Love Bytes gives a warm welcome to author Giovanna Reaves joining us today to talk about her upcoming release: “Moor”.

Giovanna talks to us about her book and shares an excerpt of chapter 1.

She also brought a wonderful giveaway for our readers.

Welcome Giovanna 🙂

 

When Shane mentioned that he was doing a twist on Shakespeare, I knew I wanted to write my own version of Othello. As a person of color, I have always been drawn to the complex and tragic tale of love, jealousy, manipulation, and misunderstandings. Shakespeare weaves an intriguing story of Othello and Desdemona, who are so deeply in love that they remain unaware of the forces conspiring to tear their world apart.

Each character is so well written that you are drawn in from the very beginning. As a reader, you witness Othello’s trust and love for Desdemona, which Iago exploits by manipulating Cassio, one of Othello’s lieutenants. Othello sees Iago as a loyal friend, even going so far as to call him honest, unaware of Iago’s deep hatred for him. Shakespeare doesn’t shy away from the critical theme of racism that Othello endures—a prejudice that continues to weigh heavily on African Americans today.

Othello, a Moor of African descent, rises to prominence as a respected general in Venice but faces prejudice due to his race. Characters question his marriage to Desdemona, a white Venetian woman, and portray him as uncivilized and brutal solely because of his ethnicity.

Through Moor, I explore how timeless themes like trust, loyalty, racism, and manipulation resonate in a contemporary mafia setting. My Othello is a mafia underboss who values loyalty and his own version of justice. He runs the underworld of Verona Heights and remains steadfast in his principles despite the opposition he faces. However, like Shakespeare’s Othello, his confidence and vulnerabilities—especially his blind trust in those closest to him—ultimately lead to his downfall.

While Shakespeare’s Othello ends in tragedy, Moor offers a happy ending. The characters undergo personal growth as they fall in love. In Moor, Othello rises from underboss to don, a journey that tests his loyalties and inner strength. Meanwhile, Des discovers new depths within himself, learning to navigate love, self-reliance, and the dangers of the world Othello inhabits.

I hope you enjoy this queer retelling of Shakespeare’s plays. Authors include Shane K Morton, D.K. Sutton, Abigail Kade, Lynn Van Dorn, Drea Roman, Marie Sinclair, Giovanna Reaves (me), and Elizabeth Silver.

Moor Blurb

Loyalty is sacred; betrayal is unforgivable.

Des, a young doctor who has always followed his parents’ expectations, is inexperienced in love and life. That all changes the night he operates on a dangerously handsome patient. Des’s growing attraction quickly turns into an irresistible desire.

Othello, bound by loyalty to his family’s code, has just been named the successor to Verona Heights’ most powerful underground organization, La Famiglia Romano. With immense responsibility weighing on him, he believes there’s no room for love—until a certain doctor catches his eye.

As passion ignites between Des and Othello, a dark conspiracy against Othello threatens to tear them apart and endanger their lives, forcing them to confront their fears and desires.

Can they survive the treacherous forces working against them, or will their love be destroyed forever?

This modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s Othello is filled with betrayal, loyalty, romance, and a little love at first sight. Part of the Twisted Bard series, where multiple authors bring the Bard’s timeless tales into the present!

Moor Universal Link 

Amazon Buy Link

Twist Bard Link 

Moor Excerpt (Chapter One)

Othello Romano-Moor looked appreciatively around the abandoned warehouse that was converted for the late-night meeting between the Falcon and the La Romano Famiglia clans. His men had done a good job making it amenable. The dimly lit room had a single table surrounded by stone-faced men as tension rose between the two factions, both part of Verona Heights’ underworld.

As the newly appointed successor and underboss, Othello sat on the right of his adopted father, Alessandro Romano, the don of La Romano Famiglia, at one end of the table. On Alessandro’s left side was his adopted brother and best friend, Iago Romano, the family’s consigliere.

Don Alessandro was a robust man in his early sixties, with a head full of dark wavy hair and slightly graying temples. He’d recently needed a cane due to a slowly healing injury to his left leg. Behind the three men stood their soldiers watching their backs, not to mention the ones outside guarding the warehouse.

Across from the Romanos were the Falcons, led by the young and inexperienced Don Julian Falcon, who had just assumed leadership after his father’s untimely death. His trusted advisors, seasoned but wary, stood behind him, their eyes scanning the room for any sign of danger. However, Julian’s father’s death was not the reason for their meeting.

Four weeks ago, Don Francesco Rizzo had been murdered under the combined efforts of the Falcon and the Romano factions, leaving no successors. Now, Alessandro and Julian were both in a hostile takeover, vying for the most lucrative assets of Rizzo’s properties and select clan members.

Since Central Verona was a neutral territory, they wanted the business in the surrounding areas. For years, Don Rizzo had accumulated a lot of prime real estate, taking out anyone who went up against him. He only trusted his consigliere, who’d also died in the shootout. One thing Othello appreciated about Rizzo was that he had a good eye for business and knew how to hide his criminal activities very well.

Othello knew Don Alessandro wanted to consolidate all the businesses in the East Bridge’s financial district, Midtown, and River Front, which had a high concentration of tourists, shopping, gambling, and extortion operations, but most importantly, the ports that controlled what came and went from the city. He also wanted the Old Town; the South Shore was prime for real estate value. The don was willing to give up the East Side and West End properties, even though they were ripe and had more potential than Rizzo had been willing to put into them, which was why Falcon felt Alessandro was giving him scraps.

“I don’t see why the fuck we should settle for crumbs,” Julian growled, slamming his fist on the table. “What the fuck? We did most of the heavy lifting. The financial district should be ours.”

“Watch your mouth, youngin,” Iago snapped. “Know who you’re talking to and show the don some respect, so mind your fucking language.”

Othello hid his smirk behind his hand. He knew how much Iago hated it when others spoke to the don disrespectfully.

Alessandro leaned back in his chair, his expression a mask of calm, but Othello could see the anger in the don’s gaze even from where he sat. “You and your men certainly played a part in offing Rizzo and his lieutenants, but let’s not forget who provided the intelligence, most of the resources, and did the cleanup. If it weren’t for us, the cops would be breathing down your necks right now!”

“Should I be fucking grateful?” Julian barked.

“You should be on your fucking knees begging the don not to kill you right here and now,” Iago hissed.

Don Julian went to speak, but Othello interjected in a deep and steady voice: “One of our family mottos is never regretting your choices.”

“Family motto,” Julian scoffed. “I’ve heard you lot have a shitload of them. How the hell do you keep track of them all?”

Othello didn’t respond and continued to speak as if the man hadn’t said anything. “We agreed on the property division before we went into this.” He steepled his fingers, looking Julian in the face. “Trying to change the terms now is not only unfair, it’s dishonorable—something I knew your father wouldn’t have done.”

“Don’t you fucking bring my father into this,” Julian snarled.

Othello felt Falcon’s lieutenants’ heated gazes, adding more tension to the room and conversation. He could have cut it with a knife, but didn’t remove his eyes from Julian. However, Othello was unfazed by intimidating looks. He’d dealt with people like Falcon before. Even with his guards covering his back, Othello knew that Falcon was scared of the three of them.

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not my father,” he sneered.

“Pity,” Iago said. “He at least knew his place.”

“Look who is talking about place,” Falcon countered, and the guard behind him sniggered. “Isn’t your place to follow behind Othello’s ass? Everyone knows how worthless you are.”

Iago went to respond, but a commotion halted the words on his tongue. The entire room fell silent as the sound of gunfire echoed through the warehouse walls. The room descended into chaos as the men from both factions drew their weapons and pointed them at each other.

“What the fuck is going on?” Don Alessandro barked, rising to his feet with the aid of his cane. “Are you trying to stab us in the back, Falcon?”

Just then, the doors burst open, and a La Romano Famiglia guard staggered in with a gunshot wound to his side. “Ambush!” he managed to gasp before collapsing.

Othello sprang into action just as he saw the faction leaders exchanging quick, suspicious glances at each other, conveying the same thought.

You stabbed us in the back!

Before Othello or anyone had time to dwell on that thought, bullets flew into the room, and sounds of shattering and splintering wood filled the air. Thinking quickly, Othello shoved Don Alessandro behind him and then flipped the table over, using it as cover.

“Stay down,” Othello yelled, but his voice was barely heard over the sound of gunfire.

In all the commotion, he’d lost sight of Iago, who he was certain was next to him when it all happened. Putting his worry for Iago aside, he focused on getting them out of there alive. Using the table as cover, Othello remained standing, aiming his gun, and fired at any moving target. Bullets were coming and going from all directions as both factions took cover, unsure of who they were fighting against. Amid the chaos, Othello felt a searing pain tear through him, causing him to clutch his chest, stumbling back and struggling for a second to stay on his feet.

“Boss, you’re hit!” Tallen, one of his most loyal soldiers, shouted, rushing over to him.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, he waved off Tallen’s worry. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” He pushed Tallen next to Alessandro. “Protect the don. No matter what happens to me, get him out of here alive.”

Tallen nodded, and Othello turned his focus back on the shitstorm happening. He was no doctor, but he could tell his wound was serious. The table had been a good cover for the moment, but it wasn’t foolproof. If whoever shot had perfect aim, they would have hit his heart. He didn’t want to think that someone was gunning for him because that would make no sense when everyone had bullets flying full speed at them. Othello was just happy that the don hadn’t gotten hurt. His other worry was Iago. He prayed his friend was still alive.

Sweat drenched his body, mixing with his blood-soaked shirt. He stumbled when he felt another burning sensation in his side too close to his ribs, causing him to stagger a little and hit his head on the table so hard his vision blurred, and he could feel blood running down the side of his face. But it didn’t stop him from firing his gun until it ran out of bullets. He hurriedly fumbled for a fresh magazine.

During the confusion, Othello couldn’t help but wonder what faction the attackers were from. How come they have so many fucking expendable men? Just as the thought crossed his mind, there was a loud whistle that cut through the gunfire, and the attackers began to withdraw as if they had accomplished their objective, which was unclear to everyone, but their damage didn’t go unnoticed. The warehouse looked like a war zone.

The warehouse suddenly fell into an eerie silence. The air was thick with smoke, and the stench of blood gave rise to the added groans of the wounded, interrupting the stillness. Othello stumbled once more and knew he was going to hit the ground hard this time. But he was saved when an arm wrapped around his waist, allowing him to lean on someone.

“Hold on, Son,” came Alessandro’s deep voice next to his ear. “Someone come help us!”

Othello looked at the older man and smiled, hoping to ease the worry etched in the don’s eyes. Othello wanted to say something, but his knees weakened and buckled, bringing him down despite the don holding him up.

“Boss!” Tallen rushed over, knelt next to him, and pulled his shirt open, hissing. “Fuck, boss, it’s…”

“I know,” Othello gasped. He didn’t need to hear how bad it was. Th bottom line was that he was fucked.

Tallen pulled off his jacket and pressed it to his injuries, making him wince.

“Hold on, Othello, we’ll get you some help soon,” Alessandro said, patting him on the shoulder.

Othello looked at Don Alessandro, feeling his strength waning, but he needed to know. “Who…were they?” he panted, gritting his teeth since it was hard to utter a word.

“I don’t know yet,” Alessandro replied grimly. “But we’ll find out.”

Othello tried to move, but Tallen stopped him. “Boss, don’t move.”

Just then, Don Falcon approached them with a slight limp.

“This wasn’t us, Romano,” Falcon said. “We were just as blindsided by everything as you guys.”

Alessandro sighed, giving a slight nod. “We’ll deal with that later. Right now, we need to get our men to safety.”

Othello listened to both dons come to an uneasy truce, but he kept looking around for Iago. Grabbing Tallen’s arm, he got his subordinate’s attention.

“What is it, Boss?”

He was about to ask about Iago when the man’s deep voice rang out in the room, putting Othello’s worry to rest.

“Don, we need to go. The cops are coming!” Iago informed them, rushing to their side. His eyes widened when he saw Othello. “Fuck, O, what the hell, man? How did you get shot?”

Othello would have cracked a joke at the moment, like saying it was part of the job to protect the don, but he was in too much pain to speak. Seconds later, the don gave out a few orders just as they heard sirens wailing in the distance, letting them know they didn’t have much time before they got there. Othello could only hope his injuries didn’t slow their escape.

“Tallen and Iago, get Othello to the car. Marco, clean up his blood. Leave no trace that we were here,” Don Alessandro commanded just as Othello started to go in and out of consciousness.

Iago and Tallen gently lifted Othello. He wanted to stop them and tell them to leave, because with every movement, he felt as if his chest was going to split open and he was going to bleed to death. In the background, he heard Don Falcon ordering his men to sweep the place and get the fuck out. Once outside, Iago and Tallen carefully loaded him into the car, but he could feel his condition worsening by the second. He knew his head was on Don Alessandro’s lap and his legs on Tallen’s thighs. Othello couldn’t tell if it was his sweat or his blood, but his back was soaking wet.

“Papa,” Iago said. “His injuries are too…”

“I’m fine,” he panted, cutting Iago off.

Othello knew he was about to die, but as long as his family was safe, it was all that mattered to him. Grunting, he held on to Iago, trying to sit up but being pushed back down.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Iago shouted. “And you’re not fucking fine. You have a damn hole in your chest and no exit wound. How you’re still awake and trying to move around is a mystery to me.”

Othello gave a weak smile, closing his eyes and being comforted by Iago’s ranting. He knew the day he died, he’d hear his friend cursing him to hell and back as he felt his consciousness slipping deep, and there was nothing else he could say as he heard Tallen shouting his name.

* *

“Quiet,” Alessandro said, his tone soft but speaking many volumes about why he was the don of the Famiglia Romano. They had gotten away from the warehouse with a minute to spare before the cops arrived.

“Don, are you sure it’s the right decision to take him to the hospital?” Iago said. “We could get our in-house doctor to patch him up while we find a doctor to take care of him. If we take him to the hospital, the cops will know we were at the warehouse tonight.”

“Iago, shut the fuck up,” Alessandro snarled. “Look at him and tell me if he can wait!”

“Papa, I…”

Alessandro held up a hand, stopping Iago’s nattering. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t deny that Iago was right. Taking Othello to the hospital would put them in the bullseye of the cops–well, the ones that weren’t on his payroll. As crazy as it might sound, for as long as he had been the leader of a criminal organization, having a member of his family getting fatally shot was on his bingo list for confirming the rumors of those he did legitimate business with. To those in certain parts of Verona Heights, the Romano family’s wealth came from a prosperous construction company that had been in the family for years.

We have to have somewhere to hide the bodies.

But Alessandro didn’t care if the family was found out to be a criminal syndicate. He couldn’t lose his precious son. Othello wasn’t his flesh and blood, but that was only semantics. He wasn’t a doctor, but he could tell that Othello was going to die if they didn’t get to the hospital soon.

“Marco, how far are we?” he asked.

“We’ll be here in five seconds,” came the answer, but Marco wasn’t the one to respond. Looking at the passenger seat, Alessandro realized Julian Falcon was in the car with them. “I have someone working in the emergency room tonight. I let them know we’re coming in hot, and he’ll keep things on the hush-hush, but it looks like your guy will need surgery, and I don’t know if he’ll be able to help.”

“Thank you.” Alessandro nodded. “I’m grateful for any help right now.”

“Think nothing of it. We’re allies, after all,” Julian said, looking down at Othello.

Alessandro looked at Othello, unable to hide his worry. This kid has always been giving him trouble ever since the day he and Iago came up with the scheme to pick his pocket. He’d allowed them to do whatever they wanted and brought them into a world that most would warn their kids to stay away from. Othello was a curious child he’d guided to his adulthood. Othello was intelligent and tactical, took no prisoners, was loyal, and lived by the family and his own moral code, even in a criminal world, which was something Alessandro admired. Those were some of the reasons he chose Othello as his successor.

He knew which of his sons could handle the pressure of being the boss. Othello was decisive and never backed down from his mistakes; only learned from them. He had once thought that he’d scared Othello with one of his actions, but instead, the boy wholeheartedly embraced his world. Many would question his parenting skills, but he knew how strong his boys were, just as he knew the risks of the world he brought them into. Alessandro didn’t care if he lost all his material things. He could regain them again; he just couldn’t survive without his sons and wife, who was going to kill him when she found out about her precious Othello. But he couldn’t worry about that; now, he had to focus on keeping his son alive.

The car stopped abruptly, pulling Alessandro from his thoughts. He watched Tallen rush out of the car without anyone ordering him to and disappear into the hospital. Not even a minute later, he returned with hospital staff pushing a gurney. Without saying a word, the staff got to work whisking Othello away, leaving Alessandro and the rest to follow behind them.

While the staff worked on Othello, Alessandro stood aside, refusing to let them draw the hospital curtains blocking him from his son but not wanting to get in their way, while his instincts were telling him to take control of everything. Still, he would only make the situation worse. He didn’t look away from the doctors working furiously when he felt a presence next to him, but he knew who it was.

“This changes everything,” he muttered. “We might be rivals, but I have a lot of respect for Othello. Whoever did this knew when and where to strike.”

Alessandro nodded as his admiration for the young don grew. “We’ll find them and then make them pay,” he said, his voice low.

“Yes,” Julian responded, then groaned, causing Alessandro to take his eyes off his son. That’s when he noticed that Julian was bleeding from his left shoulder.

“You should get that looked at.” He looked around and saw two of Falcon’s guards standing not far from him. “Get him looked at.”

“Yes, Don Alessandro,” they answered together.

One of the men stepped over to Julian and was about to lead him away when the young man held up a hand. “Let me say this before I go. I didn’t lose any of my men tonight. Sure, we got a few scrapes here and there, but nothing as severe as your son.”

“What are you saying?” Alessandro asked, feeling as if he knew where Falcon was going, but he needed to hear the words.

“I know it was chaotic in there, but I’m certain all this was to take Othello out. Like I said, we came out with minor injuries. He’s the only one on death’s door.”

If what he said was true, Alessandro couldn’t let this matter go on for too long. He had to have his people look into it. They both nodded, coming to an understanding, and then Julian’s men led him away. When they were out of sight and hearing distance, Alessandro turned to Iago.

“Contact our people at the police station and tell them to collect everything the police might have found tonight at the warehouse. Then, Iago, I want you to do this discreetly. Investigate our people.”

“Papa, you’re not thinking that one of our people did this?”

“What am I supposed to think? If he dies, Maria will never forgive me,” he said, looking at the hospital staff still working on Othello, whose blood now soaked their scrubs, bed, and floor. “Find out who set this up, Iago, and bring them to me.”

“Yes, Papa.”

Iago didn’t leave right away. Alessandro could feel his reluctance to leave. Alessandro knew Iago was worried about his brother. They had been close since childhood, sharing woes and joys.

“Go, I’ll keep you in the loop,” Alessandro told him.

Iago sighed, hugged him, then left. Minutes after Iago left, the doctor approached Alessandro.

“Doctor, how’s my son?” Alessandro asked.

“He’s stable for now. We got the bullet out, but it caused a lot of damage that will require surgery immediately.”

“Do whatever it takes,” Alessandro told him, his tone raw and emotional. “Just save my son.”

“I’ll make sure he gets the best on staff.” He smiled and then turned to the nurse at his side. “Contact Doctor Ellington. Let him know he’s needed in the ER.”

“Yes, Doctor.” The nurse left, but the doctor stayed.

“Is there something else?” Alessandro asked.

“Yes, I must warn you. The surgeon will have questions. Normally, we need to report a gunshot wound to the police.”

“Then get someone else, or you do it,” Alessandro said.

“I’m not as good as he is. He’s our youngest and best surgeon on staff, and with him, your son will live; with me, you’d be taking too many risks. His heart stopped once already. I don’t want to take the chance. Julian might be my brother, but I know even he wouldn’t be able to protect me if your son dies by my hand.”

Just as Alessandro was about to speak, the machines around Othello started beeping madly. The doctor cursed and ran to his side, barking out orders that Alessandro couldn’t understand. “Fuck, we need to get him to the OR now. Tell them we’re coming!”

Before Alessandro could ask any questions, they wheeled Othello away.

“Sir, I need you to follow me to the operating waiting room,” a nurse told him. They could not move too fast because of his hurt leg, so the gurney with Othello was long gone. “We’re about to have your son operated on, and I will need you to sign off on it.”

“Get me the paperwork now,” he ordered gently. As they walked, she handed him a clipboard. He scanned it, signed his name, and returned it to her. Once they got to the waiting room, Alessandro released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He looked around the room, spotting the rest of his men. “Tallen, spread the word until we know Othello is fine—no one tells Maria.”

“Yes, Don.” Tallen ran off to do his bidding.

Alessandro sat in a chair and dropped his head in his hands, sending prayers to every god in the universe, begging them not to take his son from him. He was going to kill whoever did this. Someone must have thought he had become soft and that they could strike at him by taking out his beloved son. They had another thing coming because he would wreak havoc on their lives when he found them.

“Marco, find out who the surgeon is and how we can ensure he doesn’t talk. See who’s on our payroll, who’s a part of the hospital board,” he said, looking up at his soldier. “Also, get me the name of everyone who died and got hurt.”

“Yes, Don.”

With everyone gone off to do the tasks he ordered, Alessandro leaned back in his chair and waited because that was all he could do.

Giovanna (Gia) Reaves is my alter ego, a dreamer. I spend my days and nights dreaming and thinking of the worlds I want to create with words. I started writing about three years ago when I was introduced to fan fiction. I loved the idea of creating a new world around characters and watching them fall in love.

Find out more about Giovanna Reaves – www.giareaves.com

Giovanna brought a ecopy of her upcoming release: “Moor”.

Tell us why you would like to win in the comments 🙂