What do you think?
Rate this book
The Eatons #8
Sweet Silver Bells
Brief encounter…or forever love?
Then…
Being chosen to design luxury hotels in Charleston is a career coup for privileged Crystal Eaton. Meeting charismatic corporate attorney Joseph Cole-Wilson is an unexpected bonus. Until one passion-filled night in Joseph's penthouse changes her life forever.
Now…
Haunted by sensual memories, Joseph can't accept their short-lived liaison as a onetime fling. And when a chance encounter reunites him with the Florida beauty, the Cole heir vows she won't get away a second time. Even after discovering Crystal's secret, Joseph knows nothing can dim his desire. He'll prove it with sweet words of love that could make this a Christmas to remember.
If she'll just say yes…
Then…
Being chosen to design luxury hotels in Charleston is a career coup for privileged Crystal Eaton. Meeting charismatic corporate attorney Joseph Cole-Wilson is an unexpected bonus. Until one passion-filled night in Joseph's penthouse changes her life forever.
Now…
Haunted by sensual memories, Joseph can't accept their short-lived liaison as a onetime fling. And when a chance encounter reunites him with the Florida beauty, the Cole heir vows she won't get away a second time. Even after discovering Crystal's secret, Joseph knows nothing can dim his desire. He'll prove it with sweet words of love that could make this a Christmas to remember.
If she'll just say yes…
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 16, 2014
45 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
About the author
Rochelle Alers
221 books1,057 followersRochelle Alers was born in Manhattan, New York, USA, where she raised. She obtained degrees in Sociology and Psychology, before started to work. She is a member of the Iota Theta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and her interests include gourmet cooking and traveling. She has traveled to countries in North, Central and South America, and Europe. She is also in accomplished in knitting, crocheting and needlepoint.
Published since 1988, today a full-time writer, has been hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today's most prolific and popular African-American authors of romance and women's fiction. With more than fifty titles and nearly two million copies of her novels in print, she is a regular on the Waldenbooks, Borders and Essence bestseller lists, regularly chosen by Black Expressions Book Club, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. She also wrote as Susan James and Rena McLeary.
Rochelle Alers lives in a charming hamlet on Long Island.
Published since 1988, today a full-time writer, has been hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today's most prolific and popular African-American authors of romance and women's fiction. With more than fifty titles and nearly two million copies of her novels in print, she is a regular on the Waldenbooks, Borders and Essence bestseller lists, regularly chosen by Black Expressions Book Club, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. She also wrote as Susan James and Rena McLeary.
Rochelle Alers lives in a charming hamlet on Long Island.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 12, 2025
I love this series however this book is did not draw me in like the others. I really liked Joseph but I was not fond of Crystal. She definitely could have handled things differently.
September 15, 2014
I absolutely loved Joseph! He was the epitome of a man that loved hard when he indeed fell in love. He didn't care about his riches, he cared deeply for Crystal who was a hot mess due to her insecurities and things that happened in her past. This was a great love story, although I thought it took so long to get to the punch line!
January 7, 2017
This novel begins in media res and presents me with a view of the male lead of this romance that made me dislike him right from the start. He shows up snarling and insulting the female lead at the airport. Then he grabs her by the arm (ah, male yanking in romances—there ought to be a trope about this) and when she resists he tightens his grip. He practically forces her into his car so he can drive her to a hospital. During all this, the female lead barely puts up any resistance but lets him lead her off as if she were a suitcase he picked up at the terminal.
The rest of the novel takes the reader back to the beginning of their romance, before that turbulent scene, and we get more insight into the seemingly nasty man who confronts this woman. Joseph Cole-Wilson is a lawyer who stumbled into becoming a farmer. He has ways that can be winning but also dictatorial as he occasionally lapses into telling Crystal Eaton what to do instead of asking her. He accuses her of being with a man that used her when he had a girlfriend for four years who pressed for marriage that he wouldn’t offer. He even latches on a bracelet on her arm, fixes it with a screwdriver and walks off, telling her to call him when she wants it to come off. Wow, why not just slap on a pair of handcuffs while you’re at it, mister?
Crystal manages to hold her own very capably—at least through a major part of the novel. She’s a woman on a mission, with a job to do and a life separate from Joseph’s. When it’s time for her to go to her job out of state and away from him, she goes. When she says goodbye to him, it’s with regrets but she sticks to her resolve to keep their relationship from becoming a permanent fixture since stability isn’t what either of them professes to want.
The title and the cover of this novel promise marriage so the ending is rather predictable. Crystal states that women can rear children alone but Joseph doesn’t want to be a baby daddy—mainly because that’s the dictates of his family’s creed rather than heeding Crystal’s wish to take care of her child on her own.
The tension is credible, the heat between them palpable and the sex surprisingly takes quite a while to heat up and be consummated. But the inevitability of its ending and Joseph’s pushy attitude left me rather lukewarm about this story.
The rest of the novel takes the reader back to the beginning of their romance, before that turbulent scene, and we get more insight into the seemingly nasty man who confronts this woman. Joseph Cole-Wilson is a lawyer who stumbled into becoming a farmer. He has ways that can be winning but also dictatorial as he occasionally lapses into telling Crystal Eaton what to do instead of asking her. He accuses her of being with a man that used her when he had a girlfriend for four years who pressed for marriage that he wouldn’t offer. He even latches on a bracelet on her arm, fixes it with a screwdriver and walks off, telling her to call him when she wants it to come off. Wow, why not just slap on a pair of handcuffs while you’re at it, mister?
Crystal manages to hold her own very capably—at least through a major part of the novel. She’s a woman on a mission, with a job to do and a life separate from Joseph’s. When it’s time for her to go to her job out of state and away from him, she goes. When she says goodbye to him, it’s with regrets but she sticks to her resolve to keep their relationship from becoming a permanent fixture since stability isn’t what either of them professes to want.
The title and the cover of this novel promise marriage so the ending is rather predictable. Crystal states that women can rear children alone but Joseph doesn’t want to be a baby daddy—mainly because that’s the dictates of his family’s creed rather than heeding Crystal’s wish to take care of her child on her own.
The tension is credible, the heat between them palpable and the sex surprisingly takes quite a while to heat up and be consummated. But the inevitability of its ending and Joseph’s pushy attitude left me rather lukewarm about this story.
September 25, 2018
I just couldn't warm up to these characters, especially Crystal. She came across as judgmental and standoffish. When she stays in a luxury hotel when she's commissioned to decorate a new hotel in Charleston, she meets Joseph and is attracted right away. But she sends him mixed messages, I thought. And her uppity attitude annoyed me. She told him she wanted to sleep with him--but she meant she wanted to literally sleep with him, not have sex. And later she made a point of saying "birth control is your responsibility because I'm not on the pill." I don't know--that seemed weird to me. Joseph gives her all kinds of leeway and is totally patient, but she still called him "entitled" and "smug." But the worst part was when she found she was pregnant and didn't tell him. I think that's the worst thing a woman can do to a guy, especially one who so obviously is ready and willing to help, so that really turned me off. The HEA seemed a little forced and rushed at the end. It was described as a holiday book and the title definitely implies that, but there is no mention at all of Christmas or any other winter holiday. The only way we know that's the time period is that the wedding is scheduled for New Year's Eve. Other than that, there's no indication that this is any sort of holiday book. I haven't read this author before, but this book was obviously part of a series. Alers described many characters in excessive detail, apparently reminding us of previous books. Since I hadn't read any of them, it was just unnecessary detail that just confused things and didn't add to the story. I wanted to, but I just couldn't like this book and will not go back and fill in the blanks with previous books about the Eatons. P.S. Shame on Harlequin Kimani for not doing a thorough proofreading job. There were multiple mistakes in this print version of the book that were a distraction and an annoyance.
