The MacGregor Grooms by Nora Roberts
Reviewed by Maggie: October 16, 2012
Published June 1, 2002 by Silhouette
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:
I knew you'd enjoy it. For her, it's really about the writing style--either you like it or you don't. I'm pretty confident that if you liked the first one, you will like most every other one.
ReplyDeleteI don't love GGGGGGGifs (not jifs) but I like them in this review:)
Guess who's at 16% of Heart of Steel and has the other two books in her possession? Watch out Maggie! I'm coming for ya!
ReplyDelete