Secrets of Bella Terra: A Scarlet Deception Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Christina Dodd (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 2, 2011 | Series: Scarlet Deception

Three powerful brothers tormented by their pasts, a priceless bottle of wine, and a precious pink diamond lost for generations collide in this suspenseful new contemporary series from New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd!

SECRETS OF BELLA TERRA

The Story Begins...

Brooding and sexy Rafe Di Luca has returned to his family's luxurious vineyard resort and discovers that a long-ago quarrel has ignited once more, forcing him to work with Brooke Petersson, the woman he seduced ... and betrayed. 

    As the danger escalates and their passion threatens to rage out of control, Brooke fights her treacherous longing for a man who will never truly share his life with any woman. Remembering the anguish of the love they shared, she vows that Rafe may possess her body, but never again will he reach her fiercely guarded heart. 

    The peril they face will either bring them together, or destroy them both ... unless they uncover the secret that will change everything.

Customers who like books by Nora Roberts and Julie Garwood will enjoy this story. Now a RITA Award Finalist!

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Excerpt from SECRETS OF BELLA TERRA, on the shelves & on your e-readers NOW:

Rafe, in the wrong time zone and fortified with wine and whisky, reached out to twirl Brooke's dark hair around his finger.

            She slapped his hand away.

            He tried again. "Pretty," he said, fascinated by the shiny black luster.

            She turned on him, and her expression mirrored Mrs. Marino's frustration and anger. "Look! Today, you act all concerned about me and how I'm doing too much for your grandmother and at the resort, and I finally get to bed at a decent hour, and buster, I was asleep, and you call me to spring you out of jail. And look at you! Split lip. Bruised throat. An ear half-torn off. And for what? A fun little brawl?"

            Rafe scratched his head. He had a goose egg back there, too, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "It's not that bad."

            "It's not like any of us need hospitalization," Stefano said.

            Mrs. Marino cracked him across the brow.

            Brooke continued, "Do you really think I'm going to cuddle with you now? Now? When you're all bloody and disgusting, and you stink of liquor and God knows what else? I don't think so!"

            Rafe knew he should shut up, but he couldn't stop himself. "Sometimes a fight is fun. If you ever hit someone, you'd know what I mean."

            Brooke punched with her fist and slammed him in the solar plexus, right at the base of his breastbone.

            The force of the blow sent him staggering backward.

            "You're right." She smiled tightly. "That was very satisfying."

Customers who like books by Nora Roberts and Julie Garwood will enjoy this story.

 

Enjoy a virtual vacation in Bella Terra! christinadodd.com/home_contemporary.html

About the Author

New York Times bestselling Christina Dodd builds worlds filled with romance and adventure and creates the most distinctive characters in fiction today. Her forty-six novels -- paranormals, historicals and romantic suspense -- have been translated into eighteen languages, featured by Doubleday Book Club, recorded on Books on Tape for the Blind, won Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart and RITA Awards and been called the year's best by Library Journal. Dodd herself has been a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle (11/18/05, # 13 Down:  Romance Novelist named Christina.) Publishers Weekly praises her style that "showcases Dodd's easy, addictive charm and steamy storytelling," and her legions of fans always know that when they pick up a Christina Dodd book, they know they've found a story "For the wild at heart!"

Enter Christina's worlds and join her mailing list at christinadodd.com 

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Signet Select; First Edition edition (August 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451413091
• ISBN-13: 978-0451413093
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #566,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Join New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd's mailing list to have her news delivered right to your inbox! http://christinadodd.com

Readers become writers, and Christina Dodd has always been a reader. She reads everything, but because she loves humor, she likes romance best. A woman wants things like world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants things like a Craftsman router with attachments, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will miraculously make his bald spot disappear. When Christina's first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to quit work and write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?

Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before her first novel, CANDLE IN THE WINDOW, was published to great acclaim. In the years since, she has enjoyed writing witty, emotional novels for every reader: historical romances, paranormal romances, and romantic suspense. Her stories have been translated into 25 languages, won Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart and RITA Awards and been called the year's best by Library Journal. Christina Dodd herself has been a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle (11/18/05, # 13 Down: Romance Novelist named Christina.) Publishers Weekly praises her style that 'showcases Dodd's easy, addictive charm and steamy storytelling.'

Christina's most recent releases include:
-- LADY IN BLACK, a full-length romantic suspense, rewritten and updated for your reading pleasure,
-- WILD TEXAS ROSE, an updated Western e-novella,
-- THE SMUGGLER'S CAPTIVE BRIDE (formerly THE LADY AND THE TIGER), an updated Regency e-novella,
-- STONE ANGEL, an original Chosen Ones e-novella,
-- WILDER, the grand finale of the Chosen Ones series!

Christina Dodd is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#88 in Books > Romance > Historical

#91 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#88 in Books > Romance > Historical

#91 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars 2 ˝ stars. Neat characters. A lot of potential, but the story wasn't fleshed out. August 16, 2011

By Jane TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
I was interested enough to keep reading to see what would happen, but when I was done, I realized it was incomplete. It was not full writing. Too many things were glossed over, not finished, or not shown. There were three bad guys but we are never shown any conversations among them. We are not shown enough of their interactions with each other, their motivations, and the things they did. The only things we are shown are at the very end when two of them get caught/discovered. I never learned why or how they killed two people.

Regarding the good guys, 80-year-old Sarah was attacked. She had a strong suspicion of who was behind it. But she let several days go by before telling her son Rafe who was investigating the attack. It would have taken her one minute to say "There has been a family feud since whenever. X is behind it because he wants a special bottle of wine that my family has." But no, she says to herself I'll tell him tomorrow, and then waits for several tomorrows.

Another problem was heroine stupidity. Two people have been killed. Heroine suspects it is X. She goes after X alone with only a bottle of champagne as her weapon. Of course something bad happens to her.

There is almost no relationship development. That's an assumption that happened in prior years. Now she is stressed about something so he has sex with her to help her feel better. Gee how romantic. This book is mostly about the mystery.

The good: I found several of the characters very interesting: the De Luca brothers and their parents, Brooke and her mother, Jenna the spa manager who was hot for Rafe, Darren the hacker, Ebrillwen the head housekeeper, and a couple other employees. There was a lot of potential for interesting interaction.

STORY BRIEF:
Rafe and Brooke were best friends in high school. Later there was some sex, but Rafe left town for the military. When he returned they reconnected, but apparently Brooke's mother guilted him into leaving Brooke again. Now several years later Rafe returns. He is drawn to Brooke, but she is reluctant to let anything happen. She doesn't want to be hurt again. Brooke works as concierge for a resort owned by the Di Luca family. She is close to Sarah.

The book begins with Sarah (Rafe's grandmother) being attacked in her home. Rafe takes a leave from the military to arrange for her safety, solve the mystery, and find the bad guy. He doesn't trust the small-town cop's competence.

The feud concerns two families who came to California from Italy to grow grapes and make wine (The Di Lucas and the Bianchins). In 1930 another winemaker gave a special bottle of wine to Sarah's father (or grandfather). The current head of the Bianchin family is obsessed with getting that bottle for himself. It was hidden years ago, and Sarah doesn't know where it is.

DATA:
Story length: 421 pages. Swearing language: moderate. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 4. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 10. Setting: current day Bella Valley, California. Copyright: 2011. Genre: contemporary romantic mystery suspense.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars hit a great spot with me March 15, 2012

By Under The Covers Book Blog

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Secrets of Bella Terra
Reviewed by Francesca & posted at Under The Covers Book Blog
'
Where to start with the things about this book that hit a great spot with me? Well, for one this series revolves around a family in a small town. However this is no ordinary family, their mother is a Hollywood star, they own a succesful vineyard, they're some of the most looking people in town, they own a resort, yeah, way above average right there. But they are all so nice and with a wonderful feeling of family unit.

They're of Italian descent, and from the north of Italy more specifically. Me being northern italian and seeing a lot of people always show us with the wrong stereotypes, I was very happy to see that the ways this family was portrayed, the things they say, the way the act, and even the food they eat, was very accurate! And I enjoyed the food descriptions in the book, they were making me hungry!! Polenta, prosciutto wrapped canteloupe, and all with a nice glass of wine! *sigh*

Now the story is a bit of romantic suspense actually. Someone is after the Di Luca's, starting with the grandmother being attacked, a dead body shows up, among other things. Rafe Di Luca has been away for a long time, after being in the military now he has his own private security type firm. He comes back to investigate what's going on in his town and with his family.

To do this he enlists the help of his old high school flame and the girl he hasn't been able to forget. Brooke is now working at his family's resort and they're relationship had ended because she couldn't deal with his profession.

The sparks are still there between them, and between fighting them and giving in they will also have to catch whoever is after Rafe's family. Overall, I enjoyed the story, the intrigue, and the family most of all, so I am looking forward to reading the next book about the sexy Di Luca brothers.

17 of 24 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed August 15, 2011

By Passionate

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is not romantic suspense. This is a suspense book, with some romance sprinkled in almost as an afterthought. I bought this book based on the 7 previous glowing reviews, and because several of Christina Dodd's older books (across all her genres) are definitely on my "keeper" shelf. A long-time fan, I've noticed that her books are getting less and less wonderful--her "Darkness Chosen" series had some hits and misses, and I found the first couple of books in her "Chosen Ones" series so disappointing that I took Ms. Dodd off my "buy as soon as it's published" list.

I won't give another synopsis of the book, since you can get it from other reviewers and from Ms. Dodd's website. What I WILL say is that, as a romance reader of over 20 years, I've noticed the worrying trend of stories, classified as romances, being focused on things other than the interactions between the hero and heroine. The preferred "romance" plot devices now seem to be breaking a spy ring, catching a killer, stopping a plot against the government, or any combination thereof.

In this book, for instance, it seemed like the primary story was the Di Luca family dynamics, the mystery of a missing wine bottle and the suspense of killers/saboteurs on the loose. The romance between Rafe and Brooke was definitely a secondary plot--I'd be surprised if Brooke and Rafe's relationship covered more than 50 of the 448 pages. That would be okay if I bought this book in the Mystery section of the bookstore, but if I go shopping in the Romance section then romance is what I want to read...for at least 350 of the pages. I also thought it was a bit of a cop-out to just say these two loved each other from before, so that the author didn't have to spend much time writing about these two characters re-discovering each other--come on, that's the best part (along with lusty scenes)!!!. I rarely say this but I really struggled to finish this book, because in the end I was not invested in whether Brooke and Rafe actually ended up together--seems like it wouldn't have made a difference either way, as long as the everyone kept trying to solve the mystery...

That's my two cents. If you don't mind buying romance novels that don't actually have a lot of romance content, you'll probably like this book. If you do buy romance novels for the love stories, be forewarned.