New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts is probably best known for her series books. Usually written in trilogies, Roberts has created one large, sprawling family headed by Daniel MacGregor (known as "The MacGregor") who not only has a story of his own, but also plays matchmaker for his children and grandchildren. The MacGregor Grooms tells the story of three such matches that The MacGregor makes for three of his grandsons.::: Three Stubborn Men Fall in Love :::The MacGregor Grooms is broken into three parts, each of which probably could have been released on its own as one of the shorter Silhouette novels Roberts writes in addition to her other novels. Part One tells the story of painter D.C., the son of The MacGregor's son Alan, a former U.S. President, and his artist wife Shelby. D.C. is known for his stubborn streak, and The MacGregor knows just what to do: conspiring with old family friend (and D.C.'s godmother) Myra, he sets up D.C. on a blind date with Layna Drake, heir to Drake's department stores, all the while telling D.C. that Layna is NOT D.C.'s type. Used to The MacGregor's usual overt machinations at fixing up his children and grandchildren, D.C. falls for the plan hook, line, and sinker.Part Two of The MacGregor Grooms deals with Duncan, the younger son of The MacGregor's daughter Serena and her casino-owner husband Justin Blade. Duncan manages one of the family's casinos like his older brother Mac, but Duncan's territory is a riverboat on the Mississippi called the Comanche Princess. Always on the lookout for a good match for his grandchildren, The MacGregor had spotted a singer at Mac's Vegas casino, and decided she was perfect for Duncan, so recommends her for a gig onboard the Princess. Duncan is immediately drawn to Cat Farrell, but Cat is convinced that Duncan's upbringing can't possibly be compatible with her own rough past.Part Three of The MacGregor Grooms has The MacGregor finding a mate for grandson Ian, son of former U.S. Attorney General Caine and his lawyer wife Diana. Ian is a lawyer with the family firm, and meets Naomi Brightstone, the new Vice President of Brightstone Books, while helping with the paperwork for her parents' transfer of control of the bookstore to her. Naomi is shy, a butterfly only recently emerged from her cocoon. A formerly overweight wallflower, she has only recently lost weight and updated her wardrobe, and she is convinced that someone like Ian could never possibly be interested in her. Ian is likewise unsure, wanting to give the inexperienced Naomi time to experience more of life before he locks her into marriage.::: Always Leave Them Wanting More :::I have a really tough time with the MacGregor series of books. On one hand, I love coming back and reading about the same family time and time again, seeing familiar characters pop up as parents of adult children and grandparents. The fact that the MacGregor family is so large gives Roberts plenty of material to mine for the series.On the other hand, all of the MacGregor novels are published by Silhouette books, a division of Harlequin. As a result, they are all in the short format of traditional romance novels. When it comes to comparing Roberts' books against others in the genre, her books far surpass the others, but when comparing them to her regular novels, they always fall short. The level of detail and character development is better than most romance novels, but the romances always seem rushed. Even when the characters feel developed, I never quite feel as involved in having them get together as I feel that I should be.Still, the MacGregors are one of my favorite Roberts families, and this is a great summer read, light, fluffy, and nothing sad or requiring a lot of deep thought.This review previously published at: http://www.epinions.com/review/The_Ma...
On Sunday, The Readventurer challenged us to read a book (or three) as part of their She Made Me Do It feature. Now, you know how I feel about a challenge. If you don't, here's a video that sums it up: Basically, it's on like Donkey Kong. So yup, by later Sunday, I was done with one of the books of the CHALLENGE. Flannery picked a Nora Roberts book for me because whenever she would talk about Nora Roberts as one of her favorite romance authors, my reaction, never having read one of her books, would be, "Her?"However, with The MacGregor Grooms, Flann promised a wily, matchmaking grandpa and a JFK Jr. There's exactly ONE thing I have in common with Taylor Swift and it's our fascination with the Kennedys -- although mine is more toward those who've actually graduated from high school. Needless to say, I was hooked on this book from the beginning.Daniel, the grizzled patriarch of the MacGregor clan, is adorrrrrable. I read this after the VP debate so I pictured him as a lovable Joe Biden type. He's devoted to his family and determined to set up his single grandsons. There's D.C. the artist, Duncan the Steve Wynn of riverboats, and Ian the lawyer. The book is divided into 3 parts, with a diary entry by Daniel introducing each part and grandson. The short story format was a great introduction to Roberts' writing style and the characters in this series.As a whole, I liked the characters and stories. I liked D.C.'s storyline the most, and I would've probably reacted to his father, the former president, the same way Layna did. I was a bit bored by Duncan's storyline and skimmed it until Daniel came for a visit, but it was short enough to keep my attention. Ian, aka the original Harvard Hottie, built a library in his house. Need I say more? What I really liked was the family dynamic. I loved how close-knit they were and how they indulged Grandpa's meddling, even as he blamed poor ol' Grandma for it. I loved that the boys always answered calls from Grandpa with a grin, even when they knew they were the targets of his machinations. Verdict: Old people can be so sweet!Daniel is such a memorable, lovable character. I'm reading The MacGregor Brides next for more of his antics. Great rec, Flann! Now that I've read one of your books, I have one thing to say to you and Catie: This review appears behind the Rory Curtain on Young Adult Anonymous.
What do You think about The MacGregor Grooms (2002)?
I am not going to review every Nora Roberts book that I have read in the past because she is quite prolific and it would get redundant and I honestly cannot remember all the plots. I think someone finds someone else attractive but at least one cannot admit it so there is sexual tension, then lots of sex, and then they live happily ever after? Sometimes there is some magic , a family legacy, or a mystery. Certainly not great works of literature (however still 100% better than “the grapes of wrath”). I think I have read every one of her books to date because despite the cheesy nature, the ending is always happy and the read is easy. Frankly, I like these books and will continue to read each one that comes out. I am going to post this same review for each of her books that I have read in the past.
—Bridget
"Sono responsabile dei miei cari e della loro felicità; se chiudessi gli occhi davanti ai miei impegni non mi chiamerei più Daniel MacGregor."La vecchia volpe MacGregor colpisce ancora! XD Probabilmente se fossi uno dei suoi nipoti o dei suoi figli l'avrei già soffocato con il cuscino nottetempo ma da osservatrice esterna quale sono trovo alquanto spassose le sue macchinazioni oltre che incredibilmente intuitive visto che si concludono sempre in un sicuro successo! XD Il primo obiettivo è il suo nipote omonimo Daniel Jr, pittore di talento. Per lui vale la legge degli opposti, infatti Layla, la sua donna ideale, è precisa quanto lui è disordinato, cauta quanto lui è impulsivo e ama programmare mentre lui vive alla giornata tra vernici e scatoloni XD La seconda "vittima" del patriarca è il figlio di Serena e Justin, Duncan, che soccombe alla voce sensuale della cantante Cat. La loro storia è molto similare a quella dei suoi genitori, il casino, le scommesse etc etc ma mi è sembrata troppo tirata via, il difficile passato di Cat è appena accennato e anche il finale non mi ha soddisfatta del tutto...inoltre nell'inevitabile confronto con la simile storia dei genitori Duncan ne esce sicuramente perdente XD L'ultimo nipote a capitolare (anche se rispetto agli altri sembra ben più lieto XD) è Ian e la sua storia con Noemi, dal sapore vagamente fiabesco, è quella che mi è piaciuta di più *__* Noemi non è la classica "donna MacGregor" è una libraia goffa e timida, che non ha mai avuto esperienze con gli uomini e non ha mai avuto un buon rapporto con il suo aspetto, per via della sua adolescenza da ragazza cicciotta e secchiona! Nella scena in cui Ian le mostra la nuova biblioteca ripete le esatte parole della mia amata Bestia, l'ho trovato fantastico anche se probabilmente è stata una citazione non voluta *__* Ian è un avvocato molto avvenente, per arrivare al cuore della timida Noemi e portarla all'altare spreme tutta la dolcezza e la pazienza che ha in sé e sarebbe persino disposto a lasciarle il suo spazio se non fosse che la sua famiglia lo copre di insulti solo all'idea XD Il patriarca in un anno è riuscito a combinare tre matrimoni ed assistere ad un altra nascita...ma il suo lavoro non è ancora finito ;D
—Sabrina (Soter) Sally
I loved these stores in the series. We find that Daniel is still trying to meddle and has moved onto his grandsons. The book is divided into three for D.J, Duncan and Ian. I found each one the stories really good and funny reads. Finding myself laughing out loud at times especially as each grandson didnt realise they had been set up till they had fallen in love. Great stories, I especially loved Duncan's story and how their story was similar to Justin and Serenas. Cannot wait to continue in the series and find out what Macgregor does next. Xxx
—Kai