September 3, 2023
I’m glad Joseph and Crystal found their way back to each other, HOWEVER, I don’t like how Crystal handled the whole situation. I get that her perception of marriage was skewed because of her parents but that doesn’t give her the right to make a decision for Joseph when he showed and told her that he was nothing like her dad. This is why therapy is important so you can live productive lives in adulthood.
July 13, 2017
More emotional depth
I skipped a few so I could learn more about how author catches up readers in her series. This book has more emotional conflict and time changes. If you want a different style from Alers, this covers it. Actually liked it more than others but many details were spared, making it less of a immersion into the characters' lives.
I skipped a few so I could learn more about how author catches up readers in her series. This book has more emotional conflict and time changes. If you want a different style from Alers, this covers it. Actually liked it more than others but many details were spared, making it less of a immersion into the characters' lives.
November 16, 2020
Not for me, I should have just DNFed. I was so lost, the writing and timeline was not clear. But even beyond that, I didn't care about the MCs at all, so I didn't care if they got together. Sex wasn't that good, either. Oh, and the narrator of this audiobook was not good, which did not help either. Shrug
June 8, 2021
Sweet!
Loved that adage, what is to happen will happen. I loved this series and sad that it has ended. I enjoyed the characters Crystal and Joseph, in their climb to love, parenthood and marriage. I liked the side romance of Crystal's parents. I love reading about the Low Country. I'm anticipating my next series by the author.
Loved that adage, what is to happen will happen. I loved this series and sad that it has ended. I enjoyed the characters Crystal and Joseph, in their climb to love, parenthood and marriage. I liked the side romance of Crystal's parents. I love reading about the Low Country. I'm anticipating my next series by the author.
November 25, 2019
Enjoyed the Eaton series...
February 21, 2020
This was a great series. I hate that it's over :(
June 1, 2020
Great Read
Consistent contemporary romance. Wonderful depiction of coming together and letting the heart have it's way. Never disappointed in reading theism author.
Consistent contemporary romance. Wonderful depiction of coming together and letting the heart have it's way. Never disappointed in reading theism author.
October 13, 2021
This was a good book, but much like the rest in the sequel it was also very predictable.
March 10, 2020
This book concludes the delightful Eatons series from this author. I’ve really enjoyed reading the books even though they are somewhat old-fashioned and have potentially problematic aspects to them especially with the way the couples fight and talk to each other. I definitely got some allusions to potential toxic masculinity and more traditional roles of women. But that’s not to say that the women in this series are anything but fierce and strong and kickbutt or that the men are anything but adoring and wholeheartedly in love with the heroines. It’s just a completely different vibe from what today’s reader expects in a post-#metoo , modern feminist world. And because I am “today’s reader,” I do see the problematic bits. That said, I also really enjoy old-fashioned romances like this and the fact that in addition to being kinda old-school, they’re also incredibly spicy (heat level 🌶🌶🌶).
This particular book features Joseph and Crystal, two successful professionals who meet whilst they’re both on extended business trips and neighbors at a residential hotel. It turns out they have a lot in common and sparks fly, but Crystal’s parents dysfunctional marriage has colored her view of commitment. This novel falls into the secret baby trope (not a spoiler, you find this out in chapter 1) that I don’t think was executed in the best way. I didn’t feel Crystal had a good enough reason for the secret baby behavior and I love the secret baby trope and have a huge tolerance for flakeyness within it, but even I found myself side-eyeing. I also feel like it was resolved too easily. My second bug bear with this particular book was the flashback style in which it was written. For what it was, because of the incredible storytelling ability of the author, it was very entertaining. But my personal preference would have been to start the book chronologically, rather than start the book at point B then have the majority of the plot be a flashback taking us from point A in the past all the way up to the start of the book. I just am not a huge fan of the flashback or skipping timelines in books.
