I’m crazy excited to start the PH promotional tour of the first book of Blood for Blood series Vendetta by Catherine Doyle. Not only because I’ll be able to tell to all of you how good this debut novel is but also because I had a pleasure of interviewing one of the five brooding characters inside it, Luca. If you haven’t read the book yet, and haven’t met Luca here’s your chance to have a piece of his thoughts. I guarantee you, he is the best of part of this new thrilling contemporary series from Catherine. Vendetta won’t be as fun and thrilling without him. Anyway, before I gush too much about Luca, here’s the interview, I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy interviewing Luca.
Interview with Luca:
Q1. What does it mean to be part of a mafia for you? What do you think your life will be if you are not born in a family like yours?
Being part of the mafia means the same thing as being part of my family. The two are interconnected. I’ve never known anything different, so it just means getting up every day, living, breathing, doing what my father wanted me to do, what his father wanted him to do, and so on. It is what it is.
I don’t think it does much good to dwell on things than can never be, but sometimes when my mind is quiet, I do wonder about it. When I was a kid, before I understood the permanency of my life direction, I wanted to go to university, to study languages or history maybe. What kind of kid dreams about lectures and college assignments, right? I must have been the only boy who didn’t fantasize about shooting guns or driving fast cars, and yet that’s where I ended up. Life is funny sometimes.
Q2. If you were in charge for a day with your group, what is the first thing you would do as the boss?
The idea of being in charge doesn’t appeal to me. I suppose if I had to do it, I’d reign some of the older family members in, and give one person in particular a lesson in respecting the hierarchy of our family before his head gets so inflated it endangers us all. In a male-dominated order of assassins, egos can be more dangerous than guns. We can’t defend ourselves from the outside if there are cracks on the inside.
Q3. Can you give us a little peek of what’s a life with four brothers like? What’s it’s like to have a twin brother?
Having four brothers is a lot of work, especially with the ones I have, but there’s no greater feeling than being surrounded by your family. Being a twin has its ups and downs. On the one hand, Valentino and I share an unshakeable bond. We would do anything for each other. On the other hand, our roles within the family can be clouded by our closeness, and sometimes when our decisions clash it’s not a nice experience for anyone.
Q4. If you can have one more day with your Dad, what are the things you want to tell or ask him? What are the things that you’ll do together?
If I couldn’t stop him, you mean? If I couldn’t change the events of that night? I wouldn’t do anything special or extraordinary during our last day together. I wouldn’t waste our time. I’d sit with him, I’d talk to him, I’d laugh with him. I’d spend every last second of our time together listening to the sound of his voice, studying the lines on his face, remembering every facial expression, however small, so I’d never forget any part of him.
Q5. If you had to describe the day you first met Sophie in the diner using a song, what song will it be and why?
I’m not going to pick something soppy if that’s what you’re hoping for. That’s loverboy’s thing. I remember that night in the diner being incredibly annoying. We had just moved to Cedar Hill, and Nicoli and I had to go and case the place for Jack and his crew. Within five minutes, Nicoli was drooling all over Sophie instead of concentrating on what he was supposed to be doing. And she was encouraging it, blinking those big eyes too much and smiling crookedly at him. I honestly considered smashing my head off the table just to be free of the torture. It was like being sucked into the worst romantic comedy ever made. I know it wasn’t exactly her fault considering that big bubble of naivety she was living in at the time, but it was an incredibly frustrating evening for me. It’s hard to put a song to that level of exasperation. What about Secrets by One Republic? It’s about baring your secrets, which is ironic, considering we were all lying to each other that night. Or maybe Robbers by The 1975. That song comes to mind when I think about that night. I’m not even sure why. Maybe I just like the melody.
Q6. Finally, what’s new with you? What should we expect from you in the future books of Blood for Blood series?
What’s new with me? Oh, just this gaping gunshot wound. I can’t tell you what to expect from me, but I can tell you I’m going to be around, and I’m going to be my usual charming self.
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Thank you so much Luca for answering all my questions and to author Catherine Doyle for allowing him. If only we can continue the Q&A more longer but I know you need to rest too, especially with your condition. Get well soon ok? I want to see you in action in the next book.
Isn’t Luca charismatic? And here’s more, a character profile of Luca made by the author, Catherine Doyle. Just for you to have a little more idea of Luca’s appearance and background. Also, check my review of Vendetta below for more idea of the book.
About Catherine Doyle:
Catherine Doyle lives in the west of Ireland. She holds a bachelor’s degrees in psychology and a master’s degree in English from the National University of Ireland, Galway. Vendetta is her first novel. Catherine lives in Galway, Ireland.
Find Catherine
Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads
Blood Will Spill, Hearts Will Break: With a fierce rivalry raging between two warring families, falling in love is the deadliest thing Sophie could do. An epic debut set outside modern-day Chicago.
“There is beauty everywhere; even in the dark, there is light, and that is the rarest kind of all.”
Blood Will Spill, Hearts Will Break: With a fierce rivalry raging between two warring families, falling in love is the deadliest thing Sophie could do. An epic debut set outside modern-day Chicago.
For Sophie, it feels like another slow, hot summer in Cedar Hill, waitressing at her family’s diner and hanging out with her best friend Millie. But then someone moves into the long-abandoned mansion up the block–a family of five Italian brothers, each one hotter than the last. Unable to resist caramel-eyed Nicoli, Sophie finds herself falling for him — and willfully ignoring the warning signs. Why are Nic’s knuckles cut and bruised? Why does he carry an engraved switchblade? And why does his arrogant and infuriating older brother, Luca, refuse to let her see him? As the boys’ dark secrets begin to come to light, Sophie is confronted with stinging truths about her own family, too. Suddenly, she’s torn between two warring dynasties: the one she’s related to and the one she’s now in love with. She’ll have to choose between loyalty and passione. When she does, blood will spill, hearts will break. Because in this twisted underworld, dishonor can be the difference between life and death.
Personal Thoughts:
Since this post is quite pretty long than I intended to I won’t give you a run down anymore of what’s the story is about. Though the blurb doesn’t do much justice which basically tell a Romeo and Juliet type of romance, I still encourage you to read the book and find out on your own what’s the deal is about. Trust me, there’s more into Vendetta than just the romance. It is action packed and gritty to be just a romance novel.
For a newly debut author Catherine Doyle writing is pretty impressive. Vendetta is an easy flowing read. All the actions and tensions are well written. Catherine knows where to push her characters and throw some punch that will surely make the readers feel.
The romantic storyline is not overly used which I really appreciate. Because more than the tension between Nic and Sophie I’m honestly more invested to the family tension of the Falcone. It wasn’t deeply explore given that we have Sophie as the narrator, but that small peak inside the Falcone’s life is so much intriguing. I really hope that the next book will show more of that dark and grittier side of the Falcone family and the inner part of the mafia underground where they belong.
If it isn’t obvious yet from the character interview above, Luca is my guy here. But that doesn’t mean that I want him for Sophie. Nic can have Sophie, I’ll keep Luca for me instead. Seriously though, I don’t think Catherine need to use Luca as part of the romance. I’m happily contented with what she did in this first installment. So I hope she won’t make a love triangle by pushing Luca to go between Sophie and Nic. I believe Catherine can do better than that. There so much plot lines in the story she can develop without adding a romantic twist that is so predictable just to give readers more tension. I can give you a lot of ways what to do with Luca. The family issue alone is so much wider to explore, his role in his family and to the mafia group, add the whole dark underground world in the background for sure Luca can be a lot busier and useful than deal with teenagers angst.
Then we have Valentino. When Valentino showed up in the story, I was intrigue. All his talks with Sophie during their first meeting really catch my attention. It signals me that there’s so much about him that the narration isn’t telling, and that I need to watch the guy. As if he holds some secrets that will later reveal in the end. And true enough he is really a revelation. Something I didn’t see coming even I already anticipate his involvement in the matter. Catherine is quite sneaky in that one.
“This life is so complex that we rarely get to be the people we are truly meant to be. Instead, we wear masks and put up walls to keep from dealing with the fear of rejection, the feeling of regret, the very idea that someone may not love us for who we are deep in our core, that they might not understand the things that drive us.”
More than the romance and drama this book tells how hazy the lines between right and wrong is, so much that you can’t even decide who the villain in the story really is. Catherine Doyle successfully deliver an impressive debut novel in Vendetta. It is fast, entertaining, and thrilling read. Looking forward reading more about the world of mafia underground and the lovely characters inside it.
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*This review is based on a copy I received courtesy of the publisher, Sholastic Press Philippines in exchange for an honest opinion.
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