Sunday, September 18, 2011

Revenge at Bella Terra by Christina Dodd -Loved It!

Eli Di Luca lives in Bella Terra, but now the family vineyard he runs is in financial trouble. Enter Italian magnate Tamosso Conte, who makes a proposition Eli can't refuse: marry his daughter, and Conte will solve Eli's money problems.
Unfortunately, the beautiful Chloe has no intention of getting married without a fight. Soon she discovers Eli's been keeping secrets from her, and the truth will put them both in mortal danger. (Synopsis from Barnes & Noble.com)

Revenge at Bella Terra is a fast paced romantic suspense novel, the second in a series. I love the fact that Ms. Dodd has incorporated two tried and true romance concepts- secret baby and marriage of convenience-into a book you cannot put down. Eli DiLuca is in between a rock and a hard place when it comes to his family winery. He needs 4.5 million dollars and if he marries Chloe Robinson, her father, Tamosso Conte, will give it to him.
In the typical forced marriage novel, the heroine is a shy, retiring, young thing who can't attract a man and whose father finds her a husband. Chloe is feisty, independent, and fully aware of her father's plots. She and her father have only met recently and he is old school, wanting to plan her life. Eli is closed emotionally and focused only on work. He has a conscience, which makes him hesitate to follow through on the marriage, but circumstances force his hand. The chemistry between Eli and Chloe is combustible (in more ways than one). There is just the right amount of backstory to make both characters believable. The supporting characters are fleshed out as well, so all of the interactions add to the plot moving forward rather than distracting from it.
The first book introduced a mystery plot involving a feud between families and a missing item that seems to be a key component to the feud. In this book the mystery is unraveled a little more, but there is still enough left to keep your interest peaked. The set up for the third book made me want to read it NOW, not wait for several months. I will definitely be in line to buy it when it comes out.

Paperback; 431 pages

RPL note: This book is available in the Adult new paperback section. The first book in the series" Secrets of Bella Terra" is also in that section.

2 comments:

  1. Neat header.

    Great review...nice descriptions.

    NEW FOLLOWER.

    Stop by my blog to see some flying bats at the bottom of the Blog Hop candy post. :)

    Elizabeth

    http://silversolara.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete