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The Runaways #1
Day Dreamer
On the streets of New Orleans, a veiled woman approached Celine Winters and asked her to switch places. For Celine, it meant a chance to escape, a daydream come true. By simply exchanging cloaks, Celine and the mystery woman would exchange their lives--and fates. Celine would marry a man she had never met, live in a land she'd never seen, and find a destiny far greater than any daydream.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1996
12 people are currently reading
377 people want to read
About the author
Jill Marie Landis
76 books250 followersJILL MARIE LANDIS is the bestselling author of nearly thirty novels which have appeared on the NYT bestseller list, USA Today and other national bestseller lists. She has won numerous awards for her heartfelt characters and sweeping emotional historical romances that include SUMMER MOON and MAGNOLIA CREEK and the Irish Angels Series; HEART OF STONE, HEART OF LIES, and HEART OF GLASS. All of her Historical Romances are available in eBook format.
She is currently writing The Tiki Goddess Mysteries series which includes MAI TAI ONE ON, TWO TO MANGO, THREE TO GET LEI'D, TOO HOT FOUR HULA and HAWAII FIVE UH-OH! from Bell Bridge Books.
Toes in the sand and head in the clouds, she is living the dream in Hawaii with her husband, Steve. Jill Marie loves to spend hours at the beach reading or writing and she also loves dancing the hula.
She is currently writing The Tiki Goddess Mysteries series which includes MAI TAI ONE ON, TWO TO MANGO, THREE TO GET LEI'D, TOO HOT FOUR HULA and HAWAII FIVE UH-OH! from Bell Bridge Books.
Toes in the sand and head in the clouds, she is living the dream in Hawaii with her husband, Steve. Jill Marie loves to spend hours at the beach reading or writing and she also loves dancing the hula.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 12, 2020
[Trigger warnings for: slavery/racism, the word “gypsy”, and other pointless fuckery]
The book opens with the heroine, Celine, walking through New Orleans and and thinking to herself about what a “pleasure” it was to see the slaves and freedmen working together so efficiently.
That should have been my clue to Get The Fuck Out. Alas, hindsight.
Day Dreamer, as one might have gathered already, isn’t a book that stands up well to the test of time. Honestly, I found this 1996 publication rather more upsetting than any number of Old School “bodice rippers” I’ve had the chance to sample. Just saying. The whole time I was reading this book, I just kept thinking “why, Jill? Why are you doing this to me?” And the thing is, this book isn’t even terrible—it’s just really, really mediocre. And just all-around inane, a fact I will now demonstrate.
Jumping back to the beginning, once Celine is done waxing poetic about how much she loves slave labor, she returns to her house. Celine, by the way, is the orphaned daughter of a London whore and a roaming gypsy, and her current guardian is a gypsy fortune teller. Celine also has the Sight or somesuch psychic ability that allows her to read people’s memories/emotions when she touches them. Oh yeah: Celine has “haunting amethyst eyes.” Yup. Just in case you hadn’t already figured out she’s a Mary Sue, let’s throw some purple eyeballs into the mix. Brilliant, Jill.
Anyway. Celine returns home and discovers her guardian murdered by a lovesick client. He tries to kill, Celine, but she stabs him in self-defense and runs away. Knowing the police will be after her, Celine...goes to church. Okie-doke. Totally what I’d do. Anyway, outside the church, a girl comes running out of a carriage and drags Celine into the alleyway and then forces her to switch clothes. Why? Who knows. Anyway, this strange girl tells Celine that she has to take her place in the carriage, which Celine does because police and murder and whatnot.
The carriage takes Celine to some plantation outside the city, and even though she keeps insisting her name isn’t Jemma, she still winds up getting married posthaste to one Cordero Moreau.
