Customer Reviews

Colters' Lady: Colters' Legacy, Book 2

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wow! I loved this second book in the Colters' Series! I love that the brothers in this version all had very different personalities, professions, and opinions! I love Dillion- he was, by far, my favorite! I also loved that Lily's character was well developed and we get to see her go through a very personal journey during the book. I felt her "crisis" was very realistic and believable...much more so than the first book in the series. I also loved getting to revisit Holley and her husbands from the first novel. I can't wait to read Callie's book!

A erotica book actually made me cry.

I got up early as hell in the morning to write this review. At first I need to be honest there are parts that made me feel uncomfortable. Mostly with Lilly and Michael and their intimate time together at times it felt dirty as if he was taking advantage of the poor little homeless girls. I got over that when the writer showed how they all loved Lilly and when she seemed to become more the aggressor.

Then Lilly went to confront her ex-husband. When the door to the house she shared with her ex-husband opens and that woman in standing there holding a little baby in her arms I felt her pain. It's not often the emotionality in a story comes through when reading erotica but I must say that Maya really did a good job with that part of the story. The other aspects of the book could have been better such as the loves scenes and I always felt like Seth may have been overshadowed by his more dominate brothers. I loved the relationship between Holly and her children and the family as a whole. Not sure, it would ever really work but still makes an interesting read.

This did not disappoint. I loved the original story, and this was a perfect addition. I loved all the brothers, so different yet equally great... I loved that they had to grapple with the whole notion of following in their fathers' footsteps, but that they couldn't deny that Lily was "the one". My heart broke for Lily and what had prompted her to break down and live the life that Seth plucked her from. It was different enough from more typical scenarios, such as being an abused spouse.

My only real quibble - needing to dig deep to suspend disbelief as to how much time passed between Colters' Woman and Colters' Lady. It was more at least 30 years, and having read the orginal, I'm pretty sure that they had cell phones, and other contemporary conveniences - and those were not around in what would have to have been the late 70s/early 80s for timing to work. I can understand from the author's standpoint why writing the sons' story was so compelling - and I'm glad she did. But these sorts of timing accelerations can be a challenge for the reader.

Maya Bank's `Colter's Woman' was the first erotica story I ever read, so I have a bit of a soft spot for it.

In that first book Maya Banks introduced three very unusual brothers. Adam, Ethan and Ryan Colter were three men who grew up in a family with three dads and one mother - and that family dynamic stayed with them into adulthood and became their ideal family unit. Then Holly stepped into their lives to fill the role of wife for the three Colter's.

This sequel, `Colter's Lady' is set a few years down the track. Holly, Adam, Ethan and Ryan have four grown children - Callie, Seth, Dillon and Michael. The sequel focuses on the three Colter male children - when we meet them Seth is a policeman, Michael a veterinarian and Dillon owns a bar. The three men do not want the same ménage lifestyle their parents have, but that all changes when they meet Lily.

Lily is a homeless woman whom Seth discovers in line at a soup drive. He falls instantly in love and offers to bring her home to the Colter ranch and make a life with her. Seth intends to keep Lily for himself, but when Dillon and Michael lay eyes on her the Colter impulse kicks in and all three of them want her.

Lily is cautious at first, but eventually accepts the love of all three men. What the Colter men really have to contend with is Lily's past and the haunting of old wounds.

I am a big fan of the first book `Colter's Woman'. I know lots of people read and were disquieted by the storyline - not so much the ménage aspect, but the *familial* ménage. Fair enough, I can completely understand some reader's unease - but I wasn't overly concerned. To be honest I was probably too awe-struck by the novelty of my first erotica novel to pay too much attention to the finer, disturbing plot points.

However, reading this sequel (minus the rose-coloured glasses) I had a lot less patience for the storyline. Everything I seemed able to ignore in `Colter's Woman' (like the awkwardness of brothers having sex with the same woman, at the same time) I was unable to ignore in `Colter's Lady'.

The storyline is a carbon-copy of `Colter's Woman', with few plot tweaks - it is again about a woman `on the run' (from her past instead of an ex-husband this time, but still) and three brothers who decide to be her saviour.

The biggest difference in this second book is the fact that the Colter brothers in `Lady' are uneasy about sharing a woman, whereas in `Woman' they were actively looking for a wife to share. That just makes the storyline glaringly awkward and a lot seedy. Where I could live in the fantasy of `Colter's Woman' and accept that three brothers would want to devote their life and lust to pleasing one woman, it was harder to believe in this sequel when the brothers all air their grievances and concerns, but decide to share Lily regardless.

Every concern and complaint I've read about `Colter's Woman' was ten-fold in this sequel, to the point that I couldn't ignore the incest storyline and the general discomfiture of the plot. No matter how many times Lily talked through her concerns or spoke to Holly and her husband's about their perfect ménage life, I remained unconvinced.

It also didn't help that Lily was as dull as a houseplant. The most interesting (if completely unfathomable) thing about Lily was her homelessness. But the reason for her living on the streets is a ridiculously contrite plot point, designed to make readers and the Colter men feel sorry for her. But it just turned her into even more of a Mary-Sue and all the more unbearable.

The Colter men; Dillon, Seth and Michael, were unremarkable and dull. I didn't envy Lily her situation one bit. The sex scenes felt awkward and clunky - where they were inventive and sexy in `Colter's Woman', in `Lady' the focus seemed to be on Lily's back-story and her growing love for the men - so the sex took a backseat. But that was okay - since I was feeling icky about the brotherly ménage anyway, I didn't particularly relish the idea of reading smoking hot smut.

I was actually looking forward to this sequel. Even in light of the awkward feelings `Colter's Lady' illicits concerning family threesomes, I still hold `Colter's Woman' in esteem. I only wish Maya Banks had come up with a more inventive storyline, instead of a recycled off-cut of `Woman' that seemed designed to quell nay-sayers and further explain the benefits of brotherly love. I would have preferred it if `Lady' had been about Holly, Adam, Ethan and Ryan - maybe following them after their `happy ending' and observing how their threesome coped with the inclusion of babies and town curiosity? As it was, `Colter's Lady' is a weakened version of `Colter's Woman' with none of the endearments that made that book a truly naughty joy to read.

1/5

I Love the Colter's what can I say? I loved reading about Holly and the Dads and learning about Seth, Dylan, and Michael was a real treat. I loved trying to figure out who their dad was. I think Dylan was my favorite simply because of the the tats. Lilly was a truly heartbreaking leading lady. Her story was very emotional and any woman would be able to slip into her mind set and have it pull at her heartstrings. Most people might not agree but I truly felt for Charles as well. People handle things differently and while his way was not the best it is obvious that the way he handled the situation could have been better he did realize that.

I can not wait to read Callie's story. I think she is just great. I could really picture her giving all the men a serious run for their money......

Book 2 in "Colters' Legacy" series. Book 1 Colters' Woman. Book 3 Colters' Daughter. Colters' Wife is a short novella that fits between "Woman" and "Lady" as a generational link.

Plot:

Seth, Michael and Dillon never expected to follow their parents into a plural-marriage. But when they found Lily, they knew they had no choice. Since no-one was prepared to step back, it was all or nothing. But can Lily get over her past to accept a HEA with the Colter brothers?

Comments:

- 5848 kindle locations, 199 pages, but winds up at around 94%.

- Sex is 1 woman with 1, 2 or 3 men, explicit, generous, loving, plentiful integral to the story-line. They are aiming for a committed foursome.

- Picks up the story of Holly's sons, with appearances by Holly and her men, as well as their daughter Callie and other townsfolk.

- Remember how "Colters' Woman" read as contemporary? Well, so does "Colters' Lady", despite being the story of the next generation. Okay, this didn't worry me. But it was slightly odd, to have thirty years pass in the blink of a technological eye. However, the World around them does change, people grow, children are raised, shops appear. It's more that The Time in "Woman" was so indeterminate, you read it as *now* and then to find it wasn't is slightly startling.

- Lots of foreshadowing of "Colters' Daughter". Callie is terribly depressed, something happened to her, we wish she'd just talk to us... And so we get Callie's story next.

Opinion:

Although slow to get going, "Colters' Lady" turns into a real tear-jerker of a romance. Plenty of generous bedroom scenes surround a gentle wooing and growing love which gives you lots of warm and fuzzies. We have love at first sight, strong, caring Real Men, a hurt but deeply loving woman and a strong HEA filled with a beautiful future. Okay there are moments when you do get a "taking advantage of the homeless girl" feeling, and given she's been alone for three years, she's pretty accepting of what's going on around her. And the men, particularly Dillon, are not as fleshed out as they could be. But it didn't really worry me. I love the brothers and really liked Lily's strength. I enjoyed her interactions with other members of the Colter family and I felt her sorrow, as well as her peace. Worked for me.

Aside:

Very reminiscent of Lauren Dane's The Chase Brothers series (although "Colters' Lady" goes the menage route), with the explicit sex, wooing, men who accept you for yourself and strong but feminine women.

-CR-

I read all three books in this series and thoroughly enjoyed them. You have to love menage a trois or you won't want to read these. But, Maya Banks is a great author.

Loved this book. I do think it was better than the first. Loved the ending. Read the other reveiws. Some of the other reveiws say it all. No since of resaying it.

Originally posted at: [...]

Lily walks into the soup kitchen on the day that Seth is serving. Seth cannot deny the instant attraction he feels towards her. Chasing after her, Seth finds her in an alleyway living in a cardboard box. All Seth knows is that he needs to save and protect her. Will Lily trust in Seth and go with him or will she continue to run?

In this day and age where a woman has a hard enough time finding a one true love, Lily has hit the jackpot and found not only one but three wonderful men who adore her. With such intense emotions from the characters I was hooked from the very beginning of this story.

Lily is a strong and brave woman. She endures a lot and keeps going, it may be day to day but she keeps on living. Each of the Colter brothers has a strong personality as well. Seth is a strong man willing to let Lily have her space but intent on protecting her. Dillon is a fiercely loyal man and Michael is a sweet and understanding man. Each brother has the same instant feelings for Lily and is ready and willing to fight for her love. Watching Lily blossom under the love and trust given to her from not only the brothers but also the rest of the Colter family was a great read. Every character in this story endears themselves to the readers making it hard to pick a favorite. I know that just like Lily I could not pick one brother over the others. From the family bond to the feelings that the brothers have for Lily the love and trust that is shown in this book are a wonderful read.

Once again Maya Banks brings the reader a wondrous book full of emotion and depth. As with all of the other works by this author this book pulls the reader in, letting them loose themselves in another world. Although this is the second story in this series it can be read as a stand-alone. I think that if you have not read the first installment, this story will make you go in search of it. I know that I am eagerly awaiting the third book in this series myself. This was a wonderful read that should not be missed. Maya Banks is one of the few automatic buys for this reader.

I really wasn't sure I would like this one as much as the first, but I'm glad I was wrong. It is as good asColters' Woman (Colters' Legacy). It has all the same elements of the first one with a total different story. I was glad to see Holly, Adam, Ethan and Ryan so many years later. Can't wait for Colters' Daughter.