Atop the rocky coast of Maine sits the Towers, a magnificent family mansion that is home to a legend of long-lost love, hidden emeralds -- and four sisters determined to save their home against all odds.
Suzanna's Surrender (1991) Burned-out and tired as hell, all ex-cop Holt Bradford wanted to do was relax. But when beautiful single mom Suzanna invaded his solitude to search for the missing Calhoun emeralds, he couldn't say no. Holt had changed from a bad-boy teen to a dangerously sexy man, but Suzanna couldn't risk her well-ordered life for a man who made her mouth go dry . . .
Megan's Mate (1996) Calhoun sister-in-law Megan O'Riley and her young son had traveled far to become the Towers' newest residents. Cool as an Atlantic breeze, Megan buried her passions and vowed never to let her heart control her life. But when boat captain Nate Fury set his course for her, the practical lady was swept away by his formidable charm.
Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this story. The previous three books felt a lot less engaging and polished than this one. I still had moments where I winced over how abrupt certain things were, but on the whole it was a lot smoother and the romance more convincing than the others were.
I found myself completely charmed by Holt. He was abrupt and impatient and used temper to cover his tender moments. I absolutely adored that about him. His reluctant caring and embarrassment over being romantic was excellent. The fact that he was mortified about it but did it anyway because he felt Suzanna deserved it really won me over.
Suzanna was quieter and more damaged than her sisters. Her strength and determination to move past her hurts and fears made it impossible for me not to like her. I also liked that she melded so well with Holt and could give as good as she got when they were bickering.
I really liked getting Christian's journal entries this time and was glad that Colleen had a bigger role. I also loved the running debate over whether Suzanna ran Holt over when she was 16 or whether he fell off his motorcycle in front of her.
I tried several times to read the first book not knowing it was a series. After I finished the book about Catherine and Amanda Calhoun I could not wait to read Lilah and Suzanna’s stories! I really enjoyed the stories which included each sister’s love story, their Great-Grandmother’s love affair, tragic death and the search for her missing emerald necklace.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
These last two stories in the Calhoun Sisters series were a bit different from the first three. Neither Suzanna nor Megan were as accepting of their own foibles as CC, Amanda, or Lilah. Nor were their particular men wealthy.
I adored how very protective all their men were though! And both their approaches to romance were interestingly brash...snicker... Dumont got his...not as thoroughly as I would have liked but the family was very fair on him...dang it!
Aunt Coco has her own naughty niche and Aunt Colleen turned out to be beautifully formidable as opposed to simply formidable!
The fields involved here were landscaping, accounting, and whale watching tours.
I thoroughly enjoyed all 5 of the books in the series and it made me happy that the books were in chronological order. it allowed me to read what happened to the other sisters after their book was over. nora roberts did a great job intertwining all of the stories and by the end of the last book I was attached to all of the sisters, it made me happy and sad for the stories to come to an end
Megan moves into the Towers with the Calhouns. Sparks fly between Holt's partner and Megan. Megan still carries scars from Dumont and he isn't past threatening her.
I really enjoy Robert's portrayal of families, sibling relationships, and parent-child love.
This is my first Nora Roberts novel. It is cheesy, passionate and romantic. Quite predictable - all happy endings. I guess if you like this genre, this is a great read. It's fast and a feel good read.
After enjoying escaping into the world of the Calhoun's in The Calhoun sisters I wanted to see if the managed to find the emeralds, if the retreat was a success and if the other sisters managed to find true love too. Unfortunately I couldn't find a copy of Lilah's story but, I came across this edition in our local second hand book store. This book contains two stories - Suzanna and Megan's. Suzanna has her own gardening/flower business, two children ,a pig of an ex-husband (Baxter) and no desire be involved with a man again. But, as they are trying to find the family emeralds and Holt Bradford is not just an ex-cop but the grandson of Bianca's true love she asks for help and the rest in the art of true romance falls into place. Megan is Sloan's sister (the architect we are introduced to in in a man for Amanda) She was seduced by Suzanna's ex-husband resulting in a little boy. When she is offered the accountancy job for the new retreat she is unsure if this is such a good idea but, the family love her and want Kevin to get to know his step-siblings. Really lovely to catch up with all the other members of the family and see them happily married with babies. Do you think they find the emeralds or any other treasure? Well it should have an happy ever after....
As per my review for the Volume one compilation - meh.
Why, oh why, do so many of the Roberts books have sex equals falling in love, or lust equalling long term commitment? Honestly! I find it obnoxious that 4 women from one family could be so stupid! Oh, sure, I believe in love at first sight. I believe that sex is a wonderful expression of love, but to have the women (usually) getting all hot and heavy and the men (usually) surly, confused, and a walking hard on to mean falling in love? I find that hard to believe.
The idea of the story line is one I find interesting, deep dark secrets in the family and all that. Nice little circle of time and fate between the dead and the living. I could not get my head around the all too familiar characterisation of many of the people in the story. I kept feeling like I had read the same story or similar another time. It is a habit of Ms. Roberts to have very similar stories with very similar characters in very similar situations in many of her books. I find that non-original. In fact, one book a while ago was so much like another author's book I felt litigation was due!
This book is a "two for one". It is the story of the Calhoun family who lives in a mansion called The Towers , on the coast of Maine. The first book: "Suzanna's Surrender" is the story of a single mother with two children who starts a landscaping business and also takes care of the grounds at The Towers. She meets Holt Bradford, an ex-cop, and together they search for the missing Calhoun emeralds. Book two: "Megan's Mate" tells about Megan, a Calhoun sister-in-law, who travels from Oklahoma with her young son to become the accountant at The Towers. There she meets Nate Fury, a boat captain, and is swept away. Megan also discovers Grandfather Calhoun's old journals and is able to uncover some family secrets. I look forward to reading more books about this family.
The Overall story is nice, however it feels as it is written quickly and without care. The story flow is not steady. The romance pace does not feel logical or natural. The romance is very stereotypical (eg after 15 years he sees her still being beautiful- as in catwalk model beautiful- why not aged, a bit more roundings and beautiful? In the Dutch translation several words are missing, sentences are wrong and spelling mistakes are present.
Love, love, love these two books. I unfortunately have not found book 1 or 2 yet for a decent price yet, so I will be reading backwards. I already had book 3 read before I realized it was a four book set.
Annoying romance stories. Boy and Girl meet, they can't stand each other, then they fall in love. UGH. Long, drawn out 'romance' Really a turn off when the man says "You will be mine" and the woman resists for 2 seconds.