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Edilean #1
Levandų rytas
Būdama vos penkerių Džoslina Minton netenka motinos. O tėvui vedus antrą kartą, pasijunta itin vieniša. Tačiau netrukus mergaitę ima globoti Edilina Harkort, amžiumi į seneles jai tinkanti moteris, ir jiedvi pajunta sielų giminystę. Po mirties Edilina palieka Džosei visą savo žemiškąjį turtą – taip pat ir aštuoniolikto šimtmečio namą – bei laišką su raktais į dešimtmečių senumo paslaptį. Laiške dar užsimenama, kad panelė Edi yra numačiusi Džosei puikų vyrą, dailų jauną teisininką, ir kad Ediline, mažučiame Virdžinijos miestelyje, jos laukia naujas gyvenimas.
Atvykusi į naujuosius savo namus, Džoslina iš tiesų susipažįsta su žmogumi, kurio praeitį gaubia senos paslaptys. O kai po vieną pradeda rinkti panelės Edi paliktos dėlionės fragmentus, ją nustebina į dienos šviesą kylančios pribloškiančios staigmenos apie Džosės šeimos praeitį ir jos pačios ateitį.
Jude Deveraux puikiai atskleidžia mažo Pietų miestelio aistras, intrigas bei paslaptis ir šiuo pasakojimu pradeda naują romanų seriją.
Atvykusi į naujuosius savo namus, Džoslina iš tiesų susipažįsta su žmogumi, kurio praeitį gaubia senos paslaptys. O kai po vieną pradeda rinkti panelės Edi paliktos dėlionės fragmentus, ją nustebina į dienos šviesą kylančios pribloškiančios staigmenos apie Džosės šeimos praeitį ir jos pačios ateitį.
Jude Deveraux puikiai atskleidžia mažo Pietų miestelio aistras, intrigas bei paslaptis ir šiuo pasakojimu pradeda naują romanų seriją.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published March 31, 2009
712 people are currently reading
4363 people want to read
About the author
Jude Deveraux
202 books7,086 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 900 reviews
May 8, 2024
3.5/5
This was a very nice and cozy read!
I loved absolutely all of the characters, I enjoyed the fast-pacing even more and goshhhh, the story itself was good as well!
It did get confusing at some times for some reason but that might just be me being stupid. Apart from that, this was very nice!
I didn’t give it 4 stars cause once again, I got confused at certain parts and I feel like somethings weren’t quite resolved at all.
But the romance ughhhhhh, I’m not a fan of it, trust me. But this one? Yes yes and more yes. Not too corny, not too clingy and my goodness, no miscommunication (what a blessing!).
Would recommend this to anyone who’s looking for some cozy romance book!
This was a very nice and cozy read!
I loved absolutely all of the characters, I enjoyed the fast-pacing even more and goshhhh, the story itself was good as well!
It did get confusing at some times for some reason but that might just be me being stupid. Apart from that, this was very nice!
I didn’t give it 4 stars cause once again, I got confused at certain parts and I feel like somethings weren’t quite resolved at all.
But the romance ughhhhhh, I’m not a fan of it, trust me. But this one? Yes yes and more yes. Not too corny, not too clingy and my goodness, no miscommunication (what a blessing!).
Would recommend this to anyone who’s looking for some cozy romance book!
July 12, 2018
This was quite a good read. Seemed to take me forever to read it between work and holiday preparations.
March 8, 2020
Kitap kendini başlarda ne kadar gıcık ettirdiyse, sonlara doğru da o kadar sevdirdi. Gerçekten güzel ve sıcacık bir hikâyeydi. Sanırım bu yazarı seveceğim. Umarım diğer kitapları da bu kitabı kadar güzeldir. Çerezlik, güzel bir kitap. Tavsiye edilir.
September 6, 2010
Not sure why I keep trying this author. When I was much younger, I used to like her historical romances for light diversion from grad school. HEr writing evolved, and she wrote a couple of books with time travel in the plot that I really enjoyed (Knight in Shining Armor is one that comes to mind. But for the last few years, every time someone leaves a book of hers on a OBCZ shelf or gives me a copy of one of her books to BookCross, and I read it, I've been terribly disappointed. This one certainly fits the latter experiences.
Unfolding of the plot was flat and confusing. Very difficult to keep characters straight. Didn't particularly like a single character or care what happened to any of them. Character development was very inconsistent in that they all seemed to be acting out of character all the time. Convolutions of the plot were annoying, not particularly interesting, and a lot of the plot devices seemed to be thrown in just to make it novel length. The one portion I liked were the bits devoted to the backstory of Miss Edi and David, but even then, the same distractions mentioned above applied.
So why did I even bother to finish this? I had to have a procedure done, and spent a long time waiting doing that. I had meant to discard the book unfinished, but forgot to and it was the only book I had in my bag. It was this or a 1997 tattered copy of Ladies Home Journal. This won out, barely. Now I'm thinking LHJ should have won.
Sorry, Ms Deveraux. You've lost me as a fan. I suppose I'll still try and read a book of yours if someone gives me one, but I'd probably only start it under duress.
Unfolding of the plot was flat and confusing. Very difficult to keep characters straight. Didn't particularly like a single character or care what happened to any of them. Character development was very inconsistent in that they all seemed to be acting out of character all the time. Convolutions of the plot were annoying, not particularly interesting, and a lot of the plot devices seemed to be thrown in just to make it novel length. The one portion I liked were the bits devoted to the backstory of Miss Edi and David, but even then, the same distractions mentioned above applied.
So why did I even bother to finish this? I had to have a procedure done, and spent a long time waiting doing that. I had meant to discard the book unfinished, but forgot to and it was the only book I had in my bag. It was this or a 1997 tattered copy of Ladies Home Journal. This won out, barely. Now I'm thinking LHJ should have won.
Sorry, Ms Deveraux. You've lost me as a fan. I suppose I'll still try and read a book of yours if someone gives me one, but I'd probably only start it under duress.
March 5, 2019
#kitapyorumu
🌸
Lavanta Kokulu Sabahlar okuduğum en iyi kitaplardandı. O kadar güzel ki ne söylesem az kalır. Konusuyla ve diliyle çok güzeldi.😍Jude Deveraux'un okuduğum tüm kitaplarını çok seviyorum. Bana göre kesinlikle türünde ustası. İçten yazımıyla okuyucuya mutluluğu ve hüznü çok güzel bir şekilde geçiyor.
⏺
Kitapta arada geçmişten sahnelerde 2. Dünya Savaşındaki aşıklarımız David ve Edilean'dan da bahsediliyor. Kısada olsa onları okumak çok güzeldi. Hikayeleriyle benim unutmayacağım karakterler arasında.
Kitap Bayan Edilean'ın ölümünün ardından tüm mirasını hem yakın dostu ve torunu gibi olarak gördüğü Jocelyn'e mirasını bırakmasıyla başlıyor. Sadece miras da değil 1941 yılında başlamış gizemli bir aşkın anlatıldığı mektup ve daha önce Jocelyn'in hiç bilmediği Edilean Kasabasında tarihi Edilean Malikânesini de bırakıyor. Ve Jocelyn'in kasabaya adım atmasıyla olaylar başlıyor.
⏺
Jocelyn'i kasaba da iki muhteşem adam bekliyor. Alanında en iyilerinden olam çekici avukat Ramsey McDowell ve onun kuzeni bahçıvan(!) Luke Connor. Ramsey'e baştan itibaren gıcık oldum ama oda çok iyiydi. Luke'yi başından belli çok sevdim😍
Jocelyn'le ikisinin çekimini başından hissetiriyordu. Luke'nin sürekli Ramsey ile dalga geçmesi çok eğlenceliydi😂Oralara bayıldım.
