáticos son Sara y apoyandola y Maximus siendo fríamente juzgados, culpandolo de todo, cuando ambos protagonistas fueron víctimas.


Los perosonajes secundarios fueron muy pocos, con pocas apariciones y solo las necesarios, este libro se centro muchísimo más en la pareja y su desarrollo atraves d ella historia.

Este nuevo libro de Cora, me deja con muchísimas ganas y a la espera de su siguiente libro, cruzando los dedos para no tener que volver a espera un año conmpleto para el siguiente libro

[ana clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It hasn’t always been easy, and our beginning was tough. But now, knowing where it leads us, I’d do it all over again. I’d live through every dark moment, every fear, and every second of pain just to arrive right here, right this moment.”

Sin and Redemption was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it has already exceeded my expectations. The book is even darker than I expected, but great nonetheless.
Sara Cancio and Maximus Trevisan were brought together by a series of unfortunate—and traumatic—events. After sharing the worst night of their lives and having a new life to maybe help them heal, they decide to get married. They hope for a new beginning, but when they lose the baby, the nightmare starts all over again.
Sara and Maximus went through a tough and painful time. Both carrying a lot of guilt—he felt guilty about the first night, believing she blamed him, while she felt guilty for losing the pregnancy and was convinced he was disgusted by her and her body. Where they could've bonded over the horrors they shared, they grew apart, only really (sort of) connecting when—after a long time—she began longing for a child.
Sara is sweet, charismatic, gentle, smart, and incredibly strong. She went through hell and came out with her head held high, even if she carries demons that try to break her down. Maximus is caring, lovable, determined, and also very strong. He, too, experienced trauma—though he refuses to admit it—and even though it still haunts him, he won't let it stop him from redeeming himself. Both worked, in their own ways, on dealing with their shared past. Neither healed quickly or easily, but they learned how to live without letting their pain prevent them from finding happiness after all.
Their development as a couple was just so great. Little by little, they kindled their relationship. Sara and Max worked hard on themselves—in their marriage, which allowed them to finally open up and learn to trust each other. The building of their relationship was solid, not rushed, and actually believable. They're utterly adorable together, and I loved watching them find peace in their love.
Anyway, Sin and Redemption is one of Cora Reilly's best works yet. The horrible situation aside, the book doesn't lack consistency, having a great plot and great character development. It also keeps the essence of what a mafia romance should be and gives us many amazing scenes with Maximus' and Sara's families and friends, making it even better.

[Alina Kravets · Rating 5 out of 5]

В моєму відгуку є трохи сюжету, та для когось це може бути спойлером.

Одразу скажу що одна з моїх улюблених пар з першого покоління це Ліліана та Ромеро, тому цю книгу я дуже сильно чекала.
Я заядлий фанат Фамілії..🥹❤️
Мені книга реально сподобалась, звісно були моменти які не дужк, але не скажу що це прям якось сильно вплинуло на сам сюжет, просто вважаю що саме без цього книга теж була достойною.

Пара: Максимус & Сара

Тропи:
⋆Шлюб за розрахунком
⋆Криза у шлюбі
⋆Hurt Heroine
⋆Помста
⋆Випадкова вагітність

Ще з книги Амо та Грети ми знаємо що Максимус та Сара одружились, але не знаємо прям подробиць.
Тут все стає на свої місця і ми бачимо що ж все ж таки сталось.

Максимус просто неймовірний чоловік, він мені прям дуже нагадав Гроула, але цей ніжніший, більш чуйний.
Одразу взяв відповідальність за свой вчинок.
Тут максимально була зосереджена увага на Сарі, хоча він теж був жертвою.

Мені сподобалось що події розвивались досить швидко.
Але до втрати дитини я, не була готова.
Доля не дала ім шансу на щастя, бо по факту вони одружились саме через це. Було дуже складно читати саме ці моменти, я плакала разом з героями. Біля дерева, та коли врешті решт Сара зламалась.

Максимус старався догодити Сарі у всьому, вибір будинку, і тд.
І коли вона була зосереджена на наступній вагітності, то попри те що він не хотів цього, він намагався за ради неї.

Але все ж таки далі ми бачимо, що обоє намагались зробити так щоб шлюб спрацював.
Максимально мило було спосетерігати за ними, як вони відкривались по ступово.
І там мило що вони не могли поговорити, коли обоє хотіли спати разом.🥹
Вже ж таки Ліліана та Ромеро, змогли Максимуса прийняти, та Ліліана про нього піклувалась, ще на початку книги.

Ці слова Сари...🥹

" Так не має бути в шлюбі. Я хочу щоб ти знав, що твої почуття вважливі для мене, і яхочу взяти їх до уваги. Знаю що в минулому я цього не робила так як треба".

Взаємодія з батьками і з тими, і з тими мені теж дуже сподобалась.
Песики то взагалі любов, як вони захищали їх.🥹🥹🥹
Бекон - мій фаворит. Чомусь він мені запав прямо в душу.

Звісно я рада що Кора дла всім щасливу кінцівку, бо вони на те заслуговують.😌


Не дуже сподобалось.

- Що жертвою вважали тільки Сару. І на боці Максимуса були тільки його батьки та Амо.
- Мало взаємодії між іншими героями, сам сюжет маскимально крутився навколо цих двох. Мені не висталичило дружби між Амо і Максимусом, між Сарою і Ізою.
-Те що рік вони жили як сусіди, нічого не робили аби покращити свій шлюб. (Ну як так?)
-Сцена з пологами (боже я так гучно зареготала, ну як жінка яка народжувала могла таке написати)
- Гроул і його травма.

"-А темний шлях по якому ми пройшли?
-Я б пройшов по ньому знову і знову, щоб бути з тобою, і все одно більш за все хочу стерти кожний болючий момент з твого минулого, і особливо біль яку я завдав."

Звісно читати чи не читати справа ваша.
Але я однозначно рекомендую!
100% буду перечитувати!❤️‍🔥

[Lanie ༊*·˚ · Rating 2 out of 5]

♫: 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒆- 𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝑳𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒏𝒅

˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.

Cora…you better count your days-

˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.

This book frustrated me in so many ways…

「 ✦ 𝐌𝐀𝐗𝐈𝐌𝐔𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐍 ✦ 」

ׂ╰┈➤ (𝘧𝘤: 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴)

THIS MAN DESERVES SO MUCH!!! I love how he tried his best to make this marriage work and did things he dreaded to do only to make Sara happy! It hurt me when he didn’t think his trauma didn’t matter! He deserves the world! I have so much respect for him!

「 ✦ 𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐎 ✦ 」

ׂ╰┈➤ (𝘧𝘤: 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘦)

WTF DID SHE DO TO DESERVE THIS?!?? I do feel bad for her and what she’s been through but hate me all you want but it bothered me so much that she didn’t think about Max’s feelings and that he two was dealing with trauma. She made him do something that he dreaded to do but did it to make her happy! I get she was dealing with grief and her trauma but that part didn’t sit right with me.

˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.

This booked hurt me and pissed me off so bad!

WHAT DID SARA AND MAX DO TO DESERVE THAT?!?!

I get Cora wanted to write something different but did she really have to torture my babies like that?!?!

I genuinely don’t know how ppl like the Famiglia-
Being in their territory means you won’t be safe with all the kidnapping that happens in their territory…

Isa and Flavio were my favorite characters and made the book good!

I’m so excited for AlessioIsa book! Reading more about Isa makes me love her and so excited for what she brings to the book.

I love Liliana and Sara’s relationship. That’s the mother/daughter relationship we wish we can have!

I love reading my babies RomeroLily and GrowlCara! They are literally the best couple out of the Famiglia!

CORA WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?! WHAT DID GROWL DO TO YOU????!

Matteo… I lost my respect for him when he made that comment. I hope Isa makes this man suffer when she goes to live in Vegas.

I’m surprised Cora didn’t put an Aria cameo. She puts in every of her book but this time was dead silent from her…

wtf was that ending like my god can they not plan any better?!?!

Yes I’ll admit I did cry on parts of the book bc it hurt me! Especially with Max and Growl.

˚. ✦.˳·˖✶ ⋆.✧̣̇˚.

Overall, 2.75/5 stars ★

I didn’t like this book. I dreaded reading it but I wanted to finish it.

I don’t know why I continue to read her books but I love reading about the Camorra.

What I learned from this is that the Camorra is better ᐢᗜᐢ

I need to read BFIR to feel something.

I wrote that I’ll be honest with my reviews and if you think this was harsh… I don’t know what to tell you ㋡

[Sultana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can not believe this is the same author who created Remo and the rest of the Falcones (and my hubby Amo) for real. I thought mostly her Outfit books were bad (By Virtue I Fall traumatized me by the shit it served) but this is getting out of hand at this point. I’ve read better written stories on wattpad when I was 13. The weak writing, the non-existent family values (somebody said they should be called non-famiglia lmao) the sexism, and the POOR way the trauma was presented in this book didn’t even make sense compared to her older books.
I hope the little cult with their 1000 fake profiles who rated BFIC and BFIR 1star out of spite, and who said THIS book is already the best in the 2nd gen, just after reading the first 3 chapters are crying in their rooms.
Also, why was Sara and Liliana so fcking annoying? I almost hated them more than that dumb as hell Santino 🤢 And isn’t the famiglia supposed to be the richest organization? How tf is Max broke?? Fabi is rich and he is an enforcer in the Camorra!!
The only good thing about this was Greta and Amo’s appearance (and Isa ofc!)
The only way this woman can restore my trust is writing a decent story for my baby Isa and Alessio! They are literally the only remaining interesting characters in the second generation and everyone is waiting for them so she better NOT fck this up too! 💔

[Seraphyna˚₊‧ʚ♡ɞ‎‧₊˚ (college hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book raised my blood pressure, everything was chaotic, nothing made sense and the characters felt so off!! The 2 stars are for Maximus and for him and his family only. Max deserves better.

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑨𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
This book had the same issue I hated in Cora’s last book which was Nevio’s, “By Frenzy I Ruin”, where the fmc took advantage of him when he was drunk and in the end EVERYONE literally blamed him including her. When ffs he was literally drunk and told her not to do anything or come near him and she took advantage of him in his drunken state to “test” his feelings for her. And everyone blamed him when it was Rory’s fault.

But In this book, Maximus and Sara were kidnapped and they were forced to have sex. They were both victims in this situation but her family thought otherwise. The title of this book better not refer to Max!!

📢 MEN CAN BE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE TOO 📢
- Literally throughout the ENTIRE book I wanted to scream this in Sara and her family’s face bc it's true, not only was Sara a victim but Maximus was as well. The Vitiellos and Scuderi family are so two-faced, literally justice for Maximus!! Maximus deserves better than Sara as his fmc and her family as his in-laws. If Cora writes a book for Alessio then keep my boy FAR away from this family.

“You’re looking out for your child, Romero, and I’m looking out for mine. Maximus was a victim in this too.”
➽ Cara and Growl being the parents they never had to Maximus, I love them sm. They were done dirty in this book.

“It’s different,” Matteo, who had entered the scene without my noticing, said. “Maximus is a tough guy. He’ll survive.”
➽ This little bitch…. proud to say I never liked Matteo.

“That’s some serious sexism there, Dad,” Isa said, crossing her arms. “Men can be victims of sexual abuse too.” “I’m sure it can be the case, Isa,” Matteo said in a voice that suggested he wasn’t convinced.
➽ ISA MY QUEEN I'm sorry Matteo is your dad.

“Was she blind to the fucking truth? “I’m not a fucking victim, so stop calling me one. I’m a fucking rapist.”
➽ MY HEART he deserves the world. He was a victim and no one treated him like one. The way his trauma and feelings were overlooked...

- I think this book depicts a message in which honestly even in real life too, how men’s trauma and abuse is always overlooked. And it shouldn’t be because men and women both suffer, it shouldn’t be any different just because men are men and women are women. It's sad how Maximus was not treated like a victim just because he was a man and the way everyone was so against him and ignored his trauma was just heartbreaking... they treated him like he was the perpetrator but he's just as much of a victim as she is.

- I heard someone say that Sara was going to be a fmc like Kiara, but HELL NO. Don’t do my girl Kiara dirty like that because Kiara is nothing like Sara and her one brain cell. Sara is the most selfish and inconsiderate fmc I have ever met. Around nearly 50% of the book Sara finally lost her mind at a certain point where she guilt tripped him into giving her a baby when girl tf?! He’s literally still traumatized and he obviously didn’t want to do it with her but she guilt tripped him?! The way she disregarded and had no respect for his feelings and trauma was insane!

“I can’t. Just do it, dammit. You owe it to me!” Despair and fear threatened to swallow me up.
➽ Girl stfu he doesn’t owe you shit.

In my head Maximus is better off without Sara. He definitely deserved better than this.

｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ
Pre-review: 01/15/25
I'm not even that far in and I already hate this.