Title: Hold Me (Caldwell Sisters, #1)
Author: Lucianne Rivers
Entangled Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Release Dates: August 2011
ISBN: 978‐1‐937044‐16‐9
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Still reeling from her mother’s death, news anchor Jane Caldwell’s life is upended further when she learns the father she lost twenty years ago is still alive. Her mother’s will unleashes a manhunt—the Caldwell sisters must find their father, or their mother’s estate will not be settled, and their questions about his disappearance will remain unanswered.
Jane’s search leads her to Guatemala to investigate a man who claims to be her father and heir to the family fortune. Needing a translator, she enlists enigmatic Harrison DeNeuve, a sexy ex-patriot with a penchant for wearing dark sunglasses in public.
As Jane struggles to reunite with her would-be father, Harrison fights to suppress his desire for Jane. He has a secret—one he’s sequestered himself in a third-world jungle hideaway to keep safe—and falling for Jane puts more than his heart at risk.
Jane finds two men in Guatemala—a father and a lover—but can she trust either of them?
Title: Thrill Me (Caldwell Sisters, #2)
Author: Lucianne Rivers
Entangled Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Release Dates: September 2011
ISBN: 978‐1‐937044‐22‐0
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Santa Fe Police Detective Margo Caldwell needs a vacation, but the wild goose chase her mother’s death triggers isn’t quite what she had in mind. Margo and her sisters must locate their father, or the Caldwell estate will remain unsettled—and they’ll never know why their father didn’t return from the Gulf War.
Pursuing a lead, Margo heads to the Virgin Islands in search of Zach Caldwell. To navigate the waters of the Caribbean, she needs a boat and a captain. Too bad Captain Adrian Prince, with his mesmerizing muscles and wicked grin, may be gunrunner.
Adrian takes Margo on his delivery route to small islands near St. Thomas that hide more than wildlife, booze, and sexy boaters. On a remote, mangrove-ridden patch of sand, they find gun-toting Zach Caldwell. When their mission turns deadly, Margo must save Adrian’s life—and her own—even if she loses her heart in the process.
Title: Entice Me (Caldwell Sisters, #3)
Author: Lucianne Rivers
Entangled Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Release Dates: October 2011
ISBN: 978‐1‐937044‐32‐9
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Heartsick over the untimely death of her mother, Allison Caldwell is blindsided again by the secret revealed in her mom’s will. Her supposedly dead father is alive, and she and her two sisters must find him in order to settle the Caldwell estate.
Robert Rivera, private investigator and former Navy SEAL, alerts Allison to new intel identifying her father as a P.O.W. in Afghanistan. With her sisters out of the country pursuing leads, Allison insists on heading to the war-ravaged country to find him. Robert doesn’t want his naïve client to take the risk. He knows what danger lays in that godforsaken land…he’s lived through it. Barely.
But Allison is determined to go, and Robert can’t let her travel alone. Reluctantly appreciative, Allison quickly realizes how much she needs his guidance and protection, and how deeply she longs for his love. Robert struggles to understand her effect on his battle-weary heart.
The path to Allison’s father is blocked by terrorists, traps and treachery—all demons of Robert’s past. Can he survive a second round with the enemy and keep Allison out of harm’s way?
The Caldwell Sisters’ Trilogy begins at the reading of the sisters’ late mother’s will. Prior to her death, and unbeknownst to her daughters, Mrs. Caldwell received an anonymous tip that her husband and the girls’ father has not been dead for the last 20 years as everyone assumed, but is, in fact, alive. As a result she has changed her will to reflect this information. Each of her 3 daughters and the father are to inherit a quarter of Mrs. Caldwell’s estate except for the Five C Ranch, a five-star bed and breakfast/retreat centre, which will go to the daughter who successfully finds her father and brings him home.
What I liked:
- Lucianne Rivers nails the complex relationship between sisters. As one of three sisters I definitely bought into the relationships, differences and struggles these sisters had as individuals and with each other. Each sister was an individual, with her own personality, strengths and weaknesses, but with underlying traits that clearly connected then to the Caldwell clan.
- Rivers isn’t afraid to poke fun at herself. The initial chapters of Hold Me gave me that feeling that I’d “seen this before”. By the time I’d identified the fact that the book was baring an uncanny resemblance to Romancing the Stone (What you’ve never seen this movie!?! Dude! Go watch it now! Here’s some info) Rivers had alluded to the movie in a tongue and cheek kind of way. This made me laugh and alleviated the annoyance I had that she was ripping off 80s movie gold.
What I wasn’t crazy about
I don’t want to be presumptuous, but shouldn’t I feel sympathy for a woman who has recently died after a long, hard battle with cancer? I mean, I did until her will was read. After the will was read I wondered if Mama Caldwell was maybe on some mood altering meds shortly before her death. We’re told this was a loving woman who single-handedly raised her 3 young daughter AND established a successful, “five-star” business and yet she pits her daughters against each other and sends them into the world looking for a man they haven’t seen in 20 odd years. Yes they find love and learn more about themselves as people but they ALL nearly get killed too.
So, in light of the will changes this (see picture) is who I’m left picturing as the mother and she is not sympathetic.
(Shout out to the Goonies lovers! What? This is relevant. There’s a Goonies reference in Hold Me.)
Overall, The Caldwell Sisters’ Trilogy is good. None of these novellas bring anything new to the literary table, and the plot is formulaic for each. On the other hand, each novella is approximately 80 pages in length. So, if you’re looking for a quick read during your morning transit commute, lunch break or while the boss is out of the office (that’s what I did!) these are a quick, fun read.
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