num_pages: 399
description: 
  The Barnes &amp; Noble Review
 Here Come the Grooms  Men can be the most frustrating of creatures, and Nora Roberts seems to know this best. Her love stories are full of the way men and women seem like they're from opposite sides of the planet — at least until cupid strikes. In her new novel, The MacGregor Grooms, Noraholics get a healthy shot of three virile young men, maddening in their obsessions and irresistible in their attraction. For those of you who have not yet discovered Nora Roberts's delightful MacGregor clan, they're a Scottish Kennedyesque clan but without the dark secrets — three generations of MacGregors, all falling in love, all not knowing what's best for them until true love appears. In this spin on the family tree, Roberts uses the "Private Memoirs of Daniel Duncan MacGregor" — also known as Grandpa — to introduce the three men in question. They are D. C., Duncan, and Ian, all grandchildren of Daniel Duncan MacGregor, father of a former President of the United States, not to mention one of the most powerful patriarchs alive. And he wants something now, before any more time passes: He wants to see these three grandsons married, and fast.  What follows is an often hilarious and always touching book about these three young men as they find the love that has somehow been directed their very separate ways. In the first story, D. C. is a hunky young artist living the semi-bohemian life in Washington, D.C. His father was once President, so he knows the city well, but he's opted for the more low-profile work of painting and sketching over politics. Butwhenhis grandfather tells D. C. that he must perform an unpleasant task, D. C. decides that he can bring himself to dress up one night of the year to escort Layna Drake to a charity ball. The MacGregor (as the old patriarch is known) tells him that this is a one-time favor, and that Layna is not the right kind of young lady for D. C. at all. The reverse psychology works like a charm, and try as he might to resist the enchanting Layna, D. C. MacGregor is hooked from the moment he sees her. Only problem is, Layna has other ideas. She's not at all into the chaotic way that D. C. lives — she likes some form and regimentation to her life. Layna's own parents were what D. C.'s mother calls "surface people" — a couple that's all polish, but without depth. Layna is caught between wanting true love and wanting an orderly life. Can she have both? And will the electric charge that D.C. feels whenever he's around Layna be enough to spark her interest in him? Mayhem and passion ensue!  In the second tale, Duncan Blade, son of the casino-owning MacGregor branch, has his hands full with the one love of his life — "The Comanche Princess." It's a casino riverboat that travels on the Mississippi from St. Louis to New Orleans and back. Everything looks like it's going to go off without a hitch for Duncan's floating casino — except for the entertainment. Cat Farrell is sexy and has a great singing voice, but she's driving Duncan to distraction by not showing up on time. But when they meet, will Duncan be able to keep from falling in love with this "wild" Cat?  In the final section of The MacGregor Grooms, we meet Ian MacGregor, a talented and wealthy young lawyer in Boston. It looks as if Ian is being groomed for a career in politics. But as the youngest attorney in the family firm, he feels more often than not like an errand boy, and his first errand is to go meet Naomi Brightstone, the young lady who is going to be running the Boston bookselling institution known as Brightstone's Books. As Ian and Naomi grow close, the story soars into a delightful tale of books and barristers.  Ian's tale is the most dazzling of the three, and Roberts wisely saved the best for last. But make no mistake about it, all three tales are sheer delights. As with her other MacGregor novels such as The MacGregor Brides and The Winning Hand, Nora Roberts shines! — Jessi Rose Lucas
language: English
title: The MacGregor Grooms
titlecomplete: The MacGregor Grooms (The MacGregors, #9)
characters: Naomi Brightstone, Daniel Campbell "D.C." MacGregor, Ian MacGregor, Catherine "Cat" Farrell, Layna Drake, Duncan Blade
genres: Fiction, Family, Anthologies, Harlequin, Romance, Adult, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Love
ratings_count: 13790
places: The United States of America
series: The MacGregors
publisher: Wheeler Pub Inc