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Samantha Elliot hadn't wanted to come to New York. But her father's will made it clear that he'd wished her to spend a year in New York looking for her grandmother - a woman who had up and left her family when Samantha was only a baby. Dave Elliot had even sold their Louisville home and rented an apartment for her in Manhattan. So here she was, in this big, dirty city...her parents were dead, her divorce was final, and she was all alone...
Michael Taggert was Samantha's landlord, and it took only one glance for her to realize that he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. And he was charming - his zest for life was so contagious that in his presence Sam began to bloom like a flower after the rain. At his side, she discovered how perfectly delightful life could be. Yet Mike could only get so far with her - when he tried to get closer, it was like running headfirst into a brick wall.
Mike wasn't about to give up on a woman whose smiled hinted at all the love and exuberance she'd buried long ago. When he'd confessed that Dave Elliot had made him Samantha's guardian, she's been outraged; when he'd revealed her father's disturbing theory - that Samantha's grandmother had once been known as Maxie, moll to a vicious gangster - she'd responded with cold, disbelieving fury. But now they were working together, probing deep into the history of Anthony "Doc" Barrett - and coming closer to the dangerous truth about a bloody spring night in 1928, and what had become of a seductive blues singer named Maxie...
Michael Taggert was Samantha's landlord, and it took only one glance for her to realize that he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. And he was charming - his zest for life was so contagious that in his presence Sam began to bloom like a flower after the rain. At his side, she discovered how perfectly delightful life could be. Yet Mike could only get so far with her - when he tried to get closer, it was like running headfirst into a brick wall.
Mike wasn't about to give up on a woman whose smiled hinted at all the love and exuberance she'd buried long ago. When he'd confessed that Dave Elliot had made him Samantha's guardian, she's been outraged; when he'd revealed her father's disturbing theory - that Samantha's grandmother had once been known as Maxie, moll to a vicious gangster - she'd responded with cold, disbelieving fury. But now they were working together, probing deep into the history of Anthony "Doc" Barrett - and coming closer to the dangerous truth about a bloody spring night in 1928, and what had become of a seductive blues singer named Maxie...
378 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1992
466 people are currently reading
2669 people want to read
About the author
Jude Deveraux
204 books7,005 followersJude Gilliam was born September 20, 1947 in Fairdale, Kentucky. She has a large extended family and is the elder sister of four brothers. She attended Murray State University and received a degree in Art. In 1967, Jude married and took her husband's surname of White, but four years later they divorced. For years, she worked as 5th-grade teacher.
She began writing in 1976, and published her first book, The Enchanted Land (1977) under the name Jude Deveraux. Following the publication of her first novel, she resigned her teaching position. Now, she is the author of 31 New York Times bestsellers.
Jude won readers' hearts with the epic Velvet series, which revolves around the lives of the Montgomery family's irresistible men. Jude's early books are set largely in 15th- and 16th-century England; in them her fierce, impassioned protagonists find themselves in the midst of blood feuds and wars. Her heroines are equally scrappy -- medieval Scarlett O'Haras who often have a low regard for the men who eventually win them over. They're fighters, certainly, but they're also beauties who are preoccupied with survival and family preservation.
Jude has also stepped outside her milieu, with mixed results. Her James River trilogy (River Lady, Lost Lady, and Counterfeit Lady) is set mostly in post-Revolution America; the popular, softer-edged Twin of Fire/Twin of Ice moves to 19th-century Colorado and introduces another hunky-man clan, the Taggerts.
Deveraux manages to evoke a strong and convincing atmosphere for each of her books, but her dialogue and characters are as familiar as a modern-day soap opera's. "Historicals seem to be all I'm capable of," Jude once said in an interview, referring to a now out-of-print attempt at contemporary fiction, 1982's Casa Grande. "I don't want to write family sagas or occult books, and I have no intention of again trying to ruin the contemporary market." Still, Jude did later attempt modern-day romances, such as the lighthearted High Tide (her first murder caper), the contemporary female friendship story The Summerhouse, and the time-traveling Knight in Shining Armor. In fact, with 2002's The Mulberry Tree, Deveraux seems to be getting more comfortable setting stories in the present, which is a good thing, since the fans she won with her historical books are eager to follow her into the future.
Jude married Claude White, who she later divorced in 1993. Around the same time she met Mohammed Montassir with whom she had a son, Sam Alexander Montassir, in 1997. On Oct. 6th, 2005, Sam died at the age of eight in a motorcycle accident.
Jude has lived in several countries and all over the United States. She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and has an additional home in the medieval city of Badolato, Italy.
She began writing in 1976, and published her first book, The Enchanted Land (1977) under the name Jude Deveraux. Following the publication of her first novel, she resigned her teaching position. Now, she is the author of 31 New York Times bestsellers.
Jude won readers' hearts with the epic Velvet series, which revolves around the lives of the Montgomery family's irresistible men. Jude's early books are set largely in 15th- and 16th-century England; in them her fierce, impassioned protagonists find themselves in the midst of blood feuds and wars. Her heroines are equally scrappy -- medieval Scarlett O'Haras who often have a low regard for the men who eventually win them over. They're fighters, certainly, but they're also beauties who are preoccupied with survival and family preservation.
Jude has also stepped outside her milieu, with mixed results. Her James River trilogy (River Lady, Lost Lady, and Counterfeit Lady) is set mostly in post-Revolution America; the popular, softer-edged Twin of Fire/Twin of Ice moves to 19th-century Colorado and introduces another hunky-man clan, the Taggerts.
Deveraux manages to evoke a strong and convincing atmosphere for each of her books, but her dialogue and characters are as familiar as a modern-day soap opera's. "Historicals seem to be all I'm capable of," Jude once said in an interview, referring to a now out-of-print attempt at contemporary fiction, 1982's Casa Grande. "I don't want to write family sagas or occult books, and I have no intention of again trying to ruin the contemporary market." Still, Jude did later attempt modern-day romances, such as the lighthearted High Tide (her first murder caper), the contemporary female friendship story The Summerhouse, and the time-traveling Knight in Shining Armor. In fact, with 2002's The Mulberry Tree, Deveraux seems to be getting more comfortable setting stories in the present, which is a good thing, since the fans she won with her historical books are eager to follow her into the future.
Jude married Claude White, who she later divorced in 1993. Around the same time she met Mohammed Montassir with whom she had a son, Sam Alexander Montassir, in 1997. On Oct. 6th, 2005, Sam died at the age of eight in a motorcycle accident.
Jude has lived in several countries and all over the United States. She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and has an additional home in the medieval city of Badolato, Italy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 317 reviews
October 21, 2011
Pros:
Hero is a sweetheart.
His family seems nice.
The search for the truth about the grandmother was interesting.
The references to computers were so out of date they were sometimes really funny.
Cons:
Heroine is a total headcase. The biggest headcase I have ever seen. Not in a way that seems genuine and makes me feel for her, just in an annoying way. For example, even though this is set in 1991 (when I myself was a couple years younger than what the heroine is aged), and even though she's from a city, she's so intimidated by New York that she basically becomes an unwashed shut-in. For weeks and/or months. Her behaviour is so odd that multiple people in the book (at different times) suspect she must have been molested by her father (she wasn't). Between her assorted overreactions, I can't decide if the main problem is that she acts way older than her age (by about 60 years) or it's that she acts way younger than her age (by about a dozen years). Either way, she comes across as completely inauthentic. Actually, there's more than a whiff of Mary-Sue about her, as she miraculously starts coming out of her shell and impressing all the New Yorkers/Taggerts with her haggling skills, her ability to fight publicly with taxi drivers, and her ability to tame wild 4-year-old twin boys.
And that brings me to another nauseating aspect of this book - there are scads and scads of gorgeous men. Ordinarily, this wouldn't necessarily bother me. However, they're so uniformly gorgeous and rich, they seem to have no purpose other than to worship/admire the heroine and be handsome and rich, and their only notable personality characteristic is that they put up with crap from the headcase and spend money. Which brings me to the next point.
There is a freakish obsession with money and shopping in this book. Freakish. It's over the top and disturbing. Possibly if I'd read this book in 1991 it wouldn't have bothered me, but it was one of the most annoying parts - constant references to designer clothes and jewellery, and luxury cars, and private jets, and everybody having tens of millions of dollars. It was seriously gross.
The grandmother is actually identified part way through the book. Do they ever really ask her to tell what happened? Does she ever offer? No. Instead they proceed with the most expensive, insane and illegal way of sorting things out that they could come up with. Which leads to the next thing I did not enjoy about this book:
The hero and heroine are TSTL. Sure, not psycho at all.
So, naturally the book ends with babies. And, of course, more wealth. And shopping. Blech.
Hero is a sweetheart.
His family seems nice.
The search for the truth about the grandmother was interesting.
The references to computers were so out of date they were sometimes really funny.
Cons:
Heroine is a total headcase. The biggest headcase I have ever seen. Not in a way that seems genuine and makes me feel for her, just in an annoying way. For example, even though this is set in 1991 (when I myself was a couple years younger than what the heroine is aged), and even though she's from a city, she's so intimidated by New York that she basically becomes an unwashed shut-in. For weeks and/or months. Her behaviour is so odd that multiple people in the book (at different times) suspect she must have been molested by her father (she wasn't). Between her assorted overreactions, I can't decide if the main problem is that she acts way older than her age (by about 60 years) or it's that she acts way younger than her age (by about a dozen years). Either way, she comes across as completely inauthentic. Actually, there's more than a whiff of Mary-Sue about her, as she miraculously starts coming out of her shell and impressing all the New Yorkers/Taggerts with her haggling skills, her ability to fight publicly with taxi drivers, and her ability to tame wild 4-year-old twin boys.
And that brings me to another nauseating aspect of this book - there are scads and scads of gorgeous men. Ordinarily, this wouldn't necessarily bother me. However, they're so uniformly gorgeous and rich, they seem to have no purpose other than to worship/admire the heroine and be handsome and rich, and their only notable personality characteristic is that they put up with crap from the headcase and spend money. Which brings me to the next point.
There is a freakish obsession with money and shopping in this book. Freakish. It's over the top and disturbing. Possibly if I'd read this book in 1991 it wouldn't have bothered me, but it was one of the most annoying parts - constant references to designer clothes and jewellery, and luxury cars, and private jets, and everybody having tens of millions of dollars. It was seriously gross.
The grandmother is actually identified part way through the book. Do they ever really ask her to tell what happened? Does she ever offer? No. Instead they proceed with the most expensive, insane and illegal way of sorting things out that they could come up with. Which leads to the next thing I did not enjoy about this book:
The hero and heroine are TSTL. Sure, not psycho at all.
So, naturally the book ends with babies. And, of course, more wealth. And shopping. Blech.
August 25, 2015
Genre: CR
Sensuality: PG
I first read this over 20 yrs ago and have been putting off this re-read for a very, very long time. I would have put this off forever but I recently read a new NA that was obviously a nod to Jude and the trope that she popularized, if not invented, in this bk. The "if you are an identical twin, you marry the One who can tell you apart from your twin" trope. Yay, Jude! You may be batshitcray but your legacy lingers on. :-)
Anyhoo, back to the bk . . . . I used to be a big Jude fan (before the BSC, obviously) and of the about 25 JD bks I read, Sweet Liar was the only one I had little recollection of, other than it's set in NYC and had LOTS of shopping. It took about 70 pages to get into the story and yeah, the reasons why it didn't work much for me are still the same.
Sweet Liar was originally a HC release and back in 1992, it was generally understood that you can't release a pure romance bk in HC. So, SL is half romance and half mystery with the mystery taking over by the last quarter of the bk. If I wanted to read mystery, I would read a mystery thriller. There is a reason I dont: I. Hate. Mysteries.
As for the romance part, it wasn't that good. The H is like one of those perfect males who falls instantly in love with the h. The h is a pill and in a less generous mood, one wonders what he sees in her. And the smexy times was a lot less sexier than I remembered; either wham bam or fade to black.
For long time fans like myself, the easter eggs are nice. The youngest child of the H&h in The Princess makes an appearance. Later, there is a female doctor with the same name and occupation as the h in Twin of Fire. Also making an appearance is the h from the classic A Knight in Shining Armor.
Sensuality: PG
I first read this over 20 yrs ago and have been putting off this re-read for a very, very long time. I would have put this off forever but I recently read a new NA that was obviously a nod to Jude and the trope that she popularized, if not invented, in this bk. The "if you are an identical twin, you marry the One who can tell you apart from your twin" trope. Yay, Jude! You may be batshitcray but your legacy lingers on. :-)
Anyhoo, back to the bk . . . . I used to be a big Jude fan (before the BSC, obviously) and of the about 25 JD bks I read, Sweet Liar was the only one I had little recollection of, other than it's set in NYC and had LOTS of shopping. It took about 70 pages to get into the story and yeah, the reasons why it didn't work much for me are still the same.
Sweet Liar was originally a HC release and back in 1992, it was generally understood that you can't release a pure romance bk in HC. So, SL is half romance and half mystery with the mystery taking over by the last quarter of the bk. If I wanted to read mystery, I would read a mystery thriller. There is a reason I dont: I. Hate. Mysteries.
As for the romance part, it wasn't that good. The H is like one of those perfect males who falls instantly in love with the h. The h is a pill and in a less generous mood, one wonders what he sees in her. And the smexy times was a lot less sexier than I remembered; either wham bam or fade to black.
For long time fans like myself, the easter eggs are nice. The youngest child of the H&h in The Princess makes an appearance. Later, there is a female doctor with the same name and occupation as the h in Twin of Fire. Also making an appearance is the h from the classic A Knight in Shining Armor.
April 27, 2025
Not exactly a 4 stars read. more like a 3.5 stars.
Read
December 21, 2023This book is quite dated. MMC pushing his unwanted attention on the FMC. We call it sexual harassment now. I gave up after the first few chapters.
April 13, 2009
I am going to write the same thing for the Taggart and Montgomery series of Jude Deveraux. First, I can't believe that I read this books because they are so blatantly bodice rippers (not my style at all). And second, and more importantly, I devoured them all! Here is the scoop: We stopped at a friend's house in Tennessee on the last leg of one of our cross country trips about 11 years ago and I had run out of books. She gave me three of Deveraux's books in the Montgomery series and I kindly took them never expecting to read them (my God the covers alone were ridiculous!). Well, I gave in and read them because I needed something to do on the ride home. By the time we got home, I had already called the library and asked them to reserve all of the Taggart and Montgomery series books they had! I devoured them all and loved them? Here's the funny thing - I have never read any more Deveraux since that time (not even the last Taggart book or the last two Montgomery books). I can still vividly remember scenes from the books I read so many years ago!
May 19, 2022
3.5
This book was...ok...at times nice, at times a little bit boring. Half of the book passes with interaction between only 2 characters so it became exhausting at one time. The plot could've been a bit thin and more dynamic. The book seemed too long and dragged.
The plot, I'm afraid, feels contrived and weak at times, but it's always the same with this type of stories, which are first of all - love stories so the romance angle between the characters comes in the first place.
I couldn't stand the main heroine at the beginning - so whiny. I remember reading ''A knight in shining armor'' by Jude Deveraux and the main heroine was also the worst. I don't like how she writes her female characters. However, I like the prose and the writing of Mrs. Deveraux which captured me in some chapters.
I wouldn't recommend this book to people that don't read romance. Despite the ''suspense element'' this is mainly a love story and a romance novel.
This book was...ok...at times nice, at times a little bit boring. Half of the book passes with interaction between only 2 characters so it became exhausting at one time. The plot could've been a bit thin and more dynamic. The book seemed too long and dragged.
The plot, I'm afraid, feels contrived and weak at times, but it's always the same with this type of stories, which are first of all - love stories so the romance angle between the characters comes in the first place.
I couldn't stand the main heroine at the beginning - so whiny. I remember reading ''A knight in shining armor'' by Jude Deveraux and the main heroine was also the worst. I don't like how she writes her female characters. However, I like the prose and the writing of Mrs. Deveraux which captured me in some chapters.
I wouldn't recommend this book to people that don't read romance. Despite the ''suspense element'' this is mainly a love story and a romance novel.
June 30, 2016
It was just "ok"! The main character, Samantha, was a bit whiney. Mike however was way too patient with all her shenanigans.
April 20, 2020
Because in quarantine I apparently re-read some of the first romance novels I ever read.
April 10, 2015
All I could think while reading this one was, I'd rather be re-reading "The Matchmakers" -- for the record, that is the story of Mike's brother Kane and his wife-to-be, Cale. I've probably re-read it about five times now and I've always thought it could have been longer. Any time I'd read it, I found myself curious about Kane's brother Mike and his wife, Sam, and think Hm, I should really check out their story sometime. Unfortunately, I find myself thinking this should have been the short story and that one should have been extended.
Let's ignore all the issues I have with Jude Deveraux's weird "Marry the one who can tell the twins apart" thing. Let's also ignore the fact that I do not care how many sets of twins you have in your family, a male twin will never have anything to do with whether or not the woman has twins because the woman with the eggs determines how many children are carried, while the man's sperm determines gender, so Kane's having them is a pretty major coincidence. Personally, I am an identical twin and in my entire life, my sister and I have never once had a clone/psychic bond thing. I can't discount that for other sets of twins, but I find it hard to believe in it myself and if you're not a twin and you're insisting that it happens, I'm going to give you the Side Eye. So from my own perspective, I have to conclude that Jude Deveraux clearly doesn't know how twins work. Fine. (A lot of authors don't, let's be honest.) Let's discount all that and move on to the story itself.
I'm sorry, I was bored for about 60% of the story. Mike came off as a little bit rapey and, creeped out, Sam would threaten to leave every ten pages or so, but would never actually do anything about it. Hey, if you're living with a guy you feel is capable of rape, I am all about you moving out. But don't threaten it every five seconds and then not do it. It just makes you look immature and sends the potential rapist mixed signals. Mike, who we are lead to believe is not a rapist (but reveals at one "desperate" point that he's having rapey thoughts), gets upset because he's constantly being accused of being one and Sam is painted to be a prude and it's all very 90s rape-culture. I guess I was supposed to feel the sexual tension between the two of them, but honestly, even when they were both saying they wanted each other, I just didn't feel it. I'm usually reluctant to address chemistry between book characters because I feel it's subjective, but I just didn't feel it here. Once they started sleeping together, the book picked up (which is backwards because it's usually then I start looking for something else to read). There's a loooooong sub-plot involving Sam's grandmother, who may or may not have been a gangster's moll and a really elaborately weird denouement that does not stand up to close examination, as to reasoning or execution.
Basically, I kept wondering where my copy of "The Invitation" is. Maybe I wouldn't have liked that one as much if it had been longer, but I definitely did not care for this one not being shorter.
Let's ignore all the issues I have with Jude Deveraux's weird "Marry the one who can tell the twins apart" thing. Let's also ignore the fact that I do not care how many sets of twins you have in your family, a male twin will never have anything to do with whether or not the woman has twins because the woman with the eggs determines how many children are carried, while the man's sperm determines gender, so Kane's having them is a pretty major coincidence. Personally, I am an identical twin and in my entire life, my sister and I have never once had a clone/psychic bond thing. I can't discount that for other sets of twins, but I find it hard to believe in it myself and if you're not a twin and you're insisting that it happens, I'm going to give you the Side Eye. So from my own perspective, I have to conclude that Jude Deveraux clearly doesn't know how twins work. Fine. (A lot of authors don't, let's be honest.) Let's discount all that and move on to the story itself.
I'm sorry, I was bored for about 60% of the story. Mike came off as a little bit rapey and, creeped out, Sam would threaten to leave every ten pages or so, but would never actually do anything about it. Hey, if you're living with a guy you feel is capable of rape, I am all about you moving out. But don't threaten it every five seconds and then not do it. It just makes you look immature and sends the potential rapist mixed signals. Mike, who we are lead to believe is not a rapist (but reveals at one "desperate" point that he's having rapey thoughts), gets upset because he's constantly being accused of being one and Sam is painted to be a prude and it's all very 90s rape-culture. I guess I was supposed to feel the sexual tension between the two of them, but honestly, even when they were both saying they wanted each other, I just didn't feel it. I'm usually reluctant to address chemistry between book characters because I feel it's subjective, but I just didn't feel it here. Once they started sleeping together, the book picked up (which is backwards because it's usually then I start looking for something else to read). There's a loooooong sub-plot involving Sam's grandmother, who may or may not have been a gangster's moll and a really elaborately weird denouement that does not stand up to close examination, as to reasoning or execution.
Basically, I kept wondering where my copy of "The Invitation" is. Maybe I wouldn't have liked that one as much if it had been longer, but I definitely did not care for this one not being shorter.
February 13, 2009
Okay, I will start by saying that I am tired of evading the fact in coversations that I will occasionally pick up a romance novel. "Hello, my name is Laura, and I read romance novels." I call it my brain candy, because they are great stories with snappy plots, and strong women (at least the ones I read). This is one of those books on my shelf that is an old friend, one I turn to when I want some thing comforting to read. I love Jude Deveraux's earlier works (everything before Remembrance; don't know what happened after that... did she get someone to start writing under her name????) and this is one of the first "modern" time books I read of hers. It has great character development, rich details and a plot that reaches out and slaps you in the face. LOVE IT!
June 25, 2022
En los noventa, compré esta novela en inglés y luego en español, sin acordarme de que ya la había leído. Se ve que no me dejó demasiada huella. Porque sí, yo tuve una fase Jude Deveraux, y me leí unos cuantos libros suyos. Cuando la releí en 2019, para comentarla en mi blog, me horroricé. ¿Pero cómo pude leer este libro… dos veces… en dos idiomas diferentes?
Por un testamento loco de esos de Romancelandia, Samantha Elliot tiene que irse a vivir a Nueva York. Michael Taggert, su casero, se queda colgado de ella. Michael despliega espectacularmente todos los comportamientos del «héroe» old skool. Coacción, violencia e intimidación a raudales.
Estoy muy mayor para encontrar románticos a los machos alfa que se imponen a la fuerza y las heroínas que no dan trabajo a la neurona, no vaya a ser que se les chafe el peinado.
Por un testamento loco de esos de Romancelandia, Samantha Elliot tiene que irse a vivir a Nueva York. Michael Taggert, su casero, se queda colgado de ella. Michael despliega espectacularmente todos los comportamientos del «héroe» old skool. Coacción, violencia e intimidación a raudales.
Estoy muy mayor para encontrar románticos a los machos alfa que se imponen a la fuerza y las heroínas que no dan trabajo a la neurona, no vaya a ser que se les chafe el peinado.
February 27, 2010
To be completely honest, romance novels are my thing. I've read a fair few Deveraux books, and until this one, Legend was my favorite. The only reason I had this book in the first place, was because my mother had it given to get, and she absolutely abhors ANY books about love. (I think I've been give close to 100 from her just because of the genre, lol.) Anyway, I loved the way the book flowed from beginning to end, the strength of the characters, and the fact that "love" was just PART of the focus, and not the WHOLE focus. I enjoyed the way the characters pieced together Sam's Grandmother's disappearance. The character's family ties were depicted nicely as well. The bonds between the individual characters, even the ones that did not play prominent parts in the plot structure, were noticeable, and that made it easy to relate. For me, this book was a 1-day read, as I could not pull my eyes from the pages, and even now, this is my first choice for a "fall-back" book. So far, every Deveraux book that I have read has pulled me the same way, and that is a very difficult thing to do in my case.
