Revenge at Bella Terra

Scarlet Deception #2

by Christina Dodd

Ruthless Eli Di Luca hides the torment of his past beneath a façade of iron control. No one suspects the anguish he suffers, or the reasons why he has sworn never to marry. Only blackmail could change his mind...Author Chloë Conte's first book zoomed to the top of the bestseller lists. Now, struggling to write her second mystery, she retreats to an isolated cottage in a private vineyard. But with his fascinating tales of Bella Terra's violent past, Eli Di Luca proves an irresistible distraction, and Chloë finds herself falling in love with a man she hardly knows. Soon she discovers that Eli has been keeping secrets from her, and the truth will bring more than heartbreak.When murder and peril threaten, the only way Chloe can survive is to trust the man who has betrayed her...and that's a price her stubborn heart may not be willing to pay.The Bella Terra series in #1 SECRETS OF BELLA TERRA#2 REVENGE AT BELLA TERRA #3 BETRAYAL

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Contemporary, Mystery, Mystery Thriller

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2011

About the author

Upcoming:
— 6/30/26 TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN: Daughter of Montague Historical Fiction #3 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

New and Now!
—MUCH ADO ABOUT MISTLETOE: Daughter of Montague Christmas novella https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— THUS WITH A KISS I DIE Daughter of Montague Historical Fiction #2
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA Historical Fiction Trade Paperback Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended (hint: badly). Only here’s the thing: That’s not how it ended at all…
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
— WELCOME TO GOTHIC: A Gothic novella in ebook (at last!) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— WHAT DREAMS MAY COME Daughter of Montague novella 1.5 "I’m the daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Yes, that Romeo and Juliet. No, they didn’t die in the tomb…" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— GIRL ANONYMOUS “Crackling sexual chemistry and a few love scenes guaranteed to scorch readers’ fingers as they turn the pages." — ⭐️ Booklist
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Readers become writers, and Christina has always been a reader. Ultimately she discovered she liked to read romance best because the relationship between a man and a woman is always humorous. A woman wants world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants a Craftsman router, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will make his bald spot disappear.
When Christina’s first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to 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 she was published. Now her suspense, paranormal, historical, and mystery novels have been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 15 million copies in print. Praised for her “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (Booklist), her award-winning books have landed on numerous Best of the Year lists and, much to her mother's delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest, where her 700 lavender plants share the yard with her husband’s various “Big Projects,” including a treehouse, zipline, and their very own Stonehenge.
Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list for humor, book news and entertainment (yes, she’s the proud author with the infamous three-armed cover) at christinadodd.com. For more information on A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, visit daughterofmontague.com. Her legions of fans know that when they pick up a Christina Dodd book, they'll find the story, "Wildly entertaining, wickedly witty!"
Christina is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.

(Source: http://www.christinadodd.com )

Reviews

[Geo Just Reading My Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Translation widget on The blog!!!
“Răzbunare la Bella Terra” este o lectură plină de pericol și suspans, cu multe mistere care se pregătesc să iasă la lumină.
Povestea lui Eliseo Di Luca și a lui Chloe Robinson. Un creator de vinuri renumit, chiar dacă a fost escrocat de propriul contabil și acum se află în pragul falimentului; și o scriitoare de romane polițiste care a devenit faimoasă odată ce a publicat prima sa carte dar care se află într-un impas în ce o privește pe a doua... Un șantaj pe care nu-și dorește să îl accepte, o ofertă de a salva crama și urgența de a o face înainte ca autoritățile să pună mâna pe ea.
Un mister neelucidat de decenii, un cadavru mumificat descoperit după zeci de ani în care a stat ascuns, și misterul ultimei sticle de vin a unui mare creator de vinuri din Bella Terra.
Sticla de vin a lui Anthony Di Luca pare a căpăta noi puteri, găsirea acesteia devenind crucială. De o importanță vitală am putea spune.
Iar în mijlocul tuturor acestor răsturnări de situație se află Eli și Chloe, direct în bătaia puștii.
Aceștia se căsătoresc destul de repede, dar iluzia fericirii până la adânci bătrâneți se destramă destul de repede pentru tânăra noastră scriitoare, din păcate, fix atunci când Eli descoperă că această tânără impetuoasă i-a captivat inima.
Un volum care te ține bine prins între paginile lui, care pare a dezlănțui o gamă variată de pericole și oameni ce sunt dispuși să meargă până la capăt atunci când își doresc ceva cu adevărat. Această carte are o acțiune alertă, incită cititorul, iar la final, nu-și dorește decât să își găsească pacea, liniștea și speranța.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress....

[Fira Rosli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, now that's what I'm talkin' about. This book was sooooooooo much better then the first book! Seriously. It has more romance in it and the mystery wasn't off putting like the previous one. Though yes, there's some parts where it's puzzling or their pace of intimacy was way too fast for comfort. But I really do like Eli and Chloe Di Luca. And guess what? Chloe is one of the few heroine in contemporary/mystery romance that I've ever liked! She's just so cheerful and bubbly that couldn't help laughing and smiling whenever she interacts with the serious and no-nonsense Eli. And better yet, they have 11 years gap between them! I loveeeeeeeeee it! I don't care if you guys think I'm crazy but I just have a thing or two for wide-age gap between the hero and heroine. Anyway, I just started reading the third book and I hope it won't disappoint me!

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

Poate a fost puțin mai bun decât primul volum, dar nu mă lasă inima să îi dau 4 steluțe. Nu pot.

Începutul, primele 100 de pagini m-au făcut să gândesc "O, da, clar o sa avem parte de o continuare mai palpitantă", ca mai apoi să mă lovească crunta realitate, că a fost cu foarte puțin mai captivantă decât anterioara carte.

Deși nu mă așteptam, a fost inevitabil să nu mă îndrăgostesc de Eli, dar totul până la un anumit punct.
Eliseo di Luca, cel mai mare dintre frați, a fost mereu și este în continuare un mister atât pentru familie, cât și pentru cei din jurul său. Să nu mai zic de cititori. De când s-a întors de la bunica sa maternă la vârsta de 14 ani, acesta nu a mai fost niciodată copilul care a "plecat" de lângă bunica sa paternă, care i-a oferit întotdeauna afecțiune.
Ceva s-a rupt în interiorul său și nu a mai fost reparat vreodată.
Acum, disperat să-și salveze marea iubire, crama, dar fără a apela la ajutorul fraților săi - pentru a nu le demonstra că a dat-o în bară, Eli face înțelegerea vieții lui cu un bogat om de afaceri care-și scoate la vânzare fiica. Bine, e mult să zic că a scos-o la vânzare, dar cam așa am simțit eu că a fost. Adică ce tată te plătește ca să îi iei fiica de soție? 🤔

Chloe Robinson, o tânără și strălucită scriitoare de romane polițiste este prinsă în mijlocul blocajului celei de-a doua cărți. Se pare că inspirația fuge de ea, precum fuge ea de pretendenții găsiți de tatăl său.
Chloe m-a impresionat prin mintea ei ascuțită și rapiditatea cu care reușea să lege faptele între ele și găsea explicații plauzibile, dar, ca și în cazul lui Eli, până la un anumit punct.

Relația celor doi protagoniști a început perfect, ea ajunsă de capul ei în Bella Terra după ce a insistat să conducă tot drumul până acolo, cu șuvițe de un roșu șocant printre buclele blonde retezate de curând, el tocmai sosit de pe moșie, plin de pământ și în haine de muncă. O întâlnire ca la carte am putea spune.
Începutul a fost drăguț, chiar a fost, până în momentul în care urcă în Turnul cu apă și găsesc ceea ce găsesc. Din acel punct, totul a luat-o razna și nu la modul "wow, ce interesant", ci la modul "hai să pun acțiunea pe repede înainte și în mai puțin de 48 de ore să trecem de a face cunoștință, la o partidă de " hello, bună ", la o căsătorie "din dragoste pură " și o casă aruncată în aer.
Fraților, pentru mine ca și cititor a fost prea mult. M-am simțit trădată. Parcă citeam o carte scrisă pe repede înainte și nu mi-a plăcut.
Am vrut mai mult și nu am primit. Mai multe detalii, mai multe scene cu cei doi, mai multe informații despre misterul ce se țese în jurul membrilor Di Luca. Mai mult, pe scurt. Urăsc când autorii sunt zgârciți în detaliile esențiale.

L-am adorat pe Eli și încă îl ador, deși demonii lui au fost ciudați rău de tot.
Chloe e o scumpă, și de o istețime uimitoare, dar iubirea fulgerătoare nu e ceva în care eu să cred. Nu ai cum să fi atât de îndrăgostit încât să te măriți cu un bărbat pe care îl cunoști de nici 48 de ore. Aici m-a dezamăgit cumplit. Credeam că atâția pețitori inutili și avizi de bani au învățat-o ceva.

Per total, nu prea aștept volumul 3, deși e cu Noah, de care mi-a plăcut din prima clipă in care a fost prezentat (deși nu m-aș căsători cu el doar pentru că e tipul de bărbat pe care mi-l doresc ca și aspect fizic 😂). Cred că am să-l citesc doar pentru a încheia această serie.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

That Christina Dodd. Even when there are several tropes that I usually hate in a book, her writing weaves it all together in a way that makes me read the whole darn book.
Chloe Robinson is an award-winning mystery novelist. Her first book won accolades aplenty. But now she's suffering from the sophomore slump. Or writer's block. Whatever you want to call it. So her father has found her a place where the atmosphere and quiet should help her get going. Or maybe he's setting her up. Chloe isn't sure but he's certainly been throwing men at her lately (even though she's only twenty-three), even offering to bribe men into marrying her.
Eli Di Luca is one of those men. It's his house that Chloe is being sent to and his winery that is in danger of failing if he doesn't get an influx cash and soon. It would mean disappointing his entire family and perhaps bringing them down as well.

Okay, Eli is eleven years older than Chloe. It's not a huge stretch but it's still a pretty big age gap. Also, Chloe is a virgin. Okay, this could also happen. They decide to get married after only a few days of really knowing each other. Still not in the oeuvre of my favorite tropes. But she makes it work. Even the background story of some fabulous diamonds being hidden in the bottle of wine that was central to the plot of the first story in this book doesn't drive the drama over the top for me. Well, I guess it's over the top, but only in the best possible way.

[Alexandra Alexyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the desire to save his winery, the family winery, Eli Di Lucicaagreed to court and marry Chloe Robinson. In short, the accountant steals him and leaves him with debts to finances and Chloe's father offers him the opportunity to get him out of trouble on the condition that the two get married.
Not involved in this plan or more correctly not knowing about this plan Chloe comes to Eli out of the desire to finish her second novel (Again the father and Eli orchestrated the meeting by accommodating Chloe in Eli's guest house .) Although they started with the left, the two were involved in solving the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Massimo Bruno, famous wine producer during the forbidden period and who, among other things, also dealt with the theft of precious stones and whose body he discovers in the still. the land of Bella Vista. Obviously the two are getting married, Chloe finds out about the plan orchestrated by her father and Eli, we have consequences, we have the discovery of jewelry and somewhat predictable we have the fact that Eli and Chloe fall in love but the small details made the difference. The skull that served as Chloe's muse reminded me of Aghata Christi's books, the fact that Eli opened up to Chloe's face and told her about what had happened to her grandmother in Chile (from being covered with beds and beaten by cousins ​​to that he was not allowed to go back to his grandmother and that he had to flee) and the fact that he realized that this fact brought him closer seemed to me an interesting twist, and the laying of the stone discovered next to Massimo's body in Chloe's ring let's face it, let's just say I didn't expect that. The reconciliation between Eli and grandma was somewhat predictable, but the fact that his grandmother helped him recover his stolen property was surprising. All in all I liked the book so much that I also ordered the first book in the series

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little murder, a little danger, a lot of wine and serious chemistry! This was a fun series to read. Kept me interested and intrigued with some surprises as only Christina Dodd can do!

[Sharon Redfern · Rating 5 out of 5]

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, Tomasso Conti, will give it to him.[return]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.[return]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.

[Christine (KizzieReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this. The ongoing mystery of the last bottle of wine is very intriguing. I found the romance a bit rushed, but other than that, it was a great story. It takes place just after the events of the first book.

Eli needs to come up with a lot of money to save his winery as his accountant and good friend embezzled it from him. Chloe is a best selling author facing second book syndrome and her father wants to marry her off and is willing to give the groom a very nice dowry. Without Chloe knowing. Eli doesn't want to be saddled with a loveless marriage, but agrees to let her stay in his cottage to let her write her next book and see if marriage would be a good idea. A lot happens with this story, especially with the missing bottle of wine. More info is revealed about it and I anxiously want to read the last book to find out what happens!!

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I liked the plot, the dialogue, the characters. I have enjoyed Ms. Dodd's work since she wrote midieval romances. this was one of her better efforts.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setting –
Bella Valley, central valley, vineyards

Theme –
Mystery, love, trust, pain

Characters –
Tamosso Conte – Italian, very rich, cross between a mischievous elf and the Godfather. In his youth he had an affair with Lauren, who feared his wandering eye and need to control, so she returned to the U.S. when she found out she was pregnant. When Chloe turned 21, she went to meet her dad… Tamosso never stopped loving Lauren, married (and divorced) women who reminded him of her. And he’s pleased as punch to have a daughter, and has decided she needs to marry… after Chloe rejects many possibilities, Tamosso decides Eli would be perfect for her – and makes a contract with him to bail him out of his tax problems (his accountant left with his money and someone’s pushing the IRS) to the tune of 4.5 million dollars if he marries his daughter.

Lauren Robinson –
Gave Chloe a wonderful home and encouragement – though she herself is quite suspicious of people – which Chloe considers her mother’s only flaw. She overreacts when Tomasso’s name is raised, warning her daughter not to trust him.

Sarah Di Luca (Nonna) – healing, feisty, warm

Abuela – from Eli’s mother’s side – in Chili – from age 8 – 14 lived with her and his mother (after she was released for stabbing Eli’s father in a fit of anger). Though she holds family supreme and the family’s needs above all else (somewhat like Sarah), she is cold, dressed in black, turns her back on the cruelty of Eli’s cousins to him (beat him until he learned to fight back), but she trains Eli in the ways of winemaking when he shows a talent for it – he still uses much of what she taught him.

Bao Le – Sarah’s bodyguard.

Brooke & Rafe – happily married, and eager to see the rest of the world as happy.

Chloe Robinson –
secure in her mother’s love, and enjoying her newfound father’s love (though not his setting her up and pushing her into marriage). She has written one successful mystery novel, and is under contract for a second one, but is having trouble writing it. She agrees to go to stay with Eli, her father’s friend, in his cottage in the middle of a quiet vineyard. She drives across country, finding adventure along the way (cutting her hair, playing in the ocean, etc)… She’s optimistic, happy, talkative, open, friendly… and a bit wary of Eli and her father (not suspecting the depths of the deception they are planning). Once in the cottage, and once Eli takes her out for adventure, she finds it really easy to write.

Eli Di Luca – his pride won’t allow him to go to his brothers to bail him out of the financial mess his accountant left him with – and someone is putting pressure on the IRS to collect immediately… he is at risk in losing the vineyard. And though most of him is abhors the idea, he signs the contract, accepting Chloe onto his property under the illusion of a quiet place to work on her book. At first he acts indifferent, and when she tells him she knows her father is manipulating them to be together, he seems to agree that they don’t have to fall into his plans. But Eli is fascinated with her, with her warmth, her intelligence… and after 2 weeks he invites her on an adventure to explore the water tower where they found a still. Eli has been closed off from his emotions since Chili- not wanting to be crazy like his mother, not wanting to be vulnerable as he was with his cousins, not knowing what to do with the anger of being taken from loving Nonna and put in such a hostile place. But in many ways he is like his Abuela, emotionally distant, and focused on his wine, vineyards, & family.

Massimo Bruno –
Well known vintner – continued to make wine during Prohibition… and we find out in this book that he was also a thief – of art and of pink diamonds. The traditional bottle of wine that he gave to the first born of neighboring families, the last one going to the Di Lucca’s – contain the pink diamonds he stole. And along with the bad guy from the last book, we have a new villain wanting to locate the bottle/diamonds. Eli and Chloe find his body in a still hidden in a water tower in a new vineyard; it had been tortured (and later they find out it was dehydrated, starved, and he’s been given laxatives to empty his bowels)… and they find a single pink diamond, and with a research find out a stash had been stolen, and they figure out he hid the diamonds in the wine and wouldn’t tell.

Wyatt Vincent – ex-FBI; of a family of crooked law enforcement – going back to Massimo’s time. He is training DuPey’s force – and out to find Massimo and what happened to the diamonds – the story being passed on from his grandfather…

Police Chief Dupey – doing his best to keep the peace.

Plot:
Eli watches and reacts to Chloe – and as he spends time with her, he is fascinated with her… he wants to please her, and he watches her reactions. When the work together to evaluate the crime scene – and he ‘trips’ to pick up the diamond in the tower without the police seeing him, and then Chloe knowing he found something shows how they are in sync.

When she snoops a bit, and finds a letter from his Abuela asking for him to come visit he, she confronts him, telling him he needs to respond. D then he gets the call from his new accountant that the IRS would move in on Monday, and he panics – and though he’d been contemplating going to his brothers, and courting Chloe properly, he panics. And over Abuela’s letter he isn’t able to stop himself from spilling it all to her, telling her of his time in Chili that he never told anyone else. And she opens her arms to him, and gives him her virginity – and he is wild, and he is wonderful… and he insists she must marry him… that she loves him… and she gives in.

And for a few days, there is wedded bliss. Eli arranges for a family reception to introduce Chloe as his wife – he gives her an engagement ring with a pink diamond and 2 little diamonds (symbolic of the mystery they are solving)… and his brother and Nonna figure out that he has done Chloe wrong, and figure out that he took money from her father to bail him out… and the sex is wonderful, though Eli is controlled and intense and Chloe wishes for a bit of the wildness.

Then she finds proof that he ‘bought’ her… and she is cold to him, and she is leaving him. He persuades her to stay at the cottage… he reads her book finally… and he realizes he loves her and can’t live without her… and he goes to the cottage, he can’t wait til morning, and as he approaches, it explodes… at first he thinks she is dead, but then Chloe calls him, telling him that a truck is trying to run her off the road… He gps her, finds out what road she’s on, and he busts out to find her - crossing his vines as the emergency vehicles are blocking his way…

Her car goes off the road, she survives, she gets out, she doesn’t move when the truck lights are looking for her… she goes downhill to try and find safety… and she knows that Eli will find her and rescue her. Eli finds her car, finds her footsteps, figures out where she’s heading, and finds her at dawn… she runs into his arms…

And they find a safe place… they share… he tells her he loves her, very matter of factly… they make love (she wants to feel alive)… they go home, where both her parents have showed up (thinking she’s dead)… and she clings to Eli to care for her and put her to bed (and he slips the rings back on her hand while she’s sleeping).

While she’s sleeping, Eli goes to the police department and somehow they figure out that ex-FBI Wyatt is the bad guy… and they rush back to the house… Chloe wakes up, and thinking about things, she decides to give Eli another chance, to trust her gut feelings, and she goes down and hears her parents arguing, and hears about the contract from dad’s point of view, of Eli’s reluctance but great need, and of his racing through the vineyards to rescue her… and she realizes that if he put her above his vines, he must love her. And then her parents end up kissing, and making out… But Wyatt is already there when she goes back upstairs… and he roughs her up (dislocate shoulder, strangles her), trying to protect Eli she tells him the bottle is in her car… and the Eli rushes in and they fight – breaking wrist, ankle, and rib of Eli – and just when he thinks he’s dead, Chloe hits Wyatt over the head with a statue – and knowing he would continue to be a threat, they throw him off the balcony to his death…

And they love… and her parents are going to marry… and Nonna is drugged by her nurse, who searches her room, and Nonna (not knowing if it was the nurse or the bodyguard) sets out a hidden bottle and pretends to call Rafe to pick It up… and the nurse is missing with the bottle after the shower, and is found down the highway with a bullet in her head… and family meeting, and Noah has guessed things, and he knows something the rest don’t know… hmmmm

[Gloriamarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secrets of Bella Terra, Revenge at Bella Terra, and Betrayal at Bell Terra are a trilogy and the books must be read in order or the reader will never be able to follow the unfolding mystery which was never quite resolved as far as I am concerned. But I say nothing about it because "spoilers, sweetie."

I read these as part of an on-going project to vet potential additions to a booklist a friend is assembling as a service to the people in her group, adult children of parents with PTSD. The people with PTSD are the three male leads, brothers, and each stars in his own novel. By the time we readers meet them, these men have done their homework for the most part, with an exception and to be fair, the guy is in a trap. They all live on the family property, Bella Terra, and cherish their beautiful earth. Bella Terra is a fascinating place.

Something I appreciated is that one of the brothers voluntarily committed himself to psychiatric treatment and did hard work. Another brother dove into what he is really good at and broke the cycle. The third brother, well, he's trapped in a situation.

Very much enjoyed reading these and if there wasn't that one detail which I feel still needs resolution, I would have given it four stars. Of course, as I am of Italian heritage, I really enjoyed that it was important to the family to maintain their Italian heritage. Very enjoyable people with wonderful depth to their characters. The plot spanned three books and was complicated enough with lots of twists and suprises to warrant three volumes.

[Mada · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasurable reading for winter evenings. The plot is pretty fast paced and the characters are not very realistic, but I enjoyed in nonetheless. It felt a little strange to me that a girl of 23 years could fall in love so fast with a guy 11 years older then her, when supposedly she dispised him... she also knew her father would want to marry her. And her mother and father getting married at the end after their girl almost died. Love truly is blind in this book. I enjoyed the little plot twist with Finnegan and Wyatt, that was trying to murder Chloe, and the last one with Olivia stealing the wine.

[Sue Gosland]

There is nothing that Christina Dodd can write that I won't love.

Revenge at Bella Terra is a great story about a man who won't let anyone in, until he meets Chloe Robinson, an author her father has contracted with to marry her. Eli Di Luca is a world renowned vitner, who finds himself in big trouble when his accountant takes off with all his money and runs away to Chile.

I love how Christina Dodd's plots are so wrapped up and twisted that you never know what's going to happen until you read about it. She is so worth reading. I love her books!

[Korina Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first book, by leaps and bounds.

Eli and Chloe do not trust each other. But they overcome their doubts and fall in love. This is a book where you can actually feel them falling in love.

[Connie · Rating 1 out of 5]

started, didn't finish

[Pavana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery. Loved the plot. This book cannot be read as a stand alone as the mystery seems to be spread across the whole series.

[Leon · Rating 3 out of 5]

something between 3 and 3.5. It was predictable, a bit too simple, not great dialogues but it was a good page turner

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library book

[Bianca Andreea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5✨️

[Gerry Fortin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago. I liked this series a lot so read them all. I’ve read a lot of her books & liked them all.

[Marian Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait for next book

The Di Luca family are great. Have loved all the books that they are in. Christina has don a great job as always.

[G G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cloe and Eli de Luca great book

[Francesca the Fierce (Under the Covers Book Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was posted at Under The Covers

The Di Luca family is never without excitement. Eli Di Luca, the wine expert in the family has been keeping a secret from the rest of his family. The vineyard is struggling. His accountant fled town and left behind a trail of stolen money and debts to the IRS that if not repaid soon will shut down his business. Except he doesn't have the money to pay it back and doesn't want to ask his family for anything and let them know about the issues he had.

So a solution comes along. Mr. Conte, a millionaire and somewhat Eli's business partner wants him to marry his daughter and give him grandchildren. Eli comes from a good family so he offers to pay ofrf all of Eli's debt if he can get his daughter to marry him. Bad choice? Yeah maybe.

Eli is very serious and the type of guy that does for everyone else but holds himself behind high walls that no one can come through and get to know the real him. But Chloe finds the cracks.

Chloe Conte is younger than him, she's independent, she's adventurous, she's an author. Just finished her first book, had massive success, and is now struggling with the stress of writing a second book that would be as good. Her father offers her to spend time with Eli and enjoy beautiful California to get over her writers block.

Chloe is onto her dad's scheming about getting her married, but Eli seems genuine and for the most part he is. I liked that throughout their relationship he was *mostly* honest and himself. There were only a few pushes along the way that he had to do to get her to agree to marry him. But at a certain point, I just got pissed off that he waited that long to come clean. Should've been sooner.

There is still mystery and suspense! There is still a missing bottle of wine, yes the same one that seemed to have started the Di Luca problem in book one, but now we find out there's more to that bottle than the old wine it contains. It has something else of value in it. And people are willing to kill for it.

This was a good installment in the series and in my opinion better than the first one because I liked the characters better. I am looking forward to the next book since it will be about the youngest Di Luca, and he seems to have a dark past hidden somewhere!

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revenge at Bella Terra by Christina Dodd
Chole is going to California to stay at Eli Di Luca's house to finish her second mystery novel. Her father has offered money for Eli to save his vineyard if he will marry her and produce a grandchild; Chole does not know Eli is the one this time that her father chose because this is not the first time her father has done this. She is driving from Austin, Texas to the Santa Rosa area where her father, Conte, has arranged a place for her to finish her book at Eli's home. First impressions are not favorable for either Eli or Chole. Eli is from an Italian family in the wine country of California. He is very close to his grandmother, Nonna, but there is a hidden secret he carries. Chole's father is an Italian and her mother is ;;;;
The book is full of mystery, family, wine, death, hate, fear and some love. A lot of twists and the end was a surprise to me.
I especially liked the Italian grandmother; my grandmother spelled it with one n, Nona.
This is the first book I have read by Christina Dodd and found it fast moving with lots of twists and turns. It is the second book of the series but still able to be read on it's own.
I did not find it "romantic" as in some books I have read but a different love in that one cares.
I will add when Chloe drove through West Texas, it was described as a god-forsaken place with tarantulas and dust storms. True, we do have sandstorms and tarantulas but I love the area even though I now live in the Land of Lakes of Minnesota. When Chloe had a flat tire, she knew a Texas man would stop and help her. I will add that I used to say, "Drive to West Texas from Austin and people pull over to the shoulder so you can pass; when you drive to Houston from Austin to go east, they pull more into the center lane". I lived in the Austin area, Round Rock, for ten years.
I will give it a 4 star because of the actions, mystery and so many surprises. I look forward to Betrayal, the next book in the Bella Terra series.
I got this book from my library.
You can find Christina Dodd at www.christinadodd.com.
Leona Olson
www.mnleona.blogspot.com

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 96-100 points extraordinary story. I'm using this scale because of all the great mouth watering wine Christina Dodd made me crave throughout the story. Yes, I had to have Cabernet, cheese, crackers, and grapes. It was nearly impossible to put down.

The characters come alive ... the Di Luca family sense of "one for all and all for one", totally draws the reader into the story. Then, Eli with his dark past-- oh my, poor guy. And Chloe such a clever young woman. The skull and the red candles props are way too funny. One of my favorite parts is where her mom makes her retrace the events in thoughts to find the truth behind Eli. That is a great lovers' fight... I absolutely loved it. The unsolved murder that surrounds them just brings things together.

Let me not forget about Wyatt, that is some kind of a twisted twist. The one thing that kinda got me thinking is how he ends three floors down. I know how he ends down there... I'm just saying that'll be one of those hush hush family secrets that no one will ever want to recall ever happening, or will they? DuPey, the cop, is no doofus... so he knows.

Last, Noah is in the middle of it all? So in Betrayal, who will be the betrayer and who will be betrayed? What is the dark secret in Noah's past? Will they find the infamous bottle? It makes me wonder, whether the bottle has the contents everyone thinks it has? Or, what if what everyone seeks is elsewhere? Hmmm...come to think of it... if Noah is in the middle of it all, then has he known all along where both the bottle and its contents are? How will they keep safe from the "pros" that are now after them? April can't get here soon enough! And I have to go get me Rafe's story...I'm totally hooked. I need to know how it all began.

My, my, the things people do for such a great bottle of wine.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate this at 4 1/2 out of 5. I thought the mystery twist of why the famous bottle of wine was so desirous was a stroke of genius. It made this book stand out from the first in the series but still be part of the series. I loved the relationship between Eli and Chloe. Eli needed money and was propositioned by Chloe's father, a old school Italian, to marry Chloe in return for the funds to get the winery out of trouble with the IRS. A situation that was created by the accountant smuggling funds and then moving to South America. Chloe is a Best Selling Novel Author and is having issues with her second novel. Her father arranges for her to stay at Eli's cottage to get inspiration, though she knows he's just playing match maker! Unfortunately he's right with this one and Chloe grows to love Eli. Eli, having had a rough childhood, doesn't realize his feelings until it's almost to late. Eli and Chloe are thrust into a 80 year old murder mystery and a search for a bunch of stolen pink diamonds. They are also forced to deal with their feelings for each other and come to grips with them. Great story, amazing twists and unexpected turns. The last chapter is making me salivate for the third book in the series! The only reason this didn't get a 5 is because some parts didn't seem realistic, like Eli's childhood kidnapping and subsequent 'education' in Chile. However the parts that aren't 100% realistic aren't very important to the overall story line so can be overlooked.

[AndreaH · Rating 3 out of 5]

New series from Dodd set in the present and no supernatural overtones. Hoo-yah!
Set on a California vineyard, the series will revolve around three brothers — same dad, different moms, and deep issues — a bottle of wine and pink diamonds.
Eli Di Luca runs the family winery, but has gotten in a financial bind. Along comes an Italian who offers to pay off his multimillion dollar debt if Eli marries his illegitimate daughter, Chloe Robinson, whose debut book turned into an award-winning murder mystery.
Emotionally buttoned-up Eli doesn't want to marry for money or love, but he wants a wife and kids. So he agrees to the plan; what he doesn't plan on is Chloe.
Chloe's used to her dad waving eligible bachelors in front of her, but she finds dour Eli hot with hidden depths of humor.
She's shorter, with badder hair than he expected, but he's attracted and so propinquity starts working its magic.
These two are soon slinging arrows of sarcasm at each other while holding hands. Eli's family tales about the mysterious bottle and its winemaker jumpstarts Chloe out of her second-novel slump. And then the two discover the winemaker's body and a pink diamond in a recently uncovered still on Eli's property.
Chloe moves in with Eli after her cottage is broken into and things really start to heat up.
Eli has just decided to come clean when the IRS threatens to put a lien on his property fast unless he pays up.
The Chloe's dad turns up and secret is out of the bag.
***I just finished the 3rd book, and like this one best. ***

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another go to author falls flat. The first book in this series was just ok, so I only picked this up because I usually like Dodd. What a huge disappointment. Where to start? So the accountant has run off with all the money & Eli's the only one who knows. Because this big award winning winery business of his only has one person doing the accounting? I work in an office with 25 employees; four of them work in the accounting area. And he won't tell either the police, the FBI or his family, but he's all worried about losing the business cause the IRS is breathing down his back.... Hmmm, maybe by reporting the crime the IRS, who are hard asses, but not necessarily jackasses, would maybe tell him about something called an extension.... And if his own family and employees are completely in the dark, how exactly does Chloe's father know the whole story?... And an arranged marriage, in a contemporary setting, where one of the people involved isn't a cooperating party, and is independently wealthy so has no real incentive to cooperate? Yeah, that's believable. Shall we discuss the logistics of red herring suspect and the only viable suspect when you think about it both seeming to be johnny on the spot after the explosion, and yet one of them is driving her off the road when she'd left the scene nearly an hour before the explosion.... Or the the logic stream wherein the bad guy wants information from Chloe, but tries to kill her, twice. Arghhhhhhh!

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is where Secrets of Bella Terra was leading us (and it's not quite over). Where Rafe was pretty much a Hollywood kid who got tired of living in the spotlight of his parents, Eli was a truly tortured kid. With a volatile mother and a throw-away father, Eli has allowed himself only to love his grandmother, his brothers and his precious vines. Due to an error in judgement, Eli now has to compromise everything to save Bella Terra. He has to seduce and marry the daughert of a very rich man; and if he does, his fortunes will be restored. Sounds easy except for the fact that Chloe Robinson knows that her father is a scheming old man and that Eli is bound to be one of the many men that her father has thrown in her path. And she, as she is to later find, is right. Chloe stays in Eli's home to finish work on her latest mystery novel when all hell breaks loose. There is another body that is discovered on the grounds of Bella Terra, someone is there to betray the Di Luca's, and still more romance in the air.
As much as I like the books so far, I still think that there is something missing. And I just dont know what it is yet. As more and more about Massimo's wines are revealed, the more I want to know. And what about the other Di Luca women that Sarah called in The Secrets of Bella Terra? We haven't heard from them yet. I hope Noah's story is awesome...especially if I have to wait until April 2012 to get it.

[Rosi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The drama over the wine has definitely been kicked off a notch. We see the yummy Di Luca brothers back again, and this time Eli finds his HEA. The love story had potential, but it failed to catch my attention. I continued to read Eli's justification for loving Chloe after she walked out on him, but it read more like Dodd's weak attempt to convince the reader of his true emotions and intentions. Yes, they each blurted out the words that they love each other, but I didn't see how it developed. Of course there was attraction, but both characters should have been smart enough to distinguish between lust and love. I hated the fact that Eli convinced her the she was feeling love for him and she made it sound like it was an epiphany! I just didn't feel like they had chemistry and that their love story was lackluster.
I did love her inner goth tendencies! Oh and his reaction to the skull, hilarious! I wanted more scenes like this where they are getting to know each other quirks. The mere fact that they were polar opposites, really had the makings of great moments, but sadly there was none. The other memorable moment is when the brothers are in the kitchen and Eli makes a snide comment about the irony that the men are in the kitchen while the women are watching a game, which prompted one of the brothers to say, "shut up and put on your apron."
I still look forward to reading the next book