Bound By Honor

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 fifteen 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 with eighteen, the day Aria has been dreading for years is looming dangerously: her wedding to Luca. Aria is terrified of marrying a man she hardly knows, especially someone like Luca who got his nickname 'the Vice' for crushing a man's throat with his bare hands. Luca might be one of the most sought after men in New York thanks to his good looks, wealth and predator-like charisma that radiates power, but the society girls throwing themselves at him don't know what Aria does: that the bad boy aura isn't just a game; blood and death lurk beneath Luca's striking gray eyes and arrogant smile.In her world a handsome exterior often hides the monster within; a monster who can just as easily kill as kiss you.The only way to escape the marriage to Luca would be to run away and leave everything she's ever known behind but Aria can't bear the thought of never seeing her family again. Despite her fear, she decides to go through with the marriage; Aria has grown up among predators like Luca and knows that even most cold-hearted bastards have a heart and she has every intention of working her way into Luca's.!Mature content!Books in the Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles:Bound By Honor Bound By DutyBound By Hatred

In April of 1972, SEAL Lieutenant Tom Norris risked his life in an unprecedented ground rescue of two American airmen who were shot down behind enemy lines in North Vietnam, a feat for which he would be awarded the Medal of Honor--an award that represents the pinnacle of heroism and courage. Just six months later, Norris was sent on a dangerous special reconnaissance mission that would take his team deep into enemy territory. On that mission, they engaged a vastly superior force. In the running gun battle that ensued, Lieutenant Norris was severely wounded; a bullet entered his left eye and exited the left side of his head. SEAL Petty Officer Mike Thornton, under heavy fire, fought his way back onto a North Vietnamese beach to rescue his officer. This was the first time Tom and Mike had been on a combat mission together. Mike's act of courage and loyalty marks the only time in modern history that the Medal of Honor has been awarded in a combat action where one recipient received the Medal for saving the life of another. By Honor Bound is the story of Tom Norris and Mike Thornton, two living American heroes who grew up very differently, entered military service and the Navy SEAL teams for vastly different reasons, and were thrown together for a single combat mission--a mission that would define their lives from that day forward.

No one can tell the true story of the Mafia in America better than Bill Bonanno. He was there. He lived it. Bill Bonanno was born into a world of respect, tradition, and honor. The son of legendary mafioso Joe Bonanno, Bill was a "made" member of the Mafia by the time he was in his early twenties. He was rumored to be the model for The Godfather's Michael Corleone and was the subject of Gay Talese's best-selling Honor Thy Father. Now retired, Bill is finally ready to give an eyewitness account of his life as a high-ranking captain in the Bonanno crime family, one of America's most powerful Mafia syndicates. He takes you inside the mob at its peak, when New York's Five Families-Bonanno, Gambino, Colombo, Lucchese, and Genovese-not only dominated local businesses, but also controlled national politics. For the first time, Bill Bonanno discloses the machinations behind his marriage to Rosalie Profaci (niece of the powerful don Joe Profaci), and even that cemented the alliance between the two Families with all the pomp and circumstance of a royal wedding. From the truth about the mysterious disappearance of his father to a startling disclosure about he mob's participation in the Kennedy assassination, Bill Bonanno lays bare the inner workings of his chaotic, violent, and surprisingly human world with unparalleled detail and insight. Bound By Honor not only recounts Bill Bonanno's tumultuous life, but also is an engrossing chronicle of organized crime. Bonanno's story provides a remarkable glimpse into all of the intriguing personalities of the underworld of yesterday to today, from Bugsy Siegel to John Gotti. This book is a must for readers of Mario Puzo, Gay Talese, Nicholas Pileggi, and others who have written abut the Mafia, but who have never been in the eye of the storm in quite the same way as Bill Bonanno in Bound By Honor.

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. The trust of a man who never allowed himself to trust someone unconditionally before. Can their love survive in a world of betrayal and death?

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Russians from all ranks of society were bound together by a culture of honor. Here one of the foremost scholars of early modern Russia explores the intricate and highly stylized codes that made up this culture. Nancy Shields Kollmann describes how these codes were manipulated to construct identity and enforce social norms—and also to defend against insults, to pursue vendettas, and to unsettle communities. She offers evidence for a new view of the relationship of state and society in the Russian empire, and her richly comparative approach enhances knowledge of statebuilding in premodern Europe. By presenting Muscovite state and society in the context of medieval and early modern Europe, she exposes similarities that blur long-standing distinctions between Russian and European history.Through the prism of honor, Kollmann examines the interaction of the Russian state and its people in regulating social relations and defining an individual's rank. She finds vital information in a collection of transcripts of legal suits brought by elites and peasants alike to avenge insult to honor. The cases make clear the conservative role honor played in society as well as the ability of men and women to employ this body of ideas to address their relations with one another and with the state. Kollmann demonstrates that the grand princes—and later the tsars—tolerated a surprising degree of local autonomy throughout their rapidly expanding realm. Her work marks a stark contrast with traditional Russian historiography, which exaggerates the power of the state and downplays the volition of society.

Born in BloodSworn in Blood......isn't only the motto the Famiglia lives by. Bleeding for love is something every couple in this book has experienced. Through hardships their love morphs into something even more beautiful and resilient. A love each of them is willing to fight for.This anthology contains stories for the following couples: Aria & LucaRomero & LilianaGrowl & CaraMauro & StellaMatteo & Gianna

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. Valentina fears the wedding night might reveal her secret, but her worries prove unfounded when Dante ignores her. Soon, her fear turns to confusion and anger. Valentina is tired of being ignored. She's determined to get Dante's attention and desire, even if she can't get his heart that still belongs to his dead wife.

For all the woman who knew there was another side to the Sheriff of Nottingham . . . Maid Marian, now Lady of Leaford, is sent to the court of Prince John—not to take part in the dark debauchery of his Court of Pleasure, but to spy on him for the queen. Yet, unbeknownst to Marian, this secret mission will thrust her into a whirlwind of intrigue, terror, and the most carnal of temptations. At court, Marian is torn between her duty to the queen and her desire for two men: one, the mysterious highwayman the peasants call Robin Hood, and the other, the dark, cold Sheriff of Nottingham. Yet Marian finds she cannot escape the hedonistic carnality of Prince John's court in order to fulfill her duty to the queen. Bound by her honor, Marian’s wits—and loyalties—are put to the test . . . but in the end, there is only one man for whom she will risk her life and give her heart. "Inventive and steamy and clever all at once." —M. J. Rose on Master From the acclaimed author of Unmasqued and Master comes a new twist on the beloved legend . . . A Robin Hood story filled with intrigue, desire, and lust. "Erotically wicked! Spellbinding!" —Bertrice Small on Unmasqued

GrowlHe'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, one of their most prized possessions. Thrown at his feet because he was who he was, because they were certain he would break her. He was her punishment, a fate worse than death, a way to deliver the ultimate punishment to her father who had displeased them so greatly.CaraShe had always been the good girl. It didn't protect her.She didn't know his real name. People called him Growl to his face, and the Bastard behind his back. Both were names he couldn't possibly have chosen for himself. His eyes were empty, a mirror to throw back her own fear at her. He was a brutal hand of the Las Vegas Camorra.And now she was at his mercy.

For Honor is a swashbuckling, action-packed, spies-against-spies adventure set in 17th-century France, with a spirited young heroine and musketeers bound by personal honor.