An ex-con reforming his life. A pregnant widow hiding her past. Will the price of her secrets cost her his love? Top 20 Amazon Bestseller in Clean & Wholesome RomanceTop 20 Amazon Bestseller in Multicultural & Interracial Romance Catarina Romano has lost everything: her husband, her house, her lifestyle. She flees to her cousin’s empty manor in the heart of Portugal, trying to find peace … manor in the heart of Portugal, trying to find peace and to hide from the scandal spun by the media, only to discover she is pregnant.
Afonso Cortez is done with all the lies. Fresh out of prison for trusting the wrong person, he’s ready to leave the past behind and look ahead to new opportunities. The remote Sunset Manor, in need of a groundskeeper, is the perfect solution, promising to provide Afonso with the solitude he craves while he restores the grounds to their former glory.
Catarina avoids Afonso at first, not wanting to further complicate her life. But Afonso is intriguing, and she feels drawn to him. If only she didn’t feel guilty for all the secrets she’s keeping from him.
When suspicious accidents start occurring at the property, Afonso believes his past is catching up with him. Will he be able to protect Catarina or will he lose the woman who might restore his belief in love?
Books in the Romano Family series:
– Book 1- Hold Me At Twilight
– Book 2- Meet Me At Sunrise
– Book 3- Love Me At Sunset
– Book 4- Keep Me At Christmas
– Book 5- Kiss Me At Midnight (coming soon)
more
All the books are well written, with interesting characters and realistic dialog, and intriguing storylines. The books are clean and don’t have the annoying Stupid formula. (Characters act immature, don’t communicate their feelings and problems while having sex all the time they’re together: the Stupid formula.) Ms. Whitney shows that the plots can have suspense and intrigue without the stupidity.
Lucinda Whitney, Meet Me At Sunrise – Clean, fun, romantic. A well written, warmhearted romance set on a river cruise ship, with a touch of intrigue. The believable, interesting characters and plot grab your attention and the next thing you know, the story is finished. There’s an overview of the book, which I appreciate. Two of the main characters were introduced in Meet Me At Twilight, another delightful read. I contacted the author to review her books.
Lucinda Whitney, Hold Me At Twilight – A well written, warmhearted romance with more members of the Romano family, featured in Meet Me At Sunrise. The believable, interesting characters and plot grab your attention and the next thing you know, the story is finished too quickly. There’s an overview of the book, which I appreciate. Two of the characters from this book are main characters in Meet Me At Sunrise, a delightful novel.
Lucinda Whitney, Love Me At Sunset – Another well written, intriguing romance with some characters we’ve met before, both good and bad. They’re believable and realistic. The plot is well thought out and is more than just a romance. The Romano family series has been entertaining and hopefully, there may be more? There’s an overview of the story, which I appreciate knowing what the book is about before reading it.
A Small Chance – I have loved every book that pertains to the group of characters from the Portugal Series and this novella isn’t any different. A heartwarming, well written romance with a twist in the history and the present of the two main characters. The intriguing storyline keeps the reader immersed in the pages. The interesting characters are realistic and have mature thoughts, actions and dialog; no stupid formula here. A Small Chance is a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours relaxing. Has an overview, which I appreciate knowing the storyline before hand. There’s a two chapter preview included of The Secret Life of Daydreams, a couple of delicious looking recipes, as well as the usual stuff books contain.
Catarina is running from everything she has lost, but she can’t run from her pregnancy. Afonso is trying to leave the past behind and takes a job far away from it. The two find themselves attracted to each other. Then things start happening. Can Afonso protect them? Will he forgive Catarina for keeping her secrets from him? This was an enjoyable story to read.
This absolutely tore me apart. Within 3 chapters I’d felt the full range of human emotions, and was shedding tears on public transport. A glorious and surprising romance that will truly touch your heart. Beautifully written too.
Beautiful love story between Catarina and Alfonso. Lucinda Whitney’s Romano family stories are excellent reading. Characters from earlier stories reappear but this is still a stand alone story. It is a clean romance that sucked me in from page one.
I couldn’t stop reading this book! I loved the characters and wanted to see how their story played out. I really felt for Catarina. Her life did not turn out the way she thought it would, and she really struggled to trust because of that. It was wonderful to see the love and support she immediately got from her family (when she finally talked to them) and the way that affected her. Afonso had made some mistakes, but he owned them and learned from them. I loved his honesty and his willingness to be open about his life. He is kind and generous and good-hearted. He’s amazing!! And he was so good to Catarina!
I love the Romano family!! I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series!
I received a copy of the book, which I voluntarily reviewed. I have given my honest opinion.
I loved this addition to the Mansions series. I have read several of Lucinda Whitney’s books and she has never disappointed me. Her Romano family books are all fantastic reads. Catarina and Afonso make a terrific couple and their story will draw you in from the beginning. I love that this whole series contains books that I’m not afraid to let my teenage daughter read. If you are looking for a clean, sweet romance series, then I highly recommend all the books in this series.
Loved the chemistry between these two. A little bit of mystery/suspense with a lot of sweet, clean romance.
I love and enjoyed this book. A warm romance full of love, mystery and drama. I fell in love with the characters, they had so much depth and chemistry between them. An exceptional romance with some twists and turns that keep the reader engaged. I received a gift copy of this book and voluntarily give this review.
Their story was bigger than even they knew. A hope for the future, a chance for a new beginning and a danger that neither saw coming. Was it love? Lucinda Whitney delivers small town stories with big time suspense wrapped up in heartwarming reads. Love Me at Sunset is one man’s journey to redemption and one woman’s second chance at love. Against the backdrop of beautiful scenery lies a tale of heartache, intrigue and romance that is good at keeping readers guessing and hearts racing until the end of the line.