Bana göre çok ters köşe barındıran bir kitaptı. Anlatılmaz okunur.
Jocelyn yavaş yavaş kasabayı keşfetmeye başlar. Ve zaman ilerledikçe hiç ummadığı şeyleri keşfeder😞 Özellikle sonlara doğru olan kısımlarda bazı ortaya çıkan gerçekler kalbimi paramparça etti. Edilean ve David için ağlamak istedim😭Özellikle bir şey var ki nasıl olur diye on kez okumuşumdur olayı. Bir telefondan gelen ses insanı böyle kahredebilir 😢
⏺
Bu kitabı gözüm kapalı tavsiye ediyorum. Ben ilk serinin 2. kitabından başlamıştım. Ama iyi ki bunu sonradan okumuşum. Kadife Geceler'i okurken bazı şeylere dikkat etmemişim 🙈Bir ara yeniden okuyacağım. Lavanta Kokulu Sabahlar insanın içine dokunan ve bir süre sonra yeniden okunmak istenecek bir kitap.🌹
#alınılar
David 💜 Edi
"Çavuş," dedi Edi dişlerini sıkarak, "konuşmayı kesmeniz ve yola bakmanız konusunda ısrar ediyorum. Çok önemli bir yolcu taşıyorsunuz."
"Korkma, sana bir şey olmasına izin vermem."
"Kendimden değil, ondan bahsediyorum!" diye patladı genç kadın. "Komutan'dan. Komutan Austin'i taşıyorsunuz."
Komutan dosya ile yüzünü saklarken, "O mu?" dedi David, dikiz aynasından ona bakarak "O da New York'lu. Mannattan'daki trafik bundan beterdir. Ama sen gerilmiş gibisin."
⏺
"Kötü bir gün geçirdin sanırım."
"Sizinle tanışana kadar kötü değildi."
"Benimle mi? Şu kendini beğenmiş Virjinyalılardansın, değil mi? Atalarımızın memlekettinden geldiği için kendiyle gurur duyanlardan? Eyaletinle gurur duymana bir şey diyemem ama biz zavallı Yankee'lere de yukarıdan bakmamalısın. Biz..."
"Sizden hoşlanmamamın Virjinyalı olmamla bir alakası yok. Siz gördüğüm en kötü şöförsünüz."
Luke💙Joce
"Senin evinde buluşalım mı? Güzel bir değişiklik olur. Evin içini nasıl döşediğini görmek istiyorum. Banyonda orkide yetiştiriyor musun?"
"Eğer birkaç hafta banyo yapmadıysam, evet. Sonra onları sol kulağımda yetiştiriyorum. Neden sağ değil de sol bilmiyorum. Ama göbek deliğim..."
"Susar mısın? Kötü esprilerini kendine sakla. Büyükbabanla son haftalarda neyin peşinde olduğunuzu merak ediyorum."
"Gözetleme ve dedektiflik. Büyük bir iş."
"Luke," dedi Joce yarı uyarır, yarı yalvarır bir sesle.
🌹
🌸
Lavanta Kokulu Sabahlar okuduğum en iyi kitaplardandı. O kadar güzel ki ne söylesem az kalır. Konusuyla ve diliyle çok güzeldi.😍Jude Deveraux'un okuduğum tüm kitaplarını çok seviyorum. Bana göre kesinlikle türünde ustası. İçten yazımıyla okuyucuya mutluluğu ve hüznü çok güzel bir şekilde geçiyor.
⏺
Kitapta arada geçmişten sahnelerde 2. Dünya Savaşındaki aşıklarımız David ve Edilean'dan da bahsediliyor. Kısada olsa onları okumak çok güzeldi. Hikayeleriyle benim unutmayacağım karakterler arasında.
Kitap Bayan Edilean'ın ölümünün ardından tüm mirasını hem yakın dostu ve torunu gibi olarak gördüğü Jocelyn'e mirasını bırakmasıyla başlıyor. Sadece miras da değil 1941 yılında başlamış gizemli bir aşkın anlatıldığı mektup ve daha önce Jocelyn'in hiç bilmediği Edilean Kasabasında tarihi Edilean Malikânesini de bırakıyor. Ve Jocelyn'in kasabaya adım atmasıyla olaylar başlıyor.
⏺
Jocelyn'i kasaba da iki muhteşem adam bekliyor. Alanında en iyilerinden olam çekici avukat Ramsey McDowell ve onun kuzeni bahçıvan(!) Luke Connor. Ramsey'e baştan itibaren gıcık oldum ama oda çok iyiydi. Luke'yi başından belli çok sevdim😍
Jocelyn'le ikisinin çekimini başından hissetiriyordu. Luke'nin sürekli Ramsey ile dalga geçmesi çok eğlenceliydi😂Oralara bayıldım.
Bana göre çok ters köşe barındıran bir kitaptı. Anlatılmaz okunur.
Jocelyn yavaş yavaş kasabayı keşfetmeye başlar. Ve zaman ilerledikçe hiç ummadığı şeyleri keşfeder😞 Özellikle sonlara doğru olan kısımlarda bazı ortaya çıkan gerçekler kalbimi paramparça etti. Edilean ve David için ağlamak istedim😭Özellikle bir şey var ki nasıl olur diye on kez okumuşumdur olayı. Bir telefondan gelen ses insanı böyle kahredebilir 😢
⏺
Bu kitabı gözüm kapalı tavsiye ediyorum. Ben ilk serinin 2. kitabından başlamıştım. Ama iyi ki bunu sonradan okumuşum. Kadife Geceler'i okurken bazı şeylere dikkat etmemişim 🙈Bir ara yeniden okuyacağım. Lavanta Kokulu Sabahlar insanın içine dokunan ve bir süre sonra yeniden okunmak istenecek bir kitap.🌹
#alınılar
David 💜 Edi
"Çavuş," dedi Edi dişlerini sıkarak, "konuşmayı kesmeniz ve yola bakmanız konusunda ısrar ediyorum. Çok önemli bir yolcu taşıyorsunuz."
"Korkma, sana bir şey olmasına izin vermem."
"Kendimden değil, ondan bahsediyorum!" diye patladı genç kadın. "Komutan'dan. Komutan Austin'i taşıyorsunuz."
Komutan dosya ile yüzünü saklarken, "O mu?" dedi David, dikiz aynasından ona bakarak "O da New York'lu. Mannattan'daki trafik bundan beterdir. Ama sen gerilmiş gibisin."
⏺
"Kötü bir gün geçirdin sanırım."
"Sizinle tanışana kadar kötü değildi."
"Benimle mi? Şu kendini beğenmiş Virjinyalılardansın, değil mi? Atalarımızın memlekettinden geldiği için kendiyle gurur duyanlardan? Eyaletinle gurur duymana bir şey diyemem ama biz zavallı Yankee'lere de yukarıdan bakmamalısın. Biz..."
"Sizden hoşlanmamamın Virjinyalı olmamla bir alakası yok. Siz gördüğüm en kötü şöförsünüz."
Luke💙Joce
"Senin evinde buluşalım mı? Güzel bir değişiklik olur. Evin içini nasıl döşediğini görmek istiyorum. Banyonda orkide yetiştiriyor musun?"
"Eğer birkaç hafta banyo yapmadıysam, evet. Sonra onları sol kulağımda yetiştiriyorum. Neden sağ değil de sol bilmiyorum. Ama göbek deliğim..."
"Susar mısın? Kötü esprilerini kendine sakla. Büyükbabanla son haftalarda neyin peşinde olduğunuzu merak ediyorum."
"Gözetleme ve dedektiflik. Büyük bir iş."
"Luke," dedi Joce yarı uyarır, yarı yalvarır bir sesle.
🌹
August 21, 2019
Leído en Novimbre 2013
Muy bonita historia!! Me encantaron los personajes y toda la trama que se desarrolla
Muy bonita historia!! Me encantaron los personajes y toda la trama que se desarrolla
March 16, 2012
This story grabbed me from the first chapter and kept me up too late that night and the next day I couldn't wait to jump right back into Jocelyn's life. Absolutely riveting and at no point was it even the least bit boring! I'm not much into the whole Civil War era or Colonial Williamsburg but the author didn't cram any of this down your throat but made it interesting and exciting even. The characters were believable and real and people you would actually like to know.
I instantly loved Luke and disliked Ramsey and his "your mine" attitude (he was overly familiar with Jocelyn and acting as if she was his destiny). I found his demeanor creepy and almost stalkerish. On the other hand Jocelyn had an instant friendship with Luke and camaraderie with his family but was distant and stifled with Ramsey's family. To me that said it all! I saw the ending coming a mile away or should I say 200 pages in but it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story and the many revelations that were a surprise. I totally loved this book and will be reading Days of Gold in the coming months.
I instantly loved Luke and disliked Ramsey and his "your mine" attitude (he was overly familiar with Jocelyn and acting as if she was his destiny). I found his demeanor creepy and almost stalkerish. On the other hand Jocelyn had an instant friendship with Luke and camaraderie with his family but was distant and stifled with Ramsey's family. To me that said it all! I saw the ending coming a mile away or should I say 200 pages in but it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story and the many revelations that were a surprise. I totally loved this book and will be reading Days of Gold in the coming months.
February 3, 2019
Cok cabuk okuyabildigim kitaplardan.Hem surukleyici hem de konu ve anlatim olarak kendi tarzi icinde en iyilerinden biri oldugunu dusundugum bir yazar. Ne yazik ki yazarin okumaya basladigim ilk eseri serinin 5 .sinden baslamis bulunuyorum sonra hem konu hem anlatim tarzi beni öyle cektiki devam ettim okumaya .bu serinin ilk kitabiymis bu yuzden simdi tekrar okuduklarimi da bir kez daha okuyacagim. Klasiklere girecek bir eser degil tabiki ama dedigim gibi kendi tarzinda okuma hazzi veren vaktini guzel gecirtigini dusunduren tatli hos romanlardan. Romantizm ve macera aile iliskileri eglenceli anlatimlar falan. Her sey Elian kasabasiyla ilgili ve oranin insanlari ama cok baska yerleri de anlatiyor tabiki. Kurgu oldukca eglenceli bence.Spontan bir anlatim var yazar pek okadar ugrasmamis icinden geldigi gibi yazmis izlenimini veriyor. Bazi kitaplari okudugumda kitabin satisi ile ilgili seye odaklanmis bir yazarla karsilastigimi dusunuyorum fakat burda o yok. Kitabi okumak isteyenlere tavsiyem ilk kitapdan baslamalari olur ancak. Mutlaka aptalca gelecek bazi anlatimlar da olsada bu bile kitapdan vazegecmenize neden olmuyor.
July 17, 2014
Orijinali Kitap Esintisi adresinde.
Lavanta Kokulu Sabahlar hem geçmişi hem de günümüzü güzel bağlayan bir romandı. Jocelyn Minton ve yakın arkadaşı Bayan Edilean üzerine kurulu bir kurgu var. Bayan Edi, Jocelyn daha küçükken onu kanatları altına almış, Jocely evden bunaldıkça bu yaşlı dostuna kaçmış, ilişkileri Jocelyn'in ailesiyle olan ilişkisinden çok çok daha iyi. Hatta bu kısmın güzel bir tarafı daha olduğunu kitabın sonlarında fark ediyorsunuz.
Bayan Edi ölümünden sonra Jocelyn'e eski malikaneyi bırakıyor ve hatta ona kasabadan bir erkek de ayarlıyor. Jocelyn ise Bayan Edi'nin ilişkiler konusundaki öngörüsünü bildiğinden bu adamı ciddi ciddi düşünmeye başlıyor ama malikanenin serseri bahçıvanı Luke onu kuzeni Ramsey'den daha fazla etkiliyor.
Sadece erkekler değil, ayrıca gayet iyi anlaştığı kız arkadaşları da oluyor. Bütün kasaba içten içe eve kötü bir şey yapacağını sanıp korksa da aslında Jocely hem eve hem de kasabaya tutuluyor.
Modern zaman aşkını anlatan bir roman olsa da Bayan Edi'nin gençlik aşkını da kurgunun arasında güzel bir şekilde anlatıyor yazar. Bu büyük aşkın sevimliliği de en az Luke ile Jocelyn arasındaki aşk kadar güzel. Ve tabi keşfedilmeyen bir sır da var.
Yazarın methini duyduğum romanları tarihi romanslardı ama bu romanı da bence methedilecek kadar güzel. Küçük kasabalarda geçen romanları ne kadar sevdiğimi anlatamam, o yüzden de bu kitabı sevmem gayet normal. Zaten gayet akıcı bir şekilde ilerliyor roman, sıkıldığımı hiç hatırlamıyorum. Aslında kurgu ilerlerken geçmişe dönülmesine biraz kıl olurum ama onu bile hissetmedim. Jude Deveraux kesinlikle çıktığı gibi okunması gereken yazarlar listeme girdi.
Lavanta Kokulu Sabahlar hem geçmişi hem de günümüzü güzel bağlayan bir romandı. Jocelyn Minton ve yakın arkadaşı Bayan Edilean üzerine kurulu bir kurgu var. Bayan Edi, Jocelyn daha küçükken onu kanatları altına almış, Jocely evden bunaldıkça bu yaşlı dostuna kaçmış, ilişkileri Jocelyn'in ailesiyle olan ilişkisinden çok çok daha iyi. Hatta bu kısmın güzel bir tarafı daha olduğunu kitabın sonlarında fark ediyorsunuz.
Bayan Edi ölümünden sonra Jocelyn'e eski malikaneyi bırakıyor ve hatta ona kasabadan bir erkek de ayarlıyor. Jocelyn ise Bayan Edi'nin ilişkiler konusundaki öngörüsünü bildiğinden bu adamı ciddi ciddi düşünmeye başlıyor ama malikanenin serseri bahçıvanı Luke onu kuzeni Ramsey'den daha fazla etkiliyor.
Sadece erkekler değil, ayrıca gayet iyi anlaştığı kız arkadaşları da oluyor. Bütün kasaba içten içe eve kötü bir şey yapacağını sanıp korksa da aslında Jocely hem eve hem de kasabaya tutuluyor.
Modern zaman aşkını anlatan bir roman olsa da Bayan Edi'nin gençlik aşkını da kurgunun arasında güzel bir şekilde anlatıyor yazar. Bu büyük aşkın sevimliliği de en az Luke ile Jocelyn arasındaki aşk kadar güzel. Ve tabi keşfedilmeyen bir sır da var.
Yazarın methini duyduğum romanları tarihi romanslardı ama bu romanı da bence methedilecek kadar güzel. Küçük kasabalarda geçen romanları ne kadar sevdiğimi anlatamam, o yüzden de bu kitabı sevmem gayet normal. Zaten gayet akıcı bir şekilde ilerliyor roman, sıkıldığımı hiç hatırlamıyorum. Aslında kurgu ilerlerken geçmişe dönülmesine biraz kıl olurum ama onu bile hissetmedim. Jude Deveraux kesinlikle çıktığı gibi okunması gereken yazarlar listeme girdi.
December 28, 2017
Hem geçmiş hem de geleceğin harika bir şekilde harmanlanmış hâli olan bu hikaye beni kesinlikle çok ama çok etkiledi. Kitabı okumaya başladığımda tarihi aşk zannederek başlayıp "ee sonra, nerede bunun tarihi?" diye hayal kırıklığı yaşayıp daha sonra sayfaları çevirdikçe "sen ne güzel bir kitapsın" diye çığlıklar atıp bitirdiğim bir kitap oldu.
O sımsıcak hikâye dediğimiz türde kalemler var ya işte bu yazar o terimi baştan sona hak ediyor. Karakteler o kadar güzeldi ki, kurguya zaten diyecek sözüm yok.
Yazar günümüzde geçen hikâyeleri bize anlatırken bir yandan da ara ara geçmişe gidip bam telimize dokunan, son derece iç sızlatan başka hikâyelere de deyiniyor ve o kadar etkileniyorsunuz ki bir bakmışsınız kitap bir anda bitmiş.
Yazarın Edilean serisi bir günümüz bir tarihi aşk olarak devam ediyor. Bu bana acayip ilginç geldi. Diğer kitaplarını da hemen okumak istiyorum ama sanırım ben önce günümüz romanlarını okuyacağım.
Yazarın kalemine hayran oldum. Bence her yaşa hitap eden bir tarzı var. Sanırım sevilesi yazarlar listemin en başlarına sevgili yazarı ekleyebilirim.
Bazı yerlerde isyan ettiğim olmadı mı? Oldu. Ama bir yere kadar sabır gösterirseniz kitap sizi beklemediğiniz anda içine çekiyor. Beklediğimden daha güzel çıkması da benim için ayrı bir mutluluk oldu.
Bence şans verin. Eminim çok ama çok seveceksiniz.
August 1, 2013
At first I liked the setting, the new beginnings in a strange new town, but then about half way in it was getting boring and in the end I started to get really annoyed. I wanted to give one star but since I liked the story within the story I gave it two stars.
Jocelyn wasn't a very likeable character. I disliked her sense of humour and being raised as a sophisticated lady by Edi, I would have expected her to have more manners and to know when to hold her tongue. Instead of being a lady, she was just a girl in a well ironed dress... A lot of the characters seemed to have a sixth sense, knowing and reading everything before I even got the clue, ruining the reading pleasure because the author just blurts it all out.
I had enjoyed Jude Deveraux's Knight In Shining Armor immensely and feel quite cheated by this one.
I am quite disappointed by this book and am quite reluctant to start the other ones of the same series.
Jocelyn wasn't a very likeable character. I disliked her sense of humour and being raised as a sophisticated lady by Edi, I would have expected her to have more manners and to know when to hold her tongue. Instead of being a lady, she was just a girl in a well ironed dress... A lot of the characters seemed to have a sixth sense, knowing and reading everything before I even got the clue, ruining the reading pleasure because the author just blurts it all out.
I had enjoyed Jude Deveraux's Knight In Shining Armor immensely and feel quite cheated by this one.
I am quite disappointed by this book and am quite reluctant to start the other ones of the same series.
August 30, 2025
Lavender Morning was the first book I have read from this author. I doubt I will read any more. This mostly reads like a YA romance story. It’s set in a small town where nobody has anything better to do except gossip about who did what or who visited who. Just not the kind of story that interests me. Mostly a one star sappy romance book but upgraded to two stars for the WWII flashbacks about Edi and David which I enjoyed reading about.
October 29, 2024
I want to hug and cherish this story forever
Lavender Morning is the story of Jocelyn Minton, who starts a new life in a little town after her old friend dies. On her friend's will she was left a Mansion and she decides to discover the secrets surronding her friend and her house. Jocelyn never knew that Miss Eddie had lived in Edilean and little by little we see Joce find love, and get to read about Miss Eddie's mysterious past.
I flew through this book. It was surprisingly hilarious, it actually made me laughed in public places more than a couple of times, and believe me I wasn't subtle about it. Plus the writing style is wonderful. It is super easy to read and I felt as if the words were caressing me.
I loved to read about Miss Eddie's story in World War II. It was just fascinating. I couldn't choose what I wanted to read more about. Both present and past were perfect.
I shed some tears by the end
As a reminder to me... I had stopped reading this book, because I thought that my sister Lulu had giving me spoilers. I was so mad that even when I was loving the heck out of the book, I closed it and set my mind on not reading it anymore -you know, because it would hurt her more than me not continue-. However, all the books I read after this one were a poor comparasion. I wanted to feel as I had, when I read the first 100 pages of Lavender Morning but I wasn't feeling it. After two long weeks of torture I caved and picked it again. I had never made a better decision this month. I learnt that I can't let my temper guide me.
Lavender Morning is the story of Jocelyn Minton, who starts a new life in a little town after her old friend dies. On her friend's will she was left a Mansion and she decides to discover the secrets surronding her friend and her house. Jocelyn never knew that Miss Eddie had lived in Edilean and little by little we see Joce find love, and get to read about Miss Eddie's mysterious past.
I flew through this book. It was surprisingly hilarious, it actually made me laughed in public places more than a couple of times, and believe me I wasn't subtle about it. Plus the writing style is wonderful. It is super easy to read and I felt as if the words were caressing me.
I loved to read about Miss Eddie's story in World War II. It was just fascinating. I couldn't choose what I wanted to read more about. Both present and past were perfect.
I shed some tears by the end
As a reminder to me... I had stopped reading this book, because I thought that my sister Lulu had giving me spoilers. I was so mad that even when I was loving the heck out of the book, I closed it and set my mind on not reading it anymore -you know, because it would hurt her more than me not continue-. However, all the books I read after this one were a poor comparasion. I wanted to feel as I had, when I read the first 100 pages of Lavender Morning but I wasn't feeling it. After two long weeks of torture I caved and picked it again. I had never made a better decision this month. I learnt that I can't let my temper guide me.
February 11, 2015
2015 Reading Challenge: #34 Libro con triángulo amoroso
3.5/5
Tiene sus puntos buenos y sus puntos flacos. Momentos en que se acercó más a un 3/5 que a un 4/5, la dejaré intermedia porque eso es.
Me gusta el humor de Jocelyn y el misterio que es Luke. Me gusta que no sea un libro enteramente romántico y que las cosas se den tan tan de a poco que estás tan cerca del último capítulo que crees que resolverán sus cosas en la última línea.
Me encanta el pueblo donde fue a parar Jocelyn y me gusta todo el misterio alrededor de Edi y su historia.
Pero no me gustó el final a la historia de Edi.
Lo que me gustó-tanto-pero-no-tanto es lo poco que sabemos de Luke. Que hasta el último minuto no suelta ningún dato. ¡Maldito jardinero misterioso!
Ah, ¿spoiler? Este libro no tiene sexo XD
3.5/5
Tiene sus puntos buenos y sus puntos flacos. Momentos en que se acercó más a un 3/5 que a un 4/5, la dejaré intermedia porque eso es.
Me gusta el humor de Jocelyn y el misterio que es Luke. Me gusta que no sea un libro enteramente romántico y que las cosas se den tan tan de a poco que estás tan cerca del último capítulo que crees que resolverán sus cosas en la última línea.
Me encanta el pueblo donde fue a parar Jocelyn y me gusta todo el misterio alrededor de Edi y su historia.
Pero no me gustó el final a la historia de Edi.
Lo que me gustó-tanto-pero-no-tanto es lo poco que sabemos de Luke. Que hasta el último minuto no suelta ningún dato. ¡Maldito jardinero misterioso!
Ah, ¿spoiler? Este libro no tiene sexo XD
March 3, 2014
Not Good:
- Two In One Love Story merged together...
- Too Little Romance...
- A bit Draggy in the beginning…
- Abrupt ending…
- CHEERS feeling all over again.
Good:
* Though 2 in 1, both are equally sweet and poignant in a class of their own. However, my heart prefers the older generation’s love story. Do not like how it ended though. Breaks my heart!
* Too little romance but enough to show how much they love each other. Edi n David’s love is too good to be true. It saddens me and I wish for different ending to their love story.
* Love Ms Edi for what she did for Joce n Luke. Praise her good heart. Even though her love story did not have a happy ending, she made sure that her loved ones has one.
* Love Tess n Rams story. Am really looking forward to their story….
* Even tho CHEERS feeling, this time it doesn’t bother me at all. I think I’m immune to that by now or maybe the love story of both generations are too overwhelming that I simply don’t care about the town….
All in all, out of 6 of the Edilean series that I read, to me this is the best… Another 3 to go….
- Two In One Love Story merged together...
- Too Little Romance...
- A bit Draggy in the beginning…
- Abrupt ending…
- CHEERS feeling all over again.
Good:
* Though 2 in 1, both are equally sweet and poignant in a class of their own. However, my heart prefers the older generation’s love story. Do not like how it ended though. Breaks my heart!
* Too little romance but enough to show how much they love each other. Edi n David’s love is too good to be true. It saddens me and I wish for different ending to their love story.
* Love Ms Edi for what she did for Joce n Luke. Praise her good heart. Even though her love story did not have a happy ending, she made sure that her loved ones has one.
* Love Tess n Rams story. Am really looking forward to their story….
* Even tho CHEERS feeling, this time it doesn’t bother me at all. I think I’m immune to that by now or maybe the love story of both generations are too overwhelming that I simply don’t care about the town….
All in all, out of 6 of the Edilean series that I read, to me this is the best… Another 3 to go….
April 2, 2014
At the beginning, it was a bit slow and boring read. But it gets better when Jocelyn move to Edilean and found out that everything that she knew before was not the real thing. So many secrets and cover ups and the unknowns to keep the interest going.
I love the characters. Their witty banter really light up the mood. All those nice people. And really, Joce and Luke was such a great couple! And even the love story between Miss Edi and her David was so interesting, that I cannot put the book down until I reached the end.
Surprisingly, this was a clean read. And of course, I love every minute of it.
I love the characters. Their witty banter really light up the mood. All those nice people. And really, Joce and Luke was such a great couple! And even the love story between Miss Edi and her David was so interesting, that I cannot put the book down until I reached the end.
Surprisingly, this was a clean read. And of course, I love every minute of it.
August 7, 2016
Lembrei-me porque gosto tanto desta autora :)
February 11, 2020
Things I liked:
- funny moments
- funny characters
- the descriptions
- Miss Edi ´s story
Things I did not like:
- little romance
- there were still things to explain
- everyone gets into each other's lives
- little privacy
- the end
- funny moments
- funny characters
- the descriptions
- Miss Edi ´s story
Things I did not like:
- little romance
- there were still things to explain
- everyone gets into each other's lives
- little privacy
- the end
August 3, 2019
Quick relaxing read. Set locally with a historical backdrop, a romance novel with a bit of a puzzle to keep it interesting. Main characters are likable and humorous! Enjoy!
August 26, 2020
Heat Level: Low
I'm not entirely sure what the genre is of this book. Mystery? Drama? Romance? Probably all of them. I bought it because it was about a woman who inherits an old home in a small town and she has kind of a mystery to solve. I was imagining poking around in the home's old room and finding little suprises, etc. And I am a sucker for "old house/hotel" settings. I knew there would be a romance, but expected the "mystery" to be what pushed the plot along. That is not what I read, unfortunately.
Jocelyn as a main character is hard to imagine as a real person. There was no real description of her other than another character saying she looks like Alice from Alice in Wonderland, but that sounded more like it was because she was wearing a dress and a headband. She didn't really have a personality other than how she related to the other characters in her life. It was stated that she loved history and research, but it was barely touched upon. She literally just said when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. That's it. And we're supposed to believe that she's a history buff. The romance was very predictable, but that doesn't bother me if the journey there is a good one. There was zero romantic or sexual tension between Jocelyn and her love interest in my opinion. None. Their "relationship" just kind of meandered along and felt all over the place. There was no "yay!" when they finally got together. Not even a "hm." There are some flashbacks to a World War II romance, but sadly, that one didn't have any buildup or tension either (it was slightly more interesting though). I don't even think I can call this a romance book. It feels like a watered down Hallmark version. You read that right: watered...down...Hallmark...version. Watered down Hallmark!!
The saddest part for me though was the lack of personality given to the house and property itself. There was no hunting through rooms looking for clues. There was a mention of an attic that had trunks of stuff to go through, but we didn't even get to see her walk into the room! It was later mentioned in one sentence that she didn't find anything there. What a disappointment (for me). I kind of liked the small town that was the setting for all this and was slightly interested in the origin story. The female friendship was there, which was nice, but there was no real connection between the characters. I think that's what it all boiled down to. I didn't connect to a book filled with relationships because it didn't feel like that was the primary focus. The "mystery" was the focus so all the relationships suffered. All the relationships, not just the romantic ones, felt bland and unconnected. I didn't feel anything when people died and didn't feel anything when people were discovered. Just because your main character is "crying with happiness" doesn't mean I'm going to feel those emotions with her when I never connected to her to begin with. So it didn't work for me.
Also, what is with everyone being millionaires. Seriously, it was annoying. Every surprise any character had was "oh there's this person! Surprise! They're a millionaire!" It made every person feel like a cardboard cutout. "You're a millionaire! And you're a millionaire!" (Please say that in Oprah's voice.)
So the overarching story is about some mystery that happened with the older generation in 1941. It was not resolved in this first book. I'm assuming it will be covered in the rest of the series as we go through each woman and her "romance." After all of the above, I am still intrigued (in fact that got my highest score in my CAWPILE rating). However, I'm not sure I can handle reading another book like this just to find out what happens. There are 9 books in this series. I don't think I can do it. I may try the next one (which is set in the past) just to see if it's any better. What will more likely happen is that I'll just look up a spoiler so I don't have to. I hate to judge an author on one book alone so I may pick another one up some day.
CAWPILE Score: 4.43 = 2 stars
Characters: 4
Atmosphere: 3
Writing: 4
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 7
Logic: 4
Enjoyment: 4
I'm not entirely sure what the genre is of this book. Mystery? Drama? Romance? Probably all of them. I bought it because it was about a woman who inherits an old home in a small town and she has kind of a mystery to solve. I was imagining poking around in the home's old room and finding little suprises, etc. And I am a sucker for "old house/hotel" settings. I knew there would be a romance, but expected the "mystery" to be what pushed the plot along. That is not what I read, unfortunately.
Jocelyn as a main character is hard to imagine as a real person. There was no real description of her other than another character saying she looks like Alice from Alice in Wonderland, but that sounded more like it was because she was wearing a dress and a headband. She didn't really have a personality other than how she related to the other characters in her life. It was stated that she loved history and research, but it was barely touched upon. She literally just said when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. That's it. And we're supposed to believe that she's a history buff. The romance was very predictable, but that doesn't bother me if the journey there is a good one. There was zero romantic or sexual tension between Jocelyn and her love interest in my opinion. None. Their "relationship" just kind of meandered along and felt all over the place. There was no "yay!" when they finally got together. Not even a "hm." There are some flashbacks to a World War II romance, but sadly, that one didn't have any buildup or tension either (it was slightly more interesting though). I don't even think I can call this a romance book. It feels like a watered down Hallmark version. You read that right: watered...down...Hallmark...version. Watered down Hallmark!!
The saddest part for me though was the lack of personality given to the house and property itself. There was no hunting through rooms looking for clues. There was a mention of an attic that had trunks of stuff to go through, but we didn't even get to see her walk into the room! It was later mentioned in one sentence that she didn't find anything there. What a disappointment (for me). I kind of liked the small town that was the setting for all this and was slightly interested in the origin story. The female friendship was there, which was nice, but there was no real connection between the characters. I think that's what it all boiled down to. I didn't connect to a book filled with relationships because it didn't feel like that was the primary focus. The "mystery" was the focus so all the relationships suffered. All the relationships, not just the romantic ones, felt bland and unconnected. I didn't feel anything when people died and didn't feel anything when people were discovered. Just because your main character is "crying with happiness" doesn't mean I'm going to feel those emotions with her when I never connected to her to begin with. So it didn't work for me.
Also, what is with everyone being millionaires. Seriously, it was annoying. Every surprise any character had was "oh there's this person! Surprise! They're a millionaire!" It made every person feel like a cardboard cutout. "You're a millionaire! And you're a millionaire!" (Please say that in Oprah's voice.)
So the overarching story is about some mystery that happened with the older generation in 1941. It was not resolved in this first book. I'm assuming it will be covered in the rest of the series as we go through each woman and her "romance." After all of the above, I am still intrigued (in fact that got my highest score in my CAWPILE rating). However, I'm not sure I can handle reading another book like this just to find out what happens. There are 9 books in this series. I don't think I can do it. I may try the next one (which is set in the past) just to see if it's any better. What will more likely happen is that I'll just look up a spoiler so I don't have to. I hate to judge an author on one book alone so I may pick another one up some day.
CAWPILE Score: 4.43 = 2 stars
Characters: 4
Atmosphere: 3
Writing: 4
Plot: 5
Intrigue: 7
Logic: 4
Enjoyment: 4
November 30, 2016
Andavam ao tempo a pedir-me para ler este livro, mas achei que ia ser uma leitura normal. Finalmente decidir ler, e que surpresa! Sai atrasada de casa, para o trabalho, porque tinha mesmo de terminar o livro antes. Senti essa necessidade!
Como é que uma história tão simples e mil vezes conhecida pode emocionar e entusiasmar tanto? Não sei. Talvez seja a escrita da autora, de que gostei muito, talvez sejam os personagens, talvez seja esta cidade especial, Edilean, onde senti que me encaixaria perfeitamente. Fico muito, muito feliz por ser uma série e ter tantos livros por ler ainda. Já comprei o próximo, contemporâneo, porque quero mesmo voltar a este mundo :)
Inicialmente, a protagonista não estava a ser do meu agrado. Na verdade, confesso, estava a irritar-me um bocadinho. Mas quando começou com as suas piadas secas (que adoro), conquistou-me! E toda a história do passado, que há por descobrir? Que maravilha! Um amor da 2ª guerra mundial, o descobrir um outro lado de pessoas das quais se julgava saber tudo.
Já o protagonista, esse adorei-o desde o primeiro momento. Não me enganou a aparente rudeza, nem por sombras, logo se percebe que há ali um coração de manteiga. Que é casmurro, isso é, mas até fica bem :p
E as personagens secundárias, que em determinadas cenas roubam completamente o protagonismo? Talvez por isto tenha também adorado tanto. É a promessa invisível de que haverá mais, há mais o que descobrir, o que aprender, histórias para acompanhar.
Realmente, às vezes, os livros mais simples, as histórias mais comuns, são as que nos fazem mais felizes. Não queria pousar o livro e sempre que era forçada a fazê-lo, dava por mim a imaginar o que se seguiria, perdida em Edilean na minha mente. Venham os próximos! :D
Como é que uma história tão simples e mil vezes conhecida pode emocionar e entusiasmar tanto? Não sei. Talvez seja a escrita da autora, de que gostei muito, talvez sejam os personagens, talvez seja esta cidade especial, Edilean, onde senti que me encaixaria perfeitamente. Fico muito, muito feliz por ser uma série e ter tantos livros por ler ainda. Já comprei o próximo, contemporâneo, porque quero mesmo voltar a este mundo :)
Inicialmente, a protagonista não estava a ser do meu agrado. Na verdade, confesso, estava a irritar-me um bocadinho. Mas quando começou com as suas piadas secas (que adoro), conquistou-me! E toda a história do passado, que há por descobrir? Que maravilha! Um amor da 2ª guerra mundial, o descobrir um outro lado de pessoas das quais se julgava saber tudo.
Já o protagonista, esse adorei-o desde o primeiro momento. Não me enganou a aparente rudeza, nem por sombras, logo se percebe que há ali um coração de manteiga. Que é casmurro, isso é, mas até fica bem :p
E as personagens secundárias, que em determinadas cenas roubam completamente o protagonismo? Talvez por isto tenha também adorado tanto. É a promessa invisível de que haverá mais, há mais o que descobrir, o que aprender, histórias para acompanhar.
Realmente, às vezes, os livros mais simples, as histórias mais comuns, são as que nos fazem mais felizes. Não queria pousar o livro e sempre que era forçada a fazê-lo, dava por mim a imaginar o que se seguiria, perdida em Edilean na minha mente. Venham os próximos! :D
May 17, 2009
I liked the premise for this novel, but it seemed to drag on and on. There were two stories going on, entwined I'll grant you, but it was hard to tell why one mattered, aside from curiousity. I had maybe 50 pages to go before I figured out who the leading man was. I didn't find either one of them overly impressive. And the big secret/mystery was wrapped up in three or four pages, yet we had to wade through about 200 to get to it. I like this author, I just think she missed the mark with this one.
April 22, 2011
This was slow-starting, and at first I thought it was just going to be a pleasant read, but then Jocelyn started getting acquainted with the women who were her tenants in the big Edilean mansion, the mysteries of the past just kept coming, and I got much more interested and involved. The current-day romance took a back-seat for me to the romance of the past, which we learn about in bits and pieces until it all starts coming together. I had one of the mysteries figured out, but the author surprised me with another!
July 25, 2017
Jude Deveraux tem um verdadeiro talento em contar histórias. Num só romance engloba mistério, histórias de amor e suspense. É uma história de segredos de família, amizades e relações mal resolvidas. Adorei por me lembrar-me o romance "Jardim dos segredos" de Kate Morton.
Tal como no livro de Kate há uma grande mansão e um homem irresistível do qual a protagonista se apaixona. Assim como conta a narração da história de Miss Eddie ( passado no século XX, mas precisamente na Segunda Guerra).
Contudo traz-nos muitas surpresas como o facto de Jace não ficar com Ramsy ( que parecia ser o homem perfeito e destinado para ela), David Clane ( não abandonou Miss Eddie como se pensava) e Luke torna-se na personagem mais adorável do livro (e parecia um simples bronco, quando na verdade era muito inteligente).
Adorei que o livro se tenha centrado na amizade de duas mulheres, gosto muito destes mistérios familiares e me perdi de amores pela aldeia no qual Jace vai viver.
Tal como no livro de Kate há uma grande mansão e um homem irresistível do qual a protagonista se apaixona. Assim como conta a narração da história de Miss Eddie ( passado no século XX, mas precisamente na Segunda Guerra).
Contudo traz-nos muitas surpresas como o facto de Jace não ficar com Ramsy ( que parecia ser o homem perfeito e destinado para ela), David Clane ( não abandonou Miss Eddie como se pensava) e Luke torna-se na personagem mais adorável do livro (e parecia um simples bronco, quando na verdade era muito inteligente).
Adorei que o livro se tenha centrado na amizade de duas mulheres, gosto muito destes mistérios familiares e me perdi de amores pela aldeia no qual Jace vai viver.
April 20, 2017
I can't remember the last time I read a romance novel. They were all I ever used to read. Then I picked up Gone Girl... After that I started reading psychological thrillers and the romance novels fell by the wayside. I thought it would be fun to pick one up after all this time, especially one by a favorite romance writer of mine. I was wrong. It's either the book is not good or *gasp* I've outgrown romance novels. The characters don't stay in character, there are too many thrown at you, at once, and I rolled my eyes too many times already! It's time to move on!
September 9, 2018
This book might have gone down better if I liked the characters. Maybe.
The beginning of this book, describing Jocelyn's childhood and her close connection with Miss Edi, was adorable. I liked the close connection they shared, two lonely people who found each other and cherished each other. And then the book goes into the rest of the plot and it loses me.
I can understand why Edi would decide not to live in her old hometown - every single person there is absolutely insufferable. Including Joyce, so she fits right in. Despite attempts from the people in the town to describe why this old house is so important to them, and how terrified they all are that the new owner might -gasp redecorate! Or worse! I absolutely did not understand. At all. Like, yes, a piece of the town's history might get destroyed. That would suck. Then you would get over it.
Also, the weird way the entire town thought they should decide who to set up Joyce with? And how at first she's upset that the chosen guy isn't as into her as she thinks only to then get offended that people had been trying to help him? And ping-ponging between thinking her gardener is the worst to the best with no real interaction between them that explains 1) why she didn't like him at first or 2) why she changed her mind. Nor does it explain why Ramsey decided he absolutely would love her before they met or how Luke decides that the new home owner who treats him terribly is someone he's interested in?
The other thing that rubbed me the wrong way was how the author chose really weird things / ways to describe what was happening. Joyce is checking out Ramsey on their picnic - awesome, good way to show interest on her part. She focuses on liking the way he drinks - how he 'doesn't swallow the rim'? That observation and description is so weird it stuck with me the whole book. It's like she knows her main character should be checking each other out but can't bring herself to describe anything actually sexy about him for Joyce to focus on.
The love story between Edi and David was pretty cute, and a relief from the rest of the book. The fact that they both thought the other had died in the war was tragic, and like the first bit describing Joyce and Edi's relationship, was one of the few bits that really resonated.
One last complaint: what is with the classism? Joyce's mother married 'beneath' her and when she died her father inevitably went back to being low class? Joyce takes after her mother, and her step-sisters take after theirs, sort of implying they have to be the worst because of birth etc? The way Joyce looks down on Luke because his job is gardening, and thinks she makes terrible choices like her mother - only she's vindicated because surprise! He's educated and rich and secretly writes novels! The class thing comes out in several ways, large and small throughout the book and it's always terrible. Luke even accuses Joyce of only wanting to date Ramsey because of money. I mean, Joyce definitely deserves to stay in this town, they're all terrible and deserve each other, but I'm not going to be reading more of this series.
The beginning of this book, describing Jocelyn's childhood and her close connection with Miss Edi, was adorable. I liked the close connection they shared, two lonely people who found each other and cherished each other. And then the book goes into the rest of the plot and it loses me.
I can understand why Edi would decide not to live in her old hometown - every single person there is absolutely insufferable. Including Joyce, so she fits right in. Despite attempts from the people in the town to describe why this old house is so important to them, and how terrified they all are that the new owner might -gasp redecorate! Or worse! I absolutely did not understand. At all. Like, yes, a piece of the town's history might get destroyed. That would suck. Then you would get over it.
Also, the weird way the entire town thought they should decide who to set up Joyce with? And how at first she's upset that the chosen guy isn't as into her as she thinks only to then get offended that people had been trying to help him? And ping-ponging between thinking her gardener is the worst to the best with no real interaction between them that explains 1) why she didn't like him at first or 2) why she changed her mind. Nor does it explain why Ramsey decided he absolutely would love her before they met or how Luke decides that the new home owner who treats him terribly is someone he's interested in?
The other thing that rubbed me the wrong way was how the author chose really weird things / ways to describe what was happening. Joyce is checking out Ramsey on their picnic - awesome, good way to show interest on her part. She focuses on liking the way he drinks - how he 'doesn't swallow the rim'? That observation and description is so weird it stuck with me the whole book. It's like she knows her main character should be checking each other out but can't bring herself to describe anything actually sexy about him for Joyce to focus on.
The love story between Edi and David was pretty cute, and a relief from the rest of the book. The fact that they both thought the other had died in the war was tragic, and like the first bit describing Joyce and Edi's relationship, was one of the few bits that really resonated.
One last complaint: what is with the classism? Joyce's mother married 'beneath' her and when she died her father inevitably went back to being low class? Joyce takes after her mother, and her step-sisters take after theirs, sort of implying they have to be the worst because of birth etc? The way Joyce looks down on Luke because his job is gardening, and thinks she makes terrible choices like her mother - only she's vindicated because surprise! He's educated and rich and secretly writes novels! The class thing comes out in several ways, large and small throughout the book and it's always terrible. Luke even accuses Joyce of only wanting to date Ramsey because of money. I mean, Joyce definitely deserves to stay in this town, they're all terrible and deserve each other, but I'm not going to be reading more of this series.
January 5, 2013
Esta foi uma leitura realizada com um pouco de atraso. Já tinha lido o livro “Desejos do Coração”, que foi o último título que saiu e fiquei com bastante curiosidade acerca dos livros anteriores. Infelizmente, demorei um pouco até conseguir reunir todos. Como o tempo foi passando e outras leituras foram sendo feitas, fui também esquecendo pormenores importantes que acabariam por ser considerados spoilers deste mesmo livro e que por isso fiquei contente por esquecer. Quem não deve ter ficado contente por esse esquecimento foi a minha amiga Vivana, que ia dando em doida com todas as perguntas que eu ia fazendo…
E agora voltando ao tema principal, a opinião deste livro, posso dizer que voltei a apaixonar-me por esta serie. A obra é completamente deliciosa e os momentos de humor vão sendo propagados a quase todas as páginas. É um romance simples e apesar de todos os segredos e mistérios envolvendo as personagens, a sua leitura é feita de uma forma fluída e sem grandes complicações de enredo. Apesar de tudo, acabei por perceber bastante cedo um dos maiores segredos de Edilian Harcourt, algo que não veio estragar o prazer de leitura.
Adorei conhecer os primos Sara, Luke e Ramsey e também Tess, que para além da sua personalidade forte acaba por mostrar o seu lado mais simpático ao ajudar Joce no catering de algumas festas, juntamente com o pai de Luke. Adorei o Luke, achei que era uma personagem mesmo muito engraçada e juntando o seu humor ao de Joce acabaram por se tornar um complemento um do outro.
Estou ansiosa por ler o próximo livro intitulado “Dias de Ouro” que irá contar a história de Angus McTern e Edilian Talbot e que irá decorrer no ano de 1766.
http://viv-omundoencantadodoslivros.b...
E agora voltando ao tema principal, a opinião deste livro, posso dizer que voltei a apaixonar-me por esta serie. A obra é completamente deliciosa e os momentos de humor vão sendo propagados a quase todas as páginas. É um romance simples e apesar de todos os segredos e mistérios envolvendo as personagens, a sua leitura é feita de uma forma fluída e sem grandes complicações de enredo. Apesar de tudo, acabei por perceber bastante cedo um dos maiores segredos de Edilian Harcourt, algo que não veio estragar o prazer de leitura.
Adorei conhecer os primos Sara, Luke e Ramsey e também Tess, que para além da sua personalidade forte acaba por mostrar o seu lado mais simpático ao ajudar Joce no catering de algumas festas, juntamente com o pai de Luke. Adorei o Luke, achei que era uma personagem mesmo muito engraçada e juntando o seu humor ao de Joce acabaram por se tornar um complemento um do outro.
Estou ansiosa por ler o próximo livro intitulado “Dias de Ouro” que irá contar a história de Angus McTern e Edilian Talbot e que irá decorrer no ano de 1766.
http://viv-omundoencantadodoslivros.b...
April 30, 2013
Jardim de Alfazema foi daqueles livros que me prendeu logo desde o início. Jude Deveraux tem um estilo leve, humorístico e muito aprazível que fez com que devorasse o livro.
Uma coisa que me agradou bastante foi que Jude não se focou somente no romance entre os protagonistas, presenteando-nos com dois romances e meio [Luke e Jocelyn, Edi e David, e o meio romance, Tess e Ramsey]
Tess e Ramsey penso que são daqueles casais que, apesar de não terem livro próprio [eu pesquisei!], vão desenvolvendo a sua relação ao longo dos livros, sendo que apenas tivemos um cheirinho do que aí vem neste livro.
Quanto aos outros dois romances, ambos fizeram-me derreter. O de Edi e David ocorre em 1944 e é-nos contado sob a forma de história. No final houve uma revelação que me deixou melancólica e com vontade de praguejar contra as injustiças da vida, uma vez que Edi e David eram verdadeira almas gémeas o que só tornou tudo o que lhes aconteceu ainda mais trágico.
Luke e Joce não têm o típico romance ‘conhecem-se e caem de quatro um pelo outro’. De facto, à sua própria maneira, têm um romance atribulado. O que gostei mais no romance deles foi o facto de perceberem que não têm de formar o casal perfeito para se amarem verdadeiramente.
A relação que une Edi e Joce é previsível, mesmo assim a autora conseguiu torná-la interessante. Jude Deveraux imprimiu um cunho pessoal ao livro e sempre que um autor faz isso o livro ganha personalidade que o difere de outros com uma linha de acção semelhante, percebem?
Um começo de série que agradará às mais românticas.
Uma coisa que me agradou bastante foi que Jude não se focou somente no romance entre os protagonistas, presenteando-nos com dois romances e meio [Luke e Jocelyn, Edi e David, e o meio romance, Tess e Ramsey]
Tess e Ramsey penso que são daqueles casais que, apesar de não terem livro próprio [eu pesquisei!], vão desenvolvendo a sua relação ao longo dos livros, sendo que apenas tivemos um cheirinho do que aí vem neste livro.
Quanto aos outros dois romances, ambos fizeram-me derreter. O de Edi e David ocorre em 1944 e é-nos contado sob a forma de história. No final houve uma revelação que me deixou melancólica e com vontade de praguejar contra as injustiças da vida, uma vez que Edi e David eram verdadeira almas gémeas o que só tornou tudo o que lhes aconteceu ainda mais trágico.
Luke e Joce não têm o típico romance ‘conhecem-se e caem de quatro um pelo outro’. De facto, à sua própria maneira, têm um romance atribulado. O que gostei mais no romance deles foi o facto de perceberem que não têm de formar o casal perfeito para se amarem verdadeiramente.
A relação que une Edi e Joce é previsível, mesmo assim a autora conseguiu torná-la interessante. Jude Deveraux imprimiu um cunho pessoal ao livro e sempre que um autor faz isso o livro ganha personalidade que o difere de outros com uma linha de acção semelhante, percebem?
Um começo de série que agradará às mais românticas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2020
*Reread/Rerate Review*
4-4.5 stars. While I still love this book and the series as a whole... Re Reading Jude Deveraux's book this past month has really opened my eyes to some things about her writing. Where as she is still one of my favorite romance writers.. I see her books slowly turning from romance to mystery. This book for instance really put the romance on the back burner in the plot. You can tell the author has by this point found her love of mystery as she begins putting more and more of it in her works.
The actual focus of this book shifts to the mystery of the town Edilean, as well as the lady herself. Its up to our FMC Claire, who as far as Jude's FMC's go is one of the more mild FMC's this author has written about. She's just so ordinary. There is also Mystery surrounding our Male MC Luke. Though it was a reread for me so I saw all the subtle hints and clue's surrounding Luke they were hidden well so Luke as a whole is kind of hard for the reader to get to know as there is so much secrecy surrounding him. I love the flashback story's of Edilean and David. Edi is way more familiar to me as a heroine worthy of Jude. As Claire and Luke come together to solve the mysteries of the past they become close. In all honesty though their chemistry isn't explosive by any means. It was more "real" like real life for me as a reader.
This "mystery" feel is something I've just recognized. While I still like the story I feel like my eyes are opened a little and I look forward to spotting more things like this as my reread adventure continues.
4-4.5 stars. While I still love this book and the series as a whole... Re Reading Jude Deveraux's book this past month has really opened my eyes to some things about her writing. Where as she is still one of my favorite romance writers.. I see her books slowly turning from romance to mystery. This book for instance really put the romance on the back burner in the plot. You can tell the author has by this point found her love of mystery as she begins putting more and more of it in her works.
The actual focus of this book shifts to the mystery of the town Edilean, as well as the lady herself. Its up to our FMC Claire, who as far as Jude's FMC's go is one of the more mild FMC's this author has written about. She's just so ordinary. There is also Mystery surrounding our Male MC Luke. Though it was a reread for me so I saw all the subtle hints and clue's surrounding Luke they were hidden well so Luke as a whole is kind of hard for the reader to get to know as there is so much secrecy surrounding him. I love the flashback story's of Edilean and David. Edi is way more familiar to me as a heroine worthy of Jude. As Claire and Luke come together to solve the mysteries of the past they become close. In all honesty though their chemistry isn't explosive by any means. It was more "real" like real life for me as a reader.
This "mystery" feel is something I've just recognized. While I still like the story I feel like my eyes are opened a little and I look forward to spotting more things like this as my reread adventure continues.
February 2, 2012
Jude Deveraux used to be a quite good author. Not anymore. In fact, reading this I had the disturbing feeling she was using a ghost writer, a really talentless one. The plot is supposed to convoluted, intriguing, romantic, suspenseful and surprising. None of those adjectives describe this book. What it actually is, is the rather bland story of Jocelyn, a smart, supposedly elegant girl(I have to say girl, she doesn't come off as a real woman) who grows up kind of the white sheep in a black sheep family. Joce is befriended by a mysterious older woman who eventually dies and leaves her a big house in Virginia, but no money. Joce decides to write a memoir about her benefactor while for some reason baking a lot of cupcakes and trying to decide which of two handsome men, who are cousins, should be the love of her life. Peppered wih excepts from romance set in England in World War II, this book is a strange hodgepodge of ripoffs from much better books, The Notebook and Atonement among others. I was disappointed and vaguely embarassed I even finished this, but my only defense is my only other choice of books at the time was James Patterson's Toys, which WAS so awful I couldn't stomach finishing it. Do yourself a favor, pass on Lavender Morning and read Jude's earlier books; The Velvet series, The Lady series, Knight in Shining Armor or Legend.
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