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Dynasties: Calcott Manor #4
Keep Your Enemies Close...
Enemies become lovers in the exciting conclusion to the Calcott Manor series from Joss Wood.
He wants her as he’s never wanted anyone…but he’s certain she can’t be trusted.
Merrick Knowles and Aly Garwood hate each other…and crave each other. Before they knew one another’s identities, they had a scorching one-night stand. But Merrick, the Grantham family’s protector, becomes suspicious of Aly’s true intentions when he discovers her living at the family estate.
Aly has a complicated connection to the Granthams—and she senses there’s some unfinished business at Calcott Manor. Merrick agrees to help, if only to hasten her departure. As their antagonism becomes passion and family secrets are revealed, Merrick must trust her or risk losing everything…
From Harlequin Passionate and provocative stories featuring rich, powerful heroes and scandalous family sagas.
You’ll be swept away by this bold, sizzling romance, part of the Calcott Manor
Book 1: Just a Little Jilted
Book 2: Their Temporary Arrangement
Book 3: The Trouble with Little Secrets
Book 4: Keep Your Enemies Close...
He wants her as he’s never wanted anyone…but he’s certain she can’t be trusted.
Merrick Knowles and Aly Garwood hate each other…and crave each other. Before they knew one another’s identities, they had a scorching one-night stand. But Merrick, the Grantham family’s protector, becomes suspicious of Aly’s true intentions when he discovers her living at the family estate.
Aly has a complicated connection to the Granthams—and she senses there’s some unfinished business at Calcott Manor. Merrick agrees to help, if only to hasten her departure. As their antagonism becomes passion and family secrets are revealed, Merrick must trust her or risk losing everything…
From Harlequin Passionate and provocative stories featuring rich, powerful heroes and scandalous family sagas.
You’ll be swept away by this bold, sizzling romance, part of the Calcott Manor
Book 1: Just a Little Jilted
Book 2: Their Temporary Arrangement
Book 3: The Trouble with Little Secrets
Book 4: Keep Your Enemies Close...
192 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 22, 2023
4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Joss Wood
644 books389 followersJoss Wood loves books and travelling— especially to the wild places of Southern Africa and, well, anywhere.
She’s a wife, a mom to two teenagers, and is bossed around by two cats and a Great Dane X the size of a baby cow. After a career in local economic development, she now writes full time.
Be sure to follow Joss on BookBub for the latest on my releases https://www.bookbub.com/profile/joss-...
She’s a wife, a mom to two teenagers, and is bossed around by two cats and a Great Dane X the size of a baby cow. After a career in local economic development, she now writes full time.
Be sure to follow Joss on BookBub for the latest on my releases https://www.bookbub.com/profile/joss-...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 5, 2023
Reviewed at Happily Ever After Romance
I can’t imagine a better way for the Dynasties: Calcott Manor series to wrap up than with Merrick and Aly in Keep Your Enemies Close… – oh my goodness, they are on fire, and the sparks flying off of these two could start a bonfire!
In a lot of ways, it’s a bit difficult to talk much about the dynamics between this couple without giving away information from the entire series, and even though this is the conclusion to the series, well, there are those folks who haven’t read the earlier books yet. So. We finally get to understand just what caused Merrick’s animosity toward Alyson throughout the series. It all makes sense, plus we get to see how promises of the past have shaped Merrick into the man he is today – a guardian of the men who all are as close as brothers to him. Merrick is an amazing man, but still, there were times when I needed to tell him to get over himself. Stubborn is also one of his major points of view; there is Merrick’s way, or there is no way, pretty much describes him. I enjoyed watching this man fall as hard as he did. Everyone deserves love and happiness, and Merrick is no exception to that rule. But did he ever fight his way to that realization?!
I was so glad to get Aly’s side of what she’s been experiencing throughout this series. Her attraction to Merrick is obvious, and it never really lessens, even when he is so distant toward her. I especially loved the detective work she and Merrick were doing to find the answers that they so desperately needed. Together, they are a compelling, sexy couple, and I simply adored them in so many ways.
All the loose ends are neatly tied up. That second romance that’s been running in the background of the series gets a very well-deserved happy ending. And the other mysteries have a satisfying explanation, somewhat sad, maybe, but it all makes sense. That’s what I want most from the concluding story in any series: for those tiny details to be brought to their end, for the strings to finally make sense for the characters… all that and more was my reward in Keep Your Enemies Close…
If you love a well-written, thoughtful, emotional, and steamy romance with characters who will keep you on your toes and a romance to swoon for – then you’re going to love this one.
I own a Kindle edition of this title.
I can’t imagine a better way for the Dynasties: Calcott Manor series to wrap up than with Merrick and Aly in Keep Your Enemies Close… – oh my goodness, they are on fire, and the sparks flying off of these two could start a bonfire!
In a lot of ways, it’s a bit difficult to talk much about the dynamics between this couple without giving away information from the entire series, and even though this is the conclusion to the series, well, there are those folks who haven’t read the earlier books yet. So. We finally get to understand just what caused Merrick’s animosity toward Alyson throughout the series. It all makes sense, plus we get to see how promises of the past have shaped Merrick into the man he is today – a guardian of the men who all are as close as brothers to him. Merrick is an amazing man, but still, there were times when I needed to tell him to get over himself. Stubborn is also one of his major points of view; there is Merrick’s way, or there is no way, pretty much describes him. I enjoyed watching this man fall as hard as he did. Everyone deserves love and happiness, and Merrick is no exception to that rule. But did he ever fight his way to that realization?!
I was so glad to get Aly’s side of what she’s been experiencing throughout this series. Her attraction to Merrick is obvious, and it never really lessens, even when he is so distant toward her. I especially loved the detective work she and Merrick were doing to find the answers that they so desperately needed. Together, they are a compelling, sexy couple, and I simply adored them in so many ways.
All the loose ends are neatly tied up. That second romance that’s been running in the background of the series gets a very well-deserved happy ending. And the other mysteries have a satisfying explanation, somewhat sad, maybe, but it all makes sense. That’s what I want most from the concluding story in any series: for those tiny details to be brought to their end, for the strings to finally make sense for the characters… all that and more was my reward in Keep Your Enemies Close…
If you love a well-written, thoughtful, emotional, and steamy romance with characters who will keep you on your toes and a romance to swoon for – then you’re going to love this one.
I own a Kindle edition of this title.
August 29, 2023
I enjoyed this final (sob) book in the Calcott Manor series. Many of the story threads were developed and resolved by book 3, but not that of Aly a lawyer who has been a (often miss-trusted) presence since the start of the series but now takes centre stage as the heroine opposite Merrick (the 4th of the brothers and a man who does not trust easily or put his trust in people. Merrick is a Food Truck Entrepreneur and sees himself as the family protector. Thus, he is very distrustful of Aly who has come into the family after receiving the dead brother, Malcolm’s, liver and believing she has inherited some of Malcolm’s traits.
This book works hard and succeeds in giving Aly her own credible personality (I personally found the whole transplant/inherited trait storyline not credible) and gives us a heartfelt and emotional romance which centres the book. The characters put each other and themselves through the wringer before finding their HEA and tidying up the end of the other storyline’s (OWYM romance of Merrick’s Mum and the love of Avangeline’s (family matriarch) life.
This series has been packed with content alongside the usual high quality romances which Ms Wood’s gives us: between emotionally mature characters who are likeable and conduct themselves in a modern way. Some of the content has been a bit incongruous (sex club activity by the parents?) but most of it has been fun, full of mystery and has offered a complete fictional setting which it has been a pleasure to immerse myself in. This imprint often does books which are linked by theme, family, setting etc and this author has done linked family books before, but this has been by far the most successful I have read of any from this imprint. It has had solid storylines running through the entire set which has heft and interest of their own. In the end I will probably remember them more for the linked stories than the individual romances… I’ve loved my ‘stays’ in the Calcott Manor world. This series has been something genuinely different and such fun.
I read an advance copy of this book.
This book works hard and succeeds in giving Aly her own credible personality (I personally found the whole transplant/inherited trait storyline not credible) and gives us a heartfelt and emotional romance which centres the book. The characters put each other and themselves through the wringer before finding their HEA and tidying up the end of the other storyline’s (OWYM romance of Merrick’s Mum and the love of Avangeline’s (family matriarch) life.
This series has been packed with content alongside the usual high quality romances which Ms Wood’s gives us: between emotionally mature characters who are likeable and conduct themselves in a modern way. Some of the content has been a bit incongruous (sex club activity by the parents?) but most of it has been fun, full of mystery and has offered a complete fictional setting which it has been a pleasure to immerse myself in. This imprint often does books which are linked by theme, family, setting etc and this author has done linked family books before, but this has been by far the most successful I have read of any from this imprint. It has had solid storylines running through the entire set which has heft and interest of their own. In the end I will probably remember them more for the linked stories than the individual romances… I’ve loved my ‘stays’ in the Calcott Manor world. This series has been something genuinely different and such fun.
I read an advance copy of this book.
August 22, 2023
Enemies becoming lovers in the exciting conclusion Calcott Manor series from Joss Wood. I enjoyed this book, but in the end of the series it was for me a bit too obvious I missed the first two books in the series, so that’s why I enjoyed the read, was immerged in it, but I had a little trouble loving it the way I loved Trouble with Little Secrets.
Merrick wants her as he’s never wanted anyone…but he’s certain she can’t be trusted.
Merrick Knowles and Aly Garwood hate each other…and crave each other. Before they knew one another’s identities, they had a scorching one-night stand. But Merrick, the Grantham family’s protector, becomes suspicious of Aly’s true intentions when he discovers her living at the family estate.
Aly has a complicated connection to the Granthams—and she senses there’s some unfinished business at Calcott Manor. Merrick agrees to help, if only to hasten her departure. As their antagonism becomes passion and family secrets are revealed, Merrick must trust her or risk losing everything…
Merrick wants her as he’s never wanted anyone…but he’s certain she can’t be trusted.
Merrick Knowles and Aly Garwood hate each other…and crave each other. Before they knew one another’s identities, they had a scorching one-night stand. But Merrick, the Grantham family’s protector, becomes suspicious of Aly’s true intentions when he discovers her living at the family estate.
Aly has a complicated connection to the Granthams—and she senses there’s some unfinished business at Calcott Manor. Merrick agrees to help, if only to hasten her departure. As their antagonism becomes passion and family secrets are revealed, Merrick must trust her or risk losing everything…
July 1, 2023
What a fantastic ending for this series! I have enjoyed every book! Last but not least is Merrick. He is Jace's son that was raised as one of the Grantham boys. He wss their self appointed protector.
Aly who has been staying at the manor is still suspect in his eyes. They decide to team up to figure out what happened to the boys parents in the plane crash.
As the story unfolds you find out stuff you didn't know.
Can Merrick and Aly become more than friends.
Will he realize not everyone leaves him? Will they find out what happened to cause the crash?
An all together wonderful series of books!
Aly who has been staying at the manor is still suspect in his eyes. They decide to team up to figure out what happened to the boys parents in the plane crash.
As the story unfolds you find out stuff you didn't know.
Can Merrick and Aly become more than friends.
Will he realize not everyone leaves him? Will they find out what happened to cause the crash?
An all together wonderful series of books!
August 21, 2023
Heartfelt connections and an emotional conclusion! The final book in Joss Wood's Dyanasties: Calcott Manor series is filled with sexual tension between former one night stands turned enemies Merrick and Alyson as secrets are unraveled and lives are forever changed. I really enjoyed this book and the series as a whole. So many revelations come to light in this book!
I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone that enjoys a tight knit family who has each other's backs no matter what as each sibling falls for their forever love and tries to keep the family on the straight and narrow.
I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone that enjoys a tight knit family who has each other's backs no matter what as each sibling falls for their forever love and tries to keep the family on the straight and narrow.
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August 2, 2023Sagas, Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Women's Fiction
Miniseries
Dynasties: Calcott Manor (Book #4)
Miniseries
Dynasties: Calcott Manor (Book #4)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews