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Grace
Four women are about to start a mob war – and nails WILL be broken.
Some epiphanies look like diamonds. Isabella Albrici's diamond shaped epiphany begins when her womanising husband, Domenic, frames her and her best friend Teresa for his diamond smuggling operation to save himself from jail. Prime targets for the prison’s resident psychopath, they’ll be lucky to survive jail, even luckier to survive if they get out – thanks to Domenic, ‘the family’ thinks Isabella is an FBI informant. The big house ain't no fun house, but for Isabella and Teresa, it’s the safest house there is – until the evidence keeping them there suddenly goes missing.
Ladies, you are free to go.
Ah, if it’s all the same to you – maybe we’ll just stay where we are.
No chance. Close the door on your way out.
Ah terrific. Thanks very much.
Some epiphanies are shaped like diamonds – others, like bullets. Sometimes grace is received; sometimes grace has to be earned. For years, these mob wives have lived off the wages of sin, now the path to redemption is they gotta whack their old men.
Welcome to the inaugural general meeting of the first chapter of the New Jersey Mob Suffragette’s Whack Club.
Salut.
Some epiphanies look like diamonds. Isabella Albrici's diamond shaped epiphany begins when her womanising husband, Domenic, frames her and her best friend Teresa for his diamond smuggling operation to save himself from jail. Prime targets for the prison’s resident psychopath, they’ll be lucky to survive jail, even luckier to survive if they get out – thanks to Domenic, ‘the family’ thinks Isabella is an FBI informant. The big house ain't no fun house, but for Isabella and Teresa, it’s the safest house there is – until the evidence keeping them there suddenly goes missing.
Ladies, you are free to go.
Ah, if it’s all the same to you – maybe we’ll just stay where we are.
No chance. Close the door on your way out.
Ah terrific. Thanks very much.
Some epiphanies are shaped like diamonds – others, like bullets. Sometimes grace is received; sometimes grace has to be earned. For years, these mob wives have lived off the wages of sin, now the path to redemption is they gotta whack their old men.
Welcome to the inaugural general meeting of the first chapter of the New Jersey Mob Suffragette’s Whack Club.
Salut.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 17, 2011
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Susan Bennett
1 book2 followersSusan Bennett's first job entailed selling very large knives (think the bowie knife – "that’s not a knife, this is a knife" – from Crocodile Dundee) to complete strangers, along with camping goods and other assorted goodies such as replica pistols. Twenty years on, it finally occurred to her to wonder what some of those people wanted those replica pistols for, and she strongly suspects that many of the people she sold handcuffs to weren’t actually buying them as a joke gift, as they said. As such thoughts never entered her young head, she was able to look her customers happily in the eye and smile broadly as she helped them with their purchases, never suspecting that in an hour’s time they would be handcuffed to a bed somewhere.
She cites Lisa Simpson as her greatest influence.
In addition to Grace, she has developed The Cook's Toolkit by Clever Pumpkin.
Some of her recent short fiction appears in Overland (203) and Etchings (10.) 'Daylight' (Edward and Bella twenty years on) can also be read on the Overland website.
Susan Bennett's blogspot is Fudging The Menu and her website The Cook's Toolkit by Clever Pumpkin She has a Facebook page by the same name.
She is currently considering writing a sequel to Grace and will soon release Trial of the Romance Novelist.
She cites Lisa Simpson as her greatest influence.
In addition to Grace, she has developed The Cook's Toolkit by Clever Pumpkin.
Some of her recent short fiction appears in Overland (203) and Etchings (10.) 'Daylight' (Edward and Bella twenty years on) can also be read on the Overland website.
Susan Bennett's blogspot is Fudging The Menu and her website The Cook's Toolkit by Clever Pumpkin She has a Facebook page by the same name.
She is currently considering writing a sequel to Grace and will soon release Trial of the Romance Novelist.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 23, 2016
Book Synopsis
Four women are about to start a mob war – and nails WILL be broken.
Some epiphanies look like diamonds. Isabella Albrici's diamond shaped epiphany begins when her womanising husband, Domenic, frames her and her best friend Teresa for his diamond smuggling operation to save himself from jail. Prime targets for the prison’s resident psychopath, they’ll be lucky to survive jail, even luckier to survive if they get out – thanks to Domenic, ‘the family’ thinks Isabella is an FBI informant. The big house ain't no fun house, but for Isabella and Teresa, it’s the safest house there is – until the evidence keeping them there suddenly goes missing.
Ladies, you are free to go.
Ah, if it’s all the same to you – maybe we’ll just stay where we are.
No chance. Close the door on your way out.
Ah shit. Thanks very much.
Some epiphanies are shaped like diamonds – others, like bullets. Sometimes grace is received; sometimes grace has to be earned. For years, these mob wives have lived off the wages of sin, now the path to redemption is clear: they gotta whack their old men.
Welcome to the inaugural general meeting of the first chapter of the New Jersey Mob Suffragette’s Whack Club.
Salut.
MY THOUGHTS
I am going to admit my sum total of knowledge of mafia wives comes from watching movies like "Good Fellas", "Married To The Mob" and "Casino". My only books featuring larger than life Italian women characters as the focus are those penned by Jackie Collins in her "Lucky Santangelo" series.
The stereotype of the big hair, the jewelry, the designer clothes and the attitude held true in the beginning when we are introduced to Isabella and Teresa. All that changes when they are put in prison, the minute the women understand they are no longer under the protection of "the family" and are on their own they become more "real". The two have always had a close bond, in prison that bond intensifies and grows to include a young African American inmate named Eve. Eve is young enough to be the women's daughter, and yet has seen more hardship and horrors in her short life than Isabella and Teresa can even begin to imagine.
After being put through many trials and tribulations from fellow inmates as well as the prison officials finally Isabella, Teresa and Eve are released. Isabella because the evidence disappears linking her to any crime, Eve on parole from her sentence and Teresa is taken to hospital after trying to commit suicide.
The story takes off after the three are taken one by one under the wing of a young Australian woman named Irish. A chance meeting between Isabella and Irish outside a bakery shop turns into a fantastic journey watching each of the characters as they transform over time. Following along each step of the way teaches the reader that second chances do happen if you are willing to grab it with both hands and never look back.
The journey is bumpy, the ride is long but the ending is very satisfying while at the same time leaving an opening for more adventures if the author is so inclined to continue to follow what happens to the women in the future.
If you ever had a yen to get involved with a "made man" read "Grace", it will change your mind! If you ever thought blood counted as the only way to identify "family", read "Grace" it will teach you the true meaning of "sisters under the skin"! If you are looking for a good book that will make you want to wring a dirty cheating spouses neck, cheer as women who lost everything find out they gained more than they ever lost, laugh out loud along with these same women as they learn how to laugh again and most of all cry when needed as there are scenes that just about kill you with the intensity of the emotions, if you want all that then read "Grace"!
[This was an ecopy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.]
April 16, 2012
Grace is like a cross between The First Wives' Club and The Godfather. Teresa and Isabella were living the high life as mob wives until they're framed for diamond smuggling and sent to prison - do not pass GO, do not collect $200. As they learn the ropes in prison and are forced into a new role, they befriend Eve, a young woman who becomes a surrogate daughter to them. When the diamonds mysteriously 'disappear' from state's evidence, Teresa and Isabella are freed - but they have a price tag on their heads because Isabella's husband has made it appear as if the women are rats. Once on the outside, they meet up again with Eve and a new woman befriends them, a woman who goes by the name Irish. Isabella and Teresa decide to make things right again...by whacking their men. Will the ladies be able to pull off the ultimate mob hit?
"No one can disgrace us but ourselves." - Josh Billings
When everything was great for the two best friends, Isabella and Teresa, they seldom questioned where their wealth came from and enjoyed spending it as often as possible. This made it hard for me to have sympathy for either woman in the beginning of the book. As time passed, they became more human and vulnerable which made it easier to sympathize with their plight. Overall, my favorite character was Irish - a woman filled with contradictions and secrets, but who goes out of her way and puts herself in danger to help perfect strangers. The women become a strange and unique family with a common goal...whack the men who put them in this position.
"No one can disgrace us but ourselves." - Josh Billings
When everything was great for the two best friends, Isabella and Teresa, they seldom questioned where their wealth came from and enjoyed spending it as often as possible. This made it hard for me to have sympathy for either woman in the beginning of the book. As time passed, they became more human and vulnerable which made it easier to sympathize with their plight. Overall, my favorite character was Irish - a woman filled with contradictions and secrets, but who goes out of her way and puts herself in danger to help perfect strangers. The women become a strange and unique family with a common goal...whack the men who put them in this position.
December 4, 2011
Before reviewing this book I am going to issue a general warning: Do not pick it up if you have other things to do. It is a book that grabs you from the very first page and insists you read it in as few sittings as possible.
This book begins with introducing two women who were the wife/ girlfriend of mobsters. The mobster ethos is a key part of defining the women although they have to face recognition of the harsher side of that culture. Over the course of the book friendships blossom within the harshest environments that come to be valued above everything.
To me this book was defined by the wonderful characters and the friendships they forged. There were times when I laughed out loud and times when I cried, but at no point did I want to put the book down. If Susan Bennet decided to write a follow up to this book I will ensure I have a weekend off before purchasing it.
PS:I won this book in a competition on Susan Bennets blog,which also has the recipes that are in the book.
This book begins with introducing two women who were the wife/ girlfriend of mobsters. The mobster ethos is a key part of defining the women although they have to face recognition of the harsher side of that culture. Over the course of the book friendships blossom within the harshest environments that come to be valued above everything.
To me this book was defined by the wonderful characters and the friendships they forged. There were times when I laughed out loud and times when I cried, but at no point did I want to put the book down. If Susan Bennet decided to write a follow up to this book I will ensure I have a weekend off before purchasing it.
PS:I won this book in a competition on Susan Bennets blog,which also has the recipes that are in the book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews