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The Villa Audiobook
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(3.00) - 13,464 listener ratings
Plot Summary
"The Villa" takes place in the wine producing valleys of California and in the home country of Italy where generations of the Giambelli family have been growing grapes and cultivating their vineyards while producing vintage wines for over a century. Their tireless work and industry have built the Giambelli brand into an international wine empire based upon trust and good will.
When an elderly retired vineyard worker dies from a heart attack, no one suspects that his sudden death is the result of drinking poisoned wine that accompanied his dinner of bread and cheese. It is not until other people closely connected to the Giambelli organization that insiders begin to consider that they are under attack and there are murderers among them.
The resulting story takes listeners into the world of exotic wine making where a single bottle of wine can fetch thousands of dollars or more at prestigious auctions.
As her fans well know, Nora Roberts researches heavily and presents vivid details that weave her plot lines into an intricate, entertaining and suspenseful tapestry.
In "The Villa" three women take center stage. Tereza Giambelli, the matriarch, who was there and remembers those who started it all, has guided her empire and is only beginning to hand over its reins to the next generation. Pilar, Tereza's daughter, seeks to find her own place within the organization, and fights to maintain her dignity after a marriage that should have ended years earlier. Then there is the beautiful, capable and brilliant Sophia, Pilar's daughter, who is a genius in marketing, yet finds how much she enjoys being a woman as well.
Nora Roberts is a contemporary American novelist whose books continue to be best sellers before the ink is even dry. Over 300 million of her books have been in print, not considering books released in other formats.
Roberts is a founding member of the Romance Writers of America and was its Hall of Fame's first inductee.
Other thrilling books by this author include Montana Sky, Sanctuary, Carolina Moon, Blue Smoke and Northern Lights.
"Although the story absorbs the reader's attention from the beginning and there are plenty of wonderful characters and dialogue, the main heroine, Sophia Giambelli, does not appeal. I like her mother and grandmother much better and especially like David Cutter and his children, Maddy and Theo, but Sophia strikes me as hard and cutting with little to recommend her. Fortunately there is more than one love story in the book."
— Maria (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
The vineyards of Napa Valley provide a lush backdrop for this sweeping epic from the #1 New York Times bestselling author….
PR executive Sophia Giambelli loves her job and has never worried about competition. For three generations, her family’s wines have been world-renowned for their quality. But things are about to change at Villa Giambelli. Tereza, the matriarch, has announced a merger with the MacMillan family’s winery—and Sophia will be assuming a new role. As a savvy businesswoman, she knows she must be prepared for anything…but she isn’t prepared for Tyler MacMillan. They’ve been ordered to work together very closely, to facilitate the merger. Sophia must teach Ty the finer points of marketing—and Ty, in turn, shows her how to get down and dirty, to use the sun, rain, and earth to coax the sweetest grapes from the vineyard.
As they toil together, both in and out of the fields, Sophia is torn between a powerful attraction and a professional rivalry. At the end of the season, the course of the company’s future—and the legacy of the villa—may take an entirely new direction. And when acts of sabotage threaten both the family business and the family itself, Sophia’s quest will be not only for dominance, but also for survival.
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The Villa Listener Reviews
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" I don't know how I missed this one! "
— Terree, 2/7/2014 -
" Love the family in this book! Great writing! "
— Angie, 1/27/2014 -
" This was a good book; I enjoyed reading it and I finished it quite quickly! "
— Robin, 1/2/2014 -
" I'm sure this book is as good as all the other Nora Roberts novels. I ended up with the abridged CD version, so I feel like I missed a lot of the story. "
— Rebecca, 12/1/2013 -
" Conflict of styles and job descriptions sets the protagonists against each other, but chemistry and danger brings them together against the background of Napa Valley. Another Nora Roberts hit for romance. "
— Ginny, 12/1/2013 -
" Nora strikes again, I think there is only one book of hers that I didn't like very much, and I have read a ton of her books. "
— Paula, 11/18/2013 -
" The first Nora Robert's book I read and it is still my favorite. "
— Staci, 11/2/2013 -
" Not the most involving Nora Roberts book. Too many characters, with too much going on. However, ultimately it is an enjoyable read. I read it on a plane. "
— Steph, 10/15/2013 -
" One of my favourite Nora's books "
— Korie, 9/25/2013 -
" Great character depth for a romance novel - I truly fell in love with the two main characters - I loved the scenery, I loved the plot, I loved progress and tone of the book. Everything about it was perfect "
— Trish, 9/24/2013 -
" this is one of my all time favorite Nora Roberts books I've probably read it 15-20 times! great story of a family and their winery "
— Jillian, 8/23/2013 -
" I learned a lot about how grapes are grown and wine is made. Set in Napa and Italy...a good read! "
— Marilu, 7/18/2013 -
" I loved this book. Highly recommend it to romance readers. "
— Maureen, 6/1/2013 -
" This is the first Nora Roberts book I ever read. After giving my Mom & Sister a hard time for such "trashy" reading they finally convinced me to give one a try and I became hooked - now whenever I need a quick easy read that is purely for entertainment value I open a Nora Roberts book! "
— Alicia, 5/16/2013 -
" this was an enjoyable read..roberts made a familiar plot interesting by setting the rich & famous family biz problems/betrayals set in the world of wine vinyards..i read this in audio & the narrator, Laurel Merlington, was excellent.. "
— Alice, 5/7/2013 -
" Good one - all the story lines wrapped up neatly and there was a good murder mystery. Very enjoyable. "
— Marissa, 4/17/2013 -
" As always her books are never a disappointment. This was a great story! "
— Denise, 4/14/2013 -
" Borrowed from the library "
— Amanda, 4/7/2013 -
" Lots of language. "
— Shellbelle19, 3/28/2013 -
" I liked how the romantic relationships developed gradually over time. Far more realistic than most romance novel plotting. "
— Lindsay, 2/11/2013 -
" This book was great. Loved the fact that it was about an Italian family because I am Italian myself. Hard to put down. "
— Wanda, 11/29/2012 -
" My first Nora Roberts and I loved it!!!!!! "
— Erin, 10/9/2012 -
" One of my favorites by Nora Roberts!!! "
— Amy, 8/29/2012 -
" I didn't start the year off well in my choice of books. The Villa is a family saga, so some of the soap opera elements are to be expected. However, this book just becomes ridiculous towards the end. "
— Julia, 7/6/2012 -
" I quite enjoyed this read. I liked the whole family unit. very interesting. "
— Maryam, 6/27/2012 -
" A really good read - easy read but light and enjoyable "
— Lisa, 2/15/2012 -
" Another love story, same character, different location. "
— Stacie, 2/14/2012 -
" This is one of her best, in my opinion. Many times her stories follow the same formula but this one is different, special. The secondary romance adds a nice touch. "
— J.M., 1/3/2012 -
" I'm discovering my inner desire for romance novels....this is a good one! "
— Nicole, 6/12/2011 -
" Another love story, same character, different location. "
— Stacie, 5/7/2011 -
" love, betrayal, and romance in the backdrop of wine makers, grape growers with a rich family history... "
— Kathy, 4/19/2011 -
" Good one - all the story lines wrapped up neatly and there was a good murder mystery. Very enjoyable. "
— Marissa, 4/5/2011 -
" For some reason it took me several chapters to get into it. But it was really interesting. I totally loved it. The ending was shocking. It's a bit long but worth it. "
— Gina, 3/19/2011 -
" This has been keeping me company on my recent road trips. I have read the book multiple times, but it is nice having someone read it to me. "
— Stacy, 2/19/2011 -
" it was such a great book! i enjoyed it the whole way!!! "
— Janai, 2/12/2011 -
" This is one of her best, in my opinion. Many times her stories follow the same formula but this one is different, special. The secondary romance adds a nice touch. "
— JM, 2/10/2011 -
" I read this one a long time ago. It was good from what I remember. Nothing spectacular. "
— Alisha, 2/8/2011 -
" Good re-read. Love the characters! "
— Nikki, 2/8/2011 -
" Well my opinion on this book could be a little biased because I adore every Nora Robert's book I'v read. <br/>The Villa was one of my favorites, it has romance, murder and mystery. <br/>The book does not has any boring or long parts. <br/>Exciting and amazing. "
— nik, 1/17/2011 -
" One of Nora Roberts better-crafted stories, I thought. This is a suspense as much as a romance. I enjoyed it. "
— Sara, 1/10/2011 -
" This is typical Nora Roberts. A good story, but nothing new and exciting here. "
— Lvolk, 1/6/2011 -
" I love Nora Roberts and this is one of her best ones,, "
— Devon, 1/5/2011
About Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than two hundred novels. She is also the author of a bestselling futuristic suspense series written under the pen name J. D. Robb, her other pseudonyms being Jill March and Sarah Hardesty. She was the first author inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. There are more than 400 million copies of her books in print.
About Laural Merlington
Laural Merlington is an audiobook narrator with over two hundred titles to her credit and a winner of multiple Earphones Awards. An Audie Award nominee, she has also directed over one hundred audiobooks. She has performed and directed for thirty years in theaters throughout the country. In addition to her extensive theater and voice-over work, she teaches college in her home state of Michigan.