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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful Romantic Suspense with an Italian Twist, March 13, 2004
This review is from: Mad about Mia (Mass Market Paperback)
Millie Criswell's entire Little Italy series, starting with The Trouble With Mary has been delightful. Mad About Mia is a wonderful addition to the series and I only hope that we haven't seen the last of the Russos, DeNeros and their Little Italy companions. Mia DeNero is the ne'er do well sister of Angela (The Trials of Angela) who is now married to John Franco. Mia has opened a Bodyguard service, just the latest in a string of jobs her parents didn't approve of. Nick Caruso hires Mia to guard him while he writes a novel about the Mafia. Mia moves him into her apartment and proceeds to introduce him to all of her family and friends in Baltimore's Little Italy. Which suits Nick as he is actually an undercover FBI agent investigating a money laundering scheme that may be run by Mia's Uncle Al. Mia is a strong woman who also has a severe inferiority complex about her own femininity and choice of men-not to mention her many jobs. She reminded me in some ways of Robert on Everybody Loves Raymond, when she mutters "everybody loves Angela"-I immediately thought of poor Robert who always feels second best. Nick is a man who is afraid to let people too close as he was a foster child who learned the hard way never to get too attached or place to much trust with people. Nick fights falling in love with Mia, as he doesn't think there could be a future for them when Mia learns who he is and how he has decieved her. Criswell has created a delightful community with people one wants to meet again and again. My particular favorite is
Mia's father Sam, a retired cop/transvestite who enjoys lounging around in gold lame'. While Sam is a funny character, he is also portrayed as the great father and husband he is;when it would have been easy to just make him the butt of jokes. I highly recommend Mad About Mia and it stands well on it's own, but do yourself a favor and read all 4 books in the series in order.(The Trouble With Mary, Much Ado About Annie and The Trials of Angela). Each was a quick and fun read with characters that are extremely memorable.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A petite bodyguard..., December 31, 2003
This review is from: Mad about Mia (Mass Market Paperback)
FBI agent Nick Caruso goes undercover in Baltimore's Little Italy. Nick posses himself off as a nerdy-looking author writing a book on organized crime. In truth, Nick is trying to locate and shut down a money laundering operation out of Little Italy. One of the suspects is known to dine very often in the restaurant called Mama Sophia's. That is where Nick's idea to hire a bodyguard comes in. Mia DeNero has just opened The Guardian Angel for business. She is officially, on paper at least, a trained bodyguard. However, being such a petite lady, it is hard to believe Mia could be anyone's protector. She is getting desperate for business when Nick walks in her office door. To protect Nick from the mob, she must be near him constantly. So Nick moves into her little apartment, located above Mama Sophia's. **** Mia knows little about being a bodyguard. Nick knows little about dealing with a spitfire who is determined to protect him. It all adds up to fun and mayhem. Mia's family is huge and loaded with colorful characters that will tickle your fancy. The only real draw back I found was that it took almost one hundred pages before I ever met the real bad guys. During this time though, I was treated to Mia's extended family. If you have read Millie Criswell's previous books, then you will see many cameos of those past characters, and find out how they are fairing. A very good read! **** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quirky, pint-sized heroine is first rate, September 1, 2005
This review is from: Mad about Mia (Mass Market Paperback)
Mia DeNero has always lived in the shadow of her successful sister, Angela. A job hopper by nature, she thinks that she might have found her niche - as a bodyguard. No one is calling since they are put off by her petite stature. But soon she is hired by Nick Caruso, an author who has received death threats by the mob due to a book he is writing.
Nick is actually an FBI agent investigating whether a good friend of Mia's family has mob connections. He figures the best way to get close is through Mia, who he deems as a little ditzy, but soon finds that appearances can be deceiving. He does not count on falling for the quirky pint sized Mia, who takes her job as bodyguard quite seriously. He convinces her that they only way he can stay safe is to move in with her in her apartment above Alfredo's hangout, Mama Sophia's Restaurant. Soon they are sharing close quarters, and fighting the chemistry between them.
Nick does not do relationships. A self-described loner, he grew up in foster care, and has never managed to allow anyone to get close to him. But Mia and her quirky family, including cross-dressing ex-cop pop Sam, soon carve a place in his heart. Trying to maintain his cover is getting more difficult as his heart becomes engaged, and he is not sure how Mia will react to the truth.
This is a cute conclusion (though Donna deserves a story of her own) to the Little Italy series, which includes plenty of zing from perennial over-bearing mama Sophia and her mother in law Flora, who in a show of defiance, still refers to Sophia by her maiden name.
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