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Blood & Bourbon: The Italian Lexicon
In the gritty shadows of Naples and the bourbon-soaked underbelly of Tennessee, power isn’t taken—it’s spoken. And no one speaks it better than Antonio DeFina.
This is not your grandmother’s Italian dictionary.
Forget ordering espresso or complimenting someone’s shoes. These words don’t charm. They claim. They cut. They command. Penned by a man who bleeds control and burns loyalty into every phrase, Blood & The Italian Lexicon is Antonio’s brutal, magnetic guide to surviving his world—and maybe surviving him.
Each entry in this unholy glossary is delivered in Antonio’s lethal, seductive, and unforgiving. Whether he's whispering amore mio with a hand on your throat, or spitting fuori dai coglioni when patience runs dry, every phrase carries weight. Every definition comes with a story—or a scar.
This isn’t language. This is dominion.
It’s not organized alphabetically because Antonio’s tidy. It’s alphabetical because he likes watching people learn the hard way—from Adesso to Vendetta—exactly what they’ve gotten themselves into.
And once you start reading?
You’re already in.
Some guides are written to help you fit in.
This one’s written to remind you who’s in charge.
You don’t read Blood & Bourbon.
You survive it.
For glossary and pronunciations
The Kindle edition uses simplified formatting for a smooth reading experience. For full custom design, fonts, and layout, check out the paperback edition.
This is not your grandmother’s Italian dictionary.
Forget ordering espresso or complimenting someone’s shoes. These words don’t charm. They claim. They cut. They command. Penned by a man who bleeds control and burns loyalty into every phrase, Blood & The Italian Lexicon is Antonio’s brutal, magnetic guide to surviving his world—and maybe surviving him.
Each entry in this unholy glossary is delivered in Antonio’s lethal, seductive, and unforgiving. Whether he's whispering amore mio with a hand on your throat, or spitting fuori dai coglioni when patience runs dry, every phrase carries weight. Every definition comes with a story—or a scar.
This isn’t language. This is dominion.
It’s not organized alphabetically because Antonio’s tidy. It’s alphabetical because he likes watching people learn the hard way—from Adesso to Vendetta—exactly what they’ve gotten themselves into.
And once you start reading?
You’re already in.
Some guides are written to help you fit in.
This one’s written to remind you who’s in charge.
You don’t read Blood & Bourbon.
You survive it.
For glossary and pronunciations
The Kindle edition uses simplified formatting for a smooth reading experience. For full custom design, fonts, and layout, check out the paperback edition.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 28, 2025
About the author
Robin Alden Howard
13 books11 followersFor those who know pain's a little easier with a laugh.
Robin Alden Howard writes survival stories. Across genres, across registers, across the kinds of darkness people don't usually put on the page. Grit, sharp-edged wit, and the unflinching truth of what it takes to come out the other side are the backbone of everything she writes.
Her flagship series, Four Husbands and a Bottle of Trouble, is fictionalized memoir; one woman's life told across four husbands, four very different marriages, and the cost of surviving each one.
From the cult-like farm family of The Agrarian Idealist to the moonshine and mayhem of The Appalachian Entrepreneur, the velvet cage of The Syndicate Executive, to the slow burn and harder fall of The Whiskey Gentleman. She doesn't just tell stories, she makes you feel them.
She also writes darker, sharper work outside the series. The Archivist is a psychological thriller for readers who want the gloves off. A serial killer's mind rendered with clinical precision and zero apology.
The Shadow Gentleman, Father of No One, and other thrillers in progress explore survival in different registers; espionage, military, the things that follow people home.
Her characters don't come out unscathed. Neither do her readers. Because real life isn't neat, survival isn't pretty, and love, the kind that actually matters, isn't about perfection. It's about staying. Fighting. Choosing.
When she's not pulling readers into worlds filled with grit, fire, and second chances, she's perfecting the art of slow-roasted BBQ ribs, drinking coffee strong enough to fight back, and making sure her gardens, and her words, never stop growing.
She believes in second chances, finding light in the darkest places, and telling the stories that don't just entertain; they refuse to be forgotten.
Robin Alden Howard writes survival stories. Across genres, across registers, across the kinds of darkness people don't usually put on the page. Grit, sharp-edged wit, and the unflinching truth of what it takes to come out the other side are the backbone of everything she writes.
Her flagship series, Four Husbands and a Bottle of Trouble, is fictionalized memoir; one woman's life told across four husbands, four very different marriages, and the cost of surviving each one.
From the cult-like farm family of The Agrarian Idealist to the moonshine and mayhem of The Appalachian Entrepreneur, the velvet cage of The Syndicate Executive, to the slow burn and harder fall of The Whiskey Gentleman. She doesn't just tell stories, she makes you feel them.
She also writes darker, sharper work outside the series. The Archivist is a psychological thriller for readers who want the gloves off. A serial killer's mind rendered with clinical precision and zero apology.
The Shadow Gentleman, Father of No One, and other thrillers in progress explore survival in different registers; espionage, military, the things that follow people home.
Her characters don't come out unscathed. Neither do her readers. Because real life isn't neat, survival isn't pretty, and love, the kind that actually matters, isn't about perfection. It's about staying. Fighting. Choosing.
When she's not pulling readers into worlds filled with grit, fire, and second chances, she's perfecting the art of slow-roasted BBQ ribs, drinking coffee strong enough to fight back, and making sure her gardens, and her words, never stop growing.
She believes in second chances, finding light in the darkest places, and telling the stories that don't just entertain; they refuse to be forgotten.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 28, 2025
BLOOD & BOURBON: THE ITALIAN LEXICON BY ROBIN ALDEN HOWARD.
I read this short story while waiting to read The Syndicate Executive and all I can say is.....
Well hello there Antonio DeFina 🔥
He's fluent in Italian, seduction and silence.
WARNING: Approach with extreme caution
I'm even more excited to meet Antonio than I was before.
These books are set to be released early to mid May so keep a look out ☺
I read this short story while waiting to read The Syndicate Executive and all I can say is.....
Well hello there Antonio DeFina 🔥
He's fluent in Italian, seduction and silence.
WARNING: Approach with extreme caution
I'm even more excited to meet Antonio than I was before.
These books are set to be released early to mid May so keep a look out ☺
May 16, 2025
It will be hard to put down. I'm reading this while images of biketok and masktok dance in my head as the MMC explains what each word means and how to use it. Oh, brush up on your Italian, because you're going to need it as Antonio, the MMC, whispers these words in your ears. Antonio leaves you wanting the next word as your mind and body react to his voice that you built up in your head. Make no plans and make sure you have water and snacks, cos you're gonna need them. Remember, he will tell you that you're a good girl...sigh!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews