Rating: 
Summary: High Expectations?
Review: After reading The Trouble with Mary and enjoying it immensely, I believe my expectations for this novel was too high. Although the story was an enjoyable one, it does not come close to capturing the magic I felt with "Mary's" story. There are quite a few funny moments and the fact that Annie and Joe are finally able to go through life and end up where they should have been 15 years ago was an interesting tale but getting there was a struggle for both.
Rating:
Summary: High Expectations?
Review: After reading The Trouble with Mary and enjoying it immensely, I believe my expectations for this novel was too high. Although the story was an enjoyable one, it does not come close to capturing the magic I felt with "Mary's" story. There are quite a few funny moments and the fact that Annie and Joe are finally able to go through life and end up where they should have been 15 years ago was an interesting tale but getting there was a struggle for both.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and Sweet
Review: After reading The Trouble with Mary which I thought was hilarious I bought Annie's story and read it in one afternoon. Altho it was amusing, it was not as hilarious at Mary's story. It is however enjoyable, and you root for Annie and Joe (especially Joe) all the way thru. Joe's faimily is a riot. Ethic humor is great; Joe is delicious and Annie was a tug at a mother's heartstrings (and patience). Altho 15 years was a long time for them to finally get together, and Joe's leaving the priesthood was a bit too quick and easy for reality, everything turned out the way one would expect this type of book to end. A nice, comfortable read for a rainy afternoon.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and Sweet
Review: After reading The Trouble with Mary which I thought was hilarious I bought Annie's story and read it in one afternoon. Altho it was amusing, it was not as hilarious at Mary's story. It is however enjoyable, and you root for Annie and Joe (especially Joe) all the way thru. Joe's faimily is a riot. Ethic humor is great; Joe is delicious and Annie was a tug at a mother's heartstrings (and patience). Altho 15 years was a long time for them to finally get together, and Joe's leaving the priesthood was a bit too quick and easy for reality, everything turned out the way one would expect this type of book to end. A nice, comfortable read for a rainy afternoon.
Rating: 
Summary: Deliciously Humorous Romance
Review: Annie Goldman is not in the best of moods. First of all, she is a maid-of-honor in her friend Mary's wedding, and she's "dressed like an rose-tinted marshmallow". Secondly, the priest officiating is none other than Joe Russo, Mary's brother, "Father What a Hunk". Joe was the love of Annie's life when he broke up with her fifteen years ago to enter the priesthood. Joe has never totally gotten over Annie. When Annie miscarried fifteen years ago after Joe had promised to marry her, he felt that he was being punished by God and left her to become a priest. Now he has decided to leave the priesthood-his heart is not fully committed to it. But Joe isn't ready to give Annie up now, even though she wants nothing to do with him. When he gets a job working as a youth counselor in the building next to Goldman's Department Store, where Annie works, the two can't help but run into one another. Sparks fly, and ex-priest Joe and unconventional Annie become an item. Obstacles get in the way as Sophia, Joe's mother, dislikes Annie and wants her son to marry a more conventional Italian girl. And Annie is only half-Italian, with ever-changing hair colors and flashy clothes. Will their love endure these tests, and can Annie ever learn to trust Joe again? For a delightful read, with a healthy dose of humor interspersed with enigmatic characters, this is a sure winner. The conflicts between Annie's family and Joe's family are hysterical as each parent is only trying to do the best for their child in their own quirky way. The supporting characters are as developed as the main characters thereby making this novel more than superficial and definitely an entertaining read. Readers may recognize Mary from Ms. Criswell's previous work, THE TROUBLE WITH MARY and can look forward to lawyer Angela's story in THE TRIALS OF ANGELA.
Rating:
Summary: Good mix of lighthearted and bittersweet
Review: By the time I'd gotten about 100 pages into this book, I knew it was not going to be a lighthearted continuation of the story of Mary and Dan. Instead, I was finding THE TROUBLE WITH ANNIE to be a poignant story that caused my heart to ache for the younger Joe & Annie, unable to share their pain that lived within them for 15 years with any of their family or friends. Joe Russo, a former priest, had entered the priesthood 15 years prior, in a misguided attempt to 'atone' for his sins. Over the course of the years, he discovered that in order to atone, he had to seek the forgiveness of the woman he never stopped loving but from whom he ran when the going got tough. Annie Goldman loved Joe with all her soul and hasn't gotten over the devastating effect of his defection. She wants to hate him, but she just can't. Having a former priest as hero smacks of reality; of how most of us have good intentions but in our desire to 'do the right thing' and correct our mistake, we make another mistake. Some men enter priesthood for the 'wrong' reasons. At least Joe realized this, although it took him 15 years to reach that point. In my opinion, Annie's anger was well-founded; she had ever reason to still be livid with him. How they work out their problems and re-discover each other and the love that never went away Now---the families . . . Annie's mother, Gina, suffers from nothing more than hypochondria brought on by extreme loneliness. But Joe's mother, Sophia! I kept hoping for a major maternal epiphany for Sophia, but it was not to be. I detected not one redeeming quality in her. This, however, only reinforced my sympathy for Joe and Annie. I was so glad to see Joe and his father, Frank, speak up to Sophia and to do so forcibly. Just too bad it took so long to get to that point. All that said, this is another two-thumbs up book from this author. Not as light-hearted as THE TROUBLE WITH MARY, But effective, nevertheless. But I would like to know just what Annie's wedding dress was made of! My only quibble is with the cartoon-y covers. I suppose they're here to stay for a while, but I wish the publishers would at least get the basics right. I don't believe Annie had long hair until the very end (with extensions) and there was no cat that I remember, but there was a dog. At the end of the book, there's a sneak peek at THE TRIALS OF ANGELA, coming next year. I was pleased to see the story features my favorite character, Joe's Grandma Flora. Tough and outspoken, she takes great delight in putting Sophia firmly in her place.
