468. What to Do About Annie? (Millie Criswell)

Baltimore's harbor

Synopsis from Amazon:
Having grown up in Baltimore's Little Italy with a Jewish father and an Italian mother, Annie Goldman feels caught between two worlds and is determined to flaunt her individuality. She dyes her hair a different color daily and drives Father "what-a-hunk" Joe Russo crazy with her curve-hugging clothes. Annie once dreamed that she would have a future with Joe, but her hopes were dashed when he left her to join the priesthood. Now, 15 years later, Joe has decided to hang up his rosary beads and give love another try, but Annie isn't sure if she can trust him again. While the two attempt to rekindle their romance, Annie becomes a part owner of her father's outdated clothing store and an unwilling host to her cousin Donna. Joe has his own problems to contend with as well namely, his domineering mother and her matchmaking machinations.

My rating: 3 stars

379. The Trouble with Mary (Millie Criswell)

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Synopsis from Amazon:
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.

My rating: 2 stars

315. The Trials of Angela (Millie Criswell)

Vaccaro's -- a great Italian pastry shop in Baltimore's Little Italy

Synopsis from Amazon:
Angela DeNero, the lawyer from What to Do about Annie?, has moved back to the old neighborhood, Baltimore's Little Italy, only to land right in the middle of a family feud. She's handling a custody case for her friend Mary, and the opposing attorney is Mary's cousin, John Franco. Angela harbored a secret crush on bad boy John during high school, and he's still devastatingly attractive, not to mention a tough opponent. Always the good girl, Angela fights her desire, believing that romance is unethical during a trial, but it's hard not to like the man that John has become. She finds herself defending him to his family and worrying about her own, a group that definitely puts the "fun" in "dysfunctional." Her father is a macho ex-cop cross-dresser, her mother believes the end of the world is imminent, and her sister is seeking a career in all the wrong places.

My rating: 2 stars