Vendetta (Blood for Blood #1)

I want the next book now! Since it’s not available in a kindle edition, I have to wait for it to arrive in the mail. At least it has already been written, and the third book is being released soon. This story is my new obsession. I’ve never been a big fan of mafia stories, but I love this one.

When I read the description, I thought it was going to be more of a flirtation between Sophie and the five brothers. The story began humorously with funny interactions between Sophie and her best friend. When she met the first brother, it was in a cliche way involving both being caught spying on him and falling down. I very much enjoyed the creepy setting though. I did, however, expect the story to keep being predictably cliche.

That is how it continued to be on the surface with the insta-love, or at least lust. There was barely a hint of something else developing, although I instantly hoped for it as soon the second brother was introduced. The author threw in a curve ball with the remaining three brothers by not adhering to physical perfection. They weren’t all going to be vying for her after all. Valentino was particularly intriguing with his singular personality. I found him to be much more exciting than Nic, and I might have shipped him with Sophie if things had turned out differently.

This author is very sneaky with how she set up this story. She presented it one way, and then she slowly and subtly started to undermine the cliche. I did a happy dance at the end when it was hinted that what I was hoping for might happen as the story continues. Boy did s*** get real before then. I wasn’t expecting that much violence. I also wasn’t expecting that shocking reveal.

I appreciated that the author didn’t make all the henchmen a bunch of goons. There was variation and complexity in their personalities, which made them more chilling. Sophie was so idealistic in comparison that I wanted to snap her out of it at one point. I imagine that she will have quite a character arc by the time this series ends. I can’t wait to read more!

This was an impulse buy. Saw it in the store, knew nothing about the author, and picked it up just because I thought the story sounded interesting enough. I had buyers remorse directly afterwards. Did I really spend $20 on a book without reading reviews or doing any research? The only thing that kept me from returning it was I felt general excitement at the prospect of reading this story. So I kept it and a month later I finally read it. Throughout this whole experience I realized that as much as I love blogging and being part of the online book community, sometimes it effects what books I buy. I dont go into the bookstore anymore just to browse around and make impulse purchases. Instead, I go in like a woman on a mission, grabbing the things on my list. I rely on a few trusted bloggers to color my opinions of certain books and Im beginning to wonder if maybe I should take a break from reading other reviews. In part, I have Catherine Doyle and Vendetta, to thank for opening my eyes to the fact that its still okay to browse, and thats how you sometimes find real gems. Enough about that though: on to the review!

What I liked: This book is full of positives. I mean really, really full of them. So full of them, I finished it in the span of two nights during my last week of finals teaching/tutoring. The story completely enraptured me from the first page. Doyle begins with a mystery and ends just as mysteriously. From the moment I opened the book she had me hooked as I was curious to know why our main character Sophie (or Persephone which is her much hated birth name) father is in prison. She seems like a normal enough girl, too normal to have a dad behind bars, and so I waited and waited for the mystery to be solved. When that was solved, another sprung into its place. Who were the mysterious and seriously hot boys who moved into town? These mysterious became interwoven, interlaced, and entangled, until I thought I would go crazy with anticipation if I didnt uncover them soon. Im a mystery lover and when it is done correctly it makes for a wonderful read. Catherine Doyle knows how to write a mystery. My second praise for this book was in the romance between Nic and Sophie. There werent a ton of scenes where the two interacted and somehow their relationship was not the central focus of the books, yet I was totally captured by their intensity. Nic is my perfect book boyfriend. Little bit of danger, little bit of the good guy, and lots of protective instinct. He can rescue me from the clutches of evil overlords any day of the week. The passion between Sophie and Nic is subtle but intense. Doyle spends a lot of time building little moments between the two into big moments.

What I didnt like: Wasnt crazy about the ending. I have so many questions and it just kind of cuts. I needed more. My biggest contention was that no one called the mafia thing from day one. Lets get out our mafia check list and see if these boys fit. Italian (Check) Super Intense/Kind of Dangerous (Check) Carry knives (Check) Know how to break and enter (Check) Live in a Big Creepy Mansion (Check) DING DING we have winners. Come on town of Cedar Hill, get it together.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and Im so glad I trusted my instincts. It was a stellar read with a very intense plot. 4/5

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3.5

I shall not lie, I unashamedly judge books by their covers. And the cover for Vendetta was not doing it for me. At best, it looked like a sappy high school reads. To say I was hesitant to touch this one is a vast understatement.
But I was surprised. Catherine Doyle obviously has a knack for writing, and brings humour to book that could’ve been very dark otherwise. A fast-paced read with likeable characters, needless to say, I couldn’t put it down.

Persophone ‘Sophie’ Gracewell,
I felt that a lot of the choices she made was to push the plot along.

Luca
I have high hopes for Luca…dont let me down!
[I felt that Luca’s character was better developed than Nic. While Nic was too busy mooning over his ‘twu luv’, Luca wasn’t afraid to take action.

3.5

I shall not lie, I unashamedly judge books by their covers. And the cover for Vendetta was not doing it for me. At best, it looked like a sappy high school reads. To say I was hesitant to touch this one is a vast understatement.
But I was surprised. Catherine Doyle obviously has a knack for writing, and brings humour to book that could’ve been very dark otherwise. A fast-paced read with likeable characters, needless to say, I couldn’t put it down.

Persophone ‘Sophie’ Gracewell,
I felt that a lot of the choices she made was to push the plot along.

How I see Sophie:

description

Luca
I have high hopes for Luca…dont let me down!
[I felt that Luca’s character was better developed than Nic. While Nic was too busy mooning over his ‘twu luv’, Luca wasn’t afraid to take action. (hide spoiler)]

How I see Luca:

description

Nicoli
Ugh, don’t get me started on him. It’s not that I didn’t like him, it was more that I was indifferent towards him. He was the definition of a modern day Romeo, an angst teenage hero that would spent the entire book brooding over his feelings. But he never actually did anything about his feelings. He’d just brood. And, I don’t think he’d made a good mafia man either, tbh.

The cons:
Insta-love had to rear it’s ugly head in this book. The moment Sophie laid eyes on Nic she was in love. Where is the slow-burning romance that made me feel? Physical attraction was the basis of their relationship. As readers, we are told that we are supposed to love Nic because he is handsome. More pages are devoted to describing the colour of his eyes rather than his character. As a result, their relationship felt like a summer fling. It did not feel real.

I will be reading the second book, and cheering for Sophie to end up with Lucca. (I also want to read more about Millie–favourite YA best friend ever!)

You can find this review, and others on my blog:
https://dearwildernessblog.wordpress….

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This book was literally thrown into my hands by a fellow book blogger, as we browsed the shelves of a book store, who demanded I read it asap. To be honest I was a bit wary as I am more a fantasy/paranormal kind of girl than a mystery/thriller kind. Plus the cover didnt really sell it for me either (I know bad for judging a book by its cover). But my friend was adamant that I would love it! So off I went to the self-service check out and made my purchase. It was probably one of the best book buys I have made this year. I sat down when I got home with this book and a cup of tea. I didnt even drink the tea. It was left to cool as I was gripped from the first page and thrown into a world of love, mystery and revenge. Next thing I knew it was past midnight and I was closing the book as I read the final age. It has been an awfully long time since I have read a book in one sitting, which just shows how enthralled this book had me.

So what this book is about? Basically we meet sweet Sophie who spends most of her time in school or working at the diner she will inherit when she turns 18. However when five brothers move into a house that had long been abandoned things start to get interesting. Or I should I say complicated. However, this doesnt stop Sophie being drawn to gorgeous Nicoli despite it leading her into complete chaos.

The characters in this book are so dynamic and I dare you not to be drawn in by the Falcone brothers. I mean there are five of them. Just imagine it. Five gorgeous, Italian guys moving into your town. I think its probably every girls dream. Especially since they seemed to fall into speaking Italian every now and then. Seriously my heart beats faster just thinking about it. Although I cant tell you if I love or hate them. Especially Luca. My feelings towards him changed more times than me picking an outfit on a Saturday night. I am definitely looking forward to reading the second in the series. Hopefully it will reveal Lucas true intentions.

In simple terms this book is dynamic, thrilling and an all around stunning read.

If someone throws a book at me and says, modern day Romeo and Juliet, Im sold. I bought Vendetta with increasing excitement, and quickly sat down to read it.

And I did enjoy it. It didnt blow me away, but it was a quick, easy read. Easy except for a few key points, which were quite shocking and visceral. Barry Cunningham of Chicken House mentions that the book is like watching a movie, and I have to agree. The book is fast-paced and filled with action as youd expect from a book about a criminal underworld.

Sophie was wonderful as a character, but the most surprising character was Luca; I really didnt think Id like him as much as I ended up doing. I also had a soft spot for Valentino; Im a sucker for soft-spoken, intellectual guys.

What I will say is that at points the book, even though fast-paced, had a few moments where it seemed to lag. I found myself almost skimming at those points but overall, the book is a great young adult book, with a fresh new voice to add to the young adult fiction world.

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