Heard It Through the Grapevine : In the Family (American Romance)

Rating:
Summary: fun look at the aftermath of reality TV
Review: Bostonian Josh Corbett arrives in Napa Valley to plead with Gina Angelini to give him a second chance. Two years ago on the TV reality show Mr. Moneybags he courted and dumped her for a million dollars and Tahoma. The moment he saw a heartbroken Gina leave, he knew he made a mistake and felt poorer for it.

Gina tells him to get lost, but he refuses. Instead he allies himself with her family especially her mother and her preteen cousins. As he learns to "read minds", he fails to persuade Gina that he loves her and wants a second chance to prove it. She insists he belongs to Tahoma, but with his new "family" he begins to assault her heart although she feels surrounded by traitors.

This is a fun look at the aftermath of reality TV on the contestants. The story line could have flopped like many of these shows do, but the antics of the meddling matchmaking Angelini clan keep the tale grounded so that a desperate Josh turns to them for help in his efforts to reach out to the still heartbroken hurt Gina. Readers will appreciate that Josh knows even with the Angelini assistance, the bottom line is that he must persuade his beloved to trust him with her heart as she did two years ago when he failed her.

Harriet Klausner