Darcy Jensen is the younger of the president's two
daughters and she's tired of playing second fiddle to her
more attractive, adored sister Lauren. After spending what
feels like a lifetime being upstaged by Lauren -- whether it
be for her father's affection or that of her college
boyfriend -- Darcy is struggling to find her place in the
world and overcome the media's unfair categorization of her
as the edgy, unpleasant sister.
After a botched kidnapping attempt, Darcy finds herself
hiding out in the wine country of California while the
government scours the country for the kidnappers. While in
California, Darcy not only falls in love with wine, but the
warm and loving Marcelli family. The Marcelli family
bustles with three generations of winemakers, several
boisterous sisters, spry and opinionated grandparents and
one very hunky son named Joe, who happens to be a Navy SEAL
assigned to help keep her safe at his family's winery.
A hunky guy, some fine wine and great Italian food...you know
where this is going, right? In addition to a fiery romance,
crime and a few family skeletons keep this story moving at
a fast clip. It weaves themes of family ties and
forgiveness throughout the novel. The story and characters
were well-developed. I felt as if I knew the characters and
was sitting at the family table dining with the Marcelli's
myself.
Ms. Mallery does a great job of teasing the reader in this
book about her next Marcelli novel, a story about Mia
Marcelli. Pour yourself a glass of fine wine and take time
to enjoy THE MARCELLI BRIDE.
Susan Mallery returns to the idyllic setting of her
sensual Marcelli sisters trilogy -- California wine
country, where love and laughter flow, and where an
unlikely couple discovers the one thing their hearts hunger
for most: a place to call home.
The rebel of the Marcelli family, Joe never joined his
sisters Katie, Francesca, and Brenna in running the winery
business. Instead, he chose a life of military service. But
now that this handsome, headstrong former Navy SEAL has
received a new, undercover assignment -- protecting none
other than the commander in chief's daughter -- he finds
himself stationed back at the California vineyard he
defiantly left behind. First-daughter Darcy Jensen has been
placed in hiding at the Marcelli Winery after surviving a
kidnapping attempt . . . and now it's Joe's job to keep the
fearful, fiery beauty out of harm's way. Begrudgingly, Joe
heeds his presidential order -- until "babysitting" Darcy
proves to be the greatest pleasure he's ever known. How can
Joe protect Darcy from danger, when he's falling
dangerously in love? And can Darcy trust that Joe's
intentions are true -- when no one else's have ever been?