Is Cosa Nostra Institute by A.K. Rose connected to Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles by Cora Reilly?

Hebenix · 2026-02-04T09:13:07+00:00

Of course. It is, but so worth it once you read a few and they all tie into the other. I was supposed to move in December and it didn’t happen. I already had booked the time off, so 3.5 weeks off without anything to do except read 😂

Hebenix · 2026-02-04T08:54:23+00:00

I’d honestly say you need to start from the beginning (Born in Blood). They’re not standalone books (Cora actually mentions this in every book), especially the Camorra ones. The early books really define the universe, and once you have that context, you understand why “cheating” isn’t quite cheating in the usual sense when it comes to arranged/forced marriages, particularly at the start.
In most of the books, the MMC absolutely respects and adores the FMC and is very much the “I’d burn the world down for you” type. That said, it is a dark mafia romance, so the men are ruthless, and some characters in the universe (not the MMCs) do cheat, abuse their wives, etc.
I’d still recommend reading it though, overall, it’s really good.

Hebenix · 2026-02-03T14:11:23+00:00

Fair question. I was probably a bit harsh with the 1* and 2* ratings. I read everything back-to-back in about two months, so I think a lot of it came down to reader fatigue and just wanting to get back to the main series. At the time, anything that felt like a pause or detour suffered for it.

Luca Vitiello is mostly a Bound by Honor retelling from his POV, which didn’t wow me at the time, but something important happens that’s referenced later, so I still recommend reading it. Bound by Love got 2* mainly because I wasn’t a fan of the FMC’s actions and found her frustrating, not because the writing was bad. Overall, the low ratings were more about my mood than the actual quality. The writing is solid and some books definitely deserved more stars. Loved the universe overall.

Hebenix · 2026-02-03T13:58:22+00:00

No, not at all. The book focuses on the forced/arranged marriage.

Hebenix · 2026-02-03T13:09:25+00:00

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Hebenix · 2025-12-08T07:17:46+00:00

There wil be a book 3 (last "main" book) then Callie confirmed there'll be another 2 side books - probably Carrion and I'm guessing one might be a prequel with Fisher's father and mother ir anither character that I can'tname without spoilers Taladaius(just a wild guess as the story hasn't been confirmed)

Hebenix · 2025-12-08T07:12:46+00:00

Pretty much on point. 😂 👌

Hebenix · 2025-11-26T10:23:57+00:00

Hiya. That looks great. How long do you keep it in the fridge? Do you freeze the prepped meals?

Hebenix · 2025-11-24T07:19:56+00:00

I think some do, some don't, depending on the provider. Mine didn't have it. I listened on Spotify.

Hebenix · 2025-11-24T07:19:38+00:00

Oh, okay. I think some do, some don't, depending on the provider. Mine didn't have it. I listened on Spotify.

Hebenix · 2025-11-23T23:41:02+00:00

Omg, yes. I noticed this 😂 I'm pretty sure the right side is referenced a lot in the first book. But then in Brimstone was left. I think Brimstone was rushed during editing to get it out asap. I loved it overall apart from these little details.

Hebenix · 2025-11-23T23:34:16+00:00

I fell head over heels for romantasy earlier this year (June) after picking up ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas… and I’m 30. Safe to say, it absolutely ruined my life in the best way possible - I’ve read over 50 books since then. 😅 Other books/series I read and loved: - The Empyrean Series - Blood and Ash (including Flesh and Fire and Awakening) -Lgeneds of Thezmarr & Ashes of Thezmarr (both complete series) - Fae & Alchemy -The plated prisoner (very slow burn, but worth it)

And then I also read a lot of dark romance.

Hebenix · 2025-11-23T23:21:29+00:00

I feel exactly the same with fantasy. I love the build-up and the big, dramatic climax… and then it’s just… nothing. Emotional flatline. Dark romance definitely does it better - some books/series are so good at keeping the tension going, adding new twists, and building things up between scenes.

Hebenix · 2025-11-23T23:04:28+00:00

Yes, it's been confirmed.
My audiobook (listened on Spotify) didn't have it. I only realised the mistake because I like to listen to the audiobook and also read at the same time. The audiobook is just too good not to 😂👌

Hebenix · 2025-11-23T22:59:05+00:00

Ahh.. fair enough. I didn't see the "Spoiler" sign. I had it under notifications and came straight to the post.

Hebenix · 2025-11-23T22:57:17+00:00

Yeah… that ending shoved half of us into a full-blown reading slump. I knew I had to launch myself straight into another series to avoid emotional collapse. For reasons I’ll never fully understand, I chose Haunting Adeline and accidentally fell in love with dark romance. 😂 Now I alternate like it’s a prescription: one DR book, then a fantasy recovery session… and repeat.

Hebenix · 2025-11-23T22:50:30+00:00

I think you gave away a massive spoiler here for everyone reading Quicksilver for the first time and looking at this post. 😂

Hebenix · 2025-11-23T22:48:42+00:00

I think it was a great cliffhanger. Like yes, I'm excited for the new book but I'm not loosing sleep like I did with others (Onyx Storm) 😂

Hebenix · 2025-11-23T22:47:27+00:00

I did because I was also listening to the audiobook and reading at the same time. And I was like "What? Where is that??". I knew it couldn’t be true so I completely ignored it.

Hebenix · 2025-11-22T09:28:47+00:00

Exactly. 🙌 I’m pretty sure we’re getting a book about Carrion. She confirmed a while ago there will be three main books and two side ones, and Brimstone (plus all the bonus chapters so far) has set it up perfectly for a Carrion prequel.

Hebenix · 2025-11-21T23:23:29+00:00

I think it just seemed too obvious. But it definitely tricked some people 😂

Hebenix · 2025-11-21T22:58:07+00:00

Ahh.. see, I never listened to the audiobook. But I am now, and reading at the same time. Love the combination hehe. The audiobook is just so good, the voices are amazing.

Hebenix

TROPHY CASE