Avid reader that I am; it shames me to admit that this is the only one in the series that I have read. Most of her older books are really hard to come by unless you use the internet, and I don't like to when it comes to purchasing items.
However, if ever I gain the chance, I certainly will purchase the rest. If they are anywhere near as good as this one, my reader's heart will be in heaven.
Avid reader that I am; it shames me to admit that this is the only one in the series that I have read. Most of her older books are really hard to come by unless you use the internet, and I don't like to when it comes to purchasing items.
However, if ever I gain the chance, I certainly will purchase the rest. If they are anywhere near as good as this one, my reader's heart will be in heaven.
June 19, 2012
I dearly loved this book and could barely put it down! First off, we have an interested contemporary romance and our heroine is far from ordinary. Second of all, we have a puzzle. Samantha has been instructed by her father's will to look for his mother. Her grandmother was the mistress of a Gangster in 1928 and suvived and disappeared from a mob hit on a speakeasy. Putting together what happened that night, talking to any survivors still alive, and trying to find her grandmother or what happened to her takes up alot of the story. Very good.
Note: Kane Taggert is the twin of Michael Taggert in this book, in 1991. So this isn't the same Kane Taggert from Twin of Ice as that took place around 1885 or so. However, both Taggerts are from Chandler, Colorado, so one must be a descendant of the other.
Note: Kane Taggert is the twin of Michael Taggert in this book, in 1991. So this isn't the same Kane Taggert from Twin of Ice as that took place around 1885 or so. However, both Taggerts are from Chandler, Colorado, so one must be a descendant of the other.
May 27, 2009
I liked this for the very reason that other readers appear to dislike it - the search for information about why Samantha's grandmother suddenly disappeared from her family, and what really happened to her. I liked Mike and the way he sort of shocked Sam back to wanting to live. Their love story was sweet, but not really the heart of the story. If I were rating this simply as a romance, it would be a weak 3*, but I liked the rest of the story.
July 28, 2022
This novel is # 20 in the Montgomery/ Taggert series. The H is Michael Taggert (twin Kane (Matchmaker novella#21)parents Ian and Pat Taggert from Chandler Colorado. Grandparents Kane and Houston Chandler. Pat and Ian have 11 children. Frank eldest on the way to being a billionaire , Blair doctor, Daphne interior designer, cousin Princess Victoria ( parents Mike Montgomery and Princess Aria of Lanconia ) Raine Montgomery cousin all in the book.
h is Samantha Elliott an orphan and divorcée from Sante Fe New Mexico. She is a wiz with computers and moves to New York for a year and is living in the apartment her dad asked her to live in. Her landlord is Michael Taggert.
Mike bio:
Good looking and built like Arnold Swartzenager. A ladies man. Inherited 10 million when 21. Has tripled his inheritance. Is writing a biography about Doc a gangster in the 20’s. His Uncle Mike was Michael Ransome and a good friend of Franks. Michael was in love with Maxie a blues singer and Mistress of Doc the gangster. Maxie was 3 months pregnant and going to run away with Michael one evening in 1928. Doc locked her in a room with him. He had men shot all the people in the club. Michael was gunned down and left for dead but was alive. They saved his life in hospital. Frank Taggert hade him moved to Chandler Colorado and took care of him. Her was adopted into the Taggert family.
Samantha’s Bio:
Sam was the daughter of Dave and Ashley Elliott. She lived in Louisville Kentucky with her parents and grandparents. In 1964 her grandmother disappeared without a trace. Years later she found a postcard from her grandmother Maxie to her grandfather Cal saying she was safe. Her mother died when she was 12. Her father went into a deep depression and quit working for a few years until he had to go back as they were broke. She lived with hi takin care of him until he had her married off to an accountant. Sam worked at computer land and ended up being the breadwinner while her husband was writing the great American novel. Really he was sleeping around and pretending to write. She caught him cheating and divorced him. She found out her dad had cancer so she moved back to Louisville to take care of him. After he passed his Will said she had to move to NYC and move into an apartment that Michael Taggert owned. She was to stay there for a year and look for her grandmother. After. A year she would receive her inheritance.
h is Samantha Elliott an orphan and divorcée from Sante Fe New Mexico. She is a wiz with computers and moves to New York for a year and is living in the apartment her dad asked her to live in. Her landlord is Michael Taggert.
Mike bio:
Good looking and built like Arnold Swartzenager. A ladies man. Inherited 10 million when 21. Has tripled his inheritance. Is writing a biography about Doc a gangster in the 20’s. His Uncle Mike was Michael Ransome and a good friend of Franks. Michael was in love with Maxie a blues singer and Mistress of Doc the gangster. Maxie was 3 months pregnant and going to run away with Michael one evening in 1928. Doc locked her in a room with him. He had men shot all the people in the club. Michael was gunned down and left for dead but was alive. They saved his life in hospital. Frank Taggert hade him moved to Chandler Colorado and took care of him. Her was adopted into the Taggert family.
Samantha’s Bio:
Sam was the daughter of Dave and Ashley Elliott. She lived in Louisville Kentucky with her parents and grandparents. In 1964 her grandmother disappeared without a trace. Years later she found a postcard from her grandmother Maxie to her grandfather Cal saying she was safe. Her mother died when she was 12. Her father went into a deep depression and quit working for a few years until he had to go back as they were broke. She lived with hi takin care of him until he had her married off to an accountant. Sam worked at computer land and ended up being the breadwinner while her husband was writing the great American novel. Really he was sleeping around and pretending to write. She caught him cheating and divorced him. She found out her dad had cancer so she moved back to Louisville to take care of him. After he passed his Will said she had to move to NYC and move into an apartment that Michael Taggert owned. She was to stay there for a year and look for her grandmother. After. A year she would receive her inheritance.
October 19, 2025
Author: Jude Deveraux
Title: Sweet Liar
Series: Montgomery/Taggert: Publication order #18
Cover Rating:
Silver star
Book Rating:
5 star
About the Book:
Beloved bestselling author Jude Deveraux follows a savvy young woman into the intriguing heart of a past mystery—and into the arms of a once-in-a-lifetime love.It was her father's dying wish that Samantha Elliot search for her grandmother, who'd disappeared from Louisville when she was a baby. So here she was in New York City...her parents dead, her divorce final, and she was all alone.... Michael Taggert was Samantha’s landlord—and she was charmed by this handsome, life-loving man. Yet every time Mike tried to get closer to Samantha, he ran into a brick wall. Now, as he helps her unravel her grandmother’s past—and the dangerous truth about a fateful spring night in 1928 and a seductive jazz singer—Mike slowly reawakens the joy and affection Samantha had buried long ago…
My Thoughts:
I don't know how this book actually got in my pile of books that I bought when I got it, somehow it just ended up in my bag when I got home.
Sweet Liar is actually one of the best romantic books I've read. On a personal level, I know how loss can affect a person and how it can turn your world upside down and pull you away from everything you thought you once loved. I related so much to Samantha when I read this book because I had gone through my own loss at the same time. There I was reading this book with Mike Taggert drawing Samantha back out of her shell regardless of what she was suffering and helping her get through it. At the same time I was finding my heart healing on some level along with her.
Sweet Liar is a beautiful story with a little bit of a twist and a tad bit of mystery. This book is full of heart. I love it.
Disclaimer:
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews purchased a print copy for personal collection. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
Note:
If any of Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews has been helpful please stop by to like my post or leave a comment to let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
Title: Sweet Liar
Series: Montgomery/Taggert: Publication order #18
Cover Rating:
Silver star
Book Rating:
5 star
About the Book:
Beloved bestselling author Jude Deveraux follows a savvy young woman into the intriguing heart of a past mystery—and into the arms of a once-in-a-lifetime love.It was her father's dying wish that Samantha Elliot search for her grandmother, who'd disappeared from Louisville when she was a baby. So here she was in New York City...her parents dead, her divorce final, and she was all alone.... Michael Taggert was Samantha’s landlord—and she was charmed by this handsome, life-loving man. Yet every time Mike tried to get closer to Samantha, he ran into a brick wall. Now, as he helps her unravel her grandmother’s past—and the dangerous truth about a fateful spring night in 1928 and a seductive jazz singer—Mike slowly reawakens the joy and affection Samantha had buried long ago…
My Thoughts:
I don't know how this book actually got in my pile of books that I bought when I got it, somehow it just ended up in my bag when I got home.
Sweet Liar is actually one of the best romantic books I've read. On a personal level, I know how loss can affect a person and how it can turn your world upside down and pull you away from everything you thought you once loved. I related so much to Samantha when I read this book because I had gone through my own loss at the same time. There I was reading this book with Mike Taggert drawing Samantha back out of her shell regardless of what she was suffering and helping her get through it. At the same time I was finding my heart healing on some level along with her.
Sweet Liar is a beautiful story with a little bit of a twist and a tad bit of mystery. This book is full of heart. I love it.
Disclaimer:
Krissys Bookshelf Reviews purchased a print copy for personal collection. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
Note:
If any of Krissy's Bookshelf Reviews has been helpful please stop by to like my post or leave a comment to let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
May 19, 2010
I am so disappointed that I cannot give this book a higher rating, however, I think I am in the minority. Sweet Liar is written by the infamous Deveraux, received 4.5 stars on Amazon, and made the top 100 romance novels of all time on AAR. I had hoped for a slam dunk awesome book and am so sad to say that this book did not deliver.
In all fairness, this is the first Deveraux book I've ever read, so the Montgomeries and the Taggarts families meant nothing to me. This was not the only problem though.
Samantha just bothered me so much. She resisted Mike at every turn. Spent the first half of the book giving him green lights and then putting on the brakes making Mike feel like a criminal. Wasn't really interested in him..(ie. went on dates with his cousin, wasn't jealous of him when he went out on dates), spent most of the time depressed and irritatingly self absorbed.
Mike was like a big muscle head that I just never really got. I don't understand why he immediately and irreversibly loved Samantha. Lucky for her he did, but I just don't think it's realistic after how she treats him that he would keep coming for her like he did. His constant use of sexual innuendos bugged me and I never really liked either of them.
I need to read at least one more of her books before completely writing her off.....maybe A Knight In Shining Armor, although I think that's time travel as well, which was another reason I did not like this book. I hate all this negativity so I think I'll stop, but I cannot recommend this book.
In all fairness, this is the first Deveraux book I've ever read, so the Montgomeries and the Taggarts families meant nothing to me. This was not the only problem though.
Samantha just bothered me so much. She resisted Mike at every turn. Spent the first half of the book giving him green lights and then putting on the brakes making Mike feel like a criminal. Wasn't really interested in him..(ie. went on dates with his cousin, wasn't jealous of him when he went out on dates), spent most of the time depressed and irritatingly self absorbed.
Mike was like a big muscle head that I just never really got. I don't understand why he immediately and irreversibly loved Samantha. Lucky for her he did, but I just don't think it's realistic after how she treats him that he would keep coming for her like he did. His constant use of sexual innuendos bugged me and I never really liked either of them.
I need to read at least one more of her books before completely writing her off.....maybe A Knight In Shining Armor, although I think that's time travel as well, which was another reason I did not like this book. I hate all this negativity so I think I'll stop, but I cannot recommend this book.
June 28, 2012
I've read her books before, and liked them, this one however puts me off wanting to read any more of her books. I thought there was too much over-exaggeration - "Mike made a lunge for her, missed, then fell to the floor with a thud that made the house shake" - Really?? A 3 story house shakes when he falls?? Is the house made of twigs then? It's a pity because the idea behind the story is good, but the feeling I got while reading it was that it wasn't properly thought out, and it was written just for the sake of adding another book to the list, sort of like another notch on the bed-post. I found it to be soppy rather than romantic, and the characters at times come across as just plain stupid - like Sam not understanding how to use a revolving door, or some of the questions they ask each other. Also, is it really necessary for him to carry her everywhere? You'd swear she'll get the vapors if she has to take 5 steps! Definitely not a book I would recommend to anyone.
August 7, 2008
My favorite Jude Deveraux book ever. I have read it at least 15 times, whenever I am in the mood to read and don't have anything else. Good story, very much a fairytale.
September 3, 2018
Will forever be a five star book for me! It's comfort reading! I've read it like 8394738384 times.
September 15, 2023
I am giving this two starts as a sign of respect to my teenage self who read this and loved it, but to be honest, I think my sixteen year old self didn't have the best taste :/
I read this over twenty years ago and couldn't find it until I asked Goodreads (thank you for helping me find it!), and I am grateful I finally got to re read it, it was an easy book to read. HOWEVER.
The two main characters were insufferable for the majority of the plot, and the plot itself is bizarre ending in a climax that was so weirdly told, I have no idea how it all actually played out.
Samantha is the FMC and I did feel for her, she's been through a lot in twenty eight years, but for someone who is apparently a genius with computers (in 1991 no less), a well respected and sought after arobic instructor, a cook, a cleaner, a book keeper, and apparently also a high speed precision driver at one point, she is unbearably naive. At one point she can't even use a revolving door which made me roll my eyes. Samantha has to move to New York as per her fathers wishes in order to receive her inheritence, which will only be handed out once Micheal Taggart - her landord ofc - deems it appropriate after she has discovered what happened to her missing grandmother... ugh. The men in this book are awful. Which brings me to Michael.
This man is a massive, muscular, overbearing red flag with curly black hair. Mike and Sam kiss (and dry hump) the second they meet (not exaggerating), and immediately he seems to think they're destined or something and becomes so aggrevating when Samantha won't immediately hop into bed with him. At one point he even thinks to himself that he is just a few moments away from raping her because he wants her so much! And ofc he treats her like a child, spoils her like a child, and wants to marry and impregnate her, because apparently all the Taggart men impregnate every woman immediately. Then there's this whole thing with his twin brother who he is identical to, Michael 'tests' Sam by sending his brother to feel her up in front of his whole family! But that's fine that his brother is groping his girlfriend because she knew it wasn't Michael all along.
And the actual 'plot' of this book is so convoluted and strange, and ends with an old gangster being kidnapped so they can reenact something that happened in 1928 - even though they basically knew what happened when they started the reenactment, and it's framed as a flashback instead of this insane play so it reads weirdly.
Overall I'm glad I re read this book, and I realise some nuance might be missed as this is part of a massive series that I have no intention of reading, but I will probably never read this again.
I read this over twenty years ago and couldn't find it until I asked Goodreads (thank you for helping me find it!), and I am grateful I finally got to re read it, it was an easy book to read. HOWEVER.
The two main characters were insufferable for the majority of the plot, and the plot itself is bizarre ending in a climax that was so weirdly told, I have no idea how it all actually played out.
Samantha is the FMC and I did feel for her, she's been through a lot in twenty eight years, but for someone who is apparently a genius with computers (in 1991 no less), a well respected and sought after arobic instructor, a cook, a cleaner, a book keeper, and apparently also a high speed precision driver at one point, she is unbearably naive. At one point she can't even use a revolving door which made me roll my eyes. Samantha has to move to New York as per her fathers wishes in order to receive her inheritence, which will only be handed out once Micheal Taggart - her landord ofc - deems it appropriate after she has discovered what happened to her missing grandmother... ugh. The men in this book are awful. Which brings me to Michael.
This man is a massive, muscular, overbearing red flag with curly black hair. Mike and Sam kiss (and dry hump) the second they meet (not exaggerating), and immediately he seems to think they're destined or something and becomes so aggrevating when Samantha won't immediately hop into bed with him. At one point he even thinks to himself that he is just a few moments away from raping her because he wants her so much! And ofc he treats her like a child, spoils her like a child, and wants to marry and impregnate her, because apparently all the Taggart men impregnate every woman immediately. Then there's this whole thing with his twin brother who he is identical to, Michael 'tests' Sam by sending his brother to feel her up in front of his whole family! But that's fine that his brother is groping his girlfriend because she knew it wasn't Michael all along.
And the actual 'plot' of this book is so convoluted and strange, and ends with an old gangster being kidnapped so they can reenact something that happened in 1928 - even though they basically knew what happened when they started the reenactment, and it's framed as a flashback instead of this insane play so it reads weirdly.
Overall I'm glad I re read this book, and I realise some nuance might be missed as this is part of a massive series that I have no intention of reading, but I will probably never read this again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2020
Solid romance against a background of Manhattan in the '90s and gangster-run speakeasies of the '20s. (No time travel. Some participants of the latter are still alive.)
Classic romance. Boy meets girl. He loves her. She hates him. (Yeah, Jane A. wrote the prototype in 1812.) But done so well it doesn't seem one bit old. Deveraux is the only one who can pour two shots of romance into the shaker with a shot of mob violence and a strong heroine, shake well and have an intoxicating result. If you liked Met Her Match you'll love this one.
For me this was a definite 4.5 stars, finally decided on the lower option because I couldn't figure out how the title applied.
Classic romance. Boy meets girl. He loves her. She hates him. (Yeah, Jane A. wrote the prototype in 1812.) But done so well it doesn't seem one bit old. Deveraux is the only one who can pour two shots of romance into the shaker with a shot of mob violence and a strong heroine, shake well and have an intoxicating result. If you liked Met Her Match you'll love this one.
For me this was a definite 4.5 stars, finally decided on the lower option because I couldn't figure out how the title applied.
July 13, 2020
Read for #rippedbodicebingo Square HEA
Reread this after nearly 15-20 years maybe? One of the earliest romance books I ever laid hands on.
If you can overlook some of the more dated things and the somewhat era specific writing style and characterizations, this is actually a pretty cool read. The mystery, the sloooow development of the love story , were actually rather enjoyable.
Also,I had completely forgotten about JD's 'marry the one who can tell the twins apart' trope and omg the memories....lol
Reread this after nearly 15-20 years maybe? One of the earliest romance books I ever laid hands on.
If you can overlook some of the more dated things and the somewhat era specific writing style and characterizations, this is actually a pretty cool read. The mystery, the sloooow development of the love story , were actually rather enjoyable.
Also,I had completely forgotten about JD's 'marry the one who can tell the twins apart' trope and omg the memories....lol
January 12, 2022
I cannot get enough of the Taggerts and Montgomerys. There stories are told so well.
To be a Taggert, to have a twin, to be able to tell them apart...
To be a Taggert, to have a twin, to be able to tell them apart...
May 5, 2019
Bonita historia
Es una linda historia aunque Samantha no me llena del todo pero Mike si lo hizo de una manera especial
Es una linda historia aunque Samantha no me llena del todo pero Mike si lo hizo de una manera especial
May 8, 2024
This is a reread for me, but it has been many MANY moons since I last immersed myself in all things Montgomery/Taggert. And HOO-BOY do I like Mike and Sam and Mike's endless relatives that show up at unexpected moments. (No lie, the callbacks to other couples made me make heart eyes at the series as a whole and I'm pretty sure I'm rereading them all now.)
BUT FIRST, Mike and Sam. Mike is the easygoing one in this relationship. He likes women, he likes his friends. His family can be a nuisance, but they're always quick to have his back (and tell all about the fascinating young woman living in his townhouse to the out-of-town members of the clan) when he needs them. Sam is the opposite. She's had to hold herself so tightly through all the tragedies that have happened during her life that she doesn't know how to be Sam anymore. Being forced to search for a grandmother that disappeared when she was a baby is just another thing in a long list of things that have ground her down.
Sam and Mike are oil and water and it takes time and a little danger and a lot of frustration (on both their parts) before these two find their groove. Sam learns to live again and Mike comes to realize that Sam is the most important person in the world to him. His family (his huge, enormous, glorious family) adores Sam and folds her in with them from the start.
Danger, heartache, the twin test, mobsters, family, a man who will do anything for his lady, and a lady who finds herself after a lifetime of loss. MAN, I'm ready for the rest of the Montgomerys and Taggerts in all their wild glory!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
BUT FIRST, Mike and Sam. Mike is the easygoing one in this relationship. He likes women, he likes his friends. His family can be a nuisance, but they're always quick to have his back (and tell all about the fascinating young woman living in his townhouse to the out-of-town members of the clan) when he needs them. Sam is the opposite. She's had to hold herself so tightly through all the tragedies that have happened during her life that she doesn't know how to be Sam anymore. Being forced to search for a grandmother that disappeared when she was a baby is just another thing in a long list of things that have ground her down.
Sam and Mike are oil and water and it takes time and a little danger and a lot of frustration (on both their parts) before these two find their groove. Sam learns to live again and Mike comes to realize that Sam is the most important person in the world to him. His family (his huge, enormous, glorious family) adores Sam and folds her in with them from the start.
Danger, heartache, the twin test, mobsters, family, a man who will do anything for his lady, and a lady who finds herself after a lifetime of loss. MAN, I'm ready for the rest of the Montgomerys and Taggerts in all their wild glory!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
March 29, 2010
This was one of my favorite books in high school. I think it was one of the first romance novels and that's why I held it so dear. 'Cause other than that, it's not that great. The writing is okay and the story is very nineties but it's an okay book.
Samantha Elliot's father has just passed away. Her inheritance depends on her completing the task he has set out for her, finding her grandmother. She is given an apartment in the home of Michael Taggert, who is a certified hunk. At least in her estimation. He's got dark, curly hair and a body builder's physique. And when they meet, he hits on her hard. Now, Samantha's your typical romance heroine. Repressed, been burned by a cheating ex-husband, the whole nine yards.
The twist in this novel is that her grandmother ends up being a gangster's moll, a gangster who stole three million dollars which disappeared the night her grandmother ran away.
Good for re-reading every couple of years but not a keeper.
Samantha Elliot's father has just passed away. Her inheritance depends on her completing the task he has set out for her, finding her grandmother. She is given an apartment in the home of Michael Taggert, who is a certified hunk. At least in her estimation. He's got dark, curly hair and a body builder's physique. And when they meet, he hits on her hard. Now, Samantha's your typical romance heroine. Repressed, been burned by a cheating ex-husband, the whole nine yards.
The twist in this novel is that her grandmother ends up being a gangster's moll, a gangster who stole three million dollars which disappeared the night her grandmother ran away.
Good for re-reading every couple of years but not a keeper.
September 28, 2024
I believe this was one of the first Jude Devereaux novels that I had read and it was when I was in 10th grade. I liked it the first time I read it, stayed up all night just to finish reading it, but then I didn't really get it. I read it again when I was in college, either my 3rd or 4th year and I really loved it. It's been a long time since then so I'm going to give it another go to see if it's just as good as before.
What I had loved about it before was how Mike took care of Sam, how he loved her enough to get her to work through her emotional baggage. Their relationship was a fairy tale of sorts since he was a rich and handsome Taggart. I wonder if the fairy tale will hold up in time or will growing up change it...
What I had loved about it before was how Mike took care of Sam, how he loved her enough to get her to work through her emotional baggage. Their relationship was a fairy tale of sorts since he was a rich and handsome Taggart. I wonder if the fairy tale will hold up in time or will growing up change it...
May 11, 2008
This is one of my favorite books by Jude. I have read it at least 5 times and probably more. I am not sure why this book out of all of Jude's book means so much to me but love love love this book. I love the Taggarts and the Montgomeries too and really like how she moves these families from Europe to the Americas.
August 21, 2008
This is truly one of my top 3 favorite books of all time. It is such a sweet story about a woman who is truly finding herself and the man that helps her do that. I have probably read this book 15 times and the imagery and language is so great that I want to be a part of the characters world. Read this and you will be a Deveraux fan for life.
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