The Wives of Frankie Ferraro

Beyond a handsome face and perfect body, Frankie Ferraro has few assets, but that doesn't stop him from having big ambitions. Young and romantic, he finds the life led by his immigrant father, his adoring mother, his hard-working sister, by his entire extended family, to be ordinary, and dull. He wants no part of it. Full of vague longings and what seem to him to be hopeless dreams, he yearns to be different: assured and stylish instead of gauche; and rich, not in a gaudy, flamboyant way but with the soft sheen of old money like his army-buddy and best-friend, Dan Colvington. Above all, Frankie yearns for true love, though not if offered by any neighborhood girl. Only a woman who can help turn his dreams into reality has a chance of winning his heart.

With Dan as his model, Frankie transforms himself. He learns what fork to use, what clothes to wear, what books to read. He refuses to join his father's rag-trade business to set out on his own, buying a health-club franchise. He even marries a relative of  Dan's, the beautiful and troubled Miranda.

Luckier in money than in love, Frankie turns this one club into an east-coast sensation, the talk of Manhattan, and the base of a business empire. But his marriage to Miranda ends tragically; and, though determined not to make the same mistake again, he does with the demanding Lady Annabel; and might yet a third time with the spoiled and frivolous Kelly.

Like a knight of old, the hero of this engaging and heart-felt novel must fight his way past all his dragons—anger, arrogance, and, above all, bad judgment—before he can find his one true love in the last place he expected her to be.

Library Journal: "Marchetta creates some memorable seconday characters as true love conquers all."

Kirkus Reviews: ". . . the story of Frankie Ferraro and the three most significant women in his life is strangely gripping and unexpectedly satisfying . . . thanks to the author's tight, fast-moving style."

Rendezvous
"There is more to this novel than a man searching for someone to truly love him. It is very complex, involving characters whose lifestyles involve an excess of sex, drugs, wealth and power. Add to this a not so perfect hero who is dealing with being first generation American. Powerhouse reading. The conclusion is thought provoking and emotional."

The Oak Ridger Online  
"...a satisfyingly different kind of romance."