Seven boys adopted from the foster care system by Alec and Maggie Donahue, a loving Irish couple living in Breeze Point, Cape Cod. Now grown men, the brothers are making their way in the world in their chosen professions, each hoping to find a love to last a lifetime. Faith. Family. Honor. And an abundance of love.
Seven Brides, Seven Brothers series
The Dreamer Nick Donahue, the youngest of the Donahue brothers, has been feeling out of sorts due to three of his brothers having settled down with their lady loves. It plays on every insecurity he has about the ties that bind the Donahue family together. Nick has struggled his whole life to make it through school due to his dyslexia, but with hard work and determination, he graduated at the top of his class. At the age of twenty-seven he's already achieved his goal of opening a successful restaurant in Breeze Point, Cape Cod. When Nick comes face to face with his romantic past in the form of his first love, Layla Delgado, he begins to believe in his own happily ever after.
Layla Delgado has come to Cape Cod after inheriting her Aunt Trudy's cottage in Breeze Point. One summer ten years ago, she had a summer romance with Nick Donahue and fell head over heels in love with the handsome dreamer. Now, desperate to escape a volatile ex-husband, Layla has reinvented herself in order to protect herself from his sick, twisted obsession. A former ballerina, Layla is now seeking a life of normalcy, with aspirations of opening up a small dance studio in town. But with her ex determined to find her, will Layla ever be free to claim a future with Nick?
Belle Calhoune writes heartwarming, inspirational romance novels set in small, cozy towns. Married to her college sweetheart and living in southern Connecticut, she is the mother of two girls. Born and raised in Massachusetts, she is one of five children. Growing up across the street from a public library allowed her to become an avid reader who aspired to be a romance writer. When she isn't writing, she enjoys reading, spending time in Cape Cod, traveling and enjoying time with friends and family. Belle hopes her books will provide readers with inspiration, entertainment and an escape from day to day life.
Nick is sweet and charismatic, his love for Layla is undeniable. Alec and Maggie Donahue raised some amazing boys and each of them is a knight in shining armor. Like his brother, Nick has a passed that is soiled by people that should have never had the privilege of becoming parents; however, through the help of his forever family he has grown into a man that just might be the protector that Layla has been looking for.
I must say, there is something about this series... I can never get enough, no matter how hard I try. Every time that I open one of the Donahue brother's stories, I dive right in and forget to watch for where my feet are landing.
Love Me Tender is book 4 in Seven Brides and Seven Brothers series by Belle Calhoune. It takes place in Breeze Point, Cape Cod. It is a very good book. Nick Donohue was taken from his home because his mother deserted him and left him in a dirty hovel. Only because he cut his finger and needed a bandage did he leave the house to go to the neighbor for help. Otherwise, it may have been much longer before he was found. He was fostered by Alec and Maggie Donohue and later adopted by them. He was the youngest of the Donohue brothers. Nick had dyslexia and had a difficult time in school; but he made it through college and opened his restaurant (his lifelong dream) in Breeze Point. It did extremely well and he was thinking of opening another one soon. Nick was the brother who disliked change. Recently there had been too much change in the Donohue family. Blue was married, Ryder and Remy were engaged, Alec had a stroke, and Maggie was in a pre-Alzheimer’s state. The last thing he needs is another change in his life. Lyla Delgado had returned to Breeze Point. She inherited a cabin from her late aunt whom she had visited for a summer when she was nineteen. Lyla was recovering from a divorce and wanted to start anew with a dance studio here in Breeze Point. Here she felt relatively safe from her ex-husband. What she doesn’t plan on is running into Nick so soon. They were madly in love at nineteen. How would they react to each other now? Would Grant find her?
Belle Calhoune has a talent for mixing the elements of romantic and women's fiction into stories that have me clicking my kindle as fast as possible. Nick and Layla's story is no different. If you are looking for a book dealing with real life issues in a compassionate way, if you've been waiting for Nick to eat his words to his brothers as he finds his own true love, if you admire women who can rise above bad circumstances to find true respectful love, if you love reunion stories, then this is a book for you. Each one of the Donahue brothers and their sweethearts teach me something. Can't wait to see how love finds the next Donahue brother.
It seems the author shares a bit of God's sense of humor. While Nick struggled and feared the changes happening in his family as his brothers "dropped like flies" falling in love, he suddenly finds himself face to face with his teenage sweetheart and long lost love. In no time at all, he is right back there with her, regretting the lost years. Layla has changed dramatically in the years they were apart. An abusive marriage has left deep scars of hurt that God has only begun to heal. This added a layer of drama that made this story unique. Finally, I have caught up to book 5 that I purchased without knowing it was the middle of a series!
This was a great story about second chances with the first love of your life. It only had a couple of typos. One was in the line that talked about a blind man receiving the "give" of sight rather than the gift. There was another typo, but I don't remember what it was. Only other part was where she made him the meal he said he would bring dessert, but then she made the apple tart things that rivaled his parents' bakery. None of these things take away from the story being sweet and a great reminder about forgiveness.
I love this series! It was wonderful to see another of the Donahue brothers find love! Nick is such a romantic!! His openness with Layla and the way he worded things just made me melt. I loved Layla! She is gentle and kind and brave. They have a beautiful second chance story, and I loved reading it!
Another great book in this fantastic series, I am fast becoming a fan of this author and will definitely be getting more books by her after reading this series
All of the Donahue brothers have troubled pasts. Nick is probably the most insecure and the most resistant to change. He's upset that all of his brothers seem to be finding love. What will happen to the relationship they all shared? How were they all going to keep being there for each other if they were all wrapped up in women? He didn't want things to change. For once in his life, he liked the way things were and wanted them to stay that way. Layla as on the run after a nasty divorce. She knows she shouldn't have even married Grant, but after her breakup with Nick, she needed to feel like she was still attractive to someone, and Grant seemed perfect..until he wasn't. She came back to Cape Cod after her aunt left her the cottage where she spent that fateful summer when she and Nick had promised each other forever. That was years ago though, and she certainly didn't expect to run into him any time soon, but so what if she did? Things had changed. She had changed. She was even going under a different last name to try to throw Grant off her trail. But if the brothers learn anything in either their quest for love or the desire to avoid it, it's that their past always catches up with them. I love these books because they confront real issues, and every book in this series has had me in tears at least for part of the book, if not for most of it. You know it's fiction, but these stories are someone's real life somewhere. Kids really do grow up the way some of the Donahue boys did, but not all of them find their Donahue family to show them love and point them in the right direction. I love these books because the boys had a rough start in life, but they end up with Alec and Maggie to show them how real respectable men should be, so no matter what their past might have been, they're decent men now, making a life for themselves in ways that would have seemed impossible if not for the Donahues. I'm going to hate when this series ends!
Another fabulous chapter in the lives of the Donahue brothers... Nick and Layla's story is one of forgiveness and reconnection as well as an excellent reminder that true love stands the test of time. Belle writes with such depth and character that the bond between these adopted brothers brings me to tears once or twice in every book I read. Not since reading the Baxter series by Karen Kingsbury and the Lewis Series by Joanne Durgin have I found such characters that moved me clear to my soul. Another great thing is that this book could stand alone, but is so much richer and deeper when read in order. My disclaimer is that I'm a fast reader (always have been, always will be), but this book was so good that I finished it in one night. I could not put it down. You can not lose by reading this book, you can only gain.
This book is a lot more interesting than the previous one. Nick and Layla were in love as teenagers, but became separated for ten years. Now she is back in town and they are trying to recapture what they had years ago. The plot has more action, including a violent, abusive ex-husband. It is a realistic story and the characters are well-developed. I love the relationship between the seven brothers-which has been shaped by Maggie and Ale, their adoptive parents. It is outstanding.
This might be my favorite of the series to date, but I'll admit that I found the previous books a bit lackluster. I liked these characters and was interested in the possessive ex-husband angle. While the characters and plot kept me engaged, this story just didn't wow me like I hoped. Not sure if I will continue with the series, but I may try one last book.
Nick and Layla's story is truly remarkable. After 10 long years they meet up again. The awful things that happened to Layla during that period is so sad. Grant was a evil person and did rotten things to Layla. Watching her change after finding Nick again is wonderful. You can feel God working throughout this whole book.
No one knows what would happen if you taking different road you never will but if you're blessed with a second chance to do it differently go for it because not everyone gets a second chance at love.
I would have to say that Nick and Layla's second chance at true love, and the difficult and lonely road to get them there, has been my favorite love story in this series.
What a sweet love story, as the whole series has been!! I love your stories, Belle. It just goes to show that God is interested in every aspect of our lives. It's amazing what he will do to bring us love and joy and happiness!!!!
Nick Donahue, the youngest of the Donahue brothers, has been feeling out of sorts due to three of his brothers having settled down with their lady loves. It plays on every insecurity he has about the ties that bind the Donahue family together.
This is the second in the series I have read. It was clean quick cute. Nothing that kept me on the edge of my sit, a bit boring, very predictable. But clean which is hard to find.