Whistle's War

Author’s Note

Author’s Note

You may be wondering what kind of book you just picked up. What’s all this talk of the Bratva and mafia in the blurb? Didn’t I pick up a bad boy biker romance novel? Well, yes, you did! This book has all the biker yumminess you’re used to reading from me, but it’s also a segue into a new Romanian mafia series I’m launching. For those who don’t read in the Mafia Romance genre, there are a few things I thought might be helpful to fill in the gaps.

First, there’s the Bratva, which is also known as the Russian or Red Mafia. It technically means “Brotherhood,” but in a different way than what “brotherhood” means to bikers. It’s the brotherhood of thieves, and their oath is centered on helping each other in the pursuit of criminal activities.

Second, the heroine, Tasa Lupu, is a princess of the Romanian mafia, or mafie, of which there isn’t a plethora of information. I’ve done a bit of research, and not finding enough details, I’ve let my imagination run wild and taken liberties by inventing rules and societal norms that I have not found any proof of in the real world. I’ve also given certain Romanian words special meaning within this unique world. I’ve introduced the Lupu clan, the main Romanian mafie family, whose center of power is in Sunnyside, Queens, in New York City. The surname Lupu does in fact mean “wolf” in Romanian, but I created the Lupu tat, a wolf baring its teeth, that is required of all members of the Lupu mafie clan.

One more thing, I wrote the novella, Her Bicycle Valentine, at the same time as I was writing Whistle’s War, so there’s an overlap of their stories. They can, of course, be read as stand-alones, but I just thought to warn you.

And with that, I’ll leave you to read on. I hope you enjoy Whistle and Tasa’s story as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

Monique