Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles

I was born a monster. Cruelty ran in my veins like poison. Raised to break others. When Aria was given to me in marriage, everyone waited with baited breath to see how fast I’d break her like my father broke his women. Breaking her would have taken little effort. It came naturally to me. I was gladly the monster everyone feared. Until her.

Born into one of the leading mob families in Chicago, Aria Scuderi struggles to find her own path in a world where no choices are given. Aria was only 15 when her parents betrothed her to Luca—The Vice—Vitiello, the oldest son of the head of the New York Cosa Nostra to ensure peace between the two families. Now at 18, the day Aria has been dreading for years is looming dangerously: her wedding to Luca. 

Dante Cavallaro’s wife died four years ago but her memory still haunts him. On the verge of becoming the youngest head in the history of the Chicago Outfit, Dante needs to remarry or risk appearing weak. Valentina is chosen for the role. She, too, lost her husband, but her first marriage has always been for show. Even after her husband’s death, Valentina carries the weight of his secrets with her - to protect the honor of a dead man and herself. With her wedding to Dante, her castle of lies threatens to crash.

When Gianna watches her older sister being forced into an arranged marriage, she promises herself to escape a similar fate. The moment Matteo - The Blade - Vitiello sees Gianna on his brother’s wedding, he wants to possess her. Her father agrees to the bond, but Gianna has no intention of marrying for any other reason than love. A few months before the wedding, Gianna runs away and begins a new life in Europe away from the mafia. But one of their best hunters and assassins is after her: Matteo.

Liliana Scuderi has been in love with Romero from the moment she first saw him. After her sisters married for tactical reasons, she hopes for a chance at true love. Then, her father promises her to a man more than twice her age. No amount of begging can make him change his mind. Romero always ignored Lily’s flirting. Her age and status made her off-limits, but even his control has its limits.

He’d never had something to himself, never even dared to dream about owning something so precious. He was the unwanted bastard son who’d always had to content himself with the leftovers of others. And now, they’d given him what only a few weeks ago had been out of his reach, someone he wasn’t even allowed to admire from afar and one of their most prized possessions.

Nobody expected them to fall in love. When Aria was given to Luca in marriage, people were sure he’d break her. Aria feared the worst from a man like him. A man without mercy. But somehow, she gained his love. Love - a weakness a capo like Luca shouldn’t risk. When Aria betrays Luca by going behind his back for her family, she realizes too late that she might have lost what she’s fought so hard to get in the first place: Luca’s trust. Can their love survive in a world of betrayal and death?

My life is a tale of betrayal. I killed so many because they betrayed our cause, because they betrayed the Outfit. A hypocrite. A liar. A murderer. That’s what I am. Five times I betrayed the Outfit. With my blood I made a vow to our cause, swore my life to it, promised to put the Outfit first. Above all else. Five times I chose a woman over the good of the Outfit. I betrayed my father. My vow. My men. You reap what you sow. Would my betrayals destroy everything I swore to protect?