Colters' Gift (Colters' Legacy Book 5)

This is an awesome love story about family being there for each other plus how they adopted ( accepted) others into their circle. The wonderful love the men has for their ladies plus the whole family accepted of Noah and Liam.
Love this story. Happy more kids were born. So sad to say goodbye to such a wonderful family.

great way to end the series have been waiting for this story and didn't disappoint, I love the way Maya makes it so real, the love, the heartbreak, fighting to be together, wish there were more men like the Colter men in the world who put family and love first. Thanks for the books Maya

The perfect closing for a wonderful family. Ms banks has a hit on her hands with this one. It gives leaving this family behind a sweet feeling. Thank you for the gift of the colters and their unusual, and interesting family.

"Coulters Gift" by Maya Banks is the final story of the Colter Family. They have extended the family to include Max (Callie's husband) Lauren (Max's sister) Liam and Noah (Lauren's husbands). This final book wraps up the story of love, fear, saddness and happiness for these very special people. I enjoyed the story, but I wish there could be more. I will miss this wonderful family. I can re-read the stories whenever I want, but I so want to look forward to more. Maybe Maya can do an update in a year to so.
The Colter Family stories are empowering to all. The idea that different is not bad and infact can be wonderful, makes so much sense.
Well done Maya...thank you for all this love and great stories....

Deirdre M Abbott

Once again another wonderful book by Maya!! It's a bittersweet one because it brings an end to the Colter series. Maya has a way of writing that bring the characters to life. I enjoy reading all of her books and highly recommend this book series and all of her other ones.

I really like Maya Banks, her first stories are so good, her Sweet Series is great. Her Overheard and shifter books are to be recommended. However, she has gotten too sweet and too polite with this series. The h is so insecure, and too self-absorbed she is annoying. Everyone; brother, brothers in-law(3), Mother-in-law, fathers-in-law(3), sisters-in-law. protect this little girl ( she is an adult btw, but acts like she's 12), all want to carry her around and protect her, and her FEELINGS. I got it, with the first sentence, it didn't bare repeating every other line, literally. We all want her to be happy and protected her from the mean ol man coming to get her. We wouldn't want her to have to break a nail or actually be told to suck it up. She has information about the 'bad man', but wouldn't say anything because then that would make it real to her. Even when people died, it is "Whoa is me, it's my fault, if I should have said something. and so, Because I didn't and these people died, it is my fault. I must have killed these people." What? The last two book in this series has been so disappointing. I love the protection aspect but the characters are too dry. the h is stupid and annoying.

Colters’ Gift is the fifth and final book in the Colters’ Legacy series. I discovered the series shortly after the first book, Colters’ Woman, was released and fell in love. I think it may have been my first menage book and I have been reading them ever since. In my opinion, Maya Banks writes some of the best menages. Her men are so loving and so determined to take care of the woman they love.

Colters’ Gift is no exception. Liam and Noah have been friends since childhood and business partners for a number of years. However, they have never been partners in a relationship. That is where this book differs from the previous ones in the series involving menages. In the earlier books, the men’s families have a history of menage relationships. Liam and Noah have no idea how to handle a situation in which they both want the same woman.

Lauren has lived surrounded by the Colters and is accepting and (she admits it) a little jealous of the relationships her female friends have. She wonders what it would be like to have three men who were focused on loving her and pleasuring her. She actually has an easier time with the idea of a menage relationship with Liam and Noah than they do.

The book is not just a romance however. Lauren’s previous lover was an abusive monster as well as a criminal. She escaped him and he is determined to get her back so he can show her that he is the one in charge. She will not leave him unless he say so and that will only be when she is dead.

Liam, Noah, and Lauren get their happily ever after. It is a romance after all, but they have many problems to overcome before they can be together. As an extra treat, Ms. Banks has included an additional story titled Colters’ Legacy which is the epilogue to this book. It really brings a solid conclusion to the entire series.

I can’t imagine reading this book as a stand alone title. The characters from the earlier books play a major part and past relationships are not explained. They don’t need to be because the books all flow together which is really amazing because there are thirty plus years between the first book and the subsequent ones in the series.

Regardless, it is not hardship to have to read the earlier books first. You will love the Colters and, like Lauren, be a little bit jealous of their loving relationships.

I really like Maya Banks, her first stories are so good, her Sweet Series is great. Her Overheard and shifter books are to be recommended. However, she has gotten too sweet and too polite with this series. The h is so insecure, and too self-absorbed she is annoying. Everyone; brother, brothers in-law(3), Mother-in-law, fathers-in-law(3), sisters-in-law. protect this little girl ( she is an adult btw, but acts like she's 12), all want to carry her around and protect her, and her FEELINGS. I got it, with the first sentence, it didn't bare repeating every other line, literally. We all want her to be happy and protected her from the mean ol man coming to get her. We wouldn't want her to have to break a nail or actually be told to suck it up. She has information about the 'bad man', but wouldn't say anything because then that would make it real to her. Even when people died, it is "Whoa is me, it's my fault, if I should have said something. and so, Because I didn't and these people died, it is my fault. I must have killed these people." What? The last two book in this series has been so disappointing. I love the protection aspect but the characters are too dry. the h is stupid and annoying.

Colters’ Gift is the fifth and final book in the Colters’ Legacy series. I discovered the series shortly after the first book, Colters’ Woman, was released and fell in love. I think it may have been my first menage book and I have been reading them ever since. In my opinion, Maya Banks writes some of the best menages. Her men are so loving and so determined to take care of the woman they love.

Colters’ Gift is no exception. Liam and Noah have been friends since childhood and business partners for a number of years. However, they have never been partners in a relationship. That is where this book differs from the previous ones in the series involving menages. In the earlier books, the men’s families have a history of menage relationships. Liam and Noah have no idea how to handle a situation in which they both want the same woman.

Lauren has lived surrounded by the Colters and is accepting and (she admits it) a little jealous of the relationships her female friends have. She wonders what it would be like to have three men who were focused on loving her and pleasuring her. She actually has an easier time with the idea of a menage relationship with Liam and Noah than they do.

The book is not just a romance however. Lauren’s previous lover was an abusive monster as well as a criminal. She escaped him and he is determined to get her back so he can show her that he is the one in charge. She will not leave him unless he say so and that will only be when she is dead.

Liam, Noah, and Lauren get their happily ever after. It is a romance after all, but they have many problems to overcome before they can be together. As an extra treat, Ms. Banks has included an additional story titled Colters’ Legacy which is the epilogue to this book. It really brings a solid conclusion to the entire series.

I can’t imagine reading this book as a stand alone title. The characters from the earlier books play a major part and past relationships are not explained. They don’t need to be because the books all flow together which is really amazing because there are thirty plus years between the first book and the subsequent ones in the series.

Regardless, it is not hardship to have to read the earlier books first. You will love the Colters and, like Lauren, be a little bit jealous of their loving relationships.

Fifth in the Colters' Legacy erotic romantic suspense series and revolving around the Colter family. The "couple" focus is on Lauren Wilder, Liam Prescott, and Noah Sullivan.

My Take
Cute, warm, and cozy. This story and the novella following, "Colters' Legacy", tidy up the Colters' Legacy series. It's hard to believe so much time has gone by in this family. Seems as though it's only been a couple years.

The message that runs throughout this story, throughout the series, is one of love and support. This family is always there for you, no matter how big or small the problem. It's a message, a feeling, that Lauren and her brother, Max, have embraced.

It's disgusting how awful some people can be. How hurtful and destructive. When you read the Colters' interactions, you can't help but want to be a part of their family. And hey, nothing says you can't start now with your own. Whether it's your birth family, or the family you choose. Be there for each other, care about each other.

