Note: While billed as a romance, this fits better into 20th Century Historical Fiction. My review is therefore only posted on Goodreads and not on FanSciHist Romance Reviews (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com).

This slow-paced book is essentially Rocky crossed with Saturday Night Fever and the Godfather and presents a detailed neighbourhood tableau. Really, it comes across as a love note to Brooklyn, New York, and Italian Brooklynites. It is set in 1977 New York and includes factual and fictional coverage of the Son of Sam/.44 Caliber Killer murders.

It is written in the first person present point of view and is fairly episodic in nature. The author has significant issues with the past perfect continuous tense (had been, etc.), homonyms (vile vs. vial), and word choice. My ARC also had a lot of typos and other grammatical issues. All of these issues make it difficult to find any enjoyment in the narrative, on top of the fact that this is erroneously billed as a romance novel, which it most assuredly is not. All of these issues, as well as my dislike for descriptions such as "there was something primal about it, a magnificent stallion strutting his stuff for his mare" are the reason for the 2.5 star rating.

A great trip back in time to the 70's! What a fun read that also was heartful and a bit meloncholy, too. I enjoyed this quick and easy read. It features Anthony who is a young man learning about love and making a living as a fighter. His character is honest and you can't help but like him. He makes mistakes, as we all do, and in the end all is not as it should be. Nicely written book that I recommend for those who like a good love story.