A ROMANO FAMILY ROMANCE VOLUME 1 BOX SET contains HOLD ME AT TWILIGHT, MEET ME AT SUNRISE, and LOVE ME AT SUNSET, books 1, 2 and 3 of the ROMANO FAMILY series. HOLD ME AT TWILIGHTLove might have a chance… if her family stays out of it.MEET ME AT SUNRISE A reluctant heiress. A river cruise captain. Finding love in eight days was not on the itinerary… SUNSET
An ex-con reforming his life. A pregnant widow hiding her past. Will the price of her secrets cost her his love?
The Romano Family Romance series follows the stories of the Romano cousins of northern Portugal as they find love and their Happily-Ever-Afters.
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 (coming soon)
– Book 5- Kiss Me At Midnight (coming soon)
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A Family Saga
I’ve read these stories over a number of years and out of order. I wish the box set had been available when I started out as, although each is a standalone, the family members tend to show up in each other’s stories, which adds to the fun. When I looked over my earlier reviews I discovered a common theme. Each novel has instilled in me a longing to travel to Portugal and experience the sea and skies and people of this small country on the Atlantic. Below are my thoughts at the time of my first encounters:
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Hold Me At Twilight–Tender Passage
I have been reading these out of order which is a bit of a shame since one gets to know many different family members and if you haven’t met them yet, the nuances can get lost–but the stories nonetheless stand quite well on their own! In this delightful beginning to the set an American visiting Portugal carelessly allows his wallet, with passport, to be stolen shortly before he is scheduled to return home. Turns out to be the best thing to ever happen to him! I enjoyed learning a bit of Portuguese, which is made easier by listening to Mary Jane Conlon’s narration–she clearly learned how to pronounce words which DON’T quite sound the way they are spelled in English and are different from their Spanish counterparts as well.
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Meet Me At Sunrise–What better premise can there be for a romance than a …
What better premise can there be for a romance than a trip to Europe? In the ‘Destination’ series of six novellas, each by a different author, we get a variety of tastes of travel–and love. (This tale is also the second in the Romano family saga.)
So, why do I find myself wanting to fly to Portugal to book a river cruise? I already have my personal HEA. Ah, but the descriptions, while not a travelogue, are delightful and the romance is delightfully nuanced with characters attractive far beyond the superficiality of appearance. And then there is an ongoing mystery providing a few extra twists and turns. A terrific story!
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Love Me At Sunset–Travel, mystery, suspense, romance–this one has it all!
The ‘Mansions’ books are the second series in the ‘Destined for Love’ world and each is 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!
Hold Me at Twilight:
This is a quick but enjoyable read. Knox is stranded when his passport goes missing. In need of help, he turns to the travel agent, Jacinta. They end up spending time together, and Knox gets more than he was searching for. I really liked this story.
Meet Me at Sunrise:
Meet Me at Sunrise is book two in the Romano Family series. Vanessa is persuaded by her grandfather to take a river cruise to tour northern Portugal. Captain Matias Romano is tasked with entertaining Vanessa and can’t wait to be done. But they find a mystery to be solved, and as they spend time together, they realize the other isn’t so bad. Can Vanessa get the answers she is searching for? Have they each found what they have been missing? This was another enjoyable story in this series.
Love Me at Sunset:
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.
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. 5*
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. 5*
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. 5*
Keep Me At Christmas – Another clean, fun, romance spanning two countries. Just as well written as the rest of the Romano Family series of books. I look forward to reading every story from Ms. Whitney. She doesn’t believe in stupid formulas and her stories prove it. Just wonderful people trying to do the best they can and the right thing, too. The characters communicate and work problems out; they don’t fight, flight or act stupid. As always, the rest of Romanos appear to say hello and give updates to their stories. I wish there were more Jacks in the world, instead of the modern-man-type of today. A well written, warmhearted romance Has an overview of the story, which I appreciate knowing. 5*
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. 5*
A wonderful collection of easy to read romances featuring the loud, warm, welcoming and loving Romano family. The characters are well rounded and interesting and the locations are beautiful … you will definitely want to add Portugal to your holiday destination wish list. These books are sweet, light hearted and easy to read. I recommend them to all romance fans and to anyone who enjoys escaping to another place for a little while.
Hold Me At Twilight
I really loved this fast read about Knox and Jacinta. This may be a fast read, but it has love, laughter (you have to watch those teenage cousins, lol), tears, and most of all a big caring family. I recommend everyone to read this introductory book to the Romano family.
Meet Me At Sunrise
This was the first book I ever read by Lucinda Whitney, but it will not be my last. Meet Me At Sunrise is a clean read that I read in one sitting. I loved Vanessa and Matias. I really enjoyed the suspense about what was going to go wrong next aboard the ship and who was responsible. If you’re looking for an engaging book that gives great details and that you can let your teenagers read too, you should definitely one-click this book.
Love MeAt Sunset
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
Hold Me at Twilight – This might be a short read but still a full story. Loved Jacinta’s family!!! A sweet romance that grabbed my attention and kept me smiling long after I finished it. It intrigued me enough that I then read Matias’ story (really good too).
Meet Me at Sunrise – I have read all but one in this series and this is one of my favorites. I also read Hold Me at Twilight about Matias cousin and was introduced to Matias, who I really liked. Vanessa and Matias meet and sparks fly but will they actually take a chance on love? The title is so appropriate for their relationship. Not only was this a romance but a mystery and I really enjoyed how they worked together to figure things out.
Love Me at Sunset – Catarina and Afonso have secrets and great chemistry. Love the Romano family. Strange things start happening and they both wonder if their pasts are catching up with them. A suspenseful mystery and a sweet romance.
I own the individual books, not the box set. I love the Romano family. I really enjoyed Hold Me At Twilight. It is a great introduction to the Romano family. I want more of these characters. Nice character development and a charming love story. Loved the book. Meet Me At Sunrise was the first book I read about the Romanos. I loved Vanessa’s stubbornness and determination to prove herself. Matias was a wonderful captain. Sweet, warm, clean romance. Love Me At Sunset is a 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 highly recommend anything written by Lucinda Whitney.