Silhouette Intimate Moments #397: Suzanna's Surrender

This is the fourth book in the Calhoun series. The previous books are Courting Catherine, A Man for Amanda, and For the Love of Lilah. These four actually make one long story with four romances. Suzanna is the wounded heroine (gotta have one, if you've got a series or trilogy, right?). Divorced from a rich jerk, she runs a plant store and takes care of her 2 children, with help from her sisters and Aunt Coco. In their search for the emerald necklace and delving through family history, they determine that the artist ancestor Bianca (the necklace's original owner) was involved with was Christian Bradford, grandfather of Holt Bradford, who's recently moved into his grandfather's cottage. Suzanna is tasked with asking the surly ex-cop for help, checking to see if there's anything in his grandfather's belongings that would give them a clue. And gee whiz--Holt's had a crush on Suzanna since they were teenagers. I'm being sarcastic, but it's actually a pretty decent story. There are still the flashbacks, this time from Christian's diary rather than Bianca's, but at least it's from a different POV this time, so it's not quite so repetitive. And this is the only book in which there are parallels between Bianca's story and the present-day story, so it works much better. There are some nice moments, and I absolutely loved scary Aunt Colleen giving Suzanna's ex Baxter heck. Like all wounded-heroine romances, though, it makes me wonder why the heck she married Bax in the first place. At least she wasn't quite as much a doormat as some others have been, and she did stand up for her kids, which I could respect.

Nora Roberts "Calhoun" series is good. All of them are interesting and keeps your attention throughout the books. I am bi-polar and unless there is alot going on in a book, I can't read it. My attention skips all over the place. But these books will hold your attention and they'll take you on a trip to Maine. To a castle high on the cliffs where mystery and the past abounds. There are several of these books and to me they are best read in the right order. They are excellant and they are not a waste of time or money. They are a collection of books that will take you on that vacation you don't have time to go on, and they will supply you with friends to keep you busy.

Suzanne's Surrender is the fourth book in the Calhoun series and this time the book revolves around the fourth sister, Suzanne. In my opinion this was one of the better book in this series although I enjoyed all of them as I always do when I read Nora Roberts series books or trilogies. Suzanne lives in the Towers at Bar Harbor, Maine with her two precocious children -- a son and daughter, Now a single parent and owner of a nursery and flower shop, Suzanne was once married to a vicious man and is well rid of him. But fate has two surprises in store for Suzanne. One is that her sister just married the brother of a woman who had a child with her former husband before they were married. And the other is a good looking man who can't seem to stay away from Suzanne. The fact that Holt is the grandson of the artist Suzanne's great grandmother Bianca fell in love with all of those years before is as intriguing as the man himself. And as the relationship flowers, Holt and Suzanne begin to feel as if history is repeating itself although there longings can be realized. And all the while there is somebody out there who is determined to find the family emeralds which were given to Bianca by her husband so that she will stay with him. I found this book not only interesting to learn more about Suzanne but also about the artist who loved Bianca and how this love affair affected future generations not only of the Calhouns but the artist's family as well. This was a good book which presents readers with the story of the oldest Calhoun sister. As always I closed the book realizing how nice it is to be part of a closely knit family like the ones presented in Nora's books. And this time it was especially nice to catch up with the other sisters, Catherine, Lilah and Amanda. It was also interesting to finally meet Megan, Catherine's sister in law and the woman whose son is Suzanne's children's half brother and is featured in the last Calhoun book, Megan's Mate. I must admit that of all of Nora Roberts many books which fit into three sub genres of the romance area, it is her trilogies and series books I love best. Not one to leave Nora and her characters long, I am about to begin Black Rose, the second book in her latest series, Into the Garden. And something tells me that once again my eyes will be glued to the page as I am entranced by Nora's characters and their lives.