What a beautifully romantic story. The characters, the setting, the love and the devotation makes for an incredible story.
Afonso makes you weak in the knees. He’s so considerate and sincere. Catarina is a bit of a mess but, it is charming in an odd sort of way. I’m not a fan of her keeping her secrets as she falls in love with Afonso but, it is understandable given her experiences.
This book picks up after the incidents on the cruise ship in ‘Meet Me At Sunrise’ and they seem to follow Afonso to Sunset Manor. The intrigue and mystery of these unfortunate events comes to a head when the culprit appears and threatens not only Afonso and Catarina but hundreds of other innocent people.
I recommend this book for anyone who wishes for a chance to start over and find a happily ever after.
The characters were really well done.
We met some in a previous book, and, yay! some of the extended family appear in this one.
There’s a bit of slow-growing romance, bit of suspense, and a bit of angst over past mistakes. Nothing is over the top, and the HEA at the end is believable.
New Starts
Catarina had to find peace and her cousin offered it to her, after her husbands death she needed to hide. Alfonzo has a chance at a new beginning after his time in jail. He was working for Mathias cousin. But something brings these two people together.
Romano Family
Afonso and Catarina … very touching and sweet story that I had a hard time putting down. The author did an excellent job of keeping the plot moving. I love to read about Romano family!
(I listened to this as an audiobook)
Story: 4.5 stars
Wonderful clean love story! It is book 3 in a series and I can vouch for the fact that it is a stand-alone, since I haven’t read/listened to the other books and understood everything.
I loved some of the glimpses we got into Portuguese life and traditions!
It was a wonderful escape and I am absolutely going to listen to the others in the series!
Narration: 4 stars: The voice actor has a lovely Portuguese accent. And a deep enough voice that the men in the story sound like men.
*poor, **ok, ***good, ****very good, *****something special
Travel, Mystery, Suspense, Romance
Although always part of the Romano Family series, “Love Me at Sunset” was originally issued as one of the “Mansions” books, the second series in the “Destined for Love” world. In my review I commented that each novel was as individual as the author.
Author Lucinda Whitney is originally from Portugal and sets her delightful stories there. This is the third in her Romano family saga and if you’ve read other novels in the group you may recognize some characters but this tale stands well on its own. I am reminded of the Mary Stewart books which so cleverly combined romance with suspense in European settings. Beyond simply enjoying a well-told tale I am very much wanting to visit Portugal to explore some of the destinations described. Travel, mystery, suspense, romance–this one has it all!
And now one has the option to LISTEN to the audiobook. Praises to narrator Mary Jane Conlon for troubling to learn Portuguese pronunciation, adding texture and color to an already delightful story.
I very much enjoyed this book. There was suspense, romance, fresh starts. Seemed like you learned something new about the characters often. A good, sweet, clean listen.
An amazing well written clean sweet romance. This engaging storyline is a standalone within a series so we get the bonus of cameo appearances from previous characters. I was hooked from beginning to end with romance, suspense, humor, music, surprises, struggles, mystery, and healing. The characters were wonderful and flawed while they healed themselves together their dark pasts. A truly meaningful and touching ending. I voluntarily listened and reviewed this ARC.$ I loved how appealing it was to easily lose myself in this beautifully narrated story on Audible as the characters are brought to life.
Afonso and Catarina both wanted a new start. He had just got out of prison after foolishly allowing a woman to catch him up in something that hurt his employer’s customers, but could have cost them their lives. Catarina was running from a life in her deceased husband’s spotlight after scandals over his love and business affairs had caught up with him. They were both hurt by others and trying to make a better life. They weren’t asking for the attraction between them especially since she was pregnant and so had someone else to think about now. Afonso past also catches up with him and wants revenge. There were plenty of sweet, funny, romantic, and scary moments in this clean romance.
I listened to the Audible version and the narrator had a nice clear tone with plenty of emotion. She added accents to the characters’ voices.
This is another great story about the Romano family in Portugal. We met Afonso Cortez in Meet Me at Sunrise (Romano Family #2). Afonso is starting over in a small town as a groundskeeper at Sunset Manor owned by Filipe Romano. He wants to leave his mistakes in the past and not waste the second chance he’s been given.
Catarina Romano is also starting over. At first, we only know that she’s a young widow hiding out from the paparazzi at Sunset Manor, thanks to her cousin Filipe, and she’s not happy that he hired Afonso. She’s got quite a few secrets she’s not ready to share with anyone, and a lot of guilt from some decisions she made when she was younger.
Afonso really wants to make a fresh start and he’s open about the mistakes he’s made that sent him to prison. He’s a hard worker and a caring person who shows it by his actions. It’s in his nature to be kind and thoughtful to those around him. Unlike Afonso, Catarina is closed off, not trusting anyone, even her family, with the secrets that burden her.
Their friendship turned to romance doesn’t feel rushed or forced upon the reader. Their story takes place over a 5 month period and feels like a natural progression for people that spend a lot of time together every day. Afonso’s kind gestures mean so much to Catarina it made me wonder what had happened in her marriage that she was so affected by something as simple as someone making her breakfast. When she finally unburdens herself you can understand why she was so closed off at the beginning of the book.
I love when she decides to start decorating the mansion. You can almost see her self-esteem grow. I also loved the scene when all the cousins descend upon Sunset Manor–one big supportive family that loved her and had missed her during the years she had been away.
Not everything was smooth sailing for Afonso and Catarina. Although Afonso had left his past behind, it didn’t stay there and put them both in peril, but of course the good guys came out on top. There are many Romano cousins which hopefully means more Romano Family stories.
This is a clean romance with moments of mild peril towards the end.