Customer Reviews

The MacGregor Grooms (Macgregors)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Of all the Nora Roberts series, "The MacGregors" is a hands-down favorite for a majority of her fans, including this reviewer. It features one of the best and most loveable of Nora's characters: the irrascible, meddling, proud and stubborn patriarch of the MacGregor Clan: Daniel MacGregor.

As this book opens, The MacGregor is meddling in his family's affairs once again. He is chafing at the bit to see his three single grandsons married and producing babies for the Clan (because his "dear Anna" is "fretting for more great grandchildren") and no notion of privacy or personal boundaries are going to get in his way!

His first task is to arrange a blind date between D.C., described as having "warrior looks," once the First Son in the White House, and now a temperamental artist, with quiet, composed and very lovely (although she doesn't believe it) Layna Drake, the heir to Drake's Department Store, an upscale institution renowned for its elegance and good taste. Trapped into the date, D.C. and Layne meet--and dislike each other on the spot. What happens next? Read the book and see...

Second grandson Duncan Blade is a dangerous blend of Comanche and Scots, and is nobody to mess with. He runs a gambling riverboat, part of the highly successful chain of hotels and casinos run by his parents. But the riverboat is his idea and his business. And when his beloved but meddling grandfather Daniel wheedles Duncan into accepting a singer for the boat's lounge, Duncan is highly displeased. Enter Cat Ferrell, a foxy, purring powerhouse of a singer with a flirtatious manner that hides a sensitive and hurt soul. No way is Cat getting involved with her gorgeous new boss. No way is Duncan getting involved with this pert and petite singer. So Daniel has to take the "lovely Anna" on a little riverboat holiday...

Stalwart, handsome, and brilliant attorney Ian MacGregor is the son of the former Attorney General, and nephew of the former President, D.C.'s father. But Ian rejects the media's supposition that he, too, is being groomed for politics. Quiet and polite, Ian is nevertheless very much his own man, and law is the life he has chosen. As this story opens, Ian is off to Brightstone's bookstore to pick up a large order from his grandfather, who has inexplicably called and asked him to perform this favor. Oh...and the order must be picked up from Naomi Brightstone herself, the shy, self-deprecating but talented businesswoman who very successfully continues in her family's footsteps as head of the flagship store. Ian and Naomi have no idea there's a schemer loose in their lives...and no intention of getting involved in any way. Tell that to D.C. and Duncan. The MacGregor is not used to being thwarted.

This book is an absolute delight, a true treasure, even for those who don't choose to read romances as a rule. If you want a fun, easy, and thoroughly enjoyable treat, this is your book.

"The MacGregor Grooms" features three stories of The MacGregor three grandsons: D.C., Duncan and Ian. He had found suitable brides for these three grandsons of his. The ladies were all from good, strong stock, as The MacGregor always said.

For D.C.'s story, it started with The MacGregor asking D.C. to escort Layna to a charity ball.

For Duncan's part, he was recommended a singer, Cat, for his gambling boat, the Princess.

As for Ian's story, he was asked by The MacGregor to pick up a few books at the Brightstone Books where he met the full partner and vice president of the bookstore, Naomi.

The stories in this volume consist of pure, sweet romance. The characters were all perfect, that is, handsome/beautiful and rich and from good families. It will be a good read only for those who love perfect love stories. Others can drop this read.

I just love the MacGregor series!! He is such a wonderful and well-developed character. If you haven't read the book where he and his wife, Anna, meet, pick it up!! You will learn so much more about him and about Anna who is also a terrific character.

The three oldest grandsons are now Daniel MacGregor's marriage targets. First he conspires with an old friend who is both D.C. MacGregor's godmother as well as godmother to Layna Drake of Drake Department stores. D.C. has moved back to the Washington, DC area from California and other places. Being an artist, he does love to move around and has finally come back to Washington, DC where he mostly grew up in the White House. D.C. is sloppy and in the few months he has been back has not even finished unpacking. He often forgets to eat or wash dishes or do laundry unless he has to!! His grandfather calls him and asks him as a favor to his godmother and Daniel's friend to escort Layna to a charity dinner. In the meantime, Layna's godmother/Daniel's friend is telling Layna that D.C. needs a date to this charity dinner and would she please let D.C. escort her? Layna is unsure of herself and not warm, loving and passionate like D.C. as he grew up in a home and extended family filled with love whereas Layna parents carried on a "civilized" marriage of basically keeping out of each other's ways and having affairs as long as they were discreet. Sparks fly when they meet and dislike each other on sight. A wonderful story.

Duncan Blade is the son of Justin Blade and Serena MacGregor who together own several hotel/casinos in places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. He is part Comanche as well and has setup recently a riverboat called the Comanche Princess to go up and down the Mississippi with guests coming to stay for one port-to-port hop or for a whole week's run. Duncan provides gambling, good food, music and entertainment for his guests of the highest quality. His headliner act quit so he has Cat Farrell coming onboard at his brother's and grandfather's recommendation. Cat is a torch singer who grew up on the rough streets of Chicago's South Side. She is beautiful and unsure of how she fits in with Duncan's world.

