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Whirlwind Jamisons #1

Дар от съдбата

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Остин Рандолф Джеймисън, девети херцог Брадфорд, среща една тайнствена красавица на бала в Брадфорд Хол. И още от първия миг е запленен от нея. Откъде тази непринудена девойка, пълзяща из храсталаците, за да спаси едно котенце, знае тайни, които могат да съсипят и опозорят семейството му, и защо говори за опасност, надвиснала над рода му? Коя е тя, тази умна и прозорлива американка, която знае твърде много за него, с невинни очи и чувствени устни, изкусителни като греха? Внезапно херцогът осъзнава, че не може да є позволи да си тръгне от живота му...

Някои го наричат дар от съдбата. Но за Елизабет Матюс виденията й са отговорност, която я задължава да предупреждава хората за грозящата ги опасност. Макар клюките да мълвят, че тя се опитва да завлече херцог Брадфорд към брачния олтар, тя се заклева да използва необикновената си дарба, за да го защити, независимо от цената. Дългът и честта я превръщат в негова съпруга, без тя да подозира, че бракът им ще се превърне в любовен съюз и най-пикантния скандал в светското общество...

312 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

12 people are currently reading
426 people want to read

About the author

Jacquie D'Alessandro

121 books417 followers
Jacquie D'Alessandro grew up on Long Island and fell in love with romance at an early age. She dreamed of being swept away by a dashing rogue riding a spirited stallion. When Joe, her hero finally showed up, he was dressed in jeans and driving a Volkswagen, but she recognized him anyway. They married after they both graduated from Hofstra University, and are now living their happily-ever-after in Atlanta, Georgia, along with their very bright and active son, Christopher, alias "Junior", who is a dashing rogue in the making.

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5 stars
220 (29%)
4 stars
261 (34%)
3 stars
205 (27%)
2 stars
49 (6%)
1 star
16 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
Profile Image for Lady Gabriella of Awesomeness (SLOW).
522 reviews824 followers
April 13, 2015
4.5 Whirlwind stars :)

MY Austin & Elizabeth.. ♥



Im simply in love with these two ! They're defiantly going into my Best-couple-banter,Kickass heroine & Swoon-worthy-hero shelves respectively.



Would I recommend it ?

Yes defiantly !Whirlwind wedding,is a fun romance read with a dash of angst and two cubes of mystery ;) (Notice the tea reference..*sign*..biscuits..Lol i must be hungry :P )

Will I be continuing the series ?
Umm....Not sure of that one.Not a huge fan of Robert or Alberta (or her name..Alberta ? Really ?)

So probably no.
Profile Image for Becca.
703 reviews119 followers
June 30, 2018
My friends, if you like cheesiness in your books, then look no further than this...this is the VELVEETA of late 1990's/early 2000's romance novels. Now, I don't mean that the cheese factor is all bad. No, D'Alessandro writes beautifully and somehow manages to charm me even if I roll my eyes at how handsome the hero is, how perfectly gentle the heroine is, and how epic their soul-shattering romance is. It's doing it a bit purple, but I feel that all romance novels were like this at the time and D'Alessandro was one of the best.

Whirlwind Wedding is about the match-up between a duke and an American. Now, before you claim this is cliché, remember that this was written in 2000, well before the explosion of duke books that makes it appear there were more dukes than any other rank in the British aristocracy. D'Alessandro didn't really dive into the weightiness of the hero's title and she glossed over the difficulties of a free-spirited, medically trained American (though her mother was an aristocrat). This bummed me out a bit, but D'Alessandro did add a subtle weightiness to the story with a secret the hero is trying to keep buried (and it's a good one that would destroy his family--NOT something stupid like he likes to tie up his women or his heart was broken before and he can't love EVER AGAIN).

There is also a paranormal element to the story in that the heroine can sometimes see the future. At first, this annoyed me, but once I accepted it, I thought it made it kind of fun and different, especially when the hero and heroine worked together using her gift (don't worry, he was as skeptical as I was at first).

So, why the low rating if I enjoyed the cheese, characterization, and sex scenes? What else is left? THE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING. Oh, and it was horrible in this book. I hated it. So much so that I reduced the rating of this by two stars. The heroine has a vision and it causes her to push away the hero and cause him pain. And the hero, despite all he knows of the heroine, believes her and the two separate during the story. This was completely unnecessary and could have been cut from the book entirely. There was enough angst from the hero's secret and I was very upset to add this drama to the plot.

Anyway, if you're forewarned of the cheese and the big misunderstanding and those things don't bother you, then this book is a fun read. The initial romance is light, there is a lot of good steam, and I like when heroines are pragmatic and can deal with medical issues. Plus, the cover of this is pretty tame so no one will laugh at your Fabio cover (though I must say I'm always proud of my ridiculous covers...especially when I catch someone staring on the airplane. I know they are just jealous!)


:)
Profile Image for Nefise.
497 reviews58 followers
June 18, 2015
It was a nice historical romance story. I didn't get bored but also there was not a unique or exceptional things about neither plot nor writing. It's just an average, enjoyable reading.

And I should say this, when I read a book that its hero is a duke, I want to feel the title's heaviness, cold attitude, quality and even arrogance. But I didn't find it in this book and I think it's a flaw. At least hero might be an earl etc.
Anyway, there are other things that I can discuss but I was concentrated on having good time and a sweet romance part, so I'll pass over other flaws :)
Profile Image for Lindy.
558 reviews26 followers
August 2, 2009
I was enjoying this book until page 244 when the heroine turned into a total idiot. I stopped reading there.
Profile Image for Gerrie.
976 reviews
May 10, 2012
The first ⅔ of the book was a solid 4 star read. The hero and heroine were both sympathetic and well drawn, and their love story was believable and enchanting. The author really showed us the two people falling in love, their growing attraction and chemistry. There was a very enjoyable banter and repartee between them that added a real sparkle to the book. There was also an interesting mystery side plot. The heroine had some psychic ability that was credible and realistic. I was really loving the book.

Then, the last ⅓ veered off in a direction that I feel ruined the book. The heroine makes a very bad decision (and later on realizes that she should have done things differently, but for me it was too late to save the story), and despite her earlier maturity and good sense, it is an extremely stupid decision. And the mystery element - initially so interesting - became more of a melodrama. Also, once the mystery is revealed, we learn that another character has made a decision that to me just did not make sense.

I would love to give this book 4 stars. The author is a terrific writer, who creates great, sympathetic characters. She's a wonderful storyteller. I loved Red Roses Mean Love and The Bride Thief, the two other books of hers that I've read. And I will certainly continue to read her books, including the sequel to this one. But I am really disappointed that a book I had been enjoying so much deteriorated so drastically towards the end.
Profile Image for Crista.
823 reviews
May 20, 2010
Jacquie D'Allessandro is the real deal. Red Roses Mean Love and Bride Thief are 2 of my favorite romance novels EVER. Whirlwind Wedding is also terrific, but not quite as great as the other two mentioned...(that's why I give it 4.5 stars). But whatever the rating.....this is a must read book. It is captivating, engrossing, and totally addicting. You will not be able to put it down and the ending will give you goosebumps.....good goosebumps:)

Whirlwind Wedding has elements of mystery and a bit of paranormal (she can tell the future!). I appreciated the characters...especially Elizabeth's character. She is a breath of fresh air into Austin's stuffy world where he believes all women are out to trap him into marriage. Their banter is witty and had me chuckling throughout the book. I loved the gradual attraction that builds and builds between these two and the ending is so seamless and perfect that it gave me goosebumps.

If you haven't read Jackie D before....you are in for a treat. If you have..this one will not disappoint.
Profile Image for Ana María.
662 reviews41 followers
June 17, 2017
2 y medio en realidad.
Típica novela de regencia en la que un duque pone en peligro la reputación de una damita americana, Elizabeth, por pasar la noche con ella en unas ruinas. No pasó nada pero... al casorio.
Austin, el duque, además está interesado en ella porque parece tener información de su hermano desaparecido, William. Austin está siendo chantajeado por un sujeto que podría revelar que William era un traidor.
El tema, y por eso la baja de puntos, es que Elizabeth tiene información porque tiene "videncias" de lo que va a pasar. Y todo, desde la aclaración del misterio hasta los conflictos de la pareja tienen que ver con esas "videncias". Y a mí me parece muy traído de los pelos. No me gusta. O sea, no hay mucha investigación sino un recorrido para esperar que ella "sienta" algo.
Además me pareció muy bobalicona. Hija de médico y ayudante de su padre, americana liberal, y cuando su tía le pregunta si sabe lo que va a pasar en la noche de bodas, qué le responde: - Claro tía, he visto a los animales del campo. Puff
Austin un amor.
Para pasar el rato si te gustan las de regencia.
Profile Image for ChloeLeeNH.
286 reviews47 followers
March 8, 2009
This was a great one :). I liked the chemistry and loved the action suspense. Great combination. I thought they genuinely had an attraction and were very attracted to each other. This is up there as a JD favorite!
Profile Image for Fabiola Chenet.
Author 30 books31 followers
February 12, 2020
3,5 étoiles
L'héroïne prend une décision unilatérale pour une raison assez débile qui m'a tellement énervée et le héros qui tombe dans le piège sans plus réfléchir…
C'est là que je me rends compte à quel point mes lectures ont changé. En 2007, ça ne m'a pas dérangée, en 2020, j'ai juste envie de la taper.
Profile Image for Deni.
805 reviews15 followers
December 23, 2013

Принципно когато станеш изпечен читател на един жанр можеш да разбереш дали една книга ще е добра от първите 50 страници. Е, за съжаление първите 50 страници на тази книга не ми вдъхнаха никакви надежди. Както и следващите 50, и по-следващите 50 и така до края. До последно се надявах да засека поне една компенсаторна линия, която да оправдае предварителните ми положителни нагласи, но уви, така и не се сблъсках с нея. Но всичко по реда си.


Първо: ЗАГЛАВИЕТО
С една дума - изтъркано. С повече - блудкаво и изтъркано... точно каквото трябва да е бъде заглавието на един треторазряден любовен роман от 90-те. От онези дето не бяха дебели повече от кутре и майките ни четяха по 3 за час. След като прочетох романа обаче се оказа, че пасва идеално на цялостната история и идея на авторката.


Второ: ГЕРОИТЕ
С една дума - плитки. С повече - безхарактерни, лишени от съдържание и индвидуалност, с никакво развитие в стечение на историята, не те грабват по никакъв начин... абе мисля, че разбрахте какво се опитвам да кажа. Главната ге��оиня е някаква хаотична, объркана, твърдоглава и с нереалистична представа за себе си и своята важност особа, която едвам изтраях до края на книгата. Типичната противно наивна и мелодраматична девойка, която си въобразява, че може всичко сама и е всемогъща и неуязвима и която постоянно не навира в тъпи ситуации. Главния герой ако не споменаваха от време на време, че е мускулест щях да взема за гей. Извинявам се много, но познавам много мъже и, вярвайте ми, никой не се впуска в такива безкрайни, сърцераздирателни и изпълнени с (излишно) много прилагателни вътрешни монолози за неизчерпаемия (иди разбери) списък от добродетели на дамата, която в крайна сметка просто искат да опънат. И някъде 10 минути след като все пак са го направили получават невероятното просветление с висше, че я обичат. Зле!


Трето: ИСТОРИЯТА
С една дума - скучна. С повече - щеше ми се да можех да ви излъжа и да ви кажа нещо хубаво поне за този елемент от цялостната картинка, но... Прощавайте, не мога да си обърна езика и да кажа, че тръпнех от любопитство какво ще стане по нататък. Може и добре да е било замислено като идейка, но е толкова зле изпълнено на практика, че чак ми става мъчно. Никаква мистерия, никаква интрига, никаква динамика в събитията. Като цяло цареше статика. Мъртвило. Плот туиста в отношенията между героите беше толкова тъп, че чак ме досмеша. Абсурден, нелогичен. Буквално все едно да да си купиш банан, да го обелиш, а от вътре да ти излезе жираф. Кулминацията на историята пък беше още по-тъпа. Мразя да боравя с епитети, но няма друга по-подходяща дума за случая. На епилога вече се благодарях на Бога, че приключва и едвам се сдържах да не повърна лекичко в устата си от безкрайната сладникавост интегрирана в редовете.


Четвърто: ИЗРАЗНИТЕ СРЕДСТВА
С една дума - плачевни. С повече - повтаряемост на словосъчетания, прекалено дълги изречения, прекалено много прилагателни. Тук обаче е момента да кажа, че проблема не е в превода. Напротив. С толкова лош първоначален материал съм направо възхитена от способността на преводача да запази сила на духа и да не вдигне ръце от тая книга. Превода е повече от добър. Проблема е в самия автор. За което преводача няма никаква вина. Той е невинен вестител, който най-вероятно ще пострада неволно в цялата ситуация. Та, след като се уточнихме, че свалям шапка на преводача, нека конкретизирам и да кажа, че проблема ми е с автора. Който по моето скромно мнение просто не става.


В ОБОБЩЕНИЕ
Щях много да съжалявам, че съм си дала парите за тази книга ако не беше милото отношение на хората на щанда на Ибис. Това е единственото нещо, което за мен спасява цялото катастрофално преживяване по четенето на това нещо, което си е чиста проба разхищение на хартия. И то на не малко хартия! Цели 310 страници! Боже, как съм издържала до края и аз не знам...



