An enchanting new contemporary romance set in Edilean, about two childhood friends who are reunited after years apart, only to discover that the spark they felt even as kids still remains...
When Kim Aldredge was eight, she met a twelve-year-old boy named Travis who was visiting her hometown of Edilean, Virginia with his mother. Even though they were there under mysterious circumstances, that didn’t stop the children from becoming friends. For two blissful weeks they rode bikes, played baseball, and read out loud to each other. They were ordinary things to Kim, but to Travis, they were oh-so-extraordinary. And Travis helped Kim discover her love of making jewelry, the passion that became her profession. Before he left he told her that someday he’d return, and for years Kim kept the photo of her and Travis, their arms around each other and smiling, close to her. Travis is now a successful attorney in Manhattan—but there are things in his life that he doesn’t want made public. And even though he’s traveled the world, he still thinks about that summer he spent in Edilean, and the girl he met there. Those weeks changed his life forever. When Travis learns that his mother has moved back to Edilean and is planning to remarry, he decides it’s time that he return as well—not just to investigate this future husband, but to finally fulfill the promise he made to Kim all those years before….
Jude 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.
Ora bem, o primeiro que leio da Jude Deveraux e conseguiu cativar-me logo desde o primeiro capítulo. As personagens são-nos apresentadas em duas linhas temporais. Na infância e na fase já mais adulta. Travis e Kim conhecem-se no ano de 1993, quando Kim tinha oito anos e ele tinha doze. Com a sua alegria e energia normais e saudáveis numa criança, Kim ensinou a Travis como ser criança.
This was such a sweet romantic story of being able to get past the outward appearances and into the heart of a person. A lovely read in a wonderful little town called Edilean. It is another story that makes me want to find a place like this of my own. I loved Tristian so I was ready for the deeply romantic gestures of before. But Travis is a man of his own and he had redeeming qualities that made me happy he was able to find what he had been missing. Another great book by Jude Deveraux.
Honestly I am a tiny bit disappointed with this story. I like Travis but I love Tristan. The prologue was nice. The beginning gets better. After few chapters, the reading graph stays still. I like all the characters but not enough to captivate me. Comparing Tristan’s and Travis’s romance, Tristan’s was much much more romantic.
One thing about Miss JD’s books that I like is how she continues with the character from one book to another. I was never confused with the characters. Reading her books made me feel like I know the whole family tree. That is why her books always have a special place in my heart. No matter how long I stop reading, I will always come back to them.
I like how this book ended even though it’s a bit sudden. However, to me, how Russell and Clarissa get together might need further elaboration because to me it is so unreal.
But what I really love is that Travis never forgets his first love even though they were separated. All in all it was an ok reading and am now starting on Reede’s story next with the hope that Reede’s story be better than Tristan….
Mīlas stāsts ar ļoti saldām beigām, bet šajā laikā tas bija tieši tas, kas bija nepieciešams. Galvenā varone ir uzņēmīga un dzīvespriecīga, kura bērnībā iemīlējās puisī, kuram iemācīja dzīvesprieku. Puisis bija superbagāts un abi viens otru mīlēja un pieauguši palika kopā. Ļoti saldi, bet šobrīd ļoti palīdzēja atslēgties no visām domām un mierīgi aizmigt.
Cómo se nota cuando una historia está escrita en el estilo antiguo, cuando no se juzgaba cada palabra, cuando no se criticaba el feminismo o el machismo, cuando no nos quejábamos porque es demasiado empalagosa, cuando el único propósito de una novela romántica era entretener. Me ha encantado esta facilidad, me ha recordado a los momentos cuando leía por puro placer y porque me hacía sentir bien. Es una historia sencilla, con hombres posesivos que saben respetar a sus mujeres independientes, que se lee rápido y deja, a su final, un sentimiento maravilloso.
3,5 Tras la grata sorpresa que fue “Amanecer a la luz de la luna”, no tenía muy claro que este segundo título de la trilogía fuera a estar a la altura, pero la verdad es que si. Siguiendo la estructura de su predecesor, es un libro sencillo de leer, con una trama un poco más compleja que en el anterior, es más, en este libro hay varias tramas entrecruzadas con la principal, lo que hace que el libro sea un poco más dinámico, pero no por ello pierde su facilidad de lectura. Sigue teniendo unos personajes con una personalidad muy marcada, nada planos. Con secundarios con mucho peso en la historia. El libro sigue teniendo un principio y un final, cosa que me encanta, y una historia dulce tierna y con su puntito erótico, sin ser ordinario.
“Extraños a la luz de la luna” es, como su predecesor, un libro sencillo de leer y del que disfrutar en unas vacaciones o fin de semana de descanso.
3.5 estrelas É um pequeno e rápido romance muito na mesma linha dos anteriores, mas dei por mim a dar mais atenção a este do que me lembro ter dado aos outros. Ri-me com os protagonistas e com alguns personagens secundários, principalmente Joe Layton. Também me emocionei, no final, com o pai de Travis. Realmente, é uma lição para a vida, não ser precipitado em julgar os outros e dar-lhes o devido crédito.
I always liked The Edilean series and I will definatelly come back to them soon for the previous and the next book. This one was very pleasent to read, very easy and enjoyable for everyone who wants a nice small town romance story :).
Um livro ternurento com o brilho único de uma pequena cidade, viragens na vida e a plenitude de uma vida feliz.
Estes estranhos que criam rapidamente um laço e se perdem por muito anos pode parecer demasiado idílico mas é, na verdade, o sonho de um grande amor.
A cidadezinha, o cuidado nos seus trabalhos, a felicidade de viver num local calmo e as viragens na vida fizeram-me lembrar "A Estalagem de Rose Harbor" de Debbie Macomber. Edilean também tem um brilho especial e faz-nos querer saber mais sobre esta pequena vila e as 7 famílias que a fundaram.
I was so excited to receive the "Uncorrected proofs-special advance reader's edition" of this book. Thank you, Goodreads.
This is, indeed, a good read. I'm a romantic at heart and I loved this book.
One quote that spoke to me: "The only sex that matters is if you make the woman you love happy. . . . if the one you love ain't smiling at you over breakfast, you're a failure in the sex department."
Pretty good. I don't know why I find myself skimming pages to move on, but lately more and more I do this in books. I don't know, too much focus on a particular story line, lose interest? Anyway, All in all I enjoyed it and it was a fast read.
Um bom livro com um bom início, boas personagens com intriga e romance pelo meio. Parecia ser uma boa história com um romance difícil apesar das suas origens, pois ela era comprometida, ele andava a fugir de algo e de alguém... Estes protagonistas tinham muito que conhecer um do outro, pois já tinham passado décadas desde a última vez que se tinham visto. A história encaminha-se e lê-se bem até cerca de metade, onde após uma zanga entre os dois pombinhos, começam a aparecer personagens do nada, os maus da fita afinal não são tão maus, surgem casais de repente, a intriga inicial parece já não ter importância nenhuma... enfim, demasiado a acontecer e de uma forma pouco desenvolvida e demasiado rápida que me fez torcer um bocado o nariz. Gostei, mas acho que a autora consegue fazer (bem) melhor.
Muito dividida com este livro, embora tenha dado uma boa pontuação. Achei um pouco irrealista mas a verdade é que sabe bem ler histórias destas, felizes. Só gostava que não fosse tão “estranho” em algumas partes... e o final tão irreal (embora feliz)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Like a romance soup, you throw six people in the pot, stir, and see who comes out with whom. Things are not always what they seem, especially with one of the characters, but it turned out well for everyone, so I was a happy camper. Kim could have been a bit less superficial and Travis comes off poorly in the beginning and Russell could have taken a bit more time to fall in love, but on the whole, this book is very satisfying on all fronts.
This book was a little more than "ok" just because it was a very quick beach read and I found myself amused for a while. I read it in a day ! However, it annoyed the heck out of me on every other page and more often than that towards the end!!
Aside the fact that everything about the town of Edilean and people in it is unbelievable, some things in this book are completely unfathomable! So Kim, who lived in this tiny town and knows everyone since birth, doesn't ever catch a glimpse or even see a picture of Lucy?! Even though she lives next door and they have mutual friends?! She still doesn't recognize Lucy as her "best friend's mom"?? Ok, she was a kid but still - she seems to remember EVERYTHING else clearly! How does Lucy manage to evade her for 6 years in a tiny village where we are constantly told that everyone knows everyone else?!
Already midway through, it all became a little soap-operish for me... why are Jude's books like that lately?! Her older romances were just that - cute romances! Now it's like she's writing sci-fi!!! Her novels require complete suspension of belief! Everything is completely unrealistic...everyONE is completely unreal! Their actions are crazy, their conversations straight out of a comedy play!
Kim struck me as slightly psychotic. She is super successful, doing what she loves, with a loving family and friends – however, she is completely unhappy and sure that she is going to end up and die alone because she has not yet snagged a man! Umm – she is 26 !!!! What the hell is this all about?! On the other hand, we have Travis who is also super successful and has been in love with Kim since they were kids, however (instead of coming up to her) he chose to stalk her and secretly come to her art exhibitions. His excuse? He wanted to "practice" with other women before getting to Kim! Two words - "yeah right!".
Finally, all this talk about his dad being abusive - I just couldn't see it when we weren't given a single example!! He even seemed kind and sweet at the end! Where was this monster who abused his wife and child?! And how is it that he abused them again – not a single example!?
The end with Clarissa and Russell – I am not even going to comment on that! Ok, I am, I have to! He falls in love with her and asks her to marry him within 15 minutes of meeting her ?!?! Promises to re-do her house and fix everything because she is poor, he is rich… Nice start… And they are engaged that same afternoon (with a 3 carat pink diamond, no less)?! Not a gold-digger at all… Yet we are to shed tears of joy at such a romantic outcome… Wow – unreal!!
Este foi o primeiro livro de Jude Deveraux que li e já fui conquistada. Kim e Travis conheceram-se em crianças, durante duas semanas de férias, mas formaram uma ligação muito especial, que nem o tempo nem a distância conseguiram quebrar. Quase 20 anos depois, Travis regressa, tal como tinha prometido, a Edilean e reencontra Kim. Este é um romance "fofinho" que me encantou. Gostei bastante de Kim e de Travis, mas também da forma como ainda se conheciam e se complementam. A escrita a autora é bastante agradável, pois não temos partes chatas, nem tão pouco descrições excessivas. A própria localidade, Edilean, tem um encanto especial, com um clima muito familiar e quase "parado no tempo", sem pressões tecnológicas. Sim, é um romance previsível e onde "tudo acaba bem", mas às vezes sabe bem ler uma história de amor que nos aqueça o coração e não é lamechas. Gostei bastante e fiquei com muita vontade de ler os restantes livros da autora.
Zatím má z celé série ten nejklišoidnější konec, jaký si dokážete představit...taková Esmeralda se může jít klouzat, ale bylo to hezké...Kim se mi jako hrdinka líbila, bylo vidět, že ona prostě žádného rytíře na bílém koni prostě nepotřebuje, i kdyby to měl být bývalý kaskadér Travis..trochu jsem krotila hlavou nad Reedem, ke kterému jsem si ani v druhé knížce, kde už se objevil nenašla cestu, ale tak až z něj bude hlavní hrdina, třeba tomu ďábelskému doktůrkovi konečně propadnu. A i potom, co jsem z Edileanu přečetla sedmou knihu, mi nedochází, jak je to tam s těma sestřenkama a jiným příbuzenstvem...
Man, I really didn't like this book. I have read 37% of it and it's just awful! I really wanted to like it, but the dialogues are so impossible that it is driving me crazy. Everyone is incredibly perceptive -even the guys! It is completely unrealistic! I don't understand what she was thinking when she wrote this! Do we all live in a Gilmore Girls world? People don't speak that way!
OK, It got a little intense, but this books is driving me insane, and I can't put it down cause I can't leave a book unfinished. Anyways, I definitely would not recommend this book to anybody.
Otra novela amable sobre el reencuentro después de muchos años de dos almas gemelas. La autora vuelve a contarnos una historia agradable, sin ninguna complicación, muy entretenida y romántica. Destaca el trabajo realizado en sus diálogos, inteligentes dentro de esa simpleza, y los personajes tan "maravillosos" que nos presenta.
He pasado una tarde muy agradable leyendo esta novela, en la que todo y todos termina bien. Casi piensas que sí vives en Edilean todo será felicidad.
**2 1/2 stars** Granted every story in this series has involved insta-love, but the extreme case of insta-love experienced by a secondary character at the end of the story was more ridiculous than I could handle and resulted in me setting the book down (with only a handful of pages left) for a few weeks before I finally finished it.