In some ways this story is too easy. Then again, it does fall into the warm-cozy theme with Liam and Noah so amazingly patient and considerate. It is consistent…*grin*…

The Story
Fleeing the terror in New York City, Lauren finds refuge in Clyde amongst the Colters and her brother, Max. Peace and a subtle joy of living in a small town, having a routine.

At least until Liam Prescott and Noah Sullivan catch up to her and force the truth from her.

Unfortunately for them, they only think they have the whole truth.

"Colters' Legacy" is the novella that follows and concludes the series in a 45-page epilogue. It tidies up what we want to know about what happens afterwards with Noah, Liam, and Lauren. The nightmares, where they live, jobs…Lily's baby, and Noah, Liam, and Lauren's marriage. It also vaguely tells of the Colter children who are born and run wild in the Colorado mountains secure in the Colters' Legacy.

The Characters
Lauren Wilder is Max's baby sister; they're all each other has left now. Max Wilder, her wealthy brother, has married Callie Colter and settled in Clyde, Colorado, with her ( Colters' Daughter , 3).

Liam Prescott and Noah Sullivan are bodyguards Max hired to protect Lauren. Men who realize they both love her, and neither is willing to give her up for the other. They're also practically brothers, having been raised by Liam's parents, Lisa and Carl Prescott. I don't understand why they weren't at the wedding…

Seth is the town sheriff and one of three husbands to the pregnant Lily. His two brothers, Michael, a veterinarian, and Dillon, a local business mogul, are the other husbands. Caleb James Colter is the newborn baby [Colters' Legacy, 5.5]. Holly is the boys' mother and she's married to the dads: Adam, Ryan, and Ethan.

Clark and Evie work at the diner with Lauren. Richard Castanetti is the New York City District Attorney.

Joel Knight delights in abusing women, and Lauren will be his until she isn't. Ron is his abusive business partner and enforcer. Suki Jennings is part of his stable. Joel has a doctor on call as well.

The Cover
The cover is soft and romantic in soft peach tones with a hint of sage green, brown, and denim. It's one stoic man in jeans and a tobacco brown T with an eager Lauren wearing a sage green, off-the-shoulder top with her hands on his shoulder in the background left while the second, mildly intense partner in the front has his thumb hooked in a jean pocket, his peach button-down shirt open. The background is a soft haze that extends down the middle.

The title could be Lauren herself to the Colters or it could be what the Colters are to Lauren and her men, Colters' Gift. The novella's title at the end is both what the Colters pass on and the series title, it's the "Colters' Legacy" that finds this family flourishing.

~2.5/5

This book started pretty good, and it sounded very good. But about halfway through, I just got bored with it.

I didn’t mind any of the characters, including the heroine and her men. They didn’t particularly stand out to me, but I didn’t dislike them. The attraction between them was fast, but it worked just fine for me. The sex was all right, some even good. The overall storyline wasn’t too bad, either, with Lauren’s ex-husband. I guess some of it was exciting, maybe.

I was mostly just bored with it, honestly, and that made it hard to finish. Lauren and her ménage relationship didn’t stand out to me as anything different from Banks’ other ménage stories. The entire storyline, including the romance, just didn’t seem very different from so many others I’ve read. The conclusion didn’t stand out, either. And, honestly, the amount of gushing love confessions, the characters stating how much they love each other over and over again, in such cheesy language, got on my nerves. It was just too much, and so unneeded, which is something I’ve noticed in quite a few of Banks’ books recently. And the sex kind of became boring to me, too, maybe because there was so much and none of it was all that different from each other, but also because I was just bored at that point with everything.

It also bothered me how easily the story wrapped up, that the characters didn't seem that emotionally wounded after everything, particularly the heroine. And it bothered me that, after everything she went through, no one mentioned therapy, or her getting help in any way other than from her family. Her family is important, yes, and she needs time, which they seemed to be giving her, but I thought she needed more, and the idea wasn't even brought up.

I enjoyed seeing the characters from the previous books, but I haven’t even read all the other books in this series. And now I’m wary to read the first two at all.

This book just got too gushy and boring for me. I wanted to like it a lot, but I didn’t.

[More of my reviews are available on my blog, Geeky Reading, to which there's a link on my profile.]

Colters’ Woman was the first Maya Banks books I read. I instantly fell in love with Adam, Ethan, and Ryan. I was so happy when Maya decided to expand the world of Clyde, Colorado and give us Colters’ Lady, Colters’ Daughter and Colters’ Promise. It was bittersweet to read Colters’ Gift and have to close the door on all these characters who feel like family.

As the story opens we see Lauren, months after the terrible ordeal with her ex, finally settling into the small Colorado mountain town. She has a job and a new place to live and has slowly regained her independence.

Trying to move on and leave her painful past behind, Lauren gets an unexpected visit from tall, dark and tattooed, Liam Prescott and Noah Sullivan. Liam and Noah have been on a wild goose chase for months and came to Clyde for answers and to claim the woman they both love. What has Lauren been keeping from them? Does she return their feelings as well?

Lauren can’t believe her luck when not one but two men want to claim her. But can the relationship really work with two headstrong alpha males? As they explore the possibility of a relationship, the trio’s world is turned upside down when Lauren’s past literally comes crashing down on them. Can Liam and Noah save the woman they love from being thrust back into the previous hell she barely survived before?

It is no secret that Maya Banks is one of my very favorite authors. I absolutely love her character-driven stories and this story is no different. It was wonderful to see all the Colters again. It’s hard to believe that only a few years separate the books but many years have aged all those characters we love. There are a few adult themes addressed in the book that may be uncomfortable for some readers consisting of a violent and somewhat sadistic nature.

At the end of the book we are treated with a novella, Colters’ Legacy, that concludes the series. We find out what happens with Lily’s pregnancy; Lauren, Liam and Noah’s future; and a final scene with Adam, Ethan, Ryan and Holly that had me balling my eyes out. I will miss all of these beloved characters so very much.

I think that’s what makes a great author. Someone who makes us laugh, cry, and give us unforgettable characters that change our outlook. Maya writes about strong, tough men who love, respect and takes care of the women in their lives. Although fictitious, I often wonder if men like these truly exist. Thank you, Maya for helping us to dream and for sharing this beautiful story that is The Colters.

Reviewed by Guest Reviewer/Kimberly & posted at Under the Covers Book Blog
Lauren Wilder has been basically hiding out in the Colorado Mountains. Her brother Max is married to Callie Colter and once you are involved in any family way with the Colters, you become family. Lauren had it bad when she was in New York. Her boyfriend was a cruel and sadistic SOB who was also a glorified pimp who ran a prostitution ring. Lauren was often on the wrong side of Joel Knight’s fist and the last time she barely got away alive.

Two investigators were hired by her very wealthy brother to keep a close eye on his precious sister, but Lauren wasn’t altogether honest with them, so they make the trip to Colorado to question Lauren about the vermin that did her harm in New York. Only problem is, Liam and Noah have become emotionally attached to Lauren and neither man wants to lose her to the other. The only way they see them all being happy is if the three of them become involved, much like the Colter family’s relationships. All Lauren wants is to be loved, but after the horror of her last relationship she wonders if she’s even worthy of love. When Liam and Noah tell her that their needs and desires for her are strong, she must take a leap of faith and pray that all will be like she has dreamed.

Now not only do Liam and Noah have to protect Lauren, but the entire Colter clan steps up to the plate to keep one of their own from harm. Joel Knight doesn’t like to give up what he owns and apparently Lauren is one of his possessions and he will stop at nothing until he has her within his grasp once again.

I am so happy to be back in the fold with the Colter family. Even though Lauren, Liam and Noah are not blood relations, the relationship to the Colters is a strong one. Maya Banks has done a wonderful job coming full circle with this fabulous series. I have loved each and every moment of it. Colters’ Gift is new and fresh with suspense and danger in the mix with the romance and family adoration. I really enjoyed this story and I know other readers will as well.

*ARC provided by publisher