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The ninth captivating historical romance in the Montgomery series from New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux.
Carrie Montgomery had grown up with seven adoring older brothers, and she was used to getting her way rather easily. Joshua Greene was only looking for a hardworking, practical mail-order bride to help with the farm and feed and clothe his children. Yet from the moment Carrie saw his photograph, saw his devastatingly handsome, sorrowful smile, the petite and pampered beauty knew she was the perfect wife for him.
Josh didn't see it that way. Wed by proxy, he refused to be charmed by his new bride's blond curls and effervescent laughter, or impressed by her trappings of wealth...even if his son and daughter believed she was a fairy princess come to life. He was furious—and ready to send her packing, until a near tragedy convinced him that her beauty was more than skin-deep. But even after he had yielded to the wild desire that surged between them, Josh could not admit how much he truly needed her. Then an old scandal threatened to re-emerge, and he realized that he could lose her forever....
Carrie Montgomery had grown up with seven adoring older brothers, and she was used to getting her way rather easily. Joshua Greene was only looking for a hardworking, practical mail-order bride to help with the farm and feed and clothe his children. Yet from the moment Carrie saw his photograph, saw his devastatingly handsome, sorrowful smile, the petite and pampered beauty knew she was the perfect wife for him.
Josh didn't see it that way. Wed by proxy, he refused to be charmed by his new bride's blond curls and effervescent laughter, or impressed by her trappings of wealth...even if his son and daughter believed she was a fairy princess come to life. He was furious—and ready to send her packing, until a near tragedy convinced him that her beauty was more than skin-deep. But even after he had yielded to the wild desire that surged between them, Josh could not admit how much he truly needed her. Then an old scandal threatened to re-emerge, and he realized that he could lose her forever....
310 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1992
354 people are currently reading
1956 people want to read
About the author
Jude Deveraux
199 books7,061 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 187 reviews
May 4, 2022
I re-read this over the weekend after not having read it in many, many years...I originally had this at 3 stars...obviously that's no longer the case. Nuff said. Next.
April 4, 2022
Well Jude, this is our second time together, and I have to be honest I don’t see a future together. Really, it’s me, not you. Maybe it’s my fault for skimming so much that I just didn’t get a handle on the heroine’s winsome but irritating ways or figure out why the hero is such a combination of stupid, bad parent and jerk that the heroine still falls in love with him. Oh, I forgot…it’s because he’s handsome.
I know you’re going to make some lucky reader happy someday, but I won’t be that person.
I know you’re going to make some lucky reader happy someday, but I won’t be that person.
November 1, 2022
My favorite of the bunch so far. It was kinda cutesy.
December 8, 2022
I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this… it was painful to finish, and I’ve wasted enough time. I usually love this trope (mail order bride), but I found the characters uninspiring. She’s spoiled and beautiful; he’s handsome and dumb. Neither one of them had any real depth or growth.
Bottom Line- Just meh for me. I like the author, but this one was just a miss for me.
Bottom Line- Just meh for me. I like the author, but this one was just a miss for me.
February 19, 2017
That was one of the most adorable books I have ever read!!!
The idea in the first place appealed to me, I always like the single parent thing, so its a huge bonus for the book.
its my first book for Jude Deveraux, and so far it left a great impression that why I'm gonna read the series from the very beginning.
At first I hated how Josh reacted to own lovely heroin, i really felt bad for her no women should be treated that way, but I liked the progress with the couple they were the cute kind.
Plus the scenes that I liked were the rescue mission one, it was well done, and the kids acting and impersonation scenes.
Overall its one hell of a happy-go kind f book, not very intense and totally adorable so *thumps up*
The idea in the first place appealed to me, I always like the single parent thing, so its a huge bonus for the book.
its my first book for Jude Deveraux, and so far it left a great impression that why I'm gonna read the series from the very beginning.
At first I hated how Josh reacted to own lovely heroin, i really felt bad for her no women should be treated that way, but I liked the progress with the couple they were the cute kind.
Plus the scenes that I liked were the rescue mission one, it was well done, and the kids acting and impersonation scenes.
Overall its one hell of a happy-go kind f book, not very intense and totally adorable so *thumps up*
February 9, 2022
This is # 10 in the Montgomery/ Taggart series on Jude Deveraux’s website.
It takes place in 1865 starting in Warbrooke Maine and to Eternity Colorado to a small farm. Carrie Montgomery is the youngest in a family with seven older handsome brothers. She was 5’ tall and a beautiful blonde. Her brothers and parents spoiled her giving her everything. She and her friends started a mail order bride service and one of men caught her eye. He wanted a woman who could farm. She saw a family who needed her. She wrote to him telling him she could take care of his children and knew how to cook and all about farming. She suggested she marry him by proxy. He agreed. She told her parents and went to get her man and children taking Jamie M ( brother) gift of a dog Choo choo with her, plus all her worldly goods. Her husband wasn’t pleased. She wasn’t ugly and good at farming as advertised. She thought he was more handsome in person and saw that he was attracted to her but hid it. He said she could stay for a week but he’d ship her back to mommy and daddy when the stage came through in a week. The children took to her like glue. Josh and Carrie fought all the time. She hired people to fix the house and yard up and a cleaning lady plus a cook. He was angry because he couldn’t provide for his family. His son Tem and daughter Dallas loved Carrie and wanted her to stay so Tem decided to go and get a rattle snake and hide it in Carries bed and she would seek comfort from Josh. That was the plan but Tem fell off a cliff in a lightening storm. Both Josh and Carrie went to rescue him. She growing up by the sea knew what to take for a rescue. They rode up a mountain on two horses Josh borrowed from his brother Hiram. Carrie showed her horsemanship and her skill at tying knots with the rope they used to pull Tem up. They spent night in a cave going home the next morning. They took a day off to celebrate going fishing and listening to Josh tell the story of Alice in Wonderland. They all enjoyed themselves. That evening Josh took Carrie as his bride. The next day Hiram came to dinner. Carrie had the cooks from town prepare a feast. When Hiram arrived Josh told her not say anything but just endure his brother. She tried but she couldn’t take all the put downs and insults he spewed to his brother’s family and her. She poured food all over him. She ran off crying. Josh came after her to comfort her. They made passionate love. Hot hot hot. The next day she was to leave for home on the stage coach. They spent the last night together making love. He had all her things packed up to ship back to Warbrooke Maine and drove her to the stagecoach and left her. The stagecoach didn’t show up. It was going to be a week before it would come. She was running low on cash so she devised a plan on how to make some money. Six weeks later she was running a successful dress shop. With money she made a spent in the town all the buildings were spruced up. Josh and the children were miserable without her. The children convinced Josh to write her a letter telling her everything. Ring came to Eternity making the stagecoach to arrive on time for once. His mother sent him to make sure Carrie was happily married. Josh was keeping a few secrets too. He was a famous actor but to get custody of his two children he had to farm for four years without acting. He had divorced his stage actress wife and in the divorce had given all his money to her. She said she had the final divorce papers and hadn’t signed them. Ring had arranged for them to get remarried the next day. Josh asked his ex what she wanted to sign the papers. She wanted 50.000 dollars. Carrie was ready to ask her brother to pay her off but Josh said no that he would handle it. He asked his children to do some play acting with him. He told his ex that he was giving up farming and he planned to go off with his new mistress Carrie to Venice. He said she would have to take the children. So she and the children left. The next day she brought them back none of them looked like they had any sleep. She took out the divorce papers and signed them without any mention of money. Ring gave Carrie away to Josh with the two children beside them. Carrie became Mrs. Joshua Templeton and expecting their own child. I loved this story. It was too funny and I never laughed so hard.
It takes place in 1865 starting in Warbrooke Maine and to Eternity Colorado to a small farm. Carrie Montgomery is the youngest in a family with seven older handsome brothers. She was 5’ tall and a beautiful blonde. Her brothers and parents spoiled her giving her everything. She and her friends started a mail order bride service and one of men caught her eye. He wanted a woman who could farm. She saw a family who needed her. She wrote to him telling him she could take care of his children and knew how to cook and all about farming. She suggested she marry him by proxy. He agreed. She told her parents and went to get her man and children taking Jamie M ( brother) gift of a dog Choo choo with her, plus all her worldly goods. Her husband wasn’t pleased. She wasn’t ugly and good at farming as advertised. She thought he was more handsome in person and saw that he was attracted to her but hid it. He said she could stay for a week but he’d ship her back to mommy and daddy when the stage came through in a week. The children took to her like glue. Josh and Carrie fought all the time. She hired people to fix the house and yard up and a cleaning lady plus a cook. He was angry because he couldn’t provide for his family. His son Tem and daughter Dallas loved Carrie and wanted her to stay so Tem decided to go and get a rattle snake and hide it in Carries bed and she would seek comfort from Josh. That was the plan but Tem fell off a cliff in a lightening storm. Both Josh and Carrie went to rescue him. She growing up by the sea knew what to take for a rescue. They rode up a mountain on two horses Josh borrowed from his brother Hiram. Carrie showed her horsemanship and her skill at tying knots with the rope they used to pull Tem up. They spent night in a cave going home the next morning. They took a day off to celebrate going fishing and listening to Josh tell the story of Alice in Wonderland. They all enjoyed themselves. That evening Josh took Carrie as his bride. The next day Hiram came to dinner. Carrie had the cooks from town prepare a feast. When Hiram arrived Josh told her not say anything but just endure his brother. She tried but she couldn’t take all the put downs and insults he spewed to his brother’s family and her. She poured food all over him. She ran off crying. Josh came after her to comfort her. They made passionate love. Hot hot hot. The next day she was to leave for home on the stage coach. They spent the last night together making love. He had all her things packed up to ship back to Warbrooke Maine and drove her to the stagecoach and left her. The stagecoach didn’t show up. It was going to be a week before it would come. She was running low on cash so she devised a plan on how to make some money. Six weeks later she was running a successful dress shop. With money she made a spent in the town all the buildings were spruced up. Josh and the children were miserable without her. The children convinced Josh to write her a letter telling her everything. Ring came to Eternity making the stagecoach to arrive on time for once. His mother sent him to make sure Carrie was happily married. Josh was keeping a few secrets too. He was a famous actor but to get custody of his two children he had to farm for four years without acting. He had divorced his stage actress wife and in the divorce had given all his money to her. She said she had the final divorce papers and hadn’t signed them. Ring had arranged for them to get remarried the next day. Josh asked his ex what she wanted to sign the papers. She wanted 50.000 dollars. Carrie was ready to ask her brother to pay her off but Josh said no that he would handle it. He asked his children to do some play acting with him. He told his ex that he was giving up farming and he planned to go off with his new mistress Carrie to Venice. He said she would have to take the children. So she and the children left. The next day she brought them back none of them looked like they had any sleep. She took out the divorce papers and signed them without any mention of money. Ring gave Carrie away to Josh with the two children beside them. Carrie became Mrs. Joshua Templeton and expecting their own child. I loved this story. It was too funny and I never laughed so hard.
January 26, 2022
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
I am following the chronological order of Montgomery/Taggert series on Deveraux’s website (though many say her publication order will be better as her writing style evolved that way!). This one is okay as a standalone, but I think you would get more enjoyment out of it if you at least read ‘Ring’s story, which is Mountain Laurel. ‘Ring is in this story and it will also give some background on the family. (The other prior books were set back a bit in time and not as relatable to this story line)
Basic plot
Carrie Montgomery has 7 older brothers and she’s been determined to find her own way despite their meddling. She runs a matchmaking business for mail order brides but when she comes across a picture of a man with this two children, it calls to her and she knows she must go to him. He wants a woman with strength and a farming background that can help him turn his farm around. Carrie has led a pampered life and knows nothing about farming – but she knows she can provide this man what he needs in life despite that.
Give this a try if you want:
- Low steam – theres 1 full scene (short and vague) and a few remembered, alluded to scenes/kisses
- Plenty of outside drama – interfering family members, missing child, past coming back to haunt them, etc
- You love children in the story – Our hero Josh has 2 children and they have lots of sweet page time in the book
- Western America – This one takes place in 1865 (I don’t believe there was mention of the Civil War) - most of the book takes place at a small town out West called Eternity
- Mail order bride trope
- Class difference feel – Josh is quite poor, Carrie comes from money
- I marked this as older hero but I’m not sure how old Josh is – he was married before and has 2 kids, Carrie is 19 so it feels like age gap but I didn’t catch his age
My thoughts:
I know I’ve been pooing on everyone’s Deveraux loving parade with my reading of this series lol. I’M SORRY. This one though, really I thought it was one of the best I’ve read of the series. I still didn’t love it. But I didn’t hate it.
There was some humor in this story, cuteness and sweetness from the kids. It didn’t have quite the level of craziness some of her other books had so I appreciated that. As usual, I wish a bit more time had been spent on the romance development and the character background of the hero and heroine instead of a lot of outside drama.
The ending did get a bit bonkers and while it was resolved, I wish it had been a little more...tidy? I’m not sure, maybe an epilogue would have helped, but that might be resolved when reading the other siblings stories.
Deveraux does has a bad habit of including fatfobic remarks in her books (I’ve noted these in a number of them so far) and I saw it a bit here too, including a focus on appearance. These are annoying to me, mainly because I happened to notice them in one of the first books I read by her and now they stand out really bad to me. I can’t unsee it sadly. But, it’s not a large part of the book.
Things like:
-‘Ring (heroine’s older brother) calling her friends The Ugly Horde and the uglies
-When the heroine meets the hero and he tells her about all the accomplishments his mail order bride will have (plowing skills, raising animals, cooking, shearing sheep, etc), the heroine is only worried about well “Is she pretty?”
-Multiple characters are referred to as ‘fat’ always in a negative way
-Even in the authors notes (which were about another book and I’m not sure why they were included there) it talked about how she didn’t eat or sleep for 3 days and she STILL didn’t lose anyway and I was like ahhhhh I can’t get away from the focus on bodies!!!
But anyway, this one was generally more enjoyable for me. I’d say I liked it the most so far of all the books I’ve tried in the series.
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes – I had the large print version so pages might be weird
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Yes
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
I am following the chronological order of Montgomery/Taggert series on Deveraux’s website (though many say her publication order will be better as her writing style evolved that way!). This one is okay as a standalone, but I think you would get more enjoyment out of it if you at least read ‘Ring’s story, which is Mountain Laurel. ‘Ring is in this story and it will also give some background on the family. (The other prior books were set back a bit in time and not as relatable to this story line)
Basic plot
Carrie Montgomery has 7 older brothers and she’s been determined to find her own way despite their meddling. She runs a matchmaking business for mail order brides but when she comes across a picture of a man with this two children, it calls to her and she knows she must go to him. He wants a woman with strength and a farming background that can help him turn his farm around. Carrie has led a pampered life and knows nothing about farming – but she knows she can provide this man what he needs in life despite that.
Give this a try if you want:
- Low steam – theres 1 full scene (short and vague) and a few remembered, alluded to scenes/kisses
- Plenty of outside drama – interfering family members, missing child, past coming back to haunt them, etc
- You love children in the story – Our hero Josh has 2 children and they have lots of sweet page time in the book
- Western America – This one takes place in 1865 (I don’t believe there was mention of the Civil War) - most of the book takes place at a small town out West called Eternity
- Mail order bride trope
- Class difference feel – Josh is quite poor, Carrie comes from money
- I marked this as older hero but I’m not sure how old Josh is – he was married before and has 2 kids, Carrie is 19 so it feels like age gap but I didn’t catch his age
My thoughts:
I know I’ve been pooing on everyone’s Deveraux loving parade with my reading of this series lol. I’M SORRY. This one though, really I thought it was one of the best I’ve read of the series. I still didn’t love it. But I didn’t hate it.
There was some humor in this story, cuteness and sweetness from the kids. It didn’t have quite the level of craziness some of her other books had so I appreciated that. As usual, I wish a bit more time had been spent on the romance development and the character background of the hero and heroine instead of a lot of outside drama.
The ending did get a bit bonkers and while it was resolved, I wish it had been a little more...tidy? I’m not sure, maybe an epilogue would have helped, but that might be resolved when reading the other siblings stories.
Deveraux does has a bad habit of including fatfobic remarks in her books (I’ve noted these in a number of them so far) and I saw it a bit here too, including a focus on appearance. These are annoying to me, mainly because I happened to notice them in one of the first books I read by her and now they stand out really bad to me. I can’t unsee it sadly. But, it’s not a large part of the book.
Things like:
-‘Ring (heroine’s older brother) calling her friends The Ugly Horde and the uglies
-When the heroine meets the hero and he tells her about all the accomplishments his mail order bride will have (plowing skills, raising animals, cooking, shearing sheep, etc), the heroine is only worried about well “Is she pretty?”
-Multiple characters are referred to as ‘fat’ always in a negative way
-Even in the authors notes (which were about another book and I’m not sure why they were included there) it talked about how she didn’t eat or sleep for 3 days and she STILL didn’t lose anyway and I was like ahhhhh I can’t get away from the focus on bodies!!!
But anyway, this one was generally more enjoyable for me. I’d say I liked it the most so far of all the books I’ve tried in the series.
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes – I had the large print version so pages might be weird
April 13, 2009
I am going to write the same thing for the Taggart and Montgomery series of Jude Deveraux. First, I can't believe that I read these books because they are so blatantly bodice rippers (not my style at all). And second, and more importantly, I devoured them all! Here is the scoop: We stopped at a friend's house in Tennessee on the last leg of one of our cross country trips about 11 years ago and I had run out of books. She gave me three of Deveraux's books in the Montgomery series and I kindly took them never expecting to read them (my God the covers alone were ridiculous!). Well, I gave in and read them because I needed something to do on the ride home. By the time we got home, I had already called the library and asked them to reserve all of the Taggart and Montgomery series books they had! I devoured them all and loved them? Here's the funny thing - I have never read any more Deveraux since that time (not even the last Taggart book or the last two Montgomery books). I can still vividly remember scenes from the books I read so many years ago!
November 19, 2016
This book wasn't very good. I stopped at about 40% if that's any indication of what to expect.
I usually love the arranged marriage trope but this is just ridiculous. If all the heroine has to offer is that she's beautiful and rich, I don't see why I should bother.
I usually love the arranged marriage trope but this is just ridiculous. If all the heroine has to offer is that she's beautiful and rich, I don't see why I should bother.
June 20, 2021
Una lettura davvero piacevole e scorrevole ma anche molto dolce.
Questo libro ha decisamente un inizio particolare in quanto i due protagonisti: Carrie e Josh, si incontrano in un modo inconsueto per i giorni nostri; forse allora era una cosa normale.
La storia è molto bella da leggere tra gli alti e bassi di Carrie e Josh che inizialmente sembrano cane e gatto ma con il procedere della storia scoprono molto di più l'uno dell'altro.
L'unica pecca però è il finale è stato decisamente troppo frettoloso e messo lì solo per concludere il libro, nel senso che fino a qualche pagina prima stai leggendo una scena molto bella e nella pagina dopo ti trovi messa lì la fine del libro.
Nel complesso però è decisamente una bella lettura che fa parte di una lunga serie ma che però può essere letta anche da sola.
Questo libro ha decisamente un inizio particolare in quanto i due protagonisti: Carrie e Josh, si incontrano in un modo inconsueto per i giorni nostri; forse allora era una cosa normale.
La storia è molto bella da leggere tra gli alti e bassi di Carrie e Josh che inizialmente sembrano cane e gatto ma con il procedere della storia scoprono molto di più l'uno dell'altro.
L'unica pecca però è il finale è stato decisamente troppo frettoloso e messo lì solo per concludere il libro, nel senso che fino a qualche pagina prima stai leggendo una scena molto bella e nella pagina dopo ti trovi messa lì la fine del libro.
Nel complesso però è decisamente una bella lettura che fa parte di una lunga serie ma che però può essere letta anche da sola.
April 6, 2009
If I could finish a book within two days its really good. A great love story of a couple who hated each other and then slowly learn to love each other. A book that would leave you with a satisfying feeling.
September 15, 2018
This book is a warning about raising a girl to be ornamental and somewhat useless otherwise. I was a little disappointed in Carrie, in that she didn't buckle down and learn how to function on her own when she had a year to do so before going west and joining her new husband. She comes through in the end, however, showing that there is more than one way to skin a cat and to always play to your strengths. I loved the children, Dallas and Tem, and only wish there had been more about the Wild Girl. Carrie has so much love to give. If you have read Sarah, Plain and Tall, you are aware of how this story could have gone. This one should have been called Carrie, Pretty and Petite, I guess, because she trades on her looks and her money for most of the book and only gets her comeuppance when it comes to Josh.
September 6, 2022
I really liked the plot. I also liked the heroine ... even though I had some doubts in the beginning. In fact, she was a bit annoying ... she seemed a snobbish girl. Towards the end though, I really adored her. She was not only gorgeous with long blond hair, she was pleasant and friendly. She was optimistic and had a positive outlook for life. The Hero though, I was super frustrated with him, for not revealing his secrets. It was not even a great deal of secrets. He seemed like a pessimistic person. The only good thing about him was that he was good looking. He was not good in working ie as a farmer.
This was an okay book.
This was an okay book.
June 7, 2020
Seemed like a joke . Childish scenes , jumped around too much , Josh’s past was dumb .
Read
January 10, 2024Brutto. Non mi è affatto piaciuto, non credevo una lettura mi potesse deludere tanto. Sigh! Questa volta rischio seriamente di farmi sfuggire una stella come voto! :(
July 7, 2024
Ouch. This one’s bad.
July 19, 2020
The mail-order bride is a common sub-trope of the marriage of convenience trope, and Jude Deveraux uses it in Eternity to bring together spoiled heiress Carrie Montgomery and father-of-two beleaguered farmer Josh Greene. Carrie's running a service providing mail order brides for interested men out West, and when she sees a photo of Josh along with his two children Tem and Dallas, she decides they need her. So she rigs things, writing Josh a letter describing her accomplishments (Josh wants the 'perfect housewife', a woman who can cook and clean and sew and run a farm, and Carrie lies through her teeth claiming all these attributes). A marriage by proxy takes place and Carrie arrives in the town of Eternity, only to find that Josh, while he's certainly bowled over by Carrie's sex appeal, is furious when he discovers the lies she's fooled him with.
I didn't like this book from the start. Carrie, spoiled and pampered brat that she was, irritated me no end. When she got to Josh's place and saw the condition of it, I hoped somewhere down the line she would grow up a bit and stop behaving as if money could buy everything. Sadly, that didn't happen. Carrie, till the end, remained a shallow and immature female of the sort who makes me see red.
Secondly, given that this is a romance novel, there's precious little sign of love developing between Carrie and Josh. Lust, yes. Lots of arguing, yes. But where does the love begun to grow? There was very little in the way of conversation, of them really getting to know each other enough to call it love (the Tem adventure was a step in that direction, but it didn't strike me as being quite enough).
The Nora angle was farcical, and so was the 'Ring angle. As was Hiram.
No, this wasn't for me.
I didn't like this book from the start. Carrie, spoiled and pampered brat that she was, irritated me no end. When she got to Josh's place and saw the condition of it, I hoped somewhere down the line she would grow up a bit and stop behaving as if money could buy everything. Sadly, that didn't happen. Carrie, till the end, remained a shallow and immature female of the sort who makes me see red.
Secondly, given that this is a romance novel, there's precious little sign of love developing between Carrie and Josh. Lust, yes. Lots of arguing, yes. But where does the love begun to grow? There was very little in the way of conversation, of them really getting to know each other enough to call it love (the Tem adventure was a step in that direction, but it didn't strike me as being quite enough).
The Nora angle was farcical, and so was the 'Ring angle. As was Hiram.
No, this wasn't for me.
February 7, 2010
This was all right but definitely no where near Deveraux's best work (which is amazing). It was a smooth, easy read that moved me from cover to cover, but I can't say that I ever really liked Carrie. She was a spoiled little rich girl who set out to deceive Joshua and despite various attempts to make her into something more or to make that fact all right, she remained a spoiled little rich girl throughout the book. It really annoys me when rich people go on about how money doesn't matter, only love matters. Carrie said this again and again under a dozen different conditions and each time all I could think was, "Easy for you to say!"
I've also never been comfortable with romance novels involving deception, especially when that deception involves tricking someone into marriage in the first place. Carrie ran a mail-order bride service and when Joshua wrote in asking for a farm wife, she sent herself instead. She seemed to think she could use money to smooth everything else over, going into town to hire people to cook and clean.
If you like Jude Deveraux and you're out of books, this isn't a bad read, but I would caution anyone who hasn't read some of this authors real treasures not to start with this one.
I've also never been comfortable with romance novels involving deception, especially when that deception involves tricking someone into marriage in the first place. Carrie ran a mail-order bride service and when Joshua wrote in asking for a farm wife, she sent herself instead. She seemed to think she could use money to smooth everything else over, going into town to hire people to cook and clean.
If you like Jude Deveraux and you're out of books, this isn't a bad read, but I would caution anyone who hasn't read some of this authors real treasures not to start with this one.
June 26, 2014
The storyline of this book was definitely interesting but when it reached the end, it lost the theme of the story and got unbelievable. The story is about Carrie Montgomery who decided that she wanted to marry a farmer who lived in Eternity, Colorado by proxy when the sent a picture of himself and his kids asking for a wife who could help him work his farm. She and her friends had started a group that found wives for men in the West but this picture made Carrie look into their eyes and feel in love. Unfortunately Josh wasn't thrilled about a rich young lady who could not even cook to be his wife.
The story moved from Carrie showing love for his kids and trying to make their lives better by buying help from the town people with her father's money. Josh realized that she wasn't what he needed and told her that she would have to go back home in a week when the next stage came. She had one week to win him over and show him that she really wanted to be there.
The book at this point got very strange with an odd secret that Josh could not share and neither could the children. Jude Deveraux finished the story with a perfect ending but it was at least a different way to tell the tale.
The story moved from Carrie showing love for his kids and trying to make their lives better by buying help from the town people with her father's money. Josh realized that she wasn't what he needed and told her that she would have to go back home in a week when the next stage came. She had one week to win him over and show him that she really wanted to be there.
The book at this point got very strange with an odd secret that Josh could not share and neither could the children. Jude Deveraux finished the story with a perfect ending but it was at least a different way to tell the tale.
June 8, 2015
This story is pretty unrealistic. Carrie falls head over heals for a sullen looking man and his children by looking at a picture. Of course the Josh believes he is not good enough for rich Carrie, which is stupid considering what you find out at the end of the book. Which was wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly. I mean really? A world famous actor, who is so ridiculous? I also wonder how in the hell Carrie was able to open a dress shop and it be such a huge success in just over a month. They whole plot line has holes and I have to say, it is my least favorite of Deveraux's books. How can she write Knight in Shining Honor and this drivel? KISH is one of my most favorite romances.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2014
Disappointed by the ending, too quick and too cheesy...
So, I am trying to clean out all of the books my mom has given me over the years, or I've bought at yard sales, in an attempt to get rid of some and placate my husband who doesn't read and hates how much space they take up. With that in mind, I am currently in the romance section ;)
Characters were ok, but Carrie was not very believable. She was too...well, blonde. And Josh was, just far fetched. He was this hard working stubborn guy who was actually a drama king? Weird...so after Summer House this one got especially low marks.
So, I am trying to clean out all of the books my mom has given me over the years, or I've bought at yard sales, in an attempt to get rid of some and placate my husband who doesn't read and hates how much space they take up. With that in mind, I am currently in the romance section ;)
Characters were ok, but Carrie was not very believable. She was too...well, blonde. And Josh was, just far fetched. He was this hard working stubborn guy who was actually a drama king? Weird...so after Summer House this one got especially low marks.
May 28, 2012
Just an okay read. Carrie was a little too Pollyanna for me. I really like mail order bride themes, but Carrie's "adjustment" to farm living by throwing her money at the townsfolk, although funny, was not believable. Josh's past was too secret throughout the story, but when it's revealed, ends up being too convenient. On the upside, all the characters that matter--Carrie, Josh, his children, Dallas and Tem--were enjoyable. 3 stars
May 30, 2013
SUBLIME!
This is indeed the kind of story that will make your day even more beautiful and lovelier! There's not one chapter that you'll not be able to laugh genuinely and hysterically. With Josh's children, Tem and Dallas, every chapter became merrier and merrier, every chapter became lovelier, every chapter became meaningful. Indeed, this is a kind of story that I'll certainly reread. The story made my day. Literally, made my day.
God Bless!
God Bless!
August 18, 2008
As usual, Jude Deveraux delivers another entertaining love story. The female love interest is adorable in her pursuit of love. The male love interest has been unwillingly swept off his feet! Great read.
February 10, 2009
This was a reread, and had been many years since I've read it. I have to say it is the least favorite of all her older books for me. Really did not like Carrie and felt she did not grow as a person at all.
September 24, 2009
I love Eternity! I read this novel in one sitting and wish it had been longer. The characters are so well-woven, so wonderfully well developed that I couldn't help but smile when the novel ended.The couple is passionate, the ending is a surprise.
July 23, 2016
Novela un punto surrealista de un pija que se enamora de un hombre por una foto y se compromete con él por carta y se planta ante él en pleno oeste árido. Es una trama extraña, pero es una historia entretenida y más bien corta.
August 11, 2011
A quick read and sweet story
September 8, 2012
Sweet and romantic is Jude's forte!
February 16, 2014
História boa, personagens idem, porém não gostei do final, muito repentino, deixando a desejar e que não correspondeu com o desenvolvimento da trama, tornando insosso.
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