Just Finished:
Synopsis: Of all the Marcelli sisters, the one who dreams of running the family's winery is Brenna -- and she's about to get her chance. But taking the helm at Marcelli Winery is tougher than she bargained for -- especially when she butts heads with her grandfather, whose Old World ways dictate that a male should inherit the business. In need of some fast capital in order to prove her grandfather wrong, Brenna turns to Nic Giovanni, her family's nemesis....Years ago, she ended her secret relationship with Nic, choosing loyalty to her family over the hot passion they shared. But now he's back in her life, he's loaned her a million dollars, and their feelings for each other are stronger than ever. Brenna must find out for herself: is Nic the love of her life? Or the schemer who could topple the Marcelli dynasty -- and break her heart?

My Thoughts ***CONTAINS SPOILERS***: I enjoyed this one maybe most out of the series so far. Anyone who knows me at all knows I’m a sucker for an unrequited love / lost love kind of story. Brenna and Nic secretly dated 10 years ago and fell in love. Because they come from families that are mortal enemies of each other, they reached the point in their relationship where they needed to choose their future. Nic chose Brenna; Brenna chose her family. Nic was kicked out of the family and went to Europe while Brenna married a man she didn’t love.

Brenna finds herself working with Nic and the more time she spends with him, the more the old feelings surface. And when the old feelings surface, new conflicts arise. Such as Brenna finding out Nic had betrayed her. How she and her family handle this betrayal is great story telling by Susan Mallery, in my opinion.

I also enjoyed that the long-lost brother Joe makes an extended appearance in this story and I found myself really liking him. I enjoyed the reluctant, uncomfortable bond he formed with his sisters and how he soon adapted to being a bit of a protective older brother, especially to Brenna.

Verdict: This was Very Good. I enjoyed Brenna’s story very much and was happy to see that the conflicts that had been hinted at in the previous books came to a very satisfying conclusion. And I have to say, I found myself really liking that old crusty man, Lorenzo Marcelli, by the end of this story.

Labels: Contemporary Romance, Marcelli series, Pocket, Susan Mallery