Kingpin (An Italian Mafia Romance): A Bad Boy, Reunion/Second Chance, Mafia Romance

I went searching for a mafia romance book and when I read the synopsis I was really intrigued and ready to see what this author had to offer me. The story is centered around Dominic and Alannah. They meet at the age of 11 when Alanna moves from California to St. Louis due to her father being transferred because of his enlistment in the Air Force. The author painstakingly takes his time developing and building a relationship between these adolescents into their teenage years. Abruptly at the age of 15 Alanna's father is transferred again only this time to the Anchorage, Alaska. On the heels of this development Dominic's father is gunned down due to the life he leads with the mob. Up until this point I was pretty drawn into the story line. The pace was a little slow but I understood the need to see how their relationship bond grew from the time they were children until they became adults. Fast Forward 10 years later and Alannah decides that she wants to leave Alaska. Out loud to family and friends her reason for leaving the home that she made there for the past 10 years was due to a job that she applied for being offered to her and oh yeah it just so happens to be in the very city where she left her childhood sweetheart. Of course we are all aware the true reason for her returning to St. Louis and his name is Dominic. Immediately upon her arrival the two bump into each other while she is attempting to check into the hotel which so happens to be owned by Dominic's newly acquired enemy Abram. I won't go through too much more because I don't want to give away any spoilers. What caused this book to be a 3 star read was several factors. First and foremost the two childhood sweethearts enter back into one another's lives and they pick up as if no time has passed at all. There is a brief moment of awkwardness but it was as if they just effortlessly picked up where they left off. This wasn't very believable simply because they were teenagers when they last saw one another and many things had occurred in both of their lives up to that point that would have changed them as individuals. We didn't get the opportunity to witness or feel the emotional angst that they would have experienced as a result of this. The two main characters were very much one-dimensional. We only see Alannah with Dominic. We never see her on her job interacting with other women or even making new friends with co-workers that she has met on the job. At the very least I would think that the author might have included a scene in the book with Alannah running into some of her old classmates or prior boyfriends to allow us to see her interaction with other people. Dominic for all intents and purposes had to be the most unromantic guy EVER. He loved Alannah but we weren't really ever afforded the opportunity to get a good glimpse of what all of those emotions entailed for him. Here is a guy for the past 10 years has lived without any emotional entanglements or attachments to the opposite sex. Yes, he may have still carried a torch for Alannah but the likelihood that he would have just been able to slide right into a relationship without the normal growing pains that you expect to see is too unrealistic to fathom. The guys that made up Dominic's "family" didn't move like traditional mob bosses. For example the public outburst and altercation that occurred between Dominic and Frank just wouldn't have happened like that even if Dominic was distraught about a member of his crew being shot. The fact that the thought never crossed his mind to make sure that Alannah was protected at all times just doesn't track with the fact that the author made it a point to let us know how smart and intelligent he was when it came to the ways of the streets. My biggest bone of contention is what happened with Leo and his underboss. What mafia boss in the history of mafia bosses would tell his men to stand down when a known rat was scheduled to testify and put both him and his underboss away for life. Let's be real it just wouldn't happen. Lastly the fact that Dominic and his mother's relationship was virtually nonexistent also didn't track for me. Most Italian men are close to their mothers and dote on them. We don't even see Dominic's mother again after the initial scene and this just doesn't ring true when she is basically the only parent that he had left alive. Now as far as this being slated as a mafia romance, it is clearly misleading. There was one sex scene in the whole book and even that was glossed over as if the author was uncomfortable writing about the physicality of the love between Alannah and Dominic. I didn't just flat out hate this book but after reading many of the glowing 5 star reviews I expected a great deal more. I haven't completely given up on this author and my interest was piqued enough for me to continue to follow the series to see if things get better and to see who is working against Dominic in the family.~~~Chelle of Free & Chelle Book Reviews.

