Rating: 
Summary: If this book were a wine ....
Review: It would be a light, sparkling white. The Giambellis and MacMillans are two connected wine families who become further connected when the matriarch of the families, La Signora, decides to consolidate and reorganize the wineries. As a part of the shake up, personal and professional alliances are broken and reformed, and new relationships are established. Ty and Sophia, who think they already know each other, discover new facets to each other. Pilar, Sophia's mother, learns new things about herself and her capabilities. And the family learns something about revenge, betrayal and survival. Most Nora Roberts' fans will be pleased with this latest offering. If it were a movie, I'd say it's worth full fare.
Rating: 
Summary: Mistress of Suspens
Review: "The Villa" is another phenomenal work from Nora Roberts. I live in Poland and I've read all her works published in Polish so far and I have to say that this books like all the others hasn't failed to amuse and intrigue me. I don't know where from does she take ideas for her novels, but they're really outstanding. The characters and their fate become really important for me while I was reading this book (instead of studying of course!), and I've really fallen for Ty - he's a prince taken straight from my dreams and he's so, so male. And the love between Pilar and David is so sweet it brought tears to my eyes The dialogues are funny and the grand finale... well, let me just say that Nora Roberts is really a mistress of suspense. Great work.
Rating:
Summary: This aithor can only write great entertainment
Review: 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 , 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 Roberts back to all the bestseller lists. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: a hybrid novel?
Review: The Villa seems to try to transcend the Romance genre and become a mainstream novel. It doesn't quite make it and the genre novel probably suffers too. The pace is too slow to please most Romance readers and there is not enough tension and suspense. For a current romance/mainstream novel that has strong mystery and suspense, see the novel Always. Nora Roberts is certainly writing about a social world she knows well, being of Italian background herself, but she does not succeed in getting that world and cultural history across to readers who do not share that background. Roberts is to be encouraged for trying to transcend the genre, and one hopes that in her later novels she has been and will be more successful.
Rating:
Summary: Romance, Mystery, California Vineyards with Roots in Italy
Review: I avoided Nora Roberts novels until this one but the vineyards and murder mystery intrigued me, so I was captured. I have no regrets. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. On page one, we learn a close friend of the family who worked the vineyards for the Giambelli winery in Italy was murdered. Tereza Giambelli, the matriarch, inherited the family business and was having a family get together, a gathering of the clan ... which could mean only one thing: she was ready to relinquish some power over the wine-producing dynasty ... but the question remained, "to whom?"
We discover she has known the owner of the rival winery, the MacMillan Winery, for many years and has proposed a merger with the Giambelli Vineyards, combining 156 years of experience in the wine industry with 5 generations having been vintners and wine merchants. To everyone's surprise, "La Signora" Tereza is dividing up the ownership and responsibilities for running the business *much* differently than anticipated. A young adult in each of the families will take on the major responsibility for wine production and sales. Tereza knows the faults of her sons and daughter all too well. She does the unthinkable and provides the next generation, a young adult in each of the families the major responsibiity for wine-production and world wide sales. Sophia of the Giambellis, the granddaughter of the grand dame was chosen as a Vice President of Operations and Tyler of the MacMillans was also given the same title. The two families were cemented together as the world-wide producer of the finest wines. Each of these young adults were challenged to meet performance expectations with the pay off of 20% owenrship of the company if they were found satisfactory after one year's time elapsed. The newly combined firm of Giambelli-MacMillan Wines needed a Chief Operating Officer. A divorced man, David Cuttler, working at a well established firm was suggested and later selected. David was at first reticent to take on the position but discovered he relished the challenges and changes associated with moving from New York to California. Additionally, he had two teenagers to consider in the equation, a son and daughter.
There are numerous intrigues and links which connect the Giambelli family to their roots in Italy ... some dark secrets are discovered there. Both Sophia and Tyler are unexpectedly drawn to travel to Italy to explore the beginnings of the wine business in the past. Pilar, Sophia's mother and her exhusband, (Sophia's dad), Tony have many complex emotional issues to resolve. The romantic connections which develop between characters in the novel are a compelling read. There is a threat to the success of the merger between the Giambellis and MacMillans which comes from unexpected sources. Reading the book is a highly fulfilling and satisfying experience. Learn how the alliance between the two families is nearly destroyed ... and then saved. Most highly recommended novel. Erika Borsos (erikab93)
Rating:
Summary: Angry at the ending
Review: I have read Nora Roberts before and this book was fun and exciting, until I got close to the ending. The number of pages remaining told me that I was going to be disappointed. There simply was not enough space to end the story satisfactorily. The exciting romance between David and Pilar ceased to be discussed after she accepted his proposal, and that was a let down because, as a mature woman, I loved their story. I identified with Pilar's concern about her body and their quest for privacy from the eyes of the family. I know that feeling. In the end there was the mystery and how the other villians fit in. Or didn't fit. And what about the crime and punishment? I found that very unsetting. What a tremendous amount of guilt must come with the knowledge of not making public the true killer, even if she was a victim. And just how much damage was done to the winery? This book was not a waste of my time, but it certainly was a disappointment at the end. I felt like the author just wanted to be done with it. Too bad for us. A few more pages and a good editor would have made all the difference.
Rating:
Summary: An OK Read
Review: This was my first Nora Roberts and I found it to be an OK read. I did find that the editing and proofreading was surprisingly good for a writer that is so prolific and obviously writes for a popular audience.
The book is an interesting blend of romance, thriller, who done it, and murder mystery. I was a bit unsettled by the rather surprise ending. I felt like Ms. Roberts was spitting in the face of morality, but I don�t want to spoil the plot. Unlike many of the other reviewers, I found one of the strengths in the novel to be in the character study of some very strong female characters. Although she spent some time developing her male characters, Ms. Roberts really concentrated on the women. Obviously, Ms. Roberts is pitching her writing toward the female audience.
There were 3 main women characters Tereza Giambelli, Pilar Giambelli Avano and Sophia Giambelli (really Avano). Tereza is the matriarch and is motivated by duty, family and tradition. She will do any thing to keep what she has worked all her life to build.
Pilar is Tereza�s daughter and came of age during the 60s and 70s, but she obviously was the �good� girl growing up and seems to be the meek and mild type. She is the most likeable and interesting of the three main women. During the book, she overcomes some of her insecurity, gets over a philandering husband of 30 years and finds new love with a good man.
I found Sophia a bit irritating. I meet her type in business everyday and I can assure you the type doesn�t wear well in real life. She overconfident, a type A, totally independent, and I wouldn�t want to work with her either. But Ms. Roberts does a credible job of dealing with the character trying to come to grips with the fact that maybe she just might need someone else in her life.
There are also several interesting secondary female characters. There�s a trophy wife of Tony Avano (Pilar�s ex) who�s very easy to hate. She�s really a one dimensional gold digger type. There�s another vicious business woman who hates Sophia and tries very hard to ruin her. But the best of the secondary characters are Maddy, the teenage daughter of Pilar�s new love interest and Helen, a long time friend of Pilar.
Maddy is the daughter that everyone would like to have. She pushes the limits, by asking to pierce her nose, when what she really wants is a second set of piercing in her ears. She dresses in Goth, although she�s really growing bored with that. Although she pushes the limits, she never crosses them. In addition she�s incredibly smart and ambitious. I found myself hoping that she wouldn�t follow Sophia and become that totally pain in the rear �I am woman� type female as she grew up.
Then there was Helen. I really wish more could have been done with her character. She was a good friend to Pilar and unlike Pilar I got the feeling she may not have been quite as good a girl growing up. She was obviously highly successful. She had a stable and happy marriage, a son, and a lawyer and judge. She played a little more earthy character to Pilar�s sophistication. She was goading Pilar on buying sexy underwear and jumping her new found love interest. Too bad she couldn�t have been in the novel more from the beginning.
I have another Nora Roberts novel on my shelf. I�ll probably read it, but I�ll wait a little while.
My star ratings:
One star - couldn't finish the book
Two stars - read the book, but did a lot of skipping or scanning. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection or search out other books by the author
Three stars - enjoyable read. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection. Would judge other books by the author individually.
Four stars - Liked the book. Would keep the book or would look for others by the same author.
Five start - One of my all time favorites. Will get a copy in hardback to keep and will actively search out others by the same author.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely not her best work
Review: This is a very entertaining and enjoyable, easy read. The suspense is well set up, and the characters are intelligently drawn. The story revolves around a family in the wine business, and three generations of women are the main protagonists (all very likeable). As with all Nora Roberts novels, the setting is described fabulously. The women are strong characters, and the author doesn't fall into the usual trap of women being rescued by men (which I appreciate). My only complaint is the tidy ending, in which the mystery is solved and explained to the degree of a Nancy Drew book.
Rating:
Summary: A vintage novel, but not her best
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, both for the mystery and the romance. However, the relationship between Sophia and Tyler just didn't seem to have much basis for development, unlike the one between David and Pilar. Pilar's accomplisments in moving past her cheating ex husband had me cheering -- finally, a woman of gentle elegance that can still show some backbone and go out for what she wants! Unfortunately, I felt this novel didn't really finish where it was going. Why not tell about the wedding? The grand centennial celebration? Will Maddy's idea work? Although the mystery was wrapped up, I felt Roberts simply left the plot hanging. However, I did cheer Sophia on -- the world needs more competant businesswomen, especially ones like her, who are powerful and still feminine in many ways. I also learned a surprising amount about the winery business, kudos to Nora Roberts for doing her homework. All in all, a good novel, if not great, that will keep your interested, if not glued to your seat.
Rating:
Summary: Not her best but still worth the read.
Review: This is not the best novel by Ms. Roberts, and if you are a new reader of Roberts's books you do not want to start with " The Villa " or base her writing on this book. The Villa still was a good book as a tale of Italian and Californian vineyards. A book about wine, wine making, wine selling and a family whose life is wine. There is more than one romance that blossoms in this novel and a mystery of sorts is thrown in. Sophia and Tyler have known each other all their lives and have always remained friendly from a distance. Sophia travels and sells the wine made from the grapes that Tyler grows. Sophia's
Grandmother reorganizes the company and the two are forced to work together which makes the sparks fly. The romance is exciting and full of heat and very believable.
Sophia's mother is a very apprehensive woman who only wanted to be a wife and a mother. When her husband that she has been separated from for many many years decides he wants a divorce, it seems life is over. The reorganization brings a new man into her life and a second chance at love and motherhood. Murder, tainted bottles, burning buildings only adds to the excitement and mystique of this book.
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