Romancing Trina Gabrini

Romancing the Mob Boss Series #4

by Mallory Monroe

Reno Gabrini relocates his wife Trina far away from the bright lights of Vegas. They settle in a small Georgia town where Reno runs a restaurant and Trina volunteers at a community center. All is at peace with the world as Trina meets Sully, a gorgeous local bachelor who becomes her friend and confidante, and Reno meets Nell, a woman from his past who becomes his right hand assistant.

But trouble comes to paradise when Sully decides that Reno doesn’t deserve a woman like Trina, and he wants her for himself. And although Reno makes it clear that he has no intentions of sharing his wife with any man, Sully refuses to give up what quickly becomes his obsession. And when Nell’s seventeen year old son is accused of a horrible crime, and she is forced to turn to Reno for help, Reno discovers a shocking secret. Not only does he have a son he didn’t know he had, but the reason for the accusations against his son points back to those mob ties Reno has never been able to sever.

In an explosive interracial love story, Reno and Trina find their relationship tested time and again as they seek to balance their new life in Georgia with their old mob connections from Vegas. And when those connections become deadly, Reno knows he didn’t start the fight, but it’s up to him to finish it. And it’s also up to him to keep his gorgeous wife from being stolen from him by a friendly, but determined lover.

Genres: Interracial Romance, Romance, Mafia Romance, M F Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance

358 pages, Paperback

First published November 21, 2012

About the author

Mallory Monroe, a pseudonym of award-winning, bestselling literary author Teresa McClain-Watson, has well over a hundred bestselling books under her name. They include MaeBelle Marie, the Alex Drakos Romantic Suspense series, the Oz Drakos series, the Reno Gabrini (Mob Boss) series, the Mick Sinatra series, the Sal Gabrini series, the Tommy Gabrini series, the Big Daddy Sinatra series, the Trevor Reese series, the Rags to Romance series, the Teddy Sinatra series, the Boone and Charly series, the Monk Paletti series, the President's Boyfriend series, and the President's Girlfriend/Dutch and Gina series. She has also worked as an executive editor for many years and as an investigator for three. Recently widowed, she has attended Florida State University, Florida A & M. University, the University of North Florida, and the University of Mississippi at Oxford Summer Law Institute. A law school dropout, she holds a Master's degree in history and education and credits God Almighty for ALL of her success. Visit mallorymonroebooks.com or austinbrookpublishing.com for updates and more information on all of her titles. See also amazon.com/author/teresamcclainwatson.

Reviews

[Nile Princess]

Ok, it's one day later. Enough time that I've somewhat gotten over my state of pissed-offedness, but not so long that I've forgotten that the book was about. This review will be longggggg. You have been warned.

First, I want to say that I know that I am seriously in the minority with this rating. There seem to be no other one-star ratings on Goodreads and only one on Amazon, but you know what? I'm not scared of you people.

So, I'm going in!

First the good things about the series as a whole.
1) I love the way this author writes her alpha males. They are hot and effortlessly sexy.

2) I love Tommy

3) I love Reno when he's not getting teary eyed, feeling sorry for himself or letting Trina lead him around by the nose.

4) When Reno gets all badass, I get all tingly inside. That deserved its own line lol

5) The twists and turns were entertaining early on in the series

And now we're at Book 4. Those of you who know me, know how I am about my mafia men. I like my men alpha; I like them gritty; I like them hardcore. I like a MOB BOSS. He'll put a bullet in you and keep it moving just cause it's Tuesday and you came out your face wrong. A man being a mob boss isn't an issue for me like it seems to be for this author. If your series has 'Mob boss' in the title then I need him to be the best, baddest, most ruthless mothereffer out there.

Having said that, I can appreciate when a mafia series is more entertainment centric than mafia centric. I can enjoy it for what it is and overlook what it's not. What I CANNOT do is deal with a 'mob series' where the 'mob boss' keeps running from being one, and his wife spends half of every book convincing anyone who will listen that her husband is 'not part of the mob'. We get it. Reno is a good, upstanding citizen until you mess with his family.



That's probably just as well because he sucks as a mob boss. Yeah, I said it!

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

This book pissed me off like few books have pissed me off before. I think it's the only book I've ever read to the end that I wanted to give zero stars. ZERO.

