Waiting for my Queen

Oh, Georgia! Let me grab my torchlight. When did you go so deeply into the dark?

Love and conscience have no value in the dealings and barterings of New York's elite criminal families. Thus, when Emilia Bellini chooses to marry for love instead of honouring a decades old promise made by her parents, her slighted betrothed teaches her a lesson that no one in the entire Mafia world would soon forget. Emilia responds by vowing retribution against Luca Rossini, while pretending to give him everything his heart desires.

I love the directness and clarity with which Georgia Cates writes her characters. Emilia is a realistic mix of smart and romantic, kind and ruthless, patient and imperious. You can truly see all her different sides as she navigates herself through hostile territory. For his part, Luca is a despicable crime boss who still manages to come across as an insecure schoolboy at times. He is laser focussed on his goal of winning Emilia's love and having a happy family with her. But. Is it too late?

This was a captivating read, sparking so many different emotions from revulsion and guilt to humour and lust. The whole gamut and more!

4.25 stars-WAITING FOR MY QUEEN by Georgia Cates is a contemporary, adult, enemies to lovers, arranged mafia marriage, romance story line focusing on the heir to the Rossini family, Luca Rossini, and mafia princess / ballerina Emilia Bellini.

NOTE: WAITING FOR MY QUEEN takes place in 1978-79 but most of the references are limited to popular songs of the era.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line content, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Luca and Emilia) WAITING FOR MY QUEEN follows the tempestuous relationship between the heir to the Rossini family, Luca Rossini, and mafia princess / ballerina Emilia Bellini. Years earlier, an arrangement was made between the Rossini and Bellini families in which the head of the Bellini family, Alessandro Bellini promised his eldest daughter Emilia, to Luca Rossini, in an effort to merge for power and control but Alessandro never expected Emilia to fall in love with someone else, a love that would destroy them all. Murder, mayhem and heart break ensued leaving Emilia and her mother to grieve for the victims of the Rossini cartel. Weeks later, Emilia was handed over to the Rossini family, and our heroine made a vow to avenge everyone she loved and lost. What ensues is the acrimonious relationship between Emilia and Luca, and the fall-out as Emilia’s plans for the Rossini family slowly fade as our heroine begins to lose her heart to the man with whom she would fall in love.

Luca Rossini is a cold-hearted killer; a possessive, ruthless and arrogant male who will slowly succumb to the woman he had hoped to destroy. Desperate for an heir of his own, Luca would ensure Emilia carried his heir before their relationship went any further. Emilia Bellini lost everything the day Luca killed the man that she loved but revenge would come at a cost including losing her heart to our story line anti-hero.

The relationship between Luca and Emilia is an enemies to friends, arranged mafia marriage between two people who couldn’t have been more different. Emilia had fallen in love with her childhood friend, while Luca waited until Emilia was old enough to claim as his own. As Emilia pushes all of Luca’s buttons, Luca continues to break Emilia’s heart at every turn. The $ex scenes are raw and passionate-their first time together is aggressive and forced.

We are introduced to a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters including both Luca (Marco and Viviana )and Emilia’s (Sofia and Alessandro) parents; Luca’s brothers Enzo and Stephan; Emilia’s sisters Isabella, Gemma and Micaela; Nonna Caterina, Nic Moretti, and Angelica.

WAITING FOR MY QUEEN is a story of family, vengeance, betrayal and love; a story of power and control; of promises, secrets and tragedy. The premise is dramatic and intense; the characters are energetic and animated; the romance is fated, captivating and visceral.