Rating: 
Summary: The Villa is good not great....
Review: Rare is the time I would give a Nora Roberts book less than four stars. And it's not that this book is bad, three stars is worth a read. However this book is not as great as I 've come to expect a Robert's book to be. For my taste she has too many characters stuffed into one story which leaves little room for thorough characterization. I would have preferred more time was spent with the two main characters, Ty and Sophia.
Rating: 
Summary: You can't win them all, Nora!
Review: Let me start by saying that I am a huge Nora fan. I believe I've read just about everyone of her books and have loved them. Unfortunately, not this time. The Villa's main charecters left me cold. Sophie and Ty were just a little too self-absorbed for my taste. David and Pilar were much more interesting. Too bad there wasn't more of them. There were too many characters. The ending was awful. Nothing like lying your whole life and taking the law into your own hands and getting away with it! Puh-leese! Better luck next time, Nora!
Rating: 
Summary: The Villa
Review: I could not close this book. I thought I had it figured out and lo and behold, I was wrong. This is a generational story of three strong women and how their lives evolve. A perfect travel book for a long flight, a rainy weekend or any other time. If you enjoy Nora Roberts, you must read this one.
Rating:
Summary: The Villa
Review: Definately not one of Nora's best. The end was anti-climatic. Best one of her books was River's End, Reef. I was disappointed. Sorry Nora!
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Read
Review: Overall, this was a great book. I am a huge fan of Nora Roberts and I was not disappointed in the least with this book. The story was great, the characters, however, needed more deepth. There were a lot of characters, but it was pretty easy to keep them straight. I would love another novel on David's kids, Maddy and Theo, maybe another book that expands on all the characters some more. The love story of La Signora and Eli would be awesome story also. This book made me want to head out to Napa and learn more about wine!
Rating:
Summary: Brutal ending
Review: Wasn't anyone else bothered by the ending of this book? How can one justify taking the law into one's own hands and decide who has paid retribution for murder? I was horrified by the ending and disgusted with all the women characters. Roberts in trying to make them strong failed miserably, by making them above the law.
Rating:
Summary: Not good enough
Review: Having just read "Carnal Inocence" and, the In Death addition, Betrayal in Death, and re-reading Sanctuary, I'd have to say that I was really expecting more from this book. Like River's End, this one is all scenery and interesting tid-bits, but the cahracters are fairly flat, and the romance fizzles. The main character, Sophie, was impressive at first, being independant, intelligent, casually sexual, but her realtionshipwith Ty seems to fade into the background behind a mystery that never really takes off. Sorry, Nora! I'm a very big fan, but this one wasn't really your best work. If you havent read it, save your money and buy Carolina Moon when it comes out in paperback this month. Now that one was worth rushing to the nearest bookstore (about 100m away)!
Rating:
Summary: Romance, Action, and Booze. What more could a person want?
Review: Romance, Action, and Booze. What more could a person want? Even in a book, and since this one had it in abundance I just can't complain. I thought The Villa was great. One of the greatest I have read so far from Nora Roberts. She can never let you down, her books are always worth reading time and time again. I know I have. Plus, learning a little Italian on the way sure doesn't hurt only makes it more interesting and greater. I really enjoyed Sophia Giambelli, she's a knockout character. A true woman of the 21st century. Do enjoy reading this book, it is defenitely worth it. You'll sure miss out on lots of fun if you don't. Read it, that is. Ciao.
Rating:
Summary: Too many characters - not enough depth
Review: Please know that I am huge fan of all of Nora Robert's work - however - I find that The Villa is not up to her usual stanard of giving her characters life. This is probably due to having so many characters at one time. The story is ok, the description of Napa Valley beautiful but Sophia and Ty could be so much more.
Rating:
Summary: Vintage Roberts
Review: The Villa is Nora Roberts at her best. It is a sweeping saga of a family that created and nurtured one of the most power wine dynasty that spans from Italy to the United States. Tereza Giambelli, the matriarch has decided to merge her internationally known winery company with that of her husband, Eli MacMillian. She feels it is time to breathe new life into the dynasty and make sure it will live on with the younger generation. To accomplish this, she wants her key players to know the business from every aspect. Each member is to learn different parts of the business other than the area he or she excels in. To make sure everything goes accordingly to plan, she brings in a new CEO from their biggest competitor, David Cutter, to oversee the transition. David has the tough job of making sure everyone goes with the plan. Unfortunately, not everyone wants this to succeed. Sophia Giambelli, Tereza's granddaughter, is one of the sharpest members of the family. She is one independent, smart woman who succeeds quite well in a man's world. She pairs up with Tyler MacMillian, Eli's grandson. While Sophia is a savvy businesswoman, Tyler is a man of the land. He cares nothing about advertisement and packaging, but growing the grapes that make up his precious wine. They each find themselves learning a side of the business they could very well do without. Then disaster strikes in the form of murder and product tampering and the Giambelli-MacMillan families find themselves banding together to save not only their business, but also their reputations. There is so much happening in this story that it is impossible to review without giving away too much of the plot. One of the things that impressed me most was the cast of characters. You have the tough, feisty, independent heroine, Sophie, and the tough, silent and plainspoken hero, Tyler, who butt heads while being sexually attracted to each other. Then there is Pilar (one of my favorite characters) who is ending an emotionally abusive marriage to Sophie's father, a man who has had more mistresses or affairs than anyone can keep up with including his new, young trophy wife, Rene. Rene is one of those tough, self-serving women we all love to hate. Thrown into the mixture is David Cutter, a divorce man trying to raise two teenagers, Theo the son who has gotten into some trouble and Mandy, the child wise beyond her years with a brain to match. This novel is engrossing. It flat out holds your interest and attention throughout the story. It is one of those books you don't want to put down. However, due to its large cast of characters I would advise you to start out reading slowly so you can figure out who everyone is. Believe me, they all stick around for the story in some way or another. One word of caution to Ms. Roberts' fans, don't expect this to be as chilling, dark, and suspenseful as Carolina Moon-it's not. However, in my opinion it is just as fascinating. I would say Ms. Roberts has taken her writing to a new level, but let's face it there isn't any other level for Ms. Roberts to go to. She is one of the finest writers of our times.
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