To read an interview with Ginger Ring, please see the September issue of Uncaged Book Reviews.
Crossing Roman
Ginger Ring
Mafia Romance/Suspense
Madison Miller is a small town girl with big dreams, but years of running her mother’s bridal business has put a damper on that…
Madison is weary of planning other people’s dream weddings and ready to find a man of her own—when a sudden encounter with a handsome visitor leaves her world spinning. He’s all she can think about, but the son of a mafia boss is not the kind of man she’d had in mind. She wonders how being involved with him might impact her life—and the lives of those she cares about.
Roman Caponelli is looking to expand his family’s business on the legitimate side—not the mafia side—and perhaps find a little romance…
Roman is captivated with Madison, but this local beauty wants nothing to do with a criminal like him. Madison said no to him once, and come hell or high water she won’t deny him again—and if he has to use mob tactics to make that happen, so be it. Roman sets out, determined to win the only woman who has kept his interest for more than one night.
Madison is everything he wants in a woman, and he will stop at nothing…
Not until the entire town knows that Crossing Roman is not an option.
Excerpt
Madison wearing nothing but a towel was not what he’d been expecting to find when he walked through the door of her house and barged into her bathroom. Her thick hair had been up in the back. Loose curly strands gently framed her face. A girly fragrance floated in the air. Her golden skin was still damp from her bath and dewy drops of water streamed down in areas not yet touched by the towel she gripped tightly. So tight, in fact, that her breasts threatened to spill over the top. He knew she had long legs but never dreamed they would be this shapely. Even her toes were sexy, red polish dotting the ends. Growing aroused, he knew he needed to leave, now.
Arlo was supposed to have had her packed, ready to go, and out of here. Instead he decided to pack her things first. Give her time to finish her bath, Arlo had explained, trying to ease the tension. He knew Roman would be pissed as shit when he had to come out here.
Hell, he didn’t have time for this. She was a distraction and one he couldn’t afford. He was going to keep her safe and find out who was behind the destruction of her shop. Or the bigger picture in the scheme of things, find out who might be moving into their territory.
Roman wanted her, needed her, but it was not the time for that. Things had been so much simpler when they first met last fall. It was important to keep his head in the game. Making her his own would have to wait.
“Get dressed now.” It was best to remain angry at her right now, but desire and possession overtook him. He wanted her and damn everything else to hell. His fingers itched to rip the towel from her body. Roman had to get out of here before he took her slippery and wet up against the bathroom wall. That was definitely not how he wanted their first time together to be.
“Don’t order me around. Get out of my house.” Her deep blue eyes were wide and her cheeks pink and flushed. He secretly hoped it was because of him and not her recent soak in the tub.
“You’re coming with me.” He stepped out of the bathroom to address Arlo and gain relief from the tightening in his pants.
“Do you have her things packed yet?” he barked.
Arlo stood perplexed in front of her closet, a sweater in one hand and a pair of sweatpants in the other. If Roman wasn’t in such a hurry, the sight of Arlo trying to figure out what to put in her suitcase would have had him bent over in laughter, but this was serious and knowing Madison was only in a towel in the next room made him hot all over again.
“Uh, it might be best if she picked out her own stuff.” His best friend had never looked so stressed.
Poking his head back into the bathroom, he narrowly missed being beamed by a roll of toilet paper. Madison still hadn’t moved. “That’s all you’ve got, sweetheart?” He smirked and leaned against the broken door frame.
“Get out.” She screamed and whipped a jar of lotion at his head. This time, he wasn’t as fast. The container cracked him right on the bone below his eye. That would surely leave a mark. He raised his fingers to his now throbbing cheek. Damn, that hurt.
Roman exhaled, feeling his cheekbone throb and counted to ten in his head. Wandering back in her bedroom, he spied a robe on the bed. Determined, he grabbed the robe and headed to the bathroom for the last time.
“You have two choices. Either put on this robe or keep the towel. One way of the other, you are leaving with me in ten seconds.” His eyes narrowed. “You decide.”
Madison stepped closer, reaching cautiously for the robe. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, everything went black. What the hell? Roman was blinded by soft fleece and small hands thrust at his chest. Madison had thrown the robe over his head and pushed. His shoes slipped on the water soaked floor and he fell back against the tub just narrowly missing landing in the water. “Son of a…” He cursed, flinging the robe from his head.
“Arlo, grab her.” Roman’s voice was at an ominous low.
Regaining his feet, Roman rushed after her. Arlo had her by the arm, stopping her. There was no escape now.
“Put her things in the car. We’ll be right out,” Roman snapped.
Arlo, happy to get the hell out of there, released her, grabbed her haphazardly filled bags, and left the room in a hurry.
Madison stood proudly before Roman, smug and defiant. She wasn’t giving an inch, and he couldn’t help but admire her will.
He held the robe out one last time. “Like I said, we are leaving, so wear this or go naked. I don’t care.”
In a stunning display of defiance, the beautiful woman in front of him narrowed her eyes. Dramatically, she dropped the towel. His heart stopped and the front of his pants constricted again. She snatched the forgotten garment from his hands and quickly donned the robe.
With a determined glare on her face, she stomped her foot then folded her arms across her chest.
“I’m not going anywhere. This is my home. I’ve been bullied enough for one day.”
Roman chuckled and wished she kept the robe off. In a swoop, he bent down and tossed her over his shoulder, fireman style. Madison squealed and kicked with her feet.
“You can have your way some other day, but right now, like it or not, you’re coming with me.”
“Put me down,” Madison screamed.
“Not today, sweetheart.”
“This is kidnapping,” she cried. “You’re no better than Diego. I thought you were different.”
That comment cut like a knife to his heart. They were nothing alike. Diego was a vicious abuser of women. Roman stopped at the front door and set her on her feet. He kept both hands on her forearms to keep her immobile.
“You’re coming with me. Now, you can either have your neighbors see you be carried out over my shoulder or you can come willingly.”
She opened her mouth but he stopped her with a gentle tap to her lips with his finger. “I’m trying to protect you. The person who trashed your business and threatened you may come after you again. This is for your own good.” Her eyes misted and his heart ached to pull her into his arms and promise that everything would be okay. “Are you willing to take that chance?”
Madison wiped her eye with the back of her hand.
“What’s it going to be?” He had her backed into a corner figuratively. Madison looked torn.
She stomped over to the closet and flung open the door. She mumbled under her breath, but he couldn’t make out what was uttered. As she threw on a coat and slipped on a pair of Uggs, he thought he made out a word or two, bastard, asshole. He’d been called worse, but hearing it from Madison’s pretty bowed lips stung like hell.
Uncaged Review: Who knew you could have so much fun reading a mafia romance? And in Wisconsin to boot? Close to where I actually live? HA. The author took the real town of Lake Geneva for inspiration, and named it Genoa, funny enough there is a Genoa City also, just south of Lake Geneva. And did I mention both are within about 15 miles from me? So not only did the setting hook me, but the book is a great story that takes you through all the family dynamics of a mob family, the secrets, the trust issues, the turf wars between them – and still shows the reader that they are still human, even in their brutality. This is Roman and Madison’s story, and the story grabs you right away and holds on, with danger, secrets, intrigue and love. You will cheer this couple on, and the last couple chapters are re-read worthy. Reviewed by Cyrene
5 Stars
Madison’s Mobster
Ginger Ring
Mafia Romance/Suspense
A small town woman who longs for romance…
Madison Miller loves what she does. She takes pride in helping brides find the gowns they’ll walk down the aisle in. But she still longs to hear wedding bells of her own and discovers that her dream of finding a husband is souring her work. She’s about to give up her fantasy of marriage when she bumps into a handsome stranger…literally.
A big city man who lives by the gun…
Roman Caponelli is seeking a quiet life in a quiet town and sees Lake Genoa, Wisconsin as the perfect place. His ties to the mob make it difficult for him to be a normal man, but he wants to give it a shot when a woman named Madison walks into his life. She’s beautiful, driven, and challenges him unlike any other woman he knew back in Chicago, tempting him to leave his old self behind for good. But as any mobster knows, once you’re in the family, you’re in the family for life…or death.
A mystery that can bring them together, or tear them apart…
Their budding romance becomes complicated when they learn they both have ties to a missing woman. Madison knows her as a bride who called off her wedding when her fiancé beat her, but she’s also the daughter of one of Roman’s friends, making finding this woman top priority. Will they be able to find her before it’s too late, or will the sparks between them ignite an entire town, burning them both in the process?
Sometimes doing what you want is worth the guilt.
Uncaged Review: A very short intro to the Genoa Mafia series, and it gives you a crash course on the characters you will meet. Roman is an underboss for a mob family, moving from Chicago to the quiet small town of Genoa, Wisconsin. When he meets Madison, who runs the local bridal shop for her mother at the snowflake dance, he is so entranced with her, that he believes he can make it work. I’m not giving any more away about this, but in a short 35 pages, you are already smitten with Roman, tossed into danger and see a small taste of the seedier side of mafia life. A great intro to the series and good thing the first main book was out and I could head straight to it. Reviewed by Cyrene
5 Stars