Book 4 is pretty much about Reno wanting a quieter life for Trina, so he moves them to a town where his mob boss father used to hide out, buys out his father's restaurant's partner and plans to settle down and do the restaurant thing. Of course, with Reno being Reno, drama seems to follow him everywhere...as do sons he knows nothing about, it seems. He's forced to once again, reluctantly, release his inner mob boss when a former rival threatens his family. To add even more excitement there is a love interest for Trina and an old flame trying to rekindle things with Reno.

Right, let's take it step by step.

The good: I love business man Reno. He is decisive, professional and he doesn't play with his money. He is a straight shooter and fair. The scene where he enters the restaurant is one of the few good scenes in the book.

A pissed off Reno (when it doesn't involve Trina cause that's been done to death) is yummy. That scene where he drags the cop over the counter. Yes!

I liked the scenes with Jimmy Mack and I always love the interaction between him and Tommy.

So you're guaranteed at least 4 good scenes. Good, right? In a 237 page book, not so much.


Problem 1. It would be nice, and this has been a constant problem, if the author could figure out who Reno is and give him one voice...ONE. At times he sounds Italian, in a previous book he had a campy, gay moment,

"You won't find Reno on nobody's bus girlfriend' or something like that and at other times, he sounds like a brother from Harlem,

"Trina, get in the car. Don't make me show my ass in this parking lot." and 'But she can talk to me any type of way?" Uh huh.

With Reno, you never know from day to day if you're getting this

THIS

or, though it was only once, THIS

In this book, he actually had a dance competition and broke out with some James Brown moves and then did the running man or something?? Really?? This is an Italian mobster from Joisey?

We even had two other mobsters having a discussion in a car and I kid you not, this is the exact quote,

"What do you want me to find out?"
Why Beyonce don't like Kim Kardashian no more. What the f*ck do you think?"

Because hardcore mob bosses discuss Kim K and Beyonce every day don't you know.



This is a clear case of the author's inability to write characters with voices different from her own. I've read other books by her where this wasn't a problem but it's a consistent problem in the mob series. A consistent problem. A very consistent problem.

Noticed that bit of repetition?

That brings us to the next problem.

Problem 2 Why is it necessary for the characters to say the same thing three and four times? We heard you! It was prevalent in former books, got better and we're back to it again in Book 4. I didn't bookmark the instances in this book, so I'll take one from a former book.

From Book 2,
"But there’s some chatter, some talk, you know that I'm concerned about.”
“What kind of talk?” Reno asked him.
“Talk,” Vito said. “Chatter.”
“Yeah, but what kind of talk? What kind of chatter?"
Vito inhaled. "This is all rumor, mind you, I don't have proof yet, but there's been some talk, some chatter....."



I mean seriously, how did that make it past an editor??

Problem 3. Storylines so over the top they just made no sense. The opening scene with Paulo, Vito and Reno. Seriously?? I was so pissed and disgusted. It should have been written more believably. As it was, I was just rolling my eyes.

Problem 4. Trina/Reno...or more importantly, Trina. I've liked and rooted for Trina in previous books but the author seems to just not want to leave well enough alone. Trina started off as a woman we could relate to. She had doubts, but loved her man. But, Trina honey, you are 4 books in now, mama. Why are you letting perfect strangers tell you about your husband and filling your head with doubt? In just about every book someone has to tell Trina she's weak and blind and stupid for loving Reno and the author has written so many ridiculous situations for this couple that now, yes, author, you've finally gotten your wish. She actually looks stupid for blinding believing Reno, even though we know he's telling the truth. I used to like her! Why'd you have to go mess with her and have her keep having these doubting monologues?

Trina has been through too much to still be entertaining people's comments. Someone thinks your husband is a mafia boss and they feel the need to warn you? In every freaking book?? Where they do that at?? You're married to him! They should be so shook they'd lose a kneecap that they should just nod and smile and shut the eff up! Instead of having her be a strong woman that is ride or die for her man and who chooses to submit to him because she knows the dangers of his world, we have a woman who SAYS she don't play that insecurity game but who is constantly insecure. It just makes her look like a weak woman who 'doesn't want to lose her man' instead of one who trusts in the fact that her man is a freaking boss and he's 'got this'. I'm not saying she's NEVER ride or die. I'm saying she shouldn't still be this conflicted, 4 books in.

So we have one side of Trina effortlessly submitting to Reno's wishes and then other times where she's all 'I'll talk to you any way I damn please' and fighting him on issues that relate to her safety. Where are Giovanni Battaglia and Dmitry Medlov when you need them? She makes my blood pressure rise and there are times that I've actually said, out loud, while reading,



AND HAVE A SEAT WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!

To combat this, we have Problem 5. The author's constant need to tell us, the reader, how much Reno loves Trina. We know. We effing know! Between the 'far too many', far too detailed sex scenes - skim, skim, SKIM - and Reno's need to tell anyone who will listen, AND US, how much his wife is his moon and his stars, little else happened in this book. Like seriously, I kept reading like where is the story?? I know the name of the book is Romancing Trina Gabrini, but it's still a mob series, right? In a classic case of Problem 5 and 2 (repetition) combined, we had Reno have a conversation with Sully (the guy who liked Trina) telling him that Trina was his wife and belonged to him, after they'd already had a heated conversation about that very same thing AND Reno kicked his ass AND they shook hands on it and squashed the beef. I was like did the author forget she wrote this part already? I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.



Anything to increase the page count, I guess. We want a mob boss who loves his wife, but mob bosses who are controlled by their women, or their love for their women, look weak. Period. The end.

Problem 6 Reno - weak and inept mob boss. *Watches fans' heads explode*. When you have a series where the 'boss' is conflicted about who he is, and his wife spends half of every book trying to convince everyone that her husband is 'not in the mob,' you end up with a character without direction. Is Reno a good man? Yes. Is he a hard man? At times, yes. Is he a shrewd businessman? There's nobody better. As a family man, he can't be beat. But as a Mob boss, he flat out sucks. Let's put aside the ridiculous and corny situations the author keeps putting this family in. In every book, IN EVERY BOOK, something happens and Reno:

a) Calls Tommy
b) Asks Tommy's advice
c) Underestimates his opponent
d) Makes horrible decisions that leads to someone getting killed
e) Blames himself, angsts, whines and cries on Trina's shoulder
f) Finally gets mad and the 'mob boss' comes out
g) Does what he should have done from the door

Reno is way too reactionary and his judgment sucks. At one point he says to Tommy, I didn't think he had it in him...our first miscalculation. First miscalculation...this chapter?? Cause this is par the course for you, Reno. This series should be called 'The Reluctant Mob Dude' or 'The guy that's a good family man until he's pushed too far and then he does mob like stuff.' Calling him a boss is a stretch.

Reno's brother-in-law blatantly double crosses him and gives a fellow mob boss information that leads to Reno's newly discovered 17yr old son being framed for a crime he didn't commit, AND to the death of a major character. And what does Reno, the mob boss do? He yells at him annnnd...that's it. Dmitry Medlov shot and stabbed his own brother, not fatally, for less. You send a message. If you are a boss, you are not to be messed with. You are not to be crossed. You do not tolerate weakness or betrayal. This goes for your own blood and for every member of your organization. The fact that Dirty/Richie even came clean to Reno out of the blue was ridiculous enough, but just proved my point. He knew the repercussions would be zip. Punishment for selling drugs for a rival even though Reno hates drugs? Nada. He got yelled at and sent back to Vegas. Dude, your son could have died in that house!

Let's talk about the son storyline. With this series, you can pretty much lift stories, scenes, dialogue from any of the previous books and drop it into the one you're reading and it'll fit like a glove. I kid you not when I say



But let's specifically address the kidnapping. So you're telling me that Reno called in backup from 3 states and nobody thought to check the property where his son was abducted, and where Reno was found shot?? It's not Fort Knox. It's not the Pentagon. It's a freaking shed behind an abandoned house! What made this even more ridiculous is the fact that his other son was 'kidnapped' in a previous book and was in a room at the PaLargio (don't ask), a Vegas hotel owned by Reno, the entire time!! Furthermore, all these people (including my beloved Tommy) can't find Reno's kid in a tiny one-horse town, but Sal can find Drago's daughter hidden away in Canada, in one day??

Take this for insulting my intelligence.



Problem 7 Predictability and Corniness. Characters are disposed of to neatly wrap up storylines so they don't get too complicated, or make the author have to think too hard. When Nell was killed off, I said, 'There we go. Right on schedule.'

The twist with Drago at the end was so corny and blatantly recycled I was too stunned to even fully be pissed off. The twist with Sully was so retarded I damn near threw my kindle at the wall.

