The Marcelli Princess

Marcelli #5

by Susan Mallery

A smart, independent woman with a gorgeous four-year-old son, Mia Marcelli lost her one true love. Four years ago, while working undercover for the CIA, she watched Diego, the father of her unborn child, perish before her very eyes -- crumbling the world around her. But one morning she awakens to find Diego lying next to her, alive and well with an unbelievable confession: he is really Rafael, Prince of Calandria, and he had been working covertly on the same mission when they met -- his death had been staged. Utterly stunned, Mia is wary and delighted -- she may have suffered a broken heart, but her breathtakingly handsome lover is back to reignite the passion that existed between them. Little does she know that Rafael has returned to give his newfound son a proper upbringing back in Calandria -- even if it means seducing Mia into marriage. But when Rafael finds himself truly falling for this luscious beauty, he must decide between his royal duties and the woman who has claimed his heart.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Adult, Ebooks, Fiction

310 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 27, 2007

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.

Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.

Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.

Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I had some trouble with this one. I really liked all the books in the series, and while I liked this one... it just didn't seem up to par when compared with the other books.

I think my main problem was with the hero Rafael. As he so frequently mentioned throughout the book to the point of annoyance he's the Prince of Calandria. He was obnoxious, pompous, arrogant, and annoying. To say the least. I really disliked him, and by the end although the author had set it up so that he could redeem himself, I just couldn't see it. It was too much of a transformation to be believable. This just ruined the book for me. Sometimes an author can take a character too far and I feel this was one of those cases.

Oh well... at least the rest of the series was great.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mia Marcelli used to be the Marcelli wild child, but since having her son almost four years ago, she's mellowed. So, imagine her surprised to waking up and finding a strange man in her bed. A man who should be dead. The man she has been mourning for almost five years.

Crown Prince Rafael of Calandria was known as Diego during the time Mia knew him. What she didn't know was that he was undercover, just as she was. He then pretended to die and Mia watched as he got shot. She never knew that he was still alive and he never bothered to contact her and tell her that was in fact alive.

So, naturally she is suspicious of his return after five years. And she is right to be suspicious because, unbeknownst to her, Rafael plans to seduce and marry Mia so that he can take Danny, their son, back to Calandria, where Mia would have no rights with regards to taking Danny back to California; Rafael then planned to divorce Mia, casting her aside because she wouldn't be important to his plan anymore.

After a while, Mia starts to trust Rafael and, eventually, gives in to his proposal. Only to overhear a conversation the next day between Rafael and his father, during which they discuss his plan. Enraged, Mia and her brother Joe confront him and throw him out of the Marcelli hacienda. In his single-minded pursuit of his plan, Rafael cannot see too much of the bad in his plan and thinks Mia and her family irrational. And he tries to come up with a new plan to take Danny.

Per her son's request, Rafael is allowed back to the hacienda for Danny's fourth birthday party. But nothing is made easy for him: the Marcelli family now hates and distrusts him, and Sam and Joe beefed the place up with security.

Because she knows she cannot alienate father and son, Mia allows Rafael to come on visits with Danny, visits that she supervises. One day, though, after Danny walks in on Mia crying over Rafael and hears her curse the man, Danny tells Rafael to leave. Mia goes to apologize and the two fall into bed again.

At this point, Rafael has gone to Brenna a couple of times for her advice on how to get back into Mia's good graces. So, after one visit, when Danny goes missing, he races back to Mia's side to help her find their son. After finding Danny, Mia tentatively allows herself to consider Rafael again.

Not long after, Rafael's father comes to the hacienda and demands that Rafael take Danny and leave with him for Calandria that instant. Rafael refuses to separate mother and son, and he refuses to leave with his father, saying he wants to stay with Mia and their son before abdicating the throne. He tells Mia that he loves her, nothing is more important than her and Danny, and they get married before living happily ever after.






I've been eagerly awaiting reading the story of Mia Marcelli ever since I started reading these books. She was always one of my favorite characters and intrigued me to no end, especially her relationship with her brother Joe. So, it pains me a little to have to give Mia's book only 4 stars because I did not like it as much as the others. And I know the exact reason why I didn't like it as much: Rafael.

Rafael has to be one of the worst male characters I've read; I don't mean that with regards to character development because Susan Mallery wrote him superbly, but his personality grated on my nerves throughout the whole book. To a certain extent, I could understand that he was a pompous, self-centered, conceited jerk, but after a while I wanted to reach into the book and slap him. I didn't approve at all of his plan to steal Danny and his single-minded pursuit of the plan drove me insane, especially because he never took into account how he was hurting, and going to be hurting, Mia and Danny, and even the rest of the Marcelli family. And I find it really rather depressing when I despise the hero of the book until the last fifteen pages, and even then I still didn't like him. The fact that he refused to listen to his father and professed his love for Mia simply could not diminish my negative feelings towards the man. I'm sorry, Susan Mallery, but I just couldn't handle him. The thought still makes me sad two days later.

Mia, however, I continued to love. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her as a mother and how she has matured since the other Marcelli books. Her continued and beautiful relationships with her sisters, her son, and Joe managed to overshadow the disaster that was Rafael. As much as I love Mia, though, I am disappointed that she could have completely and utterly fallen for Rafael. I think that the wonderful Mia deserved someone better.

I enjoyed seeing all the rest of the Marcelli siblings quite a few times, and I only wished that the husbands (Zach, Sam, and Nic) could have had more of a role in the book. I did enjoy, though, seeing the dynamic that existed between Mia and David and their continued friendship.

The one thing that saddened me was the lengths that Kelly went to in order to get the attention of her parents. I'm glad that it was finally revealed to everyone why Kelly was acting out and that they were able to fix the situation.

Despite the negativity I feel towards Rafael, this was a very good book and I'm glad to have read it. Now I just need to read the first book of the series...

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 1 out of 5]

I so wanted to read Mia's story but i just could not overcome my instant dislike/antipathy for the i-am-so-superior-n-royal alpha jerk diego/rafael who keeps lying and befooling Mia. she's such a strong and resilient character but rafael keeps using her with complete insensitivity for her feelings. I cant even say it was a great juicy angsty read as you just wanna kick him where it hurts most and tell Mia to find another daddy for her lil son!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a long time since Mia Marcelli woke up next to a man in her bed, in fact the last time was with the father of her five year old son who died in front of her. When Mia opens her eyes to find "Diego" laying next to her, she is shocked, he is supposed to be dead.

Rafael, Prince of Calandria, never forgot about Mia. Had he know she sired his heir, he would have found her sooner. Now Mia has questions about his disappearance, identity and wants to find out why he is here now. As Rafael offers pretty promises, it becomes quickly obvious that he is holding back about something. Now that it looks like he may lose Mia and his son after all, Rafael has to decide on if it is the kingdom or his happiness that is more important.

I was mixed on this one. I felt Rafael was pretty low at one point and struggled with Mia's easy acceptance. Had a good story overall and a fairy tale ending, but I wish we had seen some of his vulnerability sooner.

[Jasmine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was interesting...

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't enjoy this installment in the Marcelli series.[return][return]Look, if some guy, no matter how hot, has been plotting to steal your son away from you to another country, where you'll only be able to see him a couple of weeks a year, you're NOT going to forgive him in a matter of days or weeks.[return][return]It would take a good, long time, and lots and lots of repentance and tangible evidence of reformation before you'd let him anywhere near your son, much less in your bed.[return][return]Even more unrealistic than most romance novels. I think I only gave it two stars because I've read so MUCH WORSE recently.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such a horrible ending to a good series. Mia was a spoiled brat through the series so it would have been nice to see her grow up but that was not to be. The author really lost her way with the Mia character. Originally Mia was a very driven student who wanted to be a diplomat (one of the reasons she & David split in the first book was bc going to DC for grad school was so important to her career plans) but then she just dumps her plans to become a spy which she has absolutely no qualifications for and ends up being horrible at. Even 5 years after that mess she still has no real solid plans other than finish law school; yet another avenue to keep herself in school and not ever grow up. I disliked Mia throughout the series and this book did nothing to prove that she's still an immature idiotic character.

As bad as Mia is, Rafael is even worse. There are no redeeming qualities to him at all; he's a selfish manipulative jerk for the entire book then at the very end makes a big change that I didn't buy into at all! He wanted to step away from the monarchy and become a doctor yet pitiful Mia talks him back into his role as crown prince; which makes no sense because neither one is qualified to rule a country at all. Rafael is more a dictator than leader and Mia has no qualifications at all. Extremely stupid premise for a book.

Extremely horrible ending to what was a good series. And a pet peeve of mine with a series is when the author or editor don't pick up on errors/inconsistencies - for example: in this book Katie introduced her twins Eric & Halley to Rafael yet Katie never had twins. No excuse to miss errors like that before publishing. Terrible all the way around on this book.

[Latte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another jerk as the hero. And the series started off so well. I was really happy Mia was getting her own story but it seemed like the smart sassy girl in the previous storylines got lost here. There was just very little of the Mia I'd been introduced to previously that I couldn't help but to be disappointed in this book. What carries it through, again, is the strength of the supporting Marcelli family characters. In here, David and Kelly are reintroduced as supporting characters to this story. I did like that it went full circle with bringing David back to Mia's story. But it was a little weak as the end of a series goes.

[Lady Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of the Marcelli stories ended with the youngest, Mia, & her not quite fairy tale.

I didn't like Raphael for most of the book & I think I would have preferred it if he'd stayed abdicated from the throne, but I guess it doesn't work like that.

I'm pretty sure my favorite was her son, Danny, what a cutie!!!

VERY HAPPY this one finally had an Epilogue!

Read it in about 4-5 hrs, fun quick read & definitely a series worth picking up :)

[Sue White]

SPOILERS !

Has anyone else noticed that the premise for this book makes no sense? The following just is not logical. (Note: I admit that I stopped temporarily from reading the book after analyzing the following so maybe it all makes sense to others but .. really? Really? )

Does this make sense to you?

1. Mia becomes a CIA operative - highly doubtful that after she had been so gullible in "Marcelli Bride" that she was sleeping with a guy who turned out to be a domestic terrorist that she would be put in a position of infiltrating a theft ring of a charismatic criminal. Her language skills are awesome so maybe in some capacity in the CIA but still.. And it takes over 2 years of very careful vetting to be hired by the CIA. and they somehow missed or ignored her past?

2. After having been duped by a domestic terrorist in Marcelli Bride who kidnaps and threatens to dismember the daughter of the President of the US, you would think she would be extra cautious not to fall for a "bad boy". But what does she do on her very first assignment with the CIA - she falls for the charismatic leader of the theft gang. OK, I put up with that until it is revealed that she knew that he was known for "eliminating" people. So the sister - in -law to the President of the US falls for a murdering criminal? With no regard for the position this would put her SIL in if this came out? Really? Really? That in itself is despicable.

3. Raphael is the "Crown Prince of Calandria". What king would allow his son, his heir, (of which much is made of this point) to go undercover in a sting in which he would be surrounded by criminals? If caught he would probably have been killed. And yet they thought this a good idea. To save the word from nuclear holocaust? No. To stop the sale of some previously lost/ hidden articafts. So this is what they are risking his life for?

4. Raphael takes the place of his cousin, Diego, who died in an accident, in order to infiltrate and investigate the thievery ring. So we are supposed to believe that all of Diego's contacts will not notice that Diego suddenly does not know them, know how to contact them, know the way of moving the artifacts,etc as the leader of the gang? Even if you buy that with wearing contacts and applying some hair dye he looks like Diego, we are supposed to believe others can't tell that he is not Diego?

5. Why would the CIA of the US get involved in an internal affair of a foreign country that involves know theft by a royal member of that country of its artifacts? This is not a US intelligence matter.
And wouldn't the US have to be asked to be involved ? And why would they when it is already known who the head of the theft ring is (the real Diego, Raphael's cousin)? Raphael is asked by the counter intelligence agency of Calandria to take on this role. OK. So this is done at the highest level of government in this small country. So it is fully known Raphael is an operative and yet Raphael does not know that the CIA of the US has planted a US operative into the gang? Wouldn't the CIA have to either be asked by or at least contact the Calandria government before doing a clandestine operation just for the heck of it? And if the CIA did not liaison with Calandria first why isn't Calandria upset?

6. Raphael and Mia both fell for the fake versions of themselves. She fell for a murderer/thief. He fell for a ditsy tourist.

7. Raphael and his father plot to bring his son with Mia back to Calandria to grow up and be the heir to the throne. Why? Surely Raphael could bed any number of bimbos in Calandria and father many sons OR he could find and marry a nice girl and father legit sons. Bringing Danny back makes no sense .Why would the citizens of Calandria accept an illegit son as the heir? Wouldn't the media have a field day ? Think of Princess Di. Much was made of Charle's bride needing to be a virgin. And yet in Calandria anyone who bedded the Prince and got herself preggers will be celebrated and accepted by the citizenry even if from a foreign country?

I really wanted to be delighted with this book. A secret prince.. how romantic. And yet the ridiculous plot was very distracting. Either the author knows nothing about the CIA or she is writing a parody to put it in a bad light.

I have noticed this author seems to have it in for US institutions- including the CIA, Secret Service and Navy Seals. In the Marcelli Bride she belittles the SS and the Navy Seals - having each do bungling that boggles the mind. and in Marcelli Princes she takes on the CIA. Structured properly each of these scenarios could have been written to reflect the competence of each of these entities and still have kidnapping etc happen. But she makes a point of slipups, and bad judgement etc happening in each. And seriously - Mia's brother - is now settled down as a vintner instead of waiting another 10 years to retire as a Navy Seal?

And lastly - what father buys a kid a pony without discussing it with the mother? I grew up with a pony. I'm all for the kid having a pony. But without discussing it with Mia? And why not also buy him a guardian dog to protect him? For that matter why no dogs in these novels?

Enjoy the book - just overlook these plot points. Just checking to see if anyone else noticed these points...

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a ton of steam in this book, but I thought it was pretty good considering the premise, "wild and crazy Marcelli girl become princess of a fictional country", but I liked the way the story played out. I gained new respect for Mia. IMO Mallery top notch contemp romance writer.

[E. Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reminded me of a Harlequin Presents which I love so I'm surprised I didn't like this one more. The passion between the characters was certainly hot but the story just didn't grab me for some reason.

[Nonieღserenity2bliss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mia's my favorite sister but her story failed to meet my expectation, given how wonderful the first three books of the series were.

[May Mostly Romance · Rating 1 out of 5]

เราชอบชุดพี่น้องตระกูลมาเซลี่ และนี่ก็เป็นเล่มที่ห้าแล้วของชุด เป็นเรื่องของมีอา น้องนุขสุดท้อง แม็กซ์คาดหวังกับเล่มนี้มากด้วยหลายเหตุผล

หนึ่งเพราะปู่งี่เง่าของเธอตายไปแล้วตั้งแต่เล่มสี่ ฉากที่คนแต่งหวังเรียกน้ำตาคนอ่านใน The Marcelli Bride ตอนที่ปู่ตาย แม็กซ์อ่านไปดีใจจนเกือบเต้นระบำ เพราะเกลียดปู่ชั่วคนนี้มาก (ต้องอ่านทั้งชุดแล้วจะซึมซับว่าปู่มันงี่เง่ายังไง เริ่มตั้งแต่บังคับให้หลานสาวแต่งงานตั้งแต่อายุไม่ถึงยี่สิบกันทุกคน คนที่ดื้อไม่ยอมแต่งก็นั่งด่าว่าว่าขึ้นคาน คนที่แต่งแล้วตอนหลังโดนสามีทิ้งก็ซ้ำเติมว่าไม่มีน้ำยาเอาสามีไม่อยู่ ทำร้ายจิตใจหลานสาวสารพัด ตายไปได้แล้วก็ดี) เล่มนี้ปู่ตัวแสบไม่อยู่ แม็กซ์ก็เลยดีใจนึกว่าจะไม่มีพวกน่ารำคาญนิสัยเสียอยู่ในเรื่องให้รกสายตาอีก แต่ก็คิดผิด

สองเรื่องนี้เป็นแนวพาฝันที่ซูซานเป็นคนที่เขียนเรื่องน้ำเน่าได้ค่อนข้างดี ไม่มีกลิ่นเหม็นมากจนเกินไป พล็อตเรื่องก็คือ มีอาที่อดีตเคยเป็นสายลับที่ตกหลุมรักโจรปล้นงานศิลปะพบว่าคนรักที่เป็นโจรของเธอยังมีชีวิต และไม่เพียงแต่มีชีวิตอยู่เท่านั้นเขายังเป็นรัชทายาทแห่งอาณาจักรเล็ก ๆ ในทะเลเมดิเตอร์เรเนียน

เป็นไงคะ เน่าไหม

พระเอกหรือก็ชื่อถูกใจ ราฟาเอล สำหรับแม็กซ์ที่ตกหลุมรักราฟาเอลที่คนวาดภาพมาดอนน่าเมื่อหลายร้อยปีก่อน แม้จะสะกดไม่เหมือนกัน แต่อ่านคล้ายกันก็ได้ใจไปกว่าครึ่ง

แต่สุดท้ายแม็กซ์เกลียดเรื่องนี้นะ เพราะความชั่วเกินพิกัดของพระเอก

แม็กซ์ชอบพระเอกที่ติดเลวนิด ๆ เถื่อนหน่อย ๆ ไม่ต้องถึงขั้นตบนางเอกหน้าคว่ำหรอกนะ เพียงแต่เป็นคนที่ไม่สมบูรณ์แบบ พระเอกอย่างของแอน สจ๊วตที่มีพรสวรรค์ไม่ว่าจะเขียนยังไงก็ไม่ล้ำเส้นของแม็กซ์

แต่ราฟาเอลของซูซาน มัลโลลีนี่ล้ำเส้น ล้ำไปจนขนาดแม็กซ์ที่มีเขตแดนกว้างแล้วนะยังรับไม่ได้

แม็กซ์ไม่ได้พูดถึงความเลวชนิดตบตีทำร้ายนางเอกหรอกนะ เพราะนั่นมันล้ำไปตั้งแต่ยกมือแล้วล่ะ แต่เป็นนิสัยการกระทำที่แสดงออก

ราฟาเอลเป็นเจ้าชายมากจนเกินไป ไม่ใช่ประเภทเจ้าชายจิกมี่ที่อ่อนน้อมถ่อมตน แต่ยะโสโอหัง และไม่รักนางเอกเอาเสียเลย

พล็อตเรื่องน่าสนใจและเน่าได้ใจเปิดเรื่องเมื่อราฟาเอลกลับมาหามีอา หลังจากพลัดพรากกันไปห้าปี หลังจากที่เขาเล่นละครฉากการตายของตัวเอง และมีอาหนีกลับอเมริกาไปอย่างเจ็บปวดที่รู้ว่าคนรักเสียชีวิต แถมตัวเองยังมีลูกติดท้องไปอีกหนึ่งคน ราฟาเอลกลับมาเพื่อบอกกับมีอาว่า เขาไม่เคยรู้เลยว่าเธอยังมีชีวิตอยู่ เขาก็โดนหลอกเช่นกันว่าเธอตายแล้ว ตลอดเวลาเขายังรักเธออยู่เสมอ และเมื่อทราบข่าวว่าเขามีลูกชายตัวน้อย ๆ อายุ 4 ขวบด้วยหนึ่งคน เขาก็ดีใจจนแทบเก็บอาการไม่อยู่

เขารีบขอเธอแต่งงานอย่างรวดเร็ว และแม้มีอาจะสับสนกับความเปลี่ยนแปลงที่คนรักจากโจรกระจอกกลายเป็นเจ้าชายสูงศักดิ์ ด้วยเวลาเพียงครึ่งเล่มเขาก็ชนะใจเธอได้

สิ่งที่มีอาไม่รู้ แต่คนอ่านรู้ (เพราะคนแต่งบรรยายความรู้สึกของราฟาเอลให้รับทราบ) ก็คือ เขาไม่ได้มีความคิดอย่างที่พูดไปเลย เขาเห็นว่ามีอาเป็นผู้หญิงคนนึงที่เขาอยากได้ และเมื่อได้แล้วก็หมดความสนใจ เขาไม่ตามหาเธอเพราะไม่คิดว่ามีอาคู่ควรกับการแต่งงาน เป็นแค่ความสัมพันธ์ชั่วแล่น และเมื่อเขารู้ว่าผลพวงจากความสัมพันธ์นั้นก่อกำเนิดเด็กน้อยที่เป็นทายาทราชบัลลังค์ของเขา เขาจึงเสแสร้งเล่นละครมาเพื่อตีสนิทกับมีอา ด้วยจุดประสงค์เพื่อขโมยตัวลูกชายกลับไปประเทศ

ราฟาเอลเป็นผู้ชายชนิดที่ควรเป็นตัวร้ายในหนังสือเล่มอื่น แต่ดันเป็นพระเอก พฤติกรรมแต่ละอย่าง ไม่ว่าจะเป็นการหลอกแต่งงานกับนางเอกเพื่อวางแผนให้นางเอกพาลูกกลับประเทศ แล้วทำการฮุบตัวลูกชาย (แล้วหย่านางเอกทิ้ง) หรือว่าการทิ้งให้นางเอกเข้าใจผิดมาตลอดห้าปีว่าตัวเองตาย (ในขณะที่ตัวเองมีผู้หญิงคนอื่นไปเรื่อย)

ที่สำคัญชั่วแล้วไม่รู้ตัวว่าชั่วอีกต่างหาก เพราะเมื่อมีอาจับได้ถึงวัตถุประสงค์ที่แท้จริงของเขาแล้วไล่เขาไป เมื่อมาขอโทษแทนที่จะพูดถึงความผิดของตัวเอง กลับบอกนางเอกว่า "เสียใจที่โดนนางเอกจับ"

นี่นะพระเอก

เข้าใจความมุ่งหมายของคนแต่งนะที่จะเล่าว่า ราฟาเอลแข็งกระด้างเพราะถูกเลี้ยงมาอย่างนั้น แต่เขาแข็งเกินไป แข็งจนเราไม่รู้สึกถึงความเป็นพระเอกที่ซ่อนอยู่ภายใน มันถูกซ่อนมิดชิดจนมองไม่เห็นราศีพระเอก เข้าใจนะว่าคนแต่งจงใจสร้างบุคลิกของราฟาเอลให้ดูเป็นเจ้าชายที่เอาแต่ใจทำให้ไม่เข้าใจชีวิตปกติของคนธรรมดา

แต่มันมากเกินไป ล้ำเส้นการยอมรับได้ของแม็กซ์

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I expected, it took a while to get into Mia's story. It takes place enough years later that I can buy into the changes she has made in her life. Rafael, on the other hand, had me in fits and changes a bit too quickly to be believable. Whether one likes the characters or not, the story still has the ability to churn you up and get reactions, sometimes verbal, as it unfolds. Ms. Mallery does know how to get the reader involved, perhaps too much. I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction and it didn't really happen, but that didn't keep me from wanting to throw things and experience a range of emotions unusual for me while reading.

[Beth Ann Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mia's lover and father of her unborn child is killed right before her eyes, or so she thinks. Rafael, formerly Diego, reappears five years late expecting to claim his son, Danny. Rafael, Crown Prince of Calandria, is expecting to easy obtain his heir and return home. When this proves more difficult than he thought, the arrogant Prince intends to seduce Mia again, convince her to marry him and return to Calandria, where he intends to raise Danny as his heir and prince. Mia is slow to trust and when Rafael's true objectives are brought too light, she feels like she may never trust him again. Will it be happily ever after for these two?

[S · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not feel the chemistry between Mia and Rafael. The book should have started with the incident that happened 5 years ago like a Prologue and then moved on to the current. It was difficult to complete reading this book. I could not feel the love between the characters. I also could not comprehend how Mia could be in love at first sight with a man she just met and knew to be a thief and a killer — dangerous person. It just appalls me Nothing about this book made any sense at all. There were so many ways, the author could have done a better job. It does not even deserve a single star. The most boring book of this series.

[Penny Marksheffel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marcelli Series

I loved books one, two, and three. Books 4 and 5 were so implausible that I couldn’t enjoy them nearly as much. The likelihood of events in the first books made them relatable. Books 4 and 5 slipped out of realistic contemporary fiction into fantasy. I wish Mallory had stayed with the same family and more realistic storylines.

[Mary Shreffler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mia, the youngest Marcelli, was a spy 5 years ago and fell in love with bad guy Diego. Hecwas killed and Mia was sent home immediately only to find she was pregnant. 4 years later Diego shows up at the Marcelli vineyard but he's not Diego, never has been. He's Raphael the prince come to take his son back home. Many events later he's a changed man and Mia is marrying a prince

[Louise Schaefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time starting this book. everytime I started it --I would get angry at Mia and Raphael, I hated both the characters. But after I got into the story I developed a liking for both of them.. I had to start this book over & over a few times before I was able to finish it!!!!

[Sharon Helfrich · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite of the series, there are certain things that just aren't forgivable. Several things that the male protagonist does fall into that category. No excuses, especially when there's a child involved.

[Lori Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

this series is worth read and you will not be able to put it down until the last word. Every book in this series will have you laughing, crying, or put you on the edge of your seat. I just want more this series will not disappoint you. REALLY

[Cathie McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia has returned. She was undercover and fell in love. She is heartbroken and pregnant. Years later, Rafael turns up alive. He is spewing lies and tries to steal Danny. The family surrounds Mia and Danny. Rafael has a lot of thinking and begging to do.

[Bev Stegmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Author Susan Mallery’s writing style. This is such a fun read. I love the Marcelli family. They are very warm and at times volatile. This book has it all romance, trials, friendships, betrayal, righting of wrongs.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful end to the series

This book was a fitting end to the series. What I especially liked was the attention paid to David and Kelly's stories. I highly recommend this book.

[Jia · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series so much, I didn't want it to end. I really am going to miss the characters in this book, too bad there isn't a way to write more books on them.

[Carol · Rating 1 out of 5]

Marcelli series Palmer Lib 2007

[Siti Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

The prince was hot and like the chemistry between Mia and Rafael. The sex was bland. Give 1 star because of Rafael plan to take Danny away and leave Mia. That was a good twist.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope. No. I did not like this one. You have to be able to route for the romance to work. I didn’t want it to. I wanted her to slap that man and kick his @$$ out from day one. Ugh.