Mafiosa By Catherine Doyle
Book three in the Blood for Blood series
A review by Samantha Kelly
Hearts will be broken. Blood debts will be paid . . .
In three words: heated, climactic, brilliant! The ending of Inferno makes my mind race with possibilities; what will Sophie have to do to protect herself from the Marinos? Will she have to marry into the Falcone family to truly earn their trust and protection? What the Falcones decide is much more thrilling. Mafiosa is undoubtedly the most exhilarating book in the Blood for Blood series. Sophie must live a lie day after day, pretending she lives a normal life: going to school, attending dances and hanging out with her best friend, Millie. It’s when Sophie goes home that she must face her new reality: training with a hot-headed assassin so she can avenge her mother. Can Sophie really be a mafiosa?
With blood oaths and burning cars, it is apparent in the opening chapters that no one is safe. Felice’s temperament and questionable humour is a constant challenge for everyone living at Evelina. He relishes putting Sophie and Luca in unfavourable situations: “Do you, Persephone, in fact, love Gianluca or will you remain loyal to our beloved Nicoli”? It is when Felice begins to unravel late one night that his loyalty is truly questioned, particularly by Sophie.
The ending holds no mercy for the Marinos or the Falcones. Sophie proves that she can be fearless, without losing herself in the midst of everything. Luca, carrying more of a burden than he ever expected by stepping up to familial responsibilities, gives up any hope of a different life. However, Sophie fulfils her promise to the Falcones, and she now wants a Falcone to make a promise to her: “I would go into the darkness with you, but you won’t come into the light with me”. She is never going to go down without a fight.
With each book, Doyle becomes a better author, takes more risks and becomes a more compelling story-teller. There are occasions when I reread paragraphs because the vivid and descriptive language blows me away. With hot-headed assassins, blood oaths, forbidden romance and feuding mafia families, what’s not to like?
Rating *****