P.S. Тази книга, заедно със новелата към Войните на Посейдон на Тиара Букс влизат в черния списък с книги, които не бих препоръчала дори на враговете си.

Profile Image for Kath S.
354 reviews264 followers
February 21, 2013
Me estaba gustando muuucho... hasta esas últimas páginas. No me gustó la manera en que separó a los protagonistas (una verdadera tontería), y las últimas páginas las leí sin ganas :/... Decepcionante!
214 reviews1 follower
January 25, 2024
4.77⭐️
Los romances de época definitivamente son mi gusto culposo.
Amé todo de este libro, el personaje de Elizabeth fue muy bien construido, ninguno de sus visiones se sintieron forzadas (no soy muy fan de lo paranormal), literalmente una mujer con un gran corazón que no le importa lo que la gente piense de ella pero aun así ayuda a que pueda. La forma en que se preocupo y ayudo a Austin
El desarrollo y evolución de Austin fue perfecto, de una persona fría, Elizabeth lo convirtió en un hombre de mil emociones. ( efecto Elizabeth)
Disfrute de la trama del misterio de que le había pasado a William, así como la acción.
Definitivamente no esperaba que fuera una lectura con tantas escenas sexuales, pero fueron bien distribuidas y se sintieron naturales.
Un aplauso a la gran química y tensión sexual entre Austin y Elizabeth desde el momento en que se conocieron.
Justicia para Miles y Caroline se merecían un libro, pero no puedo esperar a leer la historia de Robert.
No le doy 5 estrellas porque por un lado sentí que a la mitad del libro cambia bastante las "vibes". Me hubiera gustado que la boda se efectuará pasando el 60% del libro, pero no me genero una gran molestia. Por otro lado ( habiendo leído Splendid y Dance at midnight de Julia Quinn ) encontré muchos parecidos entre las historias ( los de Julia se publicaron unos años antes) un conde y una americana, la cual era pelirroja, la escena de los pantalones, la pelea en la cabaña y el epílogo. Obviamente entiendo que esas ideas no tienen derechos de autor, solo quería hacer notar las similitudes. Aún sabiendo esto disfrute muchísimo la lectura y recomendaría este libro.
Profile Image for Valeria Vivar Jelic.
75 reviews2 followers
September 26, 2021

La primera vez que leí esta novela era una adolescente obsesionada con las historias de amor. Recuerdo que era uno de mis libros favoritos! Amaba el romance que se formaba entre Austin y Elizabeth!

Ahora ya adulta, sigo obsesionada con las historias de amor, pero ciertos aspectos y conocimientos me han vuelto más crítica y reflexiva en cuanto a lo que significa una relación, amor, compañerismo, entre otras cosas.

Al volver a leer la novela años después, pude sentir nostalgia y emoción, ya que recordaba muy bien las partes que hacían revolotear mi corazón, y siguen siendo así💝 sin embargo, hay ciertas actitudes de Austin que claramente ya no me resultaban tan atractivas. Quizás también afecta mucho la época del relato.

Sin embargo, dejando pasar esos detalles, es una historia muy tierna, que seguirá teniendo un lugar en mi corazón!
Profile Image for Denise.
671 reviews8 followers
June 4, 2019
This was so good - until chapter 19. The contrived mini plot twist seems like it was thrown in simply to make the book longer. It was utterly pointless and didn’t make any sense. The only purpose it served was to piss me off. Huge waste of time and had nothing to do with the actual story, AND it was completely out of character for both Austin and Elizabeth. The characters reactions to each other were too unbelievable.
Even now, just thinking about it, I’m mad again.
I’m changing my 3 stars to 2 because the stupidity of it upsets me that much.
Profile Image for Sussy_lwp.
1,046 reviews23 followers
April 24, 2021
💗 La historia es muy linda, divertida y romántica, el instalove me pareció bien argumentando, un punto muy interesante lo del don de Elisabeth.
Austin me ha encantado, sobre todo que quiera tanto a su familia y aun que no lo dice lo demuestra mucho.
Me pareció muy forzada la historia de Carolina, por qué no darle su libro? y saber mas de Miles.
Profile Image for Jess.
470 reviews639 followers
June 18, 2022
2.5 stars.

The writing is weak. Customs rarely acknowledged. Weak ending.

It was pretty entertaining but I am picky with writing. I like the prose descriptive, a little purple and flowing succinctly. My biggest read flag is when the entire book is mostly dialogue.

But these two did pork a lot if you like high steam.
Profile Image for Jimena Bermolen.
201 reviews
January 23, 2023
A pesar de la estela de fantasía y poderes de clarividencia, este libro es ameno. Pasas por todos los estados: tiene partes de comedia, partes de drama y misterio, sufrir porque los protagonistas que se aman se pelean por un malentendido.. y luego otra vez felicidad. Las escenas hot son buenas. Una maravillosa sorpresa este libro.
1 review
June 2, 2020
Been reading this since I was in high school. I love the story and the interactions of the main characters. I was hoping the author would make another book that continues their own story. I know she made another story about the same family but with the other characters.
Profile Image for Nororm.
1,234 reviews16 followers
February 29, 2020
Une romance sympathique avec une touche de fantastique et d'humour!
Profile Image for Shannon.
516 reviews7 followers
August 28, 2020
I like Elizabeth a lot. She was well rounded and had good character. Austin a bit less so, but still good. Overall a good read and I was curious to learn more about the other couples in the book.
Profile Image for Winifred Sabrina.
289 reviews9 followers
March 12, 2020
Une romance historique réussite et très agréable à lire. Nos héros sont drôles, touchants et la romance charmante. Je suis très heureuse d'avoir retrouvé l'auteure avec ce titre et c'est avec plaisir que je lirais la suite.

=> http://luniversdewinifred.blogspot.co...
Profile Image for Nessa.
3,924 reviews70 followers
October 24, 2016
A SOLID 4.5 STARS! THIS AUTHOR HAS LITERALLY MADE ME A FAN OF HER WORK AND THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING FOR I AM SOMEWHAT JADED OF LATE.

OUR HERO is a lofty Duke who is feeling remorse about hiding the truth of his supposedly dead brother (William)'s heroic death from his beloved family. Aside from that conflict, in comes another in the form of the beautiful American redhead who is so unconventional and refreshing that Austin is intrigued - captivated and stood no chance against her unintended charms as he falls hopelessly and easily for her.

OUR HEROINE was a delight to read and is the perfect duchess for Austin because she is so unlike the English misses here with her unwavering loyalty, kindness and empathy. Her uniqueness isn't just based on her personality but the author added some form of supernaturalism with Elizabeth's ability to foresee the future - unwillingly. But, she puts it to good use to help Austin uncover and capture the villain while unravelling the truth about William. There is an indication to her past in America but it was rather inoffensive. What I love about her was her uncanny perception about people she meets and I think that makes her wise or would become one if she didnt propose the preposterous idea of an annulment when she misread one of her premonitions that led to unnecessary heartache for both parties. THAT was incredibly stupid and unfeeling even if she thought it was for Austin's sake.

OVERALL I loved every second of it because their DAMNED CHEMISTRY AND EASY CAMARADERIE WAS so well written I couldnt help but go along for the ride and sigh pleasantly at each encounter, kiss and exchange of words. The very small stories of Miles and Caroline's love story and William's were an added bonus! Some authors can shed their characters in shady light and makes you not like them at times but D'Alessandro has a way of bringing out the best of her H/h that you just genuinely become fond of them. I cannot wait to read more from this author!
Profile Image for kreekree.
84 reviews1 follower
July 24, 2016
I agree with another reviewer that this novel is a solid 4 stars throughout the first 75% of the novel, then the heroine make a frustrating choice that would have made me detract another star had I not known about it. I suppose because I was warned ahead of time I merely skimmed those parts that drove a wedge between Austin and Elizabeth for the next 15% of the novel.

I'm keeping my rating to 4 stars though, just because the first and middle portion of the novel were so good. I loved how D'Alessandro allowed the main protagonists to interact with each other to allow them to fall in love, even before the "whirlwind wedding" occurred. Because of the development of the characters, both in personality and relationship-wise, I would definitely re-read this novel again.

A minor point: I thought that giving Elizabeth the ability to foretell the future or read someone's mind was interesting, but the way the author describes the activation of her "powers" was slightly inconsistent. D'Alessandro tells us that all Elizabeth needs to do is to touch someone in order for her powers to activate. However, it seems that the touch only occurs on the hands? And why is it that when she touches certain objects Elizabeth sees events only pertaining to Austin (the only other person Elizabeth sees the future for is her friend in America)? Why not events for servants or family members? Because of how vaguely the author describes Elizabeth's powers I could definitely tell that adding supernatural elements in her writing is not the author's forte.
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