3.5 StarsThis was my first read of W.S. Greer's and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more books by him!Alannah Sullivan and Dominic Callazo met when they were eleven years old, when Dominic saved Alannah from a school yard bully on her first day at a new school. Quickly these two become inseparable, and an amazing friendship starts between them. Dominic is able to tell Alannah things he can't tell anyone else, and throughout the five years they are together, they become close, and then "more". Just when things start to look up for Alannah, she and her family move, and Dominic's life changes all over again.Flash forward ten years, and Alannah is back in St. Louis, and she never expected to run into Dominic on her first day back in town. Both of them have changed so much since they last saw one another, but one thing is clear, they are both desperately in love with one another. With everything that's changed, and who Dominic has become, I am surprised at how quickly Alannah excepted his life and decided to jump right in. Sure, she knew what Dominic was in to before she left all those years ago, but now that he's even more involved in the mob, that's a tough decision to make as quickly as she did.This book is told in two parts, the first part, when these two are children was written beautifully and my favorite part of the book. I felt like I could really connect to these characters and everything they were going through. My heart broke for them when Alannah had to leave and Dominic's father was killed, everything seemed so right in their world until it wasn't. The second part when they are both adults and entering each others lives again, I felt like the story wasn't as deep and had a hard time connecting with the characters. I did enjoy everything that they went through and seeing where they ended up, but I felt as if it was missing something in the second part.This is a very interesting story and I'm happy with where things ended with Alannah and Dominic, and I'm hoping there will be more books as there were so many characters in this book that I want to get to know about, especially after the epilogue we got. I need to know who that was talking and what their plans are!If you're looking for a different twist on mafia romance, then definitely consider picking up Kingpin today. It may not have been my favorite, but it was a good read that kept me entertained throughout the entire book.

This was a pretty good read. Alannah Sullivan met Dominic Collazo when they were in the 5th grade when Alannah moves from California to St. Louis due to her father being transferred because of his enlistment in the Air Force. This was a friends to lovers type of read. Alannah and her family moved again after five years and they don't see each other again for 10 years when she returns to St. Louis. I liked both of these characters. Dominic is a hot sexy mob captain. Alannah who became a nurse loved living in St. Louis so she returns. When these two come together it puts a target on her back. This was a really good read this was my first time reading this author. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Alannah is 11 when she moves to Illinois fro California. Her Dad is in the air force and she moves around a lot. She was upset about it especially since the first day didn't go well until she met Dominic. When a bully was picking on her he stood up for her. She befriended him even though the rest of the school disliked him. They became close friends after that until she had to move to Alaska her freshman year of highschool. That is when things went downhill for both of them.Fastforward 10 years later and Alannah is looking to move back to Illinois as a nurse since she loves living there. They day she gets there she runs into Dominic and it's almost like they pick up where they left off. However, he is now a captain in the mob. Alannah always knew his Dad was involved in the mob. Things start to get heated for Dominic which puts her in the line of fire.Will Alannah be able to live with him knowing what he does? Will Dominic the bachelor change his ways for her

Saw this book advertised and thought I would give it a try. The beginning of the book is basically explaining how Alannah and Dom meet and how they strike up a friendship. I started to read and due to the depth of the story at the beginning I almost gave up. I started looking at further chapters to see how long it would be until the story for me started to liven up. When the story did I was a little disappointed. There are too many people mentioned and I had to keep going back to see who was who. I will be reading the next book as the chemistry between the main characters is really good. Just too in depth in places for my liking though.

This was a first from this author for me and I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to reading part 2.I like the story line, the relationship / bond between Dominic and Alanna. I am really curious to see how they survive and make out as a couple while dealing with the drama of Dominic's other family life.The only thing I knocked a star of for was there was a little repetition of statements but even though it was noticeable(to me at least) it wasn't major. However, the way it ended drove me mad. I hate when I'm left feeling bereft. But it just means I have to hurry up and read the next one.All in all enjoyable story now I'm going to see if part two is out yet. Until next time peace love and happy reading y'all.

This was a good read, I'm not sure where this is going, I can take a guess but I'm not sure I will enjoy it, so I think for me I will leave this one in a high note. Many thanks to the author for a true romance that was well balanced and very much enjoyed.

Its an ok read, but its a bit childish at times. I did like th plot that had potential it was to to an fro of the characters. Then as soon as she came back they jump strait back in to something, she knows what he does for a living then she runs off, and then she lets him back in to her house and life and when he becomes the head of the mafia family they then have a safe life, yeah right.

Great mafia book, I've not read many but love the premise of first love reconnecting with the mafia background. Looking forward to reading the next one