Last we have Ian MacGregor,son of Diana Blade and Caine MacGregor who own a law firm together. Caine was his brother Alan's Attorney General so Ian is used to dealing with all kinds of people. As a favor to his grandfather, instead of mailing partnership papers he was drawing up for Naomi Brightstone, Ian goes to the store so he can pick up and order some rare books for Daniel. He meets Naomi and is immediately impressed with the confident business woman who is shy in other areas of life. They have a very interesting courtship.

A fun book that can be re-read!

I prefer her suspense novels like Montana Sky. I do really like the trillogies - especially the Born In series. I enjoy when the characters are brought back in other books. That way you get to keep enjoying the other people. I really like the MacGregors. The old man is hilarious and I love all his matchmaking. I love that the family really loves each other and cares about the other family members. The MacGregor series definitely makes you feel good.

If you are a Nora Roberts fan - like I am - you will like this book. This is not just good because she wrote it, it falls in line with her other works and the MacGregors - but its touching, funny and has humor. Daniel - the icon - for all his manipulating you just have to laugh at, and the way the other characters are written - they tolerate their grandfather and know what he's doing but suspect they won't fall for his schemes. And they do. Once again Nora Roberts has written a good book and entertaining. If I had to come up with a complaint - it would have to be that I wish she wrote more! With three cousins included in this book each cousin is about 150-175 pages in story. Nothing comes across cut, but they are such enjoyable reading you wish there was more! ENCELLENT BOOK

The MacGregor heroes in the 3 tales herein are all young, healthy, extremely handsome, well-situated financially, and successful at their occupations. Their female counterparts are all gorgeous, vibrant, sexy, young, talented, and successful. The men meet the women, sparks fly for a short time, a bedroom scene ensues, and marriage results. That's pretty much it for the plots. It's the standard for Ms. Roberts.

What I find fascinating is the insistance upon what Thorstein Veblen called "conspicuous consumption, i.e., the owning, acquiring or doing things to show others that you are financially well situated and/or do not have to do useful physical labor. Ms. Roberts insists upon telling us about the expensive wines, furniture, carpeting, rare books, clothing, education, food, restaurants, jewelry, vehicles, etc. that the men have. The characters have amassed these things with apparent ease and take them as a matter of course. Ojala, as they say in Spain. All this may make for a good story to some readers, but it is unrealistic.

The entire proposition becomes cloying after a bit. One knows exactly what to expect and when to expect it. Nonetheless, the stories are somewhat redeemed by the atmosphere--the art studio, the gambling riverboat, the bookstore. Still, I wish there were more to these stories. They could have been so much better with a little sand in the machinery.

Any book by Nora Roberts you can always say it's going to be awesome. I haven't come across one yet, and I've read at least 15, where I want to put that book down after starting.

Daniel MacGregor is a hopeless romantic who wants to see all of his progeny happily married off and producing new heirs to the MacGregor fortune. In "The MacGregor Brides", Daniel does a matchmaking job on three of his granddaughters, which he follows up in this book with similar schemes for his grandsons. He arranges meetings between D.C., an independent artist, and Layna, who is intent on advancing her career at her family's business; Duncan, who runs a gambling riverboat, and Cat, an insecure but independent singer; and Ian, a bright, young lawyer, and Naomi, a bookstore magnate who is just discovering how to have relationships. This book should please Nora Roberts fans.

I've read most of Nora Roberts' books and enjoyed a fare share of them. I tried to read all of the MacGregor series, but by the time I got to the Grooms, I got bored with the predictability of the story. I'd just finished the second part (Duncan), quite disappointed, and wasn't looking forward all that much to the next set of perfect, confident, brilliant, strong characters. Then comes Naomi. For the very first time Nora Roberts introduced me to a female character that I could truly identify with - completely down to earth, worried about her diet and her weight, trying to be good at what she does but not overly confident, searching for her inner beauty and her identity, shy..., she's actually blushing and stuttering and mumbling. I was charmed, and intrigued. For the life of me, I could not suppress the giggles or the tears. Here's to a diamond in the rough.

I love the MacGregors series. The charactors are wonderfully well written and interesting. I don't know what's more fun watching how Daniel carefully sets up his children and grandchildren with the woman that's perfect for them or them trying out manouver Daniel's matchmaking attempts yet always failing. The MacGregor Grooms has Daniel matchmaking three of his grandsons D.C., Duncan and Ian. All three completely different from each other and interesting. D.C. former first son and artist, riverboat casino runner Duncan and lawyer Ian. The women Daniel finds are just the same Layna, singer Cat, and bookstore owner Naomi. You will not be disappointed.