Seriously,

Editing:
Still leaves a lot to be desired. When Trina allows one of the characters to wail on Reno (another bit of foolishness), she places a cold compass against his forehead...???? Do you mean a compress?? Actually a compass wouldn't be a bad idea if it would point the characters to a freaking clue and the author, to a professional editor.



As it stands now, I have Book 6 but I really don't know if I should just take a break and give this series another go or if I should take this opportunity to exit stage left.



The foolishness of this series is exhausting. Reno has his moments, but the rest of the book is bogged down by so much ineptitude, and repetition of previous storylines, that I'm not sure it's worth it. Not to mention the corny sex. "Oh Tree. Oh Tree." "Rennnoooooo."



I'm not saying I'll never read another book in this series because I did enjoy parts of books 1-3, but for now

[Mspraise50]

Another good read by Mallory. However I cannot help feeling that Trina put herself in harms way by engaging in a relationship with Sully in the first place. She is fortunate that Reno truly loves her.

[Vallsykes]

Update May 17, 2014: I've re-skimmed and found that I could not consciously rate this almost the same as my fave book in this series. It is what it is and thanks to a friend's very on point review, I now know why I haven't gone past 3 stars in my rating of the books in this series. It's a guilty pleasure, but even guilty pleasures can be full of shite!


Original review:

I kinda love the Gabrini family.

Monroe seems self-pubbed. The writing is okay. The element of "voice" is Monroe's craft...and then again....it's...NOT.

Seriously, the dialogue and actions, upon reading, can be hilariously funny. Initially, the right drama is created, but then it doesn't really match the characters to the extent that they match up to whom they're supposed to be (logically, that is). However, by this point in the series, as the reader, I've become good at ignoring things that would normally make be DNF, mostly because I'm entertained. It doesn't mean I'd rate it any higher(though book 6 was pretty entertaining, LOL).

The Vegas/semi-Mob world gets crazier as the series goes on, as it really WASN'T, especially in the first 2-3 books.

And all the muscle, charm and heart of the series is mostly owed to the outstanding character that is Reno Gabrini. He is the reason why I read, despite implausibility, obnoxious leaps in character and the serious need for editing/revision.

Call it my night-time soap (snickers):)

[Deloris]

When you pick this book up you will not be able to put it down Mallory Monroe continues her mob boss books with Reno and Trina and all I can say is wow! Reno shows that he loves Trina by moving to a small town so life could be easier for them but trouble follows as it always does for Reno. You have to read this book to find out what happens but when you finish you will be waiting on the next book. I feel there is more story to tell and I cant wait to see what happens next with Tommy ans Shanks.

[Paganalexandria]

The plot for this series is so good. It's easy to be drawn into the mob rich world of Trina and Reno. The storyline is very engaging and addictive especially if you like books with mob elements.

The "love" scenes in this novel are why it gets a low rating. Just because something is overly sexual does not make it sexy. I read tons or erotica so it's not the content just the execution. Unfortunately this is an erotic novel so it's hard to skim over them to get to the good parts.

[Bennita]

I'm gonna miss this series. I've fallen in live with Trina and Reno and I hope this isn't the end of their story. I enjoyed the change in scenery and the new characters. Reno is still sexy as ever but I wish Trina had more of a backbone. I get it that she's supposed to be classy and above whooping somebody's a**, but Reno had too much baggage for me. Not only did he gave a son from Marcy the freak in a previous book, but low and behold, another kid shows up! The plot is repetitive-mystery children, revenge and everybody out to kill Reno's kids! All in all, I did enjoy the series, the author does a nice job of keeping you guessing what happens next and I hope it's not the end for the Gabrini's.

[Angela]

Another solid winner from this very talented author. I really enjoyed this book and will continue to look fwd to any book Mallory Monroe writes.

[Veronica A Garnett]

I finally get to meet Jimmie!

I started this series with the seventh book. This is the fourth book. Most folks read these for the mafia, money & sex. Because of that I have to comment that the author must be a gay male. Women are taught to wipe their genitals from front to back as children. A male with a daughter would know this is to protect his infant daughter from infection of fecal matter in the vaginal canal. The most important text on sex, the Kama Sutra emphasizes cleanliness of the sexual organs during intercourse. I always get distracted by the anal to vaginal sex switch since Trina would avoid infection of her lady parts. (FYI, Post sex douches only push bacteria further up the canal). But then she also has a man who pounds out his frustrations on her genitals so I have to suspend my reality anyway.
Enough Of the PSA, I can see how characters I already know are after Reno. There are enough loose ends here to carry on. I do wonder how Dirty survived this book. Talk about home grown terrorist.

[Angelia]

This fourth installment has Reno and Trina moving away from Vegas to Crane, GA.....Reno soon learns that you can run but you can't hide and again has to come face to face with things from his pass....Reno soon learns that he has to be himself and let go of the guilt associated with the things he had to do for him and his family to be safe....but Reno soon learns that you can't always bring a knife to a gun fight and has to do what he has to do....Although I wouldn't say that Reno is a MOB BOSS but please don't test him especially when it comes to Tree...... I was somewhat surprised at the length Sully was willing to go to......but I don't know why Trina didn't see some of the sickness in him.....I think Tommy's story will be very interesting.....can't wait to see if he can find someone he can fall in love with and who truly loves him......

[Tanielle]

Now we're getting somewhere...or I'm just getting used to the authors writing style which in a way could be bad but. The story itself was better what was happening made sense to a degree. Like with the Drago thing, why would Vito go along with it when he knew the real deal. Even after going along with it Vito should've been better protected seeing he was supposed to be so big time. The plan Drago had made little sense though, seemed like the same old thing was happening so that took away the surprise factor. Sully really surprised me though, seemed a little far fetched for him, but it did make for a good read. Still rooting for Tommy and Shanks though, the whole Blossom thing just don't add up. Better read not the best but a 2 1/2 star but I'll round up on this one.

[Kim]

Best book of the series so far. So many twists, turns, and unpredictable events were happening making this book quite exciting. Reno is really growing on me. He will do anything to protect Trina at all costs. It seems like no matter how good he is, bad things always happen to him and his family. Sully's actions were totally shocking. I didn't see that one coming at all. He was really a devil in heavy disguise. Reno's new secret was a bit shocking as well. Especially how the circumstance originally came to pass. I hope this series continues to get better as it goes along.

[Trina]

As always this series never disappoints. I swear Mallory is cranking out these books. Next is Tommy Gabrini I can't wait. All imma say about this book is I WANT A MAN LIKE RENO! This book stayed true to form. I like Nell and her story with Jimmy. Sully WOW is all I have to say. I can't wait to read more. I bought the book last night and finish it just now. 24 hr read that's how good it was. Now its off to finish Dutch and Gina: Power of love, then moving on to Dutch and Gina: The sins of the father. Mallory thank you for these AWESOME SERIES!!!!

[Tracey]

I read the first 3 books in this series and they were just ok. I felt Reno was too weak/soft as mob boss, he was not on top of his game. That was not the case in this book, he man up and grew some backbone. He's arrogant, relentless and takes no crap! I just loved his character in this book. I look forward to reading the next installment in the series, I just hope he remains the strong Alpha male.

[Brenda Holder]

A Very Good Interracial Romantic Thriller

Mob Boss 4: Remaining Trina Gabrini (The Mob Boss Series) is a very good interracial romantic thriller that earned a rating of four stars. Reno Gabrini decided to take Trina to Georgia for a slower and safer life but his enemies followed him. He and Trina had to overcome the obstacles to their love and happiness. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to everyone who enjoys reading very good interracial romantic thrillers.

[evette w]

Yeah Another Good One!

The writer as always gives a an excellent n showing when writing about Reno and his attempts at leading a peaceful life. I loved the we got for a shinning moment to see Reno and Trina carefree and living small time.life. The discovery of Jimmy was an added bonus. I loved the action but more importantly the scenes between Reno and Trina ,because it is when you really get the meat of the story.This like the previous in Tue series is so so good.

[Fern]

Really good! I liked the ending and also the other characters in the town and the roles they played in the storyline. I liked that Reno has been able to develop a relationship with his teenage son, Jimmy. Now onto the next book!

[Nycskpe]

😌😌😌

When will people ever learn to just live and let live!!! The drama continues and people are just not happy letting people live their lives in peace!
I am SOoooo happy that Vito and Drago were dealt with!! As was Sully! I thought he was a serial killer...
Onward we go!

[Tina]

Good book

This book was very good and I learn a lot. It had slot of action and excitement I couldn't put the book down

[Vivian Byfield]

Excellent

As always this author does not disappoint, another great of of this family saga. Not sure why I left it so long to enjoy this instalment. Excellent.

[Amarie0376]

login this series so far. Reno & Trina make a great couple!