Book Review: The Villa

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Villa     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Nora Roberts
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Romantic Suspense
Putnam, Mar 2001, $25.95, 432 pp.

As the successful head of marketing for her family's Napa Valley winery, Sophia Giambelli has never failed. However, her grandmother Tereza throws Sophia for a loop when she announces the merging and shuffling of responsibilities for the three family holdings.

Sophia must teach marketing to Tyler MacMillan while she must learn wine making from Eli. To make matters worse and more complicated, Tereza announces that David Cutter, an outsider, is the new CEO. As Tyler and Sophia squabble over processes, they fall in love with one another just as David falls in love with Sophia's mother. However, a snake in this Eden wants nothing less than to destroy the Giambellis out of vengeance and so adds to the turmoil that love and realignment have already caused.

THE VILLA is an exciting, action-packed romantic suspense novel filled with the Nora Roberts trademark of charming characters, especially strong female protagonists. The story line is filled with emotion and passion as love is obviously in the air. Ms Roberts, through meticulous and accurate research, shows the reader just what goes on in the winemaking industry. Although the villain is apparent early on and the reasoning for the reshuffling is not fully explained, neither of these faults fails to slow down a typical ardent tale that will send Nora back to all the best seller lists.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner