Product Description

Award-winning author Millie Criswell has charmed readers with her joy-filled historical romances. Now, in The Trouble With Mary,  she serves up her first contemporary romantic comedy--a palate-pleasing love story of two people with nothing in common . . . except their undeniable attraction.

THE TROUBLE WITH MARY IS . . .

She's unemployed. Her huge Italian family is driving her crazy. Her love life is nonexistent. In fact, she needs a life! So Mary decides to open a restaurant in Baltimore's Little Italy. And despite her mother's assurances that she will fail, the place is a big success--until the local paper delivers a scathing review of her pizza, pasta, and chocolate cannolis.

Food critic Dan Gallagher hates Italian food--and his column shows it. Now Mary would like nothing more than to serve Dan on a steaming platter. Problem is, Mary is the most delectable woman Dan has ever met. And Dan is the most exasperating man Mary has ever encountered. And the trouble with chemistry is, neither one can resist it. . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #957078 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01
• Released on: 2001-01-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 336 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Criswell, best known for her American historical romances, makes her delightful contemporary debut with a funny and sexy romance filled with eccentric Italians who liveAnot in New Jersey like Janet Evanovich's charactersAbut in Maryland. The trouble with Mary is that she's a 33-year-old virgin who yearns for independence from her strong-willed mother. To that end, she has opened an Italian restaurant and is looking to be "zinged." The further trouble with Mary is that the man she wants to zing with, Dan Gallagher, is the same journalist who gave Mary's restaurant, Mama Sophia, a scathing reviewAand he's a divorced father who has come to believe that a woman's place is in the home. Add into the mix an Italian kleptomaniac grandmother, an overbearing Italian mother, a father who invents accessories for the toilet, a wicked Jewish best friend, a 200-pound landlady and Matt, Dan's potty-mouthed son, and readers will have a pretty good idea of what's really the trouble with Mary. Though the 33-year-old virgin angle is somewhat effective, it's not entirely believable. And yet Mary's observations of the people around her, the scorching chemistry between Dan and Mary and the delicious recipes Criswell sprinkles throughout make this a worthwhile read. (Jan.) Forecast: With her move into modern romances, Criswell is sure to add to her following. Fans will look forward to next summer's What to Do About Annie?ACriswell's romance between Mary's Jewish best friend and Mary's brother Joe, a soon-to-be-ex-priest.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Criswell, known for her historical romances, cooks up a hilarious contemporary romance chock-full of delightful characters and wonderful-sounding recipes. When the going gets tough, Mary Russo goes for the chocolate. Her boss at the pizza parlor has just committed suicide, and while gorging on chocolate cannoli (recipe included), Mary decides to open her own Italian restaurant in Baltimore. In spite of her mother's strenuous objections, Mary manages to make it a success until the new restaurant critic, Dan Gallagher, gives it a bad review. Dan doesn't like Italian food, but when Mary comes to the paper to complain, he finds that he does like Italian women. Mary reciprocates the attraction and decides that Dan would be the ideal candidate for her first affair. But their love life is complicated by Mary's zealous family, who wants her to find a nice Italian boy, and a grandmother with kleptomaniac tendencies. Delicious and lively, Criswell's clever romance will leave readers hungry for more. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Rendezvous
Ms. Criswell skillfully weaves strong emotions, humor, and a fascinating subplot into THE TROUBLE WITH MARY.

Customer Reviews

I'm A First-Timer
I have never read Millie Criswell's books before, and I have to admit I really liked this one. It was contemporary and fun to read. I liked Mary, didn't so much like her predictable reaction to Dan, and am still mystified by the death of her former boss and the break-in of her apartment. I felt there was supposed to be a mystery there that was never solved, or a question that has yet to be asked about the death and the break-in. That was very weird.

Great first entry in the Baltimore Little Italy series
Anyone who has a mother with a penchant for nagging and providing unsolicited advice (whether mom is Italian, Irish, Catholic, or Jewish)... well, they'll be able to relate to Mary Russo. The trouble with Mary is that her mother has no problem telling her what her trouble is.

In an act of either defiance or maturity, she shucks her comfy existence, throws caution to the wind, moves out of her parents' home, and opens her own restaurant. Next on her agenda is to find a man that can make her "zing" (and relieve 32 years of pent up virginity).

Things run smooth until Dan Gallagher, a sports columnist and self-proclaimed Italian food hater (filling in as food editor) gives her a scathing review. When she confronts him, he is immediately attracted to the Italian spitfire. Of course, in order to gain her attention, he is going to have to eat a lot of Italian food. After a first kiss with plenty of zing, Dan may just be a contender.

Mary and his surly, foul-mouthed son Matt bond quickly, with the help of her quirky Italian obscenity-spewing kleptomaniac grandmother. Dan mistakenly blames the break down of his marriage on his wife for going back to work. Something that does not sit well with Mary, who has no intention of giving up her restaurant.

With a backdrop of the funniest and most dysfunctional, meddlesome, but loving family, Mary and Dan embark on a romance, neither one really knowing what the other wants for the future. Except for each other.

It is a charming intro to what inevitably will be an engaging series of books with Baltimore's Little Italy as a back-drop. I am looking forward to the further adventures of the Russo gang!

Delightful
I really enjoyed this book and the author's style. Think "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," but with an Italian family instead. There was laughter, romance, and a believable cast of characters. Recommended!