Bound By Duty

"This One Wasnt As Sasitifying As The Others But Still Really Enjoyed It "

"For my own sanity, I will not sit and write a regular review, but I will instead include the thoughts I had throughout the reading/listening experience:<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Well, definitely don't read this garbage if you have an eating disorder.<br/><br/>I'm 7% into the audiobook, and there's already been at least 5 triggers.<br/><br/>Must be a ******* record... this heroine and Cora Reilly are obsessed with detox/thiness/weight mentioning. Even a pregnant woman wasn't safe from their wrath...<br/><br/>It's kinda gross tbh.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Oh and a funny moment happened between the previous characters/couple from the previous book.<br/><br/>Aria asks Luca something along the lines of "doesn't Valentina look great?"<br/><br/>And instead of giving a normal response like "sure, honey," he responds with, "I only have eyes for you..."<br/><br/>Well, we know that's a big fat lie...<br/><br/>You cheated on her, Luca... we didn't forget lmao... You, in fact, DON'T only have eyes for her...<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>"Being gay is a crime..."<br/><br/>Valentina says, UNIRONICALLY.<br/><br/>Ma'am, you and your whole world are part of the MAFIA...<br/><br/>I don't think you should be talking abt anything being a "crime..."<br/><br/>And did this other girl say she wishes she was married to a gay man...?<br/><br/>Um, ok...<br/><br/>Also, taking contraceptives in secret?<br/><br/>What centuries do these books take place in?<br/><br/>I'm supposed to care about a bunch of women who allow themselves to be oppressed like this without ever trying to get out of it...?<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Cannot believe I am saying this again...<br/><br/>But Cora, this is NOT how virginity works... you cannot "lose" your virginity with devices and things.<br/><br/>ONLY through sex. And not only heterosexual sex either...<br/><br/>So no, tampons and dildos don't count as "losing virginity..."<br/><br/>Also, virginity is a construct.<br/><br/>Just wanted to let you know.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>"If he wanted a naive wife, maybe he should have married someone younger..."<br/><br/>Says the 23 year old heroine, about the 35 year hero...<br/><br/>I'm sorry, how old should he have married?!<br/><br/>Anything younger than 23 would have been preposterous... and this heroine seems naive enough...<br/><br/>Is 23 too old for this 35 year old? <br/><br/>I think Cora Reilly has been hinting at that since the beginning of this book... lol<br/><br/>Insane. <br/><br/>---<br/><br/>"he was talking about his wife. He wanted her back..."<br/><br/>Yeah, Valentina... that's usually how it works when you lose someone you love... you probably want them back.<br/><br/>This heroine is acting like this man should have forgotten his dead wife the second he married her...?<br/><br/>The ****?<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>This man wanted nothing to do with her and she suddenly blurted out she was a virgin to "entice" him...<br/><br/>weird. <br/><br/>And now that he suddenly seems curious, she's acting like she didn't mention it to try to seduce him into bed...<br/><br/>Miss Valentina must suspect that all Cora Reilly heroes have a virginity kink for some ******* reason...<br/><br/>Now that the hero learns she's a virgin, NOW she's worth bedding?!<br/><br/>What in the fcking world?<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>"You wouldn’t take me against my will. You disapprove of rape. "<br/><br/>Wow, how low is the bar, Cora Reilly...?<br/><br/>How low.<br/><br/>Your romantic hero disapproves of rape?!<br/><br/>Wow, my ears are ringing from the applause!<br/><br/>Let's pop the champagne!<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Heroine of course is comparing herself to the dead wife, looking through her wardrobe, mentioning how her dresses are too small for her, indicating that she is inferior somehow because cannot fit into the two-small wardrobe of the dead wife...<br/><br/>Another eating disorder trigger. Cora Reilly is in a roll, everybody!<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>ew, they're having sex now... she's sucking him, and it's the most unsexy thing I have ever read.<br/><br/>Absolutely negative 100 chemistry. <br/><br/>He was like, "I like that I'm the only man you've ever sucked."<br/><br/>And I almost threw up.<br/><br/>I am dry as the Sahara desert right now. <br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Why do these heroines have the worst mothers? (Worse fathers/parents in general, but that's irrelevant to my point.)<br/><br/>What kind of mother would I be if I allowed my daughter to be in those sad situations without doing my best to get them out or at least provide the right mental guidance to navigate this dumb ass third world archaic misogynistic mafia world?<br/><br/>Like... this is a quote from this heroine's mother,<br/><br/>"Men don't like plump women!"<br/><br/>Okay...?<br/><br/>Quick question, lady, what the **** are you talking about? And why do you care more about what men "like" rather than your own daughter's wellbeing and health?<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Cora Reilly, you have achieved the inconceivable. <br/><br/>I, the **** queen, have never in my life skipped over a sex scene. <br/><br/>Never ever.<br/><br/>Until now.<br/><br/>Cora Reilly, you are a legend.<br/><br/>It's settled then.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>I sped through the last 3 chapters, listening to them in 3x speed. But at some point, the heroine gives birth to a daughter, and everyone is disappointed that the baby doesn't have a *****.<br/><br/>Alrighty then!<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>At the end of the day, this was very sad.<br/><br/>Yes, badly written, but sad story nonetheless. <br/><br/>A sad story about a heroine with zero self-worth, and so desperate for a semblance of love and approval from men, that she settles for a man who is still allegedly in love with his dead wife.<br/><br/>And yeah, there was nothing romantic here, by the way.<br/><br/>Literally the hero started having sex with her once he learns she was a virgin, and I skipped most of them when I realized they were just autocomplete sex scenes, and had nothing to do with the story... cause the couple never actually had chemistry or fell in love in any capacity. <br/><br/>I should have DNF'ed. But I guess I hate myself.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>Quick question to Cora Reilly.<br/><br/>Why are these books categorized under Romance? How is it that allowed when there is zero romance in them?<br/><br/>FBI, investigate!"

"<strong>Heartbreaking and authentic</strong><br/><br/>I loved Valentina and Dante’s story it was in one word authentic. It wasn’t instalove it was true love built over time. If you have read any of Cora Reilly’s books prior you won’t be let down."

"<strong>Couldn’t finish</strong><br/><br/>I liked the idea of the book but the writing was too bad to look over it. The writing was atrocious. It felt like the author was trying too hard. There were no spelling mistakes but I just couldn’t get over the writing. I really wanted to like it but I couldn’t finish, sorry."

"I like this book. It was full of intrigue and surprises."

"Better than i thought from reviews, 3.75 stars"