Customer Reviews

Lilah and Suzanna: The Calhoun Women

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

 

 

I just really enjoy Nora Roberts. There are very few of her books that I have not enjoyed. This book is right up there with the rest of her books. The whole series is great!

Max is very bookish and smart... but that doesn't mean he is not sexy and nice and strong as well. Max is on a boat thinking he is doing a good job and helping a man as well... when he overhears that he's doing something not right he jumps off the boat and is rescued by Lilah. Fantastic. Lilah is strong and believable as woman who finds herself falling in love. Max begins working with Lilah and her family helping them to try to find the Calhoun Emeralds.

In the next story Holt is another exciting male. He has always thought that this family looked down on his family. When he is asked to help he begins by being prickly. However, eventually he begins to help search for the Calhoun Emeralds. Suzannah, the girl he considered the most uppity, turns out to be not so uppity. As they explore their feelings for each other, the search for the emeralds continues. To top it all off, the story of the ghost and the diamonds are combined to end up in an exciting conclusion.

Enjoy!

Lilah and Suzanne's stories were a good follow up to the first of this series (C.C. and Amanda). I had a hard time staying into Lilah and Max's story. To me they just didn't seem to "fit" as a couple. Anyway, this was the slowest story in all of the series. Suzanne and Holt's story made up for it though, cause they were so easy to fall in love with. All in all I enjoyed reading about the Calhoun's. I really get into Nora Roberts books when she does a series like this. You get the chance to find out what happens after they fall in love and "live happily ever after". I just found out that there is a follow up to this series. It is a Silhoutte romance called Megan's Mate. Megan is Sloan's sister (Sloan married Amanda). Anyway I'm off to start it next!

"Lilah and Suzanna" by Nora Roberts contains the third and fourth books in the Calhoun series.

In "For the Love of Lilah," Lilah Calhoun drives down to the beach on a stormy night and sees a man struggling in the waves. Lilah saves his life and brings him home with her. It turns out that Max Quartermain was working for the thief Livingston and sorting through the papers he stole from the Calhouns in an attempt to discover the whereabouts of the Calhoun emeralds. When Max discovered who this man really was and why he had been hired, he made a daring escape off the boat and into the ocean. After several days of recuperation, Max begins working with the Calhouns in an attempt to recover the emerald necklace. Max finds the stunning Lilah quite a distraction. The steamy romance Max and Lilah share will keep readers turning pages. Readers will love our hero Max, the bookish professor with a heart of gold. Lilah, a wonderfully strong and determined heroine, will also win readers over. The mystery of the emeralds and the havoc that the evil Livingston causes add some fun and excitement to the romance and make for a truly enjoyable read.

"Suzanna's Surrender" is the best of the series. The heartbreaking story of Bianca, the original mistress of "The Towers," and her lover Christian has been told throughout the Calhoun series. In this fourth book, the Calhouns track down Christian's grandson, Holt Bradford, and ask for his help in finding the emeralds. When Suzanna goes to speak with Holt, he is rude and uncooperative at first. Holt has always thought of Suzanna as the beautiful princess in the tower who is way out of his league. However, the attraction is very strong from Suzanna's side as well and they end up acting on their powerful feelings. Suzanna has two young children to care for, and has had her faith in herself as a woman destroyed by her cruel ex-husband. Fortunately, Holt is just the man to help her out. Holt is a wonderful hero. His prickly exterior covers a generous and caring man. Holt's relationship with Suzanna's children will touch your heart.
With the help of Holt, the Calhouns come closer and closer to finding Bianca's emeralds. But the dangerous Livingston is close by, and will stop at nothing to possess them himself.
This book provides a satisfying end to the mystery of the emeralds. It also contains characters that you will really come to care about and a romance that will leave you feeling fulfilled.

One note of warning though - I suggest you read these books in order, "Catherine and Amanda" and then "Lilah and Suzanna," as the story of Bianca and the story of the emeralds builds from one book to the next. Overall, I highly recommend the Calhoun stories, they are great!

Romance gets a bad rap, and I think that happens because mostly women read it. Mystery is also a clearly defined, in some ways predictable genre, and no one disses mystery in the same way. These two books are examples of what is good about romance, and why good books of this type deserve respect. Both books focus on well rounded characters with strengths and weaknesses. The charm isn't in finding out if the characters will find true love, but in how they'll manage to get there. Nora Roberts' strength as a writer is that she makes me care that these people work it out, and I am moved when they do, even though I knew they would. In a world where we can count on very little, it's nice to be able to count on that in a book. In this set, we also get a long lost treasure in emeralds, the healing of old family wounds, and the redemptive power of love. Who could ask for anything more?

The 2-book series of the Calhoun sisters was wonderful. I was so involved in reading both books that I couldn't put them down. I loved the way the Nora Roberts wrote and kept the reader so involved in all the characters. She made each women so dynamic in their own way and the men in the lives that fit each personality. I was so interested in reading each life and seeing how they each fit together and worked together to end the books. Great Job!

THE CALHOUN WOMEN is actually two of Nora Roberts earlier books combined into one larger novel.

The first story is about Lilah Calhoun, a botanical expert working in a preserve, who doesn't expend any more energy than necessary when doing anything in life! Then she finds Professor Max Quartermain drowning off of the beach where her family's house is located. She rescues him, and it's love at first sight! These total opposites try to figure out who tried to kill Max, and wonder if it has anything to do with the mystery of the lost emeralds that legend has attached to the ancestral home of Lilah.

The other story is about Suzanna Calhoun, a divorced mother of two, who owns a nursery. She's struggling to make it on her own, and trying to patch the holes left in her heart from her ex-husband. In walks Holt Bradford who is attracted to Suzanna, but isn't used to stepping easily around issues, especially when they deal with an old mystery of lost jewels and unfaithful marriage partners.

These stories are enchanting romances with mystery thrown in for good measure! The female characters are strong, but sensitive. The book made me laugh out loud a couple of times, sigh a few times, and nearly cry once. Nora Roberts has the readers on a rollercoaster that hits all emotions. A little on the predictable side, but definitely a great book! Available in paperback, so definitely worth the price of admission!!

This book was what really got me hooked onto Nora Roberts' books. I really like the fact that she has books that don't seem to ever end just when you thought it would! The only problem I'm having is trying to figure out which book to start with! You just want to read them all!

I love when Robert's writes many stories about one family. Its great to see the characters over and over.

After reading the first; Catherine & Amanda i had to read the next-Lilah & Suzanna. It's engrossing but for me a bit too mushy and predictable. I prefer a story line that is a little more realistic even though it is a romance novel. If you like the usual romance you'll definitely enjoy this one. Hope this helps.

Rich in culture, mystery, suspense and romance, this book is a definite must read for any who like a classic romance spiced with a little culture. With just the right mixture of sassy women, ordinary men, mystery, suspense and spiced with a touch of Irish folklore, Nora Roberts weaves a delightful new tapestry of classic romance and mystery. Complete with unexpected twists and turns, this book is thoroughly satisfying from start to finish.