The Sparkling One

Susan Mallery

Katie Marcelli has the chance to take her party planning business to the big time in Los Angeles. She also has a big family that she loves on a small vineyard to the north. The grandparents are constantly on her to get married and have some babies. After she meets Zach Stryker for this new job, she uses him as a ploy to put off her grandmothers. Then he shows up at the family home with his son David. Katie's sister Mia has just gotten engaged. Zach thinks they are too young to get married at 18.

Zach believes he can use the charity party job to get Katie on his side. She won't consider it because she believes in the young couple. Zach quickly learns that it's going to take more to convince Katie or David or Mia, or anyone else in the Marcelli family that this wedding shouldn't happen. He is a high-powered divorce lawyer. He sees marriages fall apart all the time. He himself had married young and divorced young. He doesn't want that for his son.

Katie is more determined to put on the best charity gala possible for Zach's firm. She now understands why her hired her. She won't give in to his request to stop the marriage. She does, however, want to give in to Zach. He is the sexiest man she has met and she is unable to stop the attraction she tries to hide from him when they work together. Since he also appears to be attracted to her, it is even harder. She will get through this gala, then the wedding. She didn't think it will be easy, though.

Susan Mallery's The Sparkling One is a charming romance novel with meat to it. The Sparkling One is as much about the Marcelli family as it is Katie and Zach. Katie's grandfather is the patriarch of an independent wine growing family. He rules with a heavy, loving hand. He will not leave the vinyard to a girl, though, and Katie only has sisters. One of them must have a baby boy to receive the inheritance from Katie's father. The family thread is half of the novel, with Katie and Zach's romance being the other half.

The Sparkling One is catchy and a great bit of sexy escape. For the first time in his life, Zach is able to spend time with a functional family and know that not all of them end in messy divorces with children caught in the middle. Mallery also adds good touches of humor with the grandmothers and with Katie's sister who is constantly donning disguises. Enjoy!

Notice: Strong sexual content