By Any Other Name
(Forbidden Series Book One)
By USA TODAY Bestselling Author J.M. Darhower
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: February 23rd, 2015
Synopsis
A deadly rivalry.
Two families at war.
Nobody is safe, not even the innocent.
Especially the innocent.
Blood will be spilled.
Genevieve “Genna” Galante knows a thing or two about causing trouble. After all, it’s engrained in her DNA. As the only daughter of Primo Galante, notorious boss of the Galante crime family, her life is dictated by a certain set of rules… rules Genna was never very good at following.
Matteo “Matty” Barsanti never wanted anything to do with the family business, but as the first-born Barsanti son, certain things are expected of him. It’s his duty, according to his father, to help take down the enemy… even if that enemy means something to him.
A chance encounter on an elevator changes the course of lives, causing the biggest trouble of Genna’s young life. The only good Barsanti is a dead Barsanti. She’s heard it said time and time again. So what happens when she falls in love with one of them?
The story of star-crossed lovers caught in the middle of the biggest rivalry New York has ever seen, determined to make it… if only they can survive their parents’ feud.
Review
The son pays for the father’s sins
Or, in the case of Matty Barsanti and Genna Galante, the main characters of J.M. Darhower’s newest release, By Any Other Name, the children suffer due to two men choosing power over friendship…money and status over a bond that should have united two families instead of creating a feud that can only be won with bloodshed and destruction.
By Any Other Name is a modern day mafia Romeo and Juliet. But it’s so much more than that. I have to admit…I was a bit hesitant to read it because I’m a high school English teacher who has taught Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for the last six years, four times a day, and I could only handle so much angst and flippant statements of suicide. Don’t get me wrong the idea of star crossed lovers and an all consuming love are intriguing concepts, but I guess I’m just a bit jaded with the whole concept due to the reactions of contemporary students to the play. I should have known, though, that J.M. Darhower would never ascribe to a cookie cutter interpretation of a canonical text; regardless of the kind of world she creates or the backdrop she uses for her texts, J.M. Darhower’s writing and her creation of multifaceted characters is what sets her apart from other authors, and it’s what makes her one of my must read authors.
The Prodigal Son and the Ice Princess…the Geeky Gangster and Medusa…Barsanti and Galante
These terms may all be ways to describe Matty and Genna, but they definitely don’t define who they are nor do they deter, especially from Matty’s perspective, their desire to be together, consequences be damned.
From the start, without knowing who each other truly is, their hearts speak to one another and their need to feel like they are more than their last names drives them to take risks that could very well get them killed. But it’s a risk they soon learn they’re willing to take because they give each other something that’s beyond boundaries and loyalties; it’s all consuming and it’s just theirs – well at least until all hell breaks loose once their relationship is found out.
Matty and Genna are extremely well developed characters whose very natures show how great the costs are when it comes to being a part of a Mafia family. Since he was 7 years old, Matty’s life has been filled with loss, and it’s tainted him to the life his father wants him to lead. He’s never been a true part of the business nor does he want to be, which further complicates the idea of family duty. Matty’s relationship with his mother is the driving force for his return and it puts him in unnerving situations, but through it all, he holds true to himself and remains the man who does what he wants because it’s what’s best for him.
Genna’s a bit of a loose cannon; she loves her family but feels stifled in the protective lifestyle that’s been dictated for her. She’s looking for warmth in her cold world, and she finds that in the arms of her sworn enemy. Her relationship with her brother is of absolute necessity to her, but she doesn’t want him as her babysitter; she wants him to be someone she can tell all of her secrets to, even the ones he might not want to hear.
By Any Other Name is a story about honor, obligation and sacrifice; it’s one that explores the true characteristics of love – love of family, love of self, and a perfect love in a wholly imperfect situation. It’s heart breaking, heart stopping, and heart melting, and it’s only the first book in a new series, which has be beyond excited to see where J.M. Darhower is going to take the Barsanti and Galante families.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 poison apples
Teaser
“A Roman Coke,” Genna mused. “What’s that?”
“It’s rum and Coke. We just call it a Roman Coke around here.”
“Because you’re Italian?”
“And because when you get drunk enough, it all just slurs together anyway.”
“Ah.” Genna picked hers up, motioning toward him with it. “So what are we drinking to?”
“Today.”
“Today?”
He nodded. “Right now, this moment. Let’s drink to it.”
Smiling, she clinked her glass with his. “Today, then.”
They threw them back at the same time. The liquor hit Genna’s taste buds and she grimaced, the vicious burn seeping down her throat and settling deep in her chest. “Ugh, is there even any Coke in this damn thing?”
Matty laughed, setting his empty glass down. “Just a splash.”
“I couldn’t tell.”
“That’s because I prefer it that way,” he responded. “Strong and rough, enough to leave a lingering ache. I like it to hurt just a bit.”
Oh good God. Those words sent a chill down Genna’s spine, one she couldn’t hide, as Matty waved for the waitress. Eyes never leaving Genna, he ordered another round of drinks.
“Another?” she asked, picking up the water to take another sip, this one to soothe the sting in her chest. “You said one drink.”
A sly smile curved his lips. “I like to keep them coming.”
“Is that right?”
“Absolutely.” Matty stood, leaning across the table, his lips near her ear. “Maybe you’ll let me show you later.”
About the Author
J.M. Darhower is a USA Today bestselling author, best known for her Mafia romantic suspense novels. She lives in a tiny town in rural North Carolina, where she churns out more words than will ever see the light of day. She has a deep passion for politics and speaking out against human trafficking, and when she isn’t busy writing (or being a fangirl) she’s usually ranting about those things.
Author’s links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmdarhower
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JMDarhower
Website: http://www.jmdarhower.com/
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