Rating:
Summary: Two thumbs up for this delightful romance
Review: Father Joe Russo has been a priest for fifteen years, but plans to leave in order to sort out his feelings, especially the one involving WHAT TO DO ABOUT ANNIE? His last act as a Father is to sanctify his sister's marriage. At the reception afterward, Joe makes a spectacle of himself by singing Annie's Song. Joe thinks back to when he and Annie were in love and made love. She became pregnant, but lost the child. Being deeply religious, he felt God punished him for sinning. Thus, he joined the church. Now that he has left, Joe has his work cut out to attone for his real transgression, deserting his beloved Annie at her hour of need. He prays that he has a lifetime with her to do so. WHAT TO DO ABOUT ANNIE is an amusing tale with serious overtones that Millie Criswell deftly intertwines into the plot but might alienate some readers for its irreverence. Annie's mixed heritage amusingly comes alive through her Hebonic-speaking father and her deeply pious Catholic mother. However, on the serious side is Joe's leaving the priesthood to pursue a more worldly relationship and the impact of a miscarriage on two too young adults. Ms. Criswell has crafted a fine tale that sub-genre fans will enjoy. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Froth and flamboyance, with surprising depth
Review: Father Joseph Russo resigns his priesthood, becoming a regular Joe, and plans to sort feeling he's run from for fifteen years. He has feelings and desires incompatible with being a priest, and questions that need answers, especially: What to do about Annie? He knows beneath Annie's surface flamboyance lurks a woman of substance and depth - a woman he can't forget and can't get over even after all this time. Loving her had been incredible and loosing her had been almost unbearable. Now he wants her back. It's time to overcome his practicality and share Annie's unbridled passion. Annie Goldman, a woman extraordinary in appearance and attitude, believes Father Joe should have been named Father What-a-Waste, because Father Joe and celibacy don't go together. She should know. She's made a career of concealing the vulnerability and sorrow resulting from their time together fifteen years ago. When she lost him irretrievably to the priesthood, she took quite a hit to her self-image and self-confidence. After all, it's tough enough competing with another woman, but does a woman compete with God? Author Millie Criswell shifts tone slightly in WHAT TO DO ABOUT ANNIE? While THE TROUBLE WITH ANNIE is uproariously funny, WHAT TO DO ABOUT ANNIE? combines humor with deeper issues to create a rich tapestry of emotion. Family, religion, and friendship weave a spell that will hold readers enthralled. Not only are the hero and heroine believable, strong characters, but the secondary characters also add texture, including Joe's mother who mourns her son's decision to leave the priesthood by wearing black, and the spoiled cousin that adores Hollywood gossip. Grandma Flora also puts in several marvelous appearances with rumors of food fights and a healthy dose of common sense. Fans will be pleased with the included sneak peak at THE TRIALS OF ANGELA due in Summer 2002. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: They're Back.... And funnier than ever!!
Review: From the time I finished, "The Trouble with Mary," I have been anxiously awaiting "What To Do About Annie." Millie Criswell's second book about the Russo family, this time the son, Joe, brings back all the fun and laughter from Mary, but adds some new zany and lively characters. Annnie will strike a chord with anyone who has ever wondered how you can survive finding romance and happiness, despite your family's best efforts to direct your life. Annie shows us with humor and humility that this is possible!! This book is great and the only thing that is disappointing is that now we have to wait to get our next fix of the loveable Russos, in "The Trials of Angela." I'll be anxiously awaiting that one too.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I am a fan of funny romances, and I am so glad I dicovered Millie Criswell. The plot has been described by other reviewers, so there's no point going over it again. I'll just say that if you like Jennifer Crusie and Janet Evanovich, you'll love this writer!
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