Cupid’s Got a Glock by Nicholas Rome is a fun filled novel about Philadelphia and New Jersey mobsters. The subtitle is A Philadelphia Love Affair and it’s that too. Rarely have I seen a book capture the feel and essence of a city the way Cupid’s Got a Glock captures Philadelphia. South Philadelphia, South Street, Fishtown, and of course Broad are all areas I have walked along and Nicholas Rome captured them perfectly. The setting is not even Cupid’s Got a Glock’s strongest aspect, however; in my opinion, that would be the characters. There is a long tradition of zany gangsters from Philly and New York in books and films, but I have yet to see these guys done better than in Cupid’s Got a Glock. The style is very much like that of the late great Elmore Leonard.

The list of unique characters begins with Giovanni Sortino, the Black Valentine. Johnny is an enforcer or hit man for the mob, but he is far from the stereotype you see portrayed on film. He wears blackface and leaves a black valentine card as his signature calling card. He has a lot of nicknames and is something of a ladies’ man, but this doesn't begin to cover the complexity of Johnny. When he meets Marjorie, “Neesha” Steele, an African-American Jersey girl with issues of her own, a crazy series of improbable events centering around an abandoned baby and a custody battle sends us on a zany romantic ride for hours of fast, fun reading. If you are an Elmore Leonard fan, try Cupid’s Got a Glock. You won’t be disappointed.

Cupid's Got A Glock! by Nicholas Rome is a new crime novel, a romantic suspense, a thrill of a story set against the backdrop of contemporary New Jersey, a society where crime is rife and drug lords use their guns for toys. Neesha Steele is an African-American beauty who is still not over the death of her sister, murdered by one of the powerful drug lords in the country. In her journey towards revenge, her path crosses that of another deadly rogue who is bent on ripping off the head of the same enemy. In very unusual circumstances, Giovanni Sortino and Neesha fall in love with each other, but when their romance starts to develop, Sortino’s past devils begin to haunt him. Will he succeed in evading the devils of his past and righting his life before he is taken down?

Nicholas Rome is a writer with superior style, weaving prose that is exquisitely beautiful and a story that makes readers think of danger at every turn. The drama is intense, beginning from the very first page of the story; the conflict builds up steadily and reaches staggering proportions in no time. The subplots and backstory provide additional ingredients to a story that is as interesting as it is entertaining. Cupid's Got A Glock! is a beautiful and ravishing tale told with elegance, and the author has done a brilliant job in creating characters that are rich in personality and compelling in a dangerous way. Readers will love to watch Neesha and Sortino as their romance blossoms, but they will be breathless at the deadly game played by key characters in the story. I loved the story. Well-written. Great sense of suspense.