So...Cordero. I wish I could say there was something interesting about this guy, but there just isn’t anything to tell. He’s the most vanilla, whitebread rendition of the Jerkwad Romance Hero. Without a doubt, you’ve read countless other books featuring him or his clones. Cordero is a Tough Man with a Tortured Past. His beloved mother died, and his wastrel father sent him to live with his evil grandfather. All his life, the only person he loved was his cousin, Alex, who died because of Cordero’s general drunken idiocy. Nowadays, Cordero is wracked with guilt and has deadened himself to all feeling because of his abandonment issues and other stupid reasons I was too bored to discover. Snore.
With that into out of the way, Cordero marries Celine within 2 seconds of meeting her, which sounds like a recipe for a complete shitshow, and you would be absolutely right! The absolute rest of Day Dreamer is a series of obscure calamities that befall the protagonists, and which are always overcome because Celine of the Purple Eyes is So Speshul. There’s a pirate attack, an attempted hanging, a hurricane, a kidnapping and murder attempt by a witch doctor, long-lost relatives returned from the grave, another attempted hanging. Don’t worry, guys. Jill has got all her bases covered.
As a backdrop to all of this nonsense, this book has a cheerful layer of: slavery! Oh yes. This book is not racially self-aware at all. Which, considering the opening scene, should have been a given. All the character make gross comments about how “slaves don’t mind the tropical heat” and their silly magic “fills the void in their lives” and how Cordero’s slaves are well-treated because they can grow their own vegetables and have Sundaus off. Etcetera. First of all, ARE YOU SERIOUS, JILL?
Second of all, no. I’m not going to even touch all of that with a 10-foot-pole. Fuck that. 1996 wasn’t so long ago that you shouldn’t have known better than to spout that bullshit.
Okay. Where was I?
Oh. Also Jill’s writing is really bad. Super gross. I wanted to cry about how horrifying the prose was, except I was actually already crying because of the blatant racism. Some samples:
and
Hahahahahahahaha!
Why me.
Okay, just, the problem is that Day Dreamer is bad in a very dull, banal way. It’s not fun to read the way some terrible romances are. It’s just very humdrum in its poor quality. That’s all there is to it.
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The book opens with the heroine, Celine, walking through New Orleans and and thinking to herself about what a “pleasure” it was to see the slaves and freedmen working together so efficiently.
That should have been my clue to Get The Fuck Out. Alas, hindsight.
Day Dreamer, as one might have gathered already, isn’t a book that stands up well to the test of time. Honestly, I found this 1996 publication rather more upsetting than any number of Old School “bodice rippers” I’ve had the chance to sample. Just saying. The whole time I was reading this book, I just kept thinking “why, Jill? Why are you doing this to me?” And the thing is, this book isn’t even terrible—it’s just really, really mediocre. And just all-around inane, a fact I will now demonstrate.
Jumping back to the beginning, once Celine is done waxing poetic about how much she loves slave labor, she returns to her house. Celine, by the way, is the orphaned daughter of a London whore and a roaming gypsy, and her current guardian is a gypsy fortune teller. Celine also has the Sight or somesuch psychic ability that allows her to read people’s memories/emotions when she touches them. Oh yeah: Celine has “haunting amethyst eyes.” Yup. Just in case you hadn’t already figured out she’s a Mary Sue, let’s throw some purple eyeballs into the mix. Brilliant, Jill.
Anyway. Celine returns home and discovers her guardian murdered by a lovesick client. He tries to kill, Celine, but she stabs him in self-defense and runs away. Knowing the police will be after her, Celine...goes to church. Okie-doke. Totally what I’d do. Anyway, outside the church, a girl comes running out of a carriage and drags Celine into the alleyway and then forces her to switch clothes. Why? Who knows. Anyway, this strange girl tells Celine that she has to take her place in the carriage, which Celine does because police and murder and whatnot.
The carriage takes Celine to some plantation outside the city, and even though she keeps insisting her name isn’t Jemma, she still winds up getting married posthaste to one Cordero Moreau.
So...Cordero. I wish I could say there was something interesting about this guy, but there just isn’t anything to tell. He’s the most vanilla, whitebread rendition of the Jerkwad Romance Hero. Without a doubt, you’ve read countless other books featuring him or his clones. Cordero is a Tough Man with a Tortured Past. His beloved mother died, and his wastrel father sent him to live with his evil grandfather. All his life, the only person he loved was his cousin, Alex, who died because of Cordero’s general drunken idiocy. Nowadays, Cordero is wracked with guilt and has deadened himself to all feeling because of his abandonment issues and other stupid reasons I was too bored to discover. Snore.
With that into out of the way, Cordero marries Celine within 2 seconds of meeting her, which sounds like a recipe for a complete shitshow, and you would be absolutely right! The absolute rest of Day Dreamer is a series of obscure calamities that befall the protagonists, and which are always overcome because Celine of the Purple Eyes is So Speshul. There’s a pirate attack, an attempted hanging, a hurricane, a kidnapping and murder attempt by a witch doctor, long-lost relatives returned from the grave, another attempted hanging. Don’t worry, guys. Jill has got all her bases covered.
As a backdrop to all of this nonsense, this book has a cheerful layer of: slavery! Oh yes. This book is not racially self-aware at all. Which, considering the opening scene, should have been a given. All the character make gross comments about how “slaves don’t mind the tropical heat” and their silly magic “fills the void in their lives” and how Cordero’s slaves are well-treated because they can grow their own vegetables and have Sundaus off. Etcetera. First of all, ARE YOU SERIOUS, JILL?
Second of all, no. I’m not going to even touch all of that with a 10-foot-pole. Fuck that. 1996 wasn’t so long ago that you shouldn’t have known better than to spout that bullshit.
Okay. Where was I?
Oh. Also Jill’s writing is really bad. Super gross. I wanted to cry about how horrifying the prose was, except I was actually already crying because of the blatant racism. Some samples:
A beautiful woman in an outmoded gown danced in a luminous froth of waves on a silver sliver of sand beneath a starry sky.
and
Starlight and the sound of the sea bathed them in silver and thunder.
Hahahahahahahaha!
Why me.
Okay, just, the problem is that Day Dreamer is bad in a very dull, banal way. It’s not fun to read the way some terrible romances are. It’s just very humdrum in its poor quality. That’s all there is to it.
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December 8, 2008
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Day Dreamer is the first novel authored by Jill Marie Landis that I have read, and I must say that the story had so many twists and turns, I felt like I was on a wild roller coaster ride. On the one hand, this was a good thing as it made the story interesting, but on the other hand, the sheer volume of events at times was almost overwhelming. Considering the winding path that this story took, the main plot points were satisfactorily wrapped up, but some of the more minor points were not as tight as I would have liked to see. There were lots of descriptive details, but at times I felt like they slowed the story down rather than enhancing it. On a positive note though, there were occasionally some very witty lines of dialog that really made me laugh. I had an up and down relationship with the early part of the book, sometimes wanting to read it and sometimes not caring as much, but I was ultimately glad I kept going as the last third of the book was so engrossing I could barely put it down. The ending of the book was thoroughly satisfying, one of the best and most incredibly romantic final chapters I've read in a while.
The characters were generally well drawn. In my opinion, Cord was the best fleshed out character in the book. I really felt like the author gives the reader an excellent grasp on what drives this man. I could truly empathize with the character, his insecurities, and the losses he had experienced, although there were a couple of times I wanted to shake some sense into him. Thankfully, one of the secondary characters did exactly that for me.;-) I also liked the fact that Cord had scruples. Who couldn't like a man (a southerner at that) who abhors slavery and wishes to emancipate all his slaves as soon as possible? Celine was a likable character who was dignified, strong and courageous while still being kind, loving, and generous. The problem I had with her character was that she was being too many things to too many people and ultimately was a rather unfocused character in my opinion, basically an unrealistic superwoman. It seemed that her main purpose was supposed to be that of melting Cord's frozen heart and teaching him to love again, but she was so frequently in perilous situations that I ultimately felt like it was circumstances more than Celine herself that accomplished that goal. It was also rather torturous to have her constantly going through so many seemingly never ending trials before finally getting her happy ending. All of the supporting characters were also well done. In particular, Cord's two menservants, Foster and Edward, with all their scheming and matchmaking, as well as his slightly eccentric Aunt Ada added a bit of lightheartedness to the story. It was nice to see Bobo, a black man of that era in a position of authority rather than subjugation.
Day Dreamer is the first book in Jill Marie Landis's Louisiana series. It introduces us to Jemma O'Hurley who becomes the heroine of book #2, Just Once. The final book that rounds out the trilogy is Blue Moon. I thought that this book was a worthwhile and generally enjoyable read. Overall, I liked Day Dreamer and Ms. Landis's writing well enough that I definitely want to finish the series, and would be open to reading other books by her in the future.
Day Dreamer is the first novel authored by Jill Marie Landis that I have read, and I must say that the story had so many twists and turns, I felt like I was on a wild roller coaster ride. On the one hand, this was a good thing as it made the story interesting, but on the other hand, the sheer volume of events at times was almost overwhelming. Considering the winding path that this story took, the main plot points were satisfactorily wrapped up, but some of the more minor points were not as tight as I would have liked to see. There were lots of descriptive details, but at times I felt like they slowed the story down rather than enhancing it. On a positive note though, there were occasionally some very witty lines of dialog that really made me laugh. I had an up and down relationship with the early part of the book, sometimes wanting to read it and sometimes not caring as much, but I was ultimately glad I kept going as the last third of the book was so engrossing I could barely put it down. The ending of the book was thoroughly satisfying, one of the best and most incredibly romantic final chapters I've read in a while.
The characters were generally well drawn. In my opinion, Cord was the best fleshed out character in the book. I really felt like the author gives the reader an excellent grasp on what drives this man. I could truly empathize with the character, his insecurities, and the losses he had experienced, although there were a couple of times I wanted to shake some sense into him. Thankfully, one of the secondary characters did exactly that for me.;-) I also liked the fact that Cord had scruples. Who couldn't like a man (a southerner at that) who abhors slavery and wishes to emancipate all his slaves as soon as possible? Celine was a likable character who was dignified, strong and courageous while still being kind, loving, and generous. The problem I had with her character was that she was being too many things to too many people and ultimately was a rather unfocused character in my opinion, basically an unrealistic superwoman. It seemed that her main purpose was supposed to be that of melting Cord's frozen heart and teaching him to love again, but she was so frequently in perilous situations that I ultimately felt like it was circumstances more than Celine herself that accomplished that goal. It was also rather torturous to have her constantly going through so many seemingly never ending trials before finally getting her happy ending. All of the supporting characters were also well done. In particular, Cord's two menservants, Foster and Edward, with all their scheming and matchmaking, as well as his slightly eccentric Aunt Ada added a bit of lightheartedness to the story. It was nice to see Bobo, a black man of that era in a position of authority rather than subjugation.
Day Dreamer is the first book in Jill Marie Landis's Louisiana series. It introduces us to Jemma O'Hurley who becomes the heroine of book #2, Just Once. The final book that rounds out the trilogy is Blue Moon. I thought that this book was a worthwhile and generally enjoyable read. Overall, I liked Day Dreamer and Ms. Landis's writing well enough that I definitely want to finish the series, and would be open to reading other books by her in the future.
June 8, 2025
Unusually enough, I actually liked the heroine, and NOT the hero, in this story.
I understand that the hero had a rough childhood growing up, but after awhile I couldn't use that as an excuse anymore for his idiotic behavior. The final straw was the hero's actions when they first landed at the island, about half-way into the book. The hero had been cut off from his disapproving rich grandfather (for reasons I can now understand), so they arrive to the island with just the heroine's dowry money, her trunks of clothes that don't fit her at all (because they don't even belong to her), and their 2 valet man servants. Once the hero hears a rumor that his plantation that he is returning to is run down and decrepit after so many years of abandonment, he gets pissy, leaves his new (unwanted) bride at a bug-infested shack of a hotel, and he runs off to find the most expensive hooker that has all of the opposite looks from his wife. The two valets track him down and knock on the hooker's door just in time to prevent any adultery from going down, but the hero still refuses to leave. So since he paid so much money for the hooker, he insisted that they just lay down and get a good nights sleep. (no hanky panky). What? They had hardly any money to their name, his wife needed new clothes that fit her, they have a plantation to get up and running... and he spent a good chunk of their remaining money on a hooker? The stupidity went off the charts for me at that point, so I called it a day and stopped.
But I have read other books by this author that I have really enjoyed, so I will keep going thru her list!
I understand that the hero had a rough childhood growing up, but after awhile I couldn't use that as an excuse anymore for his idiotic behavior. The final straw was the hero's actions when they first landed at the island, about half-way into the book. The hero had been cut off from his disapproving rich grandfather (for reasons I can now understand), so they arrive to the island with just the heroine's dowry money, her trunks of clothes that don't fit her at all (because they don't even belong to her), and their 2 valet man servants. Once the hero hears a rumor that his plantation that he is returning to is run down and decrepit after so many years of abandonment, he gets pissy, leaves his new (unwanted) bride at a bug-infested shack of a hotel, and he runs off to find the most expensive hooker that has all of the opposite looks from his wife. The two valets track him down and knock on the hooker's door just in time to prevent any adultery from going down, but the hero still refuses to leave. So since he paid so much money for the hooker, he insisted that they just lay down and get a good nights sleep. (no hanky panky). What? They had hardly any money to their name, his wife needed new clothes that fit her, they have a plantation to get up and running... and he spent a good chunk of their remaining money on a hooker? The stupidity went off the charts for me at that point, so I called it a day and stopped.
But I have read other books by this author that I have really enjoyed, so I will keep going thru her list!
September 27, 2015
I loved the heroine in this book. She's such a strong, awesome lady, especially given the trend in romance at the time this was written towards alpha males having to rescue females. The hero was not so amazing, in my opinion, but his back story does explain it all. I still don't like him, but to each her own! And it doesn't hurt that this book is set in New Orleans and the Caribbean, which are two of my favorite places on earth.
May 28, 2019
Personal response:
I really enjoyed Day Dreamer by Jill Marie Landis it deals with having trust issues and giving yourself up for someone. This book was beautifully written, and a lot of people can relate in one way or another. Not necessarily in the specific context of the book, but we all probably could.
Plot summary:
Celine Winters was taken in as a young child by a fortune teller after being in the foster system for some time, and immediately Persa, the fortune teller, had known Celine was special. So Persa kept Celine sheltered, and had told her the dangers that come with a gift like that. When Celine touched a person, she would see their memories, but only if she wanted to. Sometimes she would not see anything at all. Persa had Celine run her errands, and one day after Celine returned from the market, Jean Perot approached her and needed a reading. Jean convinced her to join him for hot chocolate, and she reluctantly agreed, she could tell he was nervous and jumpy. The way he was acting was no good for Celine, and she knew it. She tried to leave peacefully and not make a scene, but Jean Perot had another idea. He pulled a dagger and told her she needed to see his fate. She refused and fought back. Celine stabbed Jean and fled, knowing that no one would believe her case of self-defense, especially with the money the Perot family had. So she ran to her cottage where she lived with Persa. Celine took nothing with her but her memories and a cloak. Celine was not very religious, but she had decided to pray for Jean Perot and his soul as she believed she had murdered him. As Celine sat in the pews, another lost soul, Jemma, wandered into the church. The two had striking similarities, and it came to Jemma that they could switch places and they did. That is where Cordero and Celine met. Jemma was engaged to Cordero. Instead, Celine took her place and married him instead. Cordero was drunk as a skunk as their vows were spoken and their marriage was made legal. No one listened to Celine as she told them who she was and that she was, in fact, not Jemma O’Hurley. None of Jemma’s clothes fit Celine and yet still they called her Jemma, and off they went into marriage then onto a boat headed for St.Stephen. A storm rolled over the ocean, Celine became very sick and could not do a whole lot. She laid in bed and rolled around with the ship in the waves. She retched about every ten minutes. Cordero had wanted nothing to do with his new wife except sleep with her, and he had made it clear as to what was wanted. Celine said she would not become her mother, who slept with every man under the sun as it was. So Cordero would keep up the guise that her startling beauty had not captured him and the way she spoke had captured him as well. It was fate that Jemma and Celine switched lives, at least that is the way the few people greatly affected feel about the place switch.
Characterization: Celine Winters was always a do-good type of human. She was always helping others and never selfish. She also lacked courage and a leg to stand on in most situations until she met Cordero, her husband. Celine was shy until Cordero challenged her and she pushed back finally. Celine challenged him as well, and she learned to trust him. To earn her trust was very hard.
Cordero was a drunk and not worth much. His grandfather said so at least, and Cord believed it. Cordero was not responsible with himself and his money. Cord did not seem to care about anything at all until Celine. He was drunk when they were married. All he wanted was to bed her and Celine did not allow that. Cord was slightly taken aback. She said no, and he listened for once and cleaned up for her and took responsibility for himself.
Setting: The story first starts in New Orleans in the early 1800s. Where if people can guess anything right, they are a witch and need to be burned at the stake. The town knows what is going on with everyone.
Recommendation: I recommend this book to older teens/young adults who like romance, drama, fiction, and mystery. This book is definitely for more mature audiences due to the nature of some things described in the pages.
I really enjoyed Day Dreamer by Jill Marie Landis it deals with having trust issues and giving yourself up for someone. This book was beautifully written, and a lot of people can relate in one way or another. Not necessarily in the specific context of the book, but we all probably could.
Plot summary:
Celine Winters was taken in as a young child by a fortune teller after being in the foster system for some time, and immediately Persa, the fortune teller, had known Celine was special. So Persa kept Celine sheltered, and had told her the dangers that come with a gift like that. When Celine touched a person, she would see their memories, but only if she wanted to. Sometimes she would not see anything at all. Persa had Celine run her errands, and one day after Celine returned from the market, Jean Perot approached her and needed a reading. Jean convinced her to join him for hot chocolate, and she reluctantly agreed, she could tell he was nervous and jumpy. The way he was acting was no good for Celine, and she knew it. She tried to leave peacefully and not make a scene, but Jean Perot had another idea. He pulled a dagger and told her she needed to see his fate. She refused and fought back. Celine stabbed Jean and fled, knowing that no one would believe her case of self-defense, especially with the money the Perot family had. So she ran to her cottage where she lived with Persa. Celine took nothing with her but her memories and a cloak. Celine was not very religious, but she had decided to pray for Jean Perot and his soul as she believed she had murdered him. As Celine sat in the pews, another lost soul, Jemma, wandered into the church. The two had striking similarities, and it came to Jemma that they could switch places and they did. That is where Cordero and Celine met. Jemma was engaged to Cordero. Instead, Celine took her place and married him instead. Cordero was drunk as a skunk as their vows were spoken and their marriage was made legal. No one listened to Celine as she told them who she was and that she was, in fact, not Jemma O’Hurley. None of Jemma’s clothes fit Celine and yet still they called her Jemma, and off they went into marriage then onto a boat headed for St.Stephen. A storm rolled over the ocean, Celine became very sick and could not do a whole lot. She laid in bed and rolled around with the ship in the waves. She retched about every ten minutes. Cordero had wanted nothing to do with his new wife except sleep with her, and he had made it clear as to what was wanted. Celine said she would not become her mother, who slept with every man under the sun as it was. So Cordero would keep up the guise that her startling beauty had not captured him and the way she spoke had captured him as well. It was fate that Jemma and Celine switched lives, at least that is the way the few people greatly affected feel about the place switch.
Characterization: Celine Winters was always a do-good type of human. She was always helping others and never selfish. She also lacked courage and a leg to stand on in most situations until she met Cordero, her husband. Celine was shy until Cordero challenged her and she pushed back finally. Celine challenged him as well, and she learned to trust him. To earn her trust was very hard.
Cordero was a drunk and not worth much. His grandfather said so at least, and Cord believed it. Cordero was not responsible with himself and his money. Cord did not seem to care about anything at all until Celine. He was drunk when they were married. All he wanted was to bed her and Celine did not allow that. Cord was slightly taken aback. She said no, and he listened for once and cleaned up for her and took responsibility for himself.
Setting: The story first starts in New Orleans in the early 1800s. Where if people can guess anything right, they are a witch and need to be burned at the stake. The town knows what is going on with everyone.
Recommendation: I recommend this book to older teens/young adults who like romance, drama, fiction, and mystery. This book is definitely for more mature audiences due to the nature of some things described in the pages.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2017
I couldn't finish this book it just wasn't interesting enough for me.
August 17, 2022
I think I have read this book a hundred times. It is still one of my favorites. I love the characters of Celine and Cordero.
October 23, 2017
This was a great beach/airplane read. It went very quickly and kept my interest from page to page. It had a lot of twists and surprises in it and I liked that alot. This author is definately on my to read list.
May 13, 2025
I absolutely thought this Book was outstanding! I kept wanting to go back to it and finish it!
I knew alot about New Orleans and with the very descriptive writing I could picture the settings and People.
👍🏻On reading this, I need to get the sequel now.
I knew alot about New Orleans and with the very descriptive writing I could picture the settings and People.
👍🏻On reading this, I need to get the sequel now.
April 20, 2022
Esperaba algo muy distinto de la sinopsis pero está bueno.
May 14, 2022
DNF p180. Characters showed no signs of gaining enough personality to make suffering through the narrative discomfort worth it.
June 28, 2024
Celine is one tough cookie and this book is batshit crazy.
October 13, 2024
Too much plantation talk, but its good
March 11, 2021
I love the way Jill Landis writes her books. This trilogy was very good. I would read it again!
June 13, 2019
First, I don’t care for a character to have supernatural powers; it instantly takes the story out of the realm of ‘everyman’ (or everywoman). I’m sure that I’m in the minority but I can’t really get emotionally involved in this side of a character.
This is my first Jill Marie Landis book and I was impressed with her command of writing great dialog. She’s also adept at describing scenes that are interesting and engaging. Landis takes us from the seamier side of New Orleans (in 1816) to a sumptuous New Orleans plantation to a passenger ship and finally to a tropical island in the West Indies.
All of the important (main and secondary) characters were well-drawn. This book gives a great look at a functioning plantation and the interaction between all its residents.
Cord and Celine were interesting and complex; the way Celine got the chance to marry Cord was a bit hokey but otherwise, their interaction rang true. This is an interesting story of the early 1800’s life in the South – except for the items I’ve already mentioned.
This is my first Jill Marie Landis book and I was impressed with her command of writing great dialog. She’s also adept at describing scenes that are interesting and engaging. Landis takes us from the seamier side of New Orleans (in 1816) to a sumptuous New Orleans plantation to a passenger ship and finally to a tropical island in the West Indies.
All of the important (main and secondary) characters were well-drawn. This book gives a great look at a functioning plantation and the interaction between all its residents.
Cord and Celine were interesting and complex; the way Celine got the chance to marry Cord was a bit hokey but otherwise, their interaction rang true. This is an interesting story of the early 1800’s life in the South – except for the items I’ve already mentioned.
Read
June 8, 2013Set in New Orleans and the Caribbean in 1816, this compelling tale is a marriage of convenience romance with a twist such stories often have - the bride is an impostor. This bride, Celine Winters, has the ability to see into people's emotional pasts. Through a frightening series of events, she ends up on the lam and is convinced to trade places with a young woman she'd never met in a marriage to a man neither had ever met. Although this portion of the story was the least enjoyable for me, the pacing was quick enough that by the time I realized I didn't like it, the story had already moved on.
The bride meets her husband as he drunkenly makes his way down the aisle. Her groom, Cordero Moreau, a dissipated, deeply hostile, deeply tortured, and ne'er-do-well specimen, has been forced to marry at his grandfather's insistence. After having been raised by his emotionally stunted grandfather after the death of his mother, Cordero desires to return to the Caribbean and live in the house he was raised in. Whether his new wife accompanies him matters not to him -- nothing does.
Celine chooses to make a life with Cordero in his island home. They leave on their ocean voyage with his two manservants, who are two of the most likable side-kicks I have ever read. They deeply care for Cordero and come to care for Celine as well. Their antics are wonderful and you will laugh at their eavesdropping, matchmaking, and prissy ways -- yes, I said prissy!
The bride meets her husband as he drunkenly makes his way down the aisle. Her groom, Cordero Moreau, a dissipated, deeply hostile, deeply tortured, and ne'er-do-well specimen, has been forced to marry at his grandfather's insistence. After having been raised by his emotionally stunted grandfather after the death of his mother, Cordero desires to return to the Caribbean and live in the house he was raised in. Whether his new wife accompanies him matters not to him -- nothing does.
Celine chooses to make a life with Cordero in his island home. They leave on their ocean voyage with his two manservants, who are two of the most likable side-kicks I have ever read. They deeply care for Cordero and come to care for Celine as well. Their antics are wonderful and you will laugh at their eavesdropping, matchmaking, and prissy ways -- yes, I said prissy!
August 3, 2014
Celine Winters has been accused of a double murder. While hiding out in a New Orleans church, she is approached by a woman who asks her to switch places. For Celine, this is a chance to escape her troubles. Little does she know, she is walking into an arranged marriage to a man she has never met before.
This was an entertaining story. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. My rating: 4 Stars.
This was an entertaining story. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. My rating: 4 Stars.
July 11, 2012
2.5 stars
Cord was a real jerk toward the end. He had more compassion for the slaves that tried to kill Celine than her, when he let her be taken for trial to be hanged. Of course she's so forgiving.
And the last chapter was over the top sugary sweet.
Cord was a real jerk toward the end. He had more compassion for the slaves that tried to kill Celine than her, when he let her be taken for trial to be hanged. Of course she's so forgiving.
And the last chapter was over the top sugary sweet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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April 23, 2010Read it in two days, loved it.
August 5, 2014
4.5* stars, It never failed me to read Jill Marie Landis, I like most of her books I owned.
A sweet love story with Heroine switching place for faith.
Love it...
A sweet love story with Heroine switching place for faith.
Love it...
October 11, 2012
I love how Jill Marie Landis can take you out of your world and put you right into the world she has created in her story!
Cord & Celine are now two of my favorites!
Cord & Celine are now two of my favorites!
September 1, 2013
I absolutely LOVED this book!
October 14, 2013
I liked the book.
An enjoyable read in the whole.
An enjoyable read in the whole.
January 28, 2015
Running away from a trial for murder, Celine finds herself in a series of dangerous episodes. Lots of love and bedroom action.
April 1, 2016
Though it had an intriguing beginning, it wasn't what I had hoped it would be.
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