For Money and Love (Mob Princess) [Paperback]

Todd Strasser (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mob Princess | Publication Date: June 26, 2007

An offer she can't refuse.

Kate Blessing is not your typical high school junior. She's a good student who's into guys and the latest designer jeans...and she's also part of the mob. Her father, Bobby Blessing, is the head of the family, and her mom, Amanda, is the brains behind the operation. Kate may not partake in the "family business," but she knows what goes down. She's proud of her family -- and of course, there are plenty of perks: her indoor pool, Caribbean vacations, expensive haircuts...

But when Amanda gets fed up with Bobby's cheating and moves out, someone needs to make decisions, give orders, and keep things running. Kate has no choice but to step into her mother's shoes and prop her dad up.

Bobby may be the face of the mob, but it's not long before the princess is running the show.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—High school senior Kate Blessing has it all—a new Mercedes, fantastic grades, a hot boyfriend, and an ostensibly stable family environment. Then, everything is put in jeopardy on one fateful Christmas Eve: Tanner dumps her because she refuses to go all the way; her mother moves out because she's fed up with her husband's infidelity; and Kate discovers that Dad's mistress is pregnant. Mobster Sonny Blessing is too upset and preoccupied to deal with the family business. His cronies are impatiently waiting for him to decide what to do about a rival mob's intention to hijack a Brinks truck in their territory. Kate steps in with a solid plan to beat the Blattarias to the punch. Soon, Sonny is calling on her for business advice. Meanwhile, she wrestles with her feelings for two prospective boyfriends: Teddy, a fellow member of the Future Business Leaders of America and Nick Blattaria, the son of her father's enemy. Strasser's writing is engaging and his contemporary references are spot-on. The book is self-conscious of its relationship to HBO's "The Sopranos," and Kate is reminiscent of television's Veronica Mars in her feistiness and keen interest in her father's profession. Readers are left with a cliff-hanger, as a sequel is in the making. This title will fly off the shelves and beckon even reluctant readers with its flashy, over-the-top premise.—Jennifer Barnes, Homewood Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Todd Strasser is the author of more than 120 novels for teens and middle graders, including If I Grow Up, Boot Camp, Can't Get There From Here, Give a Boy a Gun, the Impact Zone series, and the DriftX series. He lives in a suburb of New York and speaks frequently at schools. Visit  toddstrasser.com to learn more.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 195 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse; Original edition (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416935339
• ISBN-13: 978-1416935339
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,768,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Todd Strasser is the author of more than 120 novels for teens
and middle graders, including If I Grow Up, Boot Camp, Can't Get There From Here, Give a Boy a Gun, the Impact Zone series, and the DriftX series. He lives in a suburb of New York and speaks frequently at schools.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad, January 7, 2012

By 

Mel Rose (MD, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: For Money and Love (Mob Princess) (Paperback)

For Money and Love (Mob Princess) by Todd Strasser is the first book in the Mob Princess series, following Kate Blessing and her mob family. Kate has everything anyone could ask for, until her mother finally leaves her father after dealing with his mistresses too many times. Without Kate's mother there to help out and keep everyone in order, it's up to Kate to keep the business from going under.

The book sounds like it'll be a bit cheesy, girly version of a mob show. And for the most part, it probably is. But it's still worth a read. Kate is a pretty strong character who has her own problems to deal with, without having any of the family business get in the way. Add in the family business, a fellow classmate whom she's attracted to, and the son of her father's enemy as well and it's a world of craziness. It seems like anything that can go wrong does.

Overall, it's not a bad book. It's cute, it's short and it's pretty interesting. I would suggest getting all three books in the series as this one does end in a cliff hanger that you'll want to read the next book as soon as possible.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, November 16, 2007

By 

Victoria DeVaine "Victoria" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: For Money and Love (Mob Princess) (Paperback)

I was a little skeptical of reading this book, but when I started it, I couldn't put it down. The story of her family's organization (the mob) is really real sounding and draws you in. The intense attraction between Kate Blessing and Nick is really gripping and the story moves so fast that it's over before you know it. I wish it were longer! I'm running out tonight to buy book 2 in the series!

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, July 28, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: For Money and Love (Mob Princess) (Paperback)

Kate Blessing is very used to her life. She gets all of the designer handbags, the latest clothes, and any car that she wants. It doesn't even bother Kate that the only reason she is able to afford these luxury items is because her father is a mob boss. Having a family full of mobsters has never been a problem for Kate; she has always been around the lifestyle, just never a part of it. At least that is what she thought at first.

Her life was running smoothing until her mother, Amanda, decided that she couldn't handle Sonny's affairs anymore and up and left the family. The worst part is that Kate's mother was the one who held the mob together, since she was the one that Sonny, Kate's father, went to for advice. Now that Amanda has left, the mob seems to be falling apart.

But without even thinking about it, Kate begins to give advice to her father and to all the mobsters, advice that has actually helped them in some of their illegal activities. Unfortunately, one of these activities sparks a riff with another mob family. And just like that Kate finds herself in the middle of this problem, along with Nick, the son of the enemy. Having a mob as family doesn't seem like the greatest idea now, at least not for Kate.

FOR MONEY AND LOVE is the perfect book for anyone who wants a girl's point of view on the happenings of the mob, and it is definitely worth it. Todd Strasser creates an entertaining opening for his new MOB PRINCESS series. Unfortunately, the next book in the series, Stolen Kisses, Secrets, and Lies (Mob Princess), will take forever to be released -- well, in September to be precise.

Readers who enjoyed books such as Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman will want to get their hands on a copy of FOR MONEY AND LOVE.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen