From The Book Junkie Reads . . . Love and Famiglia: the diDominzio Novellas . . . I have to say right off the start these were great quickies that gave me satisfaction in a small bite. But. But I was looking around pages to find the story behind the story. I was wanting a bit more that made things connect like a powerful impact. The novellas were multiple mini-orgasmic encounters to hold on to. This was a series of fierce loving Italians that I wanted to have more of. The novellas were almost the appetizer to something bigger coming along. I was satisfied but wanted more.

BLURBS

Meet the DiDominzio family—fiery, loud, Italian. Francesca, Antonia, Gianna, and Carmine were raised by their strict, old school Italian father. Each sibling has their own journey but how they find their happily ever after definitely isn’t easy.

The King and the Pawn - Francesca, the baby of the family, wants nothing more than to fulfill her dream of being a fashion designer. Unfortunately, Papa DiDominzio will stop at nothing to squash her dreams and lead her toward the traditional career of the women in their family. Francesca concocts the perfect plan to bring home a man her father will hate in hopes that he’ll make a deal so she can still reach her dreams.

Not in Love - Antonia, the sexy second to youngest DiDominzio, exudes nothing but sex appeal, especially with her non-traditional blue eyes. After dating one man after another, Antonia thinks she’s finally found the man of her dreams until she realizes the one she really wants has been right in front of her since they were children.

One Day as a Lion - Gianna, the eldest DiDominzio sibling, is the only one that has followed Papa’s wishes by marrying an Italian man and working in his restaurant. While her brother and sisters suspect something isn’t right with her marriage, none of them can prove any differently. However, there is one man that will do everything in his power to save Gianna from the man she calls her husband.

Destined For You - The only male sibling, Carmine is more like a second father to his sisters than their brother. There’s only two things that are important to Carmine-his family and his club. Keeping up with his sisters and running his successful business leaves him no time to find a mate. As luck would have it, fate falls into his lap, changing his world, in more ways than one… and not necessarily for the best.

Available at Amazon

Get the first book in the series,

The King and the Pawn,

for FREE at Amazon

“But, Papa, this is the opportunity of a lifetime! Do you know how many aspiring fashion designers have the chance to build their own line of clothing at only twenty-four?”

Desperation. Yes, there’s definitely desperation in my voice, but there’s nothing left. I’ve begged, I’ve pleaded, I’ve cried, but nothing has broken my father’s old-school Italian demeanor. This is a last ditch effort to convince him to sign off on the trust my Noni DiDominzio left for me so I can fulfill my career aspiration of my own women’s fashion wear. My boss is moving to France and has offered me to take over his line, giving me free reign on designs. All I have to do is come up with three months rent and it’s mine.

“Francesca, in nine months, the trust will be yours to do as you please. However, I suggest you look at how your siblings used their inheritance. Their money was used to buy a house, a car, even start a business which is how Noni intended for you children to use it.”

I throw back my head and let out an exasperated sigh. Lifting my head up to look at my father, I take a deep breath, knowing that I’m walking on thin ice. My father, Andrea DiDominzio, is Italian through and through. He’s got the full head of dark hair, the olive skin tone, brown eyes, and the man sticks strongly to his Italian beliefs despite the change in times. My siblings and I look exactly like our father, except for Antonia, my middle sister, who has blue eyes. However, we all share the loud, feisty attitudes which we’ve inherited from our father, his father, and his father’s father. Being the baby of the bunch, I have to fight louder than the others to be heard, but it still doesn’t mean I get my way.

Speaking calmly, I nod, “I would be doing the exact same as Carmine. He used his money to buy the nightclub. I’ll be starting my career with Noni’s money. Papa, this is just the beginning of what I can do with my skills.”

Papa leans back in his plush leather chair on the other side of his desk, his fingers steepled together. He’s not smiling with his lips but I can see it in his eyes. “Francesca, you know I don’t agree with your choice of profession and I can assure you Noni wouldn’t either. When you turn twenty-five, the money is yours so you can do as you please then.”

“But, Papa, the opportunity will be gone by then and I’ll be out of a job!” I stomp my foot like a child not getting their way.

“Mia figlia, you know that you always have a job at the restaurant which would be an excellent place for you to meet a good Italian man to settle down with.”

He’s smirking. The man is seriously smirking at me while he stomps all over my dreams. I’m not even going to entertain his suggestion. Turning my back, I grab my jacket off the chair and mutter under my breath in Italian.

As I open the door, my father calls to me. “Francesca, ladies don’t speak that way. I’ll see you in a few days at our Christmas celebration weekend.

With a huff, I slam the door to his office and let out a scream. My father is infuriating but I’m not giving up on my dream. One way or another, I will have my clothes in a show in New York Fashion Week. Just wait, Papa, I’ll make you proud despite not having your blessing.

Available at Amazon

Get the first book in the series,

The King and the Pawn,

for FREE at Amazon

Hello readers! I am author Lyssa Layne and I’m excited to share with you my new release Love & Famiglia: The DiDominzio Novellas. The DiDominzios are an Italian family that hold true to their Italian heritage and love to fight and fight to love. I could write a whole other novella trying to explain each member of the DiDominzio clan but I’ll just let you read the book so you can figure them out for yourself. Instead, I’ll point you over to my Pinterest board where you can find character pics and other inspiration used in the story. Now, I’ll let Carmine DiDominzio, the only male sibling, tell you a little bit about his normal day.

Ciao, beautiful readers! It’s my pleasure to meet you. I’m Carmine DiDominzio, owner of the hottest nightclub in New York. When I’m not managing my club, I’m trying to reign my feisty, Italiano sisters in… that’s a full-time job itself! Lyssa has asked that I walk you through a day in my life so here goes, I hope you’re ready!

My alarm usually goes off around nine in the morning. Most nights I don’t get home from the club until close to four or five in the morning. I’d love to sleep in later but, ah, what’s that? Yes, it’s 9:02AM and one of my sisters is already letting herself in. Usually still yawning, I make my way to the kitchen in my pajama bottoms, a white t-shirt, and my robe. I learned long ago to not let women sleep over unless they wanted to deal with my sisters when they left in the morning.

Before I’m even through the kitchen door, whichever sister is there will spring into Italian dialect, telling me every detail of their life, whether I want to know or not. It’s only a matter of minutes before the other two sisters arrive and it’s every person for themselves to try and get a word in. Usually, I’ll let the women speak while I brew some Italian caffè. I try to enjoy it as much as possible but when the volume level gets to a decibel that I can no longer hear myself think, I’ll shout “basta!” which mean enough in Italian. The women will give me their attention and I’ll lay out how I’ll fix their problems. Their problems used to be bigger than one cup of caffè could handle but these days, they’ve toned it down a bit-thank goodness!

Once I’ve ushered them out the door, I prepare for the real start of my own day. Around eleven, I leave my house in a freshly pressed Armani suit and head to my club in my black SUV. Typically, I beat the rush of my staff and can get some paperwork done without any interruptions. That is, if my head bouncer and best friend since grade school, Alessandro doesn’t stop by. Honestly, it depends if he and his girlfriend are on the ins or the outs if I’ll see him before the club opens. Most days, they’re on the outs, and he’ll spend the afternoon on the leather couch in my office, whining about how he wishes he knew what true love really is. Being that I’ve never been in love, nor do I want to, I let him drone on and on about it while I enter numbers from the night before and prep for the evening ahead of us.

Around eight, my staff arrives and it’s usually my sisters that are late, except Gianna. No, Gianna is the mother of not only my siblings and me, but most of the staff here as well. Doors open at ten and it’s non-stop go, go, go from there… entertaining celebrities, dancing, and more. When the last person leaves for the night, I lock up and head home… ready to start the day again in just a few hours. And there you have it, readers, a day in the life of me, Carmine DiDominzio. I hope you’ll read our stories in Lyssa’s new release Love & Famiglia: The DiDominzio Novellas. I guarantee you one thing, our family is anything but boring!

Ciao!

Carmine

Author Info

Lyssa Layne is first, and foremost, the proud momma to her precious daughter, AR. In addition to working full-time and being a mommy to AR, she is also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, a runner, blogger, and an infertility survivor.

Having watched one too many medical dramas and being inspired by author Rachelle Ayala, who introduced her to the world of indie writing, Lyssa decided to try her hand at writing a romance story.

Her attempt turned into the Burning Lovesick series. You can find Lyssa’s own interests throughout her stories although all stories are fictional.

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