This wasn’t my favorite in the series but it was still an immensely entertaining and dramatic read. I don’t think this series will be for everyone, but if you don’t mind a sexy, old fashioned romance, you might like this one. This series was my first exposure to this author and I’m such a huge fan now. I’m looking forward to reading more of her backlist!
This particular book features Joseph and Crystal, two successful professionals who meet whilst they’re both on extended business trips and neighbors at a residential hotel. It turns out they have a lot in common and sparks fly, but Crystal’s parents dysfunctional marriage has colored her view of commitment. This novel falls into the secret baby trope (not a spoiler, you find this out in chapter 1) that I don’t think was executed in the best way. I didn’t feel Crystal had a good enough reason for the secret baby behavior and I love the secret baby trope and have a huge tolerance for flakeyness within it, but even I found myself side-eyeing. I also feel like it was resolved too easily. My second bug bear with this particular book was the flashback style in which it was written. For what it was, because of the incredible storytelling ability of the author, it was very entertaining. But my personal preference would have been to start the book chronologically, rather than start the book at point B then have the majority of the plot be a flashback taking us from point A in the past all the way up to the start of the book. I just am not a huge fan of the flashback or skipping timelines in books.
This wasn’t my favorite in the series but it was still an immensely entertaining and dramatic read. I don’t think this series will be for everyone, but if you don’t mind a sexy, old fashioned romance, you might like this one. This series was my first exposure to this author and I’m such a huge fan now. I’m looking forward to reading more of her backlist!
October 17, 2014
Two of my favorite families joined together. I LOVED Joseph and Crystal's story. I loved that Joseph knew from the beginning (like ALL the Cole men) that Crystal was THE ONE and he didn't rush her into a relationship by letting her set the standard. Hooked from page one til the very last page. Oh and I loved the "love bracelet"! Ms. Rochelle, you rock and you "did that!" :)
December 30, 2014
I have been reading the Cole family series since Regina was kidnapped as a little girl. The Eaton family series with Belinda Eaton getting custody of her deceased sisters twin. Now the Cole's and Eaton's of Florida two well known, educated, well to do, families are joining together this is going to be explosive.
October 26, 2014
Sweet Silver Bells
Great Job Ms. Rochelle Alers as always. I love reading about the Eatons, & the Cole's. They are truly an amazing set of families. From the beginning to the end it was a great book to read. I Loved it. I would highly recommend this boo
Great Job Ms. Rochelle Alers as always. I love reading about the Eatons, & the Cole's. They are truly an amazing set of families. From the beginning to the end it was a great book to read. I Loved it. I would highly recommend this boo
November 27, 2014
So glad to catch up with the Eatons!
I love both of these families and I'm glad they have connected! This book was so loving and romantic. I'm happy with the way things turned out for Crystal and Joseph!
I love both of these families and I'm glad they have connected! This book was so loving and romantic. I'm happy with the way things turned out for Crystal and Joseph!
January 15, 2015
Loved it, the Eatons and the Coles. What started as a brief encounter turned into a passionate, forever love affair. Joseph was determined to win Crystal's heart; just as she was focused on her career. Love has a way of changing your plans, and your life. A great romance.
Read
January 12, 2016Miniseries: The Eatons
October 16, 2014
The Eaton and Cole clan unite.
December 27, 2014
I love the Eaton family. I waited for Crystal's story and I was not disappointed. Great job Rochelle Alers, keep the Eatons coming please.
July 30, 2017
I loved the plot...another awesome read ...
January 29, 2015
Excellent book
Very good and Love her books. I'm looking forward to the next Eaton book. Was not disappointed with this book.
Very good and Love her books. I'm looking forward to the next Eaton book. Was not disappointed with this book.
May 29, 2015
Rochelle Alers has done it again. it was enjoyable seeing the Eatons join the Cole family through marriage.
August 10, 2015
Great read. Florida is the setting with two African-American families.
February 12, 2016
I really injoied this story... But what ever hapened with that cort case?
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews