Italian Family

An Italian family caught up in World War Two and all the drama the war created in their lives and the lives of their countrymen. A few years after the war my family moved to America and brought their bakery business with them. That was the beginning of a roller coaster ride that lasted three decades.

Maxim I am a man who plans his every move. I arranged this marriage so I can get the money and power my father lost. And I always get what I want. I’m not interested in anything as sweet as love. My plan is simple — take over my city and claim my bride. Except Maria is not interested in playing by my rules. Maria I’ve been keeping my head down, playing the good girl my whole life. Now I’m thrown in the deep end of a mafia war. Maxim is nothing like the monstrous brute I was expecting. He makes me feel alive again. We barely says our vows before all hell breaks loose. And once I ...

When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn’t just Katy’s mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: to Positano, the magical town where Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.

A writer who's blocked - I'm a total cliche. Lucky for me, my agent has a cure that's an even bigger stereotype - a month at her villa in Tuscany, with nothing to do but find my muse. When he walks right in the front door, adorable son in tow, it feels like fate has finally done for me what it does for every other cliched girl I've seen in the movies. Except that he's completely off-limits. In this case, business and pleasure can never mix. Because Claudio is my agent's ex.

Workaholic, career-obsessed Francesca is fiercely independent and successful in all areas of life except one: family. She struggles to make time for her relationship with her teenage daughter, Allegra, and the two have become practically strangers to each other. When Allegra hangs out with a new crowd and is arrested for drug possession, Francesca gives in to her mother's wish that they take one epic summer vacation to trace their family roots in Italy. What she never expected was to be faced with the choice of a lifetime....

In Windy City Mafia: The Chicago Outfit, retired detective and Gangland Wire podcast host Gary Jenkins dives into his extensive audio archives to bring readers some of the most captivating stories from over 300 episodes. Jenkins recounts notorious tales such as "Al Capone on the Golf Course" and "The Trial of Al Capone," revealing lesser-known details like Al Capone's golf games with Machine Gun Jack McGurn and Fred "Killer" Burke. The book also covers more recent figures in the Outfit, including Anthony "Joe Batters" Accardo's rise from Frank Nitti's enforcer to the boss of the Chicago ...

Travel with Bret Thoman on this hilarious and touching romp as he narrates his lifelong journey from his American upbringing to a new life in Italy. Written with passion, humor, and candor, this book masterfully captures the heart, soul, and spirit of Italy and the Italians as he navigates the wonder and craziness of this new Italian life. Initially drawn to Florence to study the language and explore his Italian ancestry, he feels a lure to the less touristy South. In the slower half of Italy, dialects are spoken, America is still revered, and lazy lunches are the high point of the day. In ...

Marked by vengeance, branded as mine—Lucia Terlizzi will be the key to my revenge. Dante Terlizzi has to pay. Two years ago, he broke his betrothal to my sister. Two months ago, his brother stole the bride meant for my best hitman. There’s an unwritten rule about family members and children… But f*ck the rules. Lucia is the baby of the Terlizzi family. Now I’m going to put my baby in her. We’ll see how Dante likes it when I take what’s his. I’ll dress his pretty little sister in the finest clothes. I’ll shower her in diamonds and jewels. I’ll make Dante regret ever double ...

When Elizabeth drops her beloved only daughter off at college, she holds back the tears…fighting her worries about an empty nest with the thought of all the adventures that she and her husband Joel can now enjoy together. But as soon as they sit down to eat dinner that evening, Joel drops a bombshell. He wants a break. Searching for an escape, Elizabeth discovers an apartment in Rome that is only available for three months rental to ‘an English woman of a certain age’.

In a world ruled by power, loyalty, and deadly secrets, three women find themselves trapped in the dark embrace of the Bianchi crime family. But love in the mafia is never simple—it’s ruthless, relentless, and comes at a price. His Dark Possession – When a widow with a deadly past is forced into an arranged marriage with Antonio Bianchi, she knows one thing—survival means keeping her secrets buried. But Antonio isn’t a man who tolerates deception, and once he claims her, there’s no turning back. His Savage Obsession – Their families are sworn enemies, but that doesn’t stop ...

Lively widow Varina Paladino has lived in the same house in Wyldale, New Jersey, her entire life. The town might be slightly stuck in the 1960s, when small businesses thrived and most residents were Italian, but its population is getting younger and the Paladinos are embracing the change. What Varina’s not embracing, much to her ninety-two-year-old mother’s dismay, is dating. Running Paladino’s Italian Specialties grocery, caring for her mother, and keeping her large, loud Jersey Italian family from killing one another takes up all of Varina’s energy anyway.

She's the temptation he can't resist Gina Leonardi is seventeen and romantic. She wants to be an ordinary girl with an ordinary life, but it’s next to impossible—her family is in the Mafia. She desperately fights for her rights, mutinying against the world where men treat women like accessories. He's everything she hates Renzo Castellano is twenty-nine. He's a true Cosa Nostra. He has no room for sentiments in his life because business always comes first for him. Taking care of a rebellious teenage girl is the last thing he wants. A chance encounter shatters their worlds because it’s ...

The police chief calls me a thug, but soon he’s going to be calling me his son-in-law. Chief Jackson knows not to mess with the Valenti family. When he tries to frame me for murder, I start plotting my revenge. The only person that hates the police chief more than me is his daughter. But she makes the perfect collateral. I’m going to take everything from the Chief, even his family line. When she’s pregnant with my baby, he’ll stop his useless investigations. Family means everything to me. And Calliope Jackson is my family from now on. Possessive Captor is the first book in The ...

As a rebellious teenager, Honey managed to escape her father’s circle of influence and reinvent herself in a world of art and beauty, working for a high-end auction house in Los Angeles. Now in her twilight years, she decides to return home and unexpectedly falls in love. But in her family, nothing has changed. When her grandnephew Michael bursts into her life in what appears to be a drug-fueled frenzy, and her Lexus gets jacked, it’s hard to keep minding her own business. As old cruelties begin to resurface, Honey is no longer sure what she really wants—to forgive or to avenge.

My husband, my enemy. My brother, the idiot, racked up gambling debts to the Romano family. He can't pay them and neither can our father. I've only got one thing to trade and my father will do anything to make sure this deal goes through. Nicholas Romano will forgive the debts in exchange for me. All my family's problems go away as soon as he claims me as his bride. But I'm no shrinking violet and I've got conditions of my own. First, we need to date like a normal couple because I am not marrying a stranger. I say yes after a short courtship, but the kind, romantic, thoughtful man who ...

Giovanna’s pretty face is changing, turning ugly, at least so her father thinks. Giovanna, he says, is looking more like her Aunt Vittoria every day. But can it be true? Is she really changing? Will she turn out like her despised Aunt Vittoria, a woman she hardly knows but whom her mother and father have spent their whole lives avoiding and deriding? There must be a mirror somewhere in which she can see herself as she truly is.

They had it all -- love, privacy, security... Until betrayal and lies forced them apart. Now, seven years later, Charli is on the run with her young son. Their lives are at stake, and the only ones who can help her are Tek and Nico, the brothers she burned so long ago. Thrown together by fate, they'll need to learn to trust each other again if any of them are to survive! Charli Capelli - A strong, fierce woman, determined not to let anything stand in the way of saving her son from a life of violence. Tek Lauro - Brilliant and intense, his silence masks a rage that time hasn't dimmed. Nico ...

Seventy-five-year-old Ronnie has made it her mission to help women of a certain age rediscover themselves. The owner of a palazzo in Rome, she has left her troubled past behind and reinvented herself in the most beautiful city in the world. And now she helps other women to do the same. Renting out her spare apartment for three months at a time, Ronnie invites her guests to take on a series of challenges that will help them to embrace beauty and joy, to rediscover themselves and to live their lives to the fullest. But Ronnie’s confident exterior hides heartbreak and closely held secrets.

My family’s empire is crumbling as the feds close in. And the woman I can’t let go of might be our greatest betrayal. I'm caught in a web of lies and betrayal. Every move I make could be my last. Trust is a luxury I can't afford. But the truth? The truth might destroy us all. There's a rat in our family. The feds are closing in. And a secret that could change everything. I have to choose: Loyalty to my blood, Or a chance at redemption. The clock is ticking. The stakes have never been higher. And I'm running out of time. Who will survive when the dust settles? Only one way to find out.

If I knew he was Mafia…I would’ve never sat next to him. If I knew he’d be my captor…I would’ve never slept with him. And if I knew he’d be my savior...I wouldn’t have ever betrayed him. After the murder of my father and fearing I’m next, My cousin arranges a safe haven in New York until the killers are found. Flying first class, I’m seated next to Stefano Nitti. Tatted from the neck down, this bad boy is looking delicious. Confidence dances in his eyes as he flashes a sinful smile, And begins a playful banter that’s hard to ignore. He’s charismatic and witty, With a ...