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| Author: Jude Deveraux
Publisher: Atria
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $8.40
You Save: $17.55 (68%)
New (45) Used (15) from $8.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 12268
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0743437187
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780743437189
ASIN: 0743437187
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New!!! bce
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| Customer Reviews:
It's no secret; this book is not up to Deveraux standards June 22, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Like many of the other reviewers, I have read every Jude Deveraux book published. I've read many of them multiple times but this will not be one of them. Once was more than enough. It all had the elements of an interesting read but they didn't come together into a satisfying story, much less a satisfying romance. The biggest secret is why her editor didn't send the manuscript back with orders to keep working until she got it right.
Bottom line: if you are a Jude Deveraux fan and simply *must* read this book, get it from the library. Better yet, skip this book and instead go back and re-read your favorite of her earlier books. You'll be much happier.
A big part of the problem was that the book didn't make me feel the emotions brewing between Cassie and Jeff. The words said what they felt but didn't *convey* what they felt. And Cassie and Jeff's interactions through most of the book were stilted or limited so when the time came for them to discuss their feelings, it felt fake. I appreciate what one of the reviewers said about this book being appropriate for a teen to read, but even without explicit sex scenes there should have been a little sizzle -- at least some smoldering glances. Deveraux is so good at writing romance, I don't know how she could have missed the mark so far in this book.
Another thing missing is a hero and heroine you can really pull for. Cassie is a doormat for most of the book. Yes, some of Deveraux's best books have had heroines who started out being doormats. But those women had something inside them that made you want them to break out of their shells and grab happiness. Cassie is just boring. And Jeff is more of a background shadow than a hero. Nothing in the book made me understand why Cassie got such a crush on him when she was 12 or why she still thought she loved him now that she's an adult. He's even more boring than Cassie. The most interesting character in the book is Althea Fairmont.
Perhaps all the extra goings on -- Althea Fairmont, Skyler, nearly everyone being a secret spy, Leo Norton, the secret meeting at the lake, the mystery weekend, etc. -- got in the way of writing a good romance. I hope Ms. Deveraux hasn't lost her touch because when she is on her game, she writes some of the best romances I've read.
 secrets June 20, 2008
jude deveraux has a way of making you really care about not only the lead characters but all of the supporting characters as well. i love all her books.
 Time To Start Listening toYour Readers, Jude!!!! June 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Ok, clearly her new style of writing does not work. Anyone who knows this author, generally enjoys her for her fine story telling which seems to have been absent in the last 10 books.
If I wanted to read a book about the CIA and spies, I'll go to that section of the library.
I'm done with you Jude. I'll waste no more of my time hoping for a comeback.
Where to Start June 18, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've read every Deveraux book written. And I probably won't stop because apparently I'm a glutton for punishment, but save your money and check this one out of the library. This story's plot line(s) were abstract or undeveloped, yet all tied up in a neat little rushed package within the last several pages, which is absurd. And I do not like doormat heroines, period. Cassie does not get any backbone until the last few chapters.
Two adults (who secretly are in love with each other) just cannot reside is the same house for over a year and not have their chemistry take over at some point. Maybe in Victorian times, but not in the 21st century. This unrequited love angle was boring and childish.
I had a hard time getting through this book. But then, I've had a hard time getting through JD's last 4 or 5 books, so no surprise there. I remember the time when Jude Deveraux and Johanna Lindsey absolutely ruled the genre. Now both of them bore me to tears. Maybe it's because I'm older and wiser, and the naivety of the young heroines they both write about make me want to slap them, not root for them.
Secrets June 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was disappointed with this novel. I don't feel it is up to par with her other novels. It started well but the end was really rushed and there was little to no romance. The main character promised romance but then proposed in the next breath; not what she deserved. I hope "Return to Summerhouse" is more enjoyable.
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