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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not her best, March 21, 2007
This review is from: The Marcelli Princess (The Marcelli Sisters of Pleasure Road, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)
I usually love Susan Mallery's books, and have loved the others in this series about the Marcellis. The best part of this one is the updates on all the characters from the previous books. I still liked Mia in this book, but Rafael was unlikeable, and his sudden change in behavior at the end did not ring true to his personality in the rest of the book.
Also, I know this is nitpicking, but where was the Secret Service?? Joe is married to the President's daughter, and they live on the same property, yet this Prince broke into the house, and his bodyguards roamed freely with guns. For some reason I could not get past that, and it hindered my enjoyment of the story somewhat. Wouldn't the President's daughter have Secret Service protection?
It was not a bad book, just not one of her best.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hugely disappointing end to a once great series, April 19, 2007
This review is from: The Marcelli Princess (The Marcelli Sisters of Pleasure Road, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)
When former CIA agent Mia Marcelli wakes up to find a stranger in her bed, she's shocked to learn that he's the lover she mourned for the last five years. Instead of being an international thief named Diego, he's actually crown prince of the tiny principality of Calandria (think Monaco), who assumed Diego's identity to trap his band of merry thieves. Mia has a surprise for Prince Rafael - in the form of their four year old son Danny. But Rafael already knows about Danny; in fact, he was sent by the King to retrieve Danny so that he can take his place in Calandrian society as heir to the throne. He is not above bribery or seduction to get his way. When Mia finds out about his true intentions, will her love for him (or is it Diego?) be strong enough to forgive his treachery?
Mallery's final installment in the Marcelli family series is a major let down. Never mind the suspension of time (less than a year since the last book in the series was published, and she wasn't even an agent yet), the children that age faster than in a soap opera, and the lack of chemistry between the two main characters. The plot starts out interesting, but the execution is rather boring, the dialogue stilted, and the "hero" so unsympathetic (and his sudden change of heart unconvincing), that I'm sure more than one reader wished she got back with her teen fiance, David instead of investing further tears on her Euro-trash prince. Let's just hope there's no story for Kelly in the works to further tarnish the Marcelli name.
I had pretty high expectations going in, particularly since the previous novel was so good. Rather than going out with a bang telling the most colorful of the Marcelli children's stories, Mallery instead ends the series on a sour note. I was also disappointed in another Mallery release ("Sizzling" from the Buchanan series) this year; perhaps Mallery needs to worry more about quality and less about churning out quantity.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very Disappointing, March 6, 2007
This review is from: The Marcelli Princess (The Marcelli Sisters of Pleasure Road, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)
Susan Mallery is becoming one of those hit or miss writers for me. Either she does it really well (i.e. The Sassy One, The Seductive One) or she completely throws you for a loop (Sizzling, The Marcelli Princess). I was really disappointed in The Marcelli Princess because I love this series, but the hero and heroine in this last installment are both annoying. I literally forced myself to keep reading. For an independent woman Mia relies too much on her family, lovely as they are, and Rafael's archaic sensibility makes him almost irredeemable. In my opinion, the best thing about this book is the chemistry that happens when the two are alone and the fact that we get to see how the beloved Marcellis from previous installments have fared. My recommendation: Get it from the library if you must, but don't buy it.
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