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Legend, Colorado #1
Legend
From one of the world's most beloved novelists comes a triumphant historical romance that sweeps from modern-day Virginia to 1873 Colorado, weaving a time-travel tale filled with adventure, tenderness, and passion.
Her wedding fast approaching, celebrated chef Kady Long knew she was the luckiest woman alive…until she slipped into a delicate satin wedding dress she found in an antique flour tin, and was overcome by an odd dizzy spell. When she came to, Kady was in the dusty western town of Legend, Colorado—where a hanging was about to commence! With quick wits and more than a little moxie, Kady halts the proceedings, much to the relief of one Cole Jordan, a tall, thankful, and very appealing man.
Now it’s Kady’s turn to enlist his help to find a way back home. But before long, Kady discovers a passion that she knows can only live in Legend—until Cole reveals a secret that unites them in a way Kady never could have imagined.
Her wedding fast approaching, celebrated chef Kady Long knew she was the luckiest woman alive…until she slipped into a delicate satin wedding dress she found in an antique flour tin, and was overcome by an odd dizzy spell. When she came to, Kady was in the dusty western town of Legend, Colorado—where a hanging was about to commence! With quick wits and more than a little moxie, Kady halts the proceedings, much to the relief of one Cole Jordan, a tall, thankful, and very appealing man.
Now it’s Kady’s turn to enlist his help to find a way back home. But before long, Kady discovers a passion that she knows can only live in Legend—until Cole reveals a secret that unites them in a way Kady never could have imagined.
Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 1996
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About the author
Jude Deveraux
200 books7,075 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 364 reviews
September 14, 2020
I don't remember anything much about this book because I read this 15 years ago when I found it lying around the house helplessly pleading me to read it. So, I did and well I remember that the girl in the story is not your conventional pretty skinny heroine. I also remember that the story contains a magical element like a time travel of some sort and I also concretely remember that there are scenes I read which are not yet supposed to be read by a 14 year old girl. But I'm sure if I read the book now, I'd say that it's a well written novel with adequately mature scenes. ;)
January 27, 2016
Reread - January 2016! - 2.5*
Originally read - 2004 - 4*
While I normally don't knock down stars for my rereads, I had to do it with this one. I guess over 10 years tastes evolve :D My biggest issue with this one was that it requires endless amounts of belief suspension!!! So while it was an enjoyable read overall, these MAJOR flaws really took away from my enjoyment and distracted me endlessly!
Where do I start?! I won't go into a summary, since that is available at the top of the page... I will dive into the critique... If you don't want spoilers, please don't read on ...
♦ First of all - the heroine, Kady, was not very relatable. She is a cook, but she is absolutely OBSESSED with food and cooking - to the point of distraction! She goes out with her friends/fiancé , only to say that she feels like she's wasted her time and should have been in her kitchen instead. Ok, so there we have her - would rather be cooking than socializing with friends and boyfriend - a mousy, loser right off the bat! Sorry, that is mean and harsh, but COME ON! Then, we have to listen to her incessant babble about how she is fat and unattractive...only to say that she has a size 14 top and bottom, but size 4 waist. ??????????????? What kind of figure do you have woman?!?! To my understanding and imagination - that's the hourglass figure out of a comic strip... Ok - either way, that's fine, doesn't even sound so bad - so why is she complaining!? ... She then goes on to say that a few years back, for Halloween, she dressed up as a prostitute and this is when her "cooking school classmates" started noticing her ?? Ummmm, WHAT?!?!?! So this shy, mousy girl, who only cares about cooking and hates her body dressed up as a hooker for Halloween?!?! Really?! I'm to believe this?!
♦ For all the talk that she is not attractive, all of a sudden Kady is causing a time-wide commotion! From her trip to the past, to her present in Alexandria and New York, Kady has men falling all over her! So much for her being "fat and unattractive" (her words, not mine)!
♦ I found the book to be lacking romance, in the sense that she is with some guy constantly (whether it be her douche fiancé or Cole or Tarik), but it is NOT the hero (Tarik) until the very end! Tarik and Kady get very little time together for us to see their romance blossom and develop!
♦ The whole - Cole is dead, died at 9, but he is a ghost and the whole town is a ghost town and Kady goes back in time 150 years and visits this ghost town - made very little sense, unless you suspended belief and just read for the sake of reading... How did a dead boy create a ghost town in which he is in his 30's...? And how do items from this ghost town that never existed keep resurfacing 150 years later (marriage certificate, wedding dress, Cole's cabin in the woods...)
♦ Cole and Kady get married in the fake/ghost town in 1850's and this marriage certificate shows up with Tarik in 1990's. How could this marriage certificate show up 150 years later when this never actually happened - since Cole is a ghost and the whole town didn't exist, how could there be a marriage certificate showing a man (who DIED at 9) got married (at 30!) ...??? Again - I'm all for suspension of belief if things are going to make sense in the end...But if the author provides NO explanation - I get really annoyed...
♦ They go back in time to "fix" things, so that Cole and his family don't get killed. However, by doing that , they would have prevented Ruth from sleeping with Tarik's grandfather, thereby preventing the conceiving of Tarik's father; hence in present time Tarik wouldn't exist!! The author "fixes" this by having Tarik find his grandfather and telling him that he MUST seduce Ruth (a married woman!!) and that she must have a child this year (this would be Tarik's dad!) !!! Ummmm - this is how the author ensures that Tarik still exists when they come back to the future :) OK - I get it ! But how realistic is that?! The only reason Ruth slept with Tarik's grandfather before was because she was grieving over her killed husband and children! If her family doesn't get killed (which is what Kady went back in time to accomplish) - why would the non-grieving Ruth cheat on her ALIVE husband ?!!?! I guess she would do it because the author told her to?!
Anyways, it was things like these that spoiled the book for me the second time around (first time I guess I just didn't care:) ) ... I call this carelessness and personally find that it distracts from all the good that I saw in the book initially! I hate when the thoughts I'm left with are: "Wow...well that made no sense...!"
October 18, 2020
Vaya libro!!! He terminado de leerlo literalmente con la lengua fuera, de todo lo que leído. Parece que he vivido yo todo lo que relata.
No voy a contar mucho pues seria un sacrilegio spoilear. Solo decir que cuando crees que la historia va por un lado da un quiebro y casi te tira de donde estés leyendo y te deja con la boca abierta. Nunca pensé que esta historia, en apariencia sencilla sería así.
Me gustó la evolución de Kady y adoré a Cole.
Lo único negativo que veo en la historia es que tiene tanto contenido que había veces que tenía que leer muy lento o releer porque no me enteraba de alguna situación.
No voy a contar mucho pues seria un sacrilegio spoilear. Solo decir que cuando crees que la historia va por un lado da un quiebro y casi te tira de donde estés leyendo y te deja con la boca abierta. Nunca pensé que esta historia, en apariencia sencilla sería así.
Me gustó la evolución de Kady y adoré a Cole.
Lo único negativo que veo en la historia es que tiene tanto contenido que había veces que tenía que leer muy lento o releer porque no me enteraba de alguna situación.
December 22, 2010
While I was in college my grandmother handed me this book and told me I had to read it. My reaction was less than enthusiastic. Romance novels is not one of my favorite genres (though I read them from time-to-time). But I cracked the book open and gave it a shot - and was hooked from the beginning. This book is a mind-bender - it's fun, funny, unexpected, sweet, clean, and keeps you guessing. It's clever and original, a real gem. I just found a hardover edition at a second hand store and I snapped it up since I've worn my paperback edition to shreds.
Spoiler: I'm in camp Cole and think Kady was a dope for the choices she made (Tarik - ugh!). I wish she could have ended up with Cole. I was so happy when the author released a short story that told Cole's story after he grows up.
Spoiler: I'm in camp Cole and think Kady was a dope for the choices she made (Tarik - ugh!). I wish she could have ended up with Cole. I was so happy when the author released a short story that told Cole's story after he grows up.
May 11, 2015
Hoo boy. I've read my share of romance pulp, but this was ridiculous. The best I can say is it wasn't rapey in the least, and that I appreciate.
Found it on one of my mom's shelves while visiting, and I read it within a short afternoon. The time travel aspect is what caught my eye, but it was little more than a recurring gimmick. Much of the book felt like it could have been replaced with "and then something happened" to move from one random plot point to the next. At one point I actually checked to see if some pages were missing. It felt like she cobbled 3 or 4 stories together. Anyhow, I kept reading to the end - which practically ended with "and that's all" and then said "HA!" out loud as I flung it aside.
Everyone's a critic, I know, and the author is clearly making paper by churning these out, but I could do with my 3 hours back.
Found it on one of my mom's shelves while visiting, and I read it within a short afternoon. The time travel aspect is what caught my eye, but it was little more than a recurring gimmick. Much of the book felt like it could have been replaced with "and then something happened" to move from one random plot point to the next. At one point I actually checked to see if some pages were missing. It felt like she cobbled 3 or 4 stories together. Anyhow, I kept reading to the end - which practically ended with "and that's all" and then said "HA!" out loud as I flung it aside.
Everyone's a critic, I know, and the author is clearly making paper by churning these out, but I could do with my 3 hours back.
September 11, 2024
I'm seriously laughing at myself because I picked up this old paperback on vacation having zero memory of ever reading it. It was only at like 75% in that I thought.... waaaaiiiitttt, this book feels familiar. Checking Goodreads, I realized I read it for the first time over 12 years ago, way back in 2012. Huh.
Part of me loved this complicated, muddled, messy time-travelling fantasy romance. It made me so nostalgic for when I first started reading romance. But there are some parts of the book that just don't age well, and the romance is underdeveloped at best. No spoilers, but this book is a wild ride.
3.5 stars for my OG, Jude Deveraux.
Part of me loved this complicated, muddled, messy time-travelling fantasy romance. It made me so nostalgic for when I first started reading romance. But there are some parts of the book that just don't age well, and the romance is underdeveloped at best. No spoilers, but this book is a wild ride.
3.5 stars for my OG, Jude Deveraux.
January 2, 2016
¿Qué decir?
Me llevé un chasco con este libro al que le tenía ganas hace siglos y del cual nunca leí más que trozos robados en una librería (sí, hace doce años había poca plata, no había kindle y mi necesidad de leer era tan fuerte que me ponía a leer en una librería hasta que era demasiado evidente y lo dejaba -_-).
No me gusta la protagonista, ni siquiera me enganchó su habilidad para hacerlo todo bien y sus complejos de cocinera gordita, que acá en esta vida se ve mal pero que en el siglo XIX estaba de moda. Es decir, ¿todos los hombres que andan caminando y están buenos tienen que andar detrás de ella?
No logro ver cómo los quiso a los tres, no hay química y me parece que en ningún momento me atrapó como para ni siquiera leer el final. Quizá regrese a releerlo alguna vez.
Me llevé un chasco con este libro al que le tenía ganas hace siglos y del cual nunca leí más que trozos robados en una librería (sí, hace doce años había poca plata, no había kindle y mi necesidad de leer era tan fuerte que me ponía a leer en una librería hasta que era demasiado evidente y lo dejaba -_-).
No me gusta la protagonista, ni siquiera me enganchó su habilidad para hacerlo todo bien y sus complejos de cocinera gordita, que acá en esta vida se ve mal pero que en el siglo XIX estaba de moda. Es decir, ¿todos los hombres que andan caminando y están buenos tienen que andar detrás de ella?
No logro ver cómo los quiso a los tres, no hay química y me parece que en ningún momento me atrapó como para ni siquiera leer el final. Quizá regrese a releerlo alguna vez.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2018
This was really good. It kept me wanting to read, even when I didn't have time. I love how everything was wrapped up, a bit out there, in the believability department, but it was still nice. I think history would be changed quite a bit more if even just one thing was changed in the past, and that's why I took a star off. Other than that, if you like a bit of magical realism, you would enjoy this romance. :D
March 30, 2020
A very interesting read
A very interesting entertaining read. This is not my first time rereading Legend and still has the power to pull me in. I will admit that there are questions left unanswered in my thoughts but you still feel the hea is valid and there. A very enjoyable experience.
A very interesting entertaining read. This is not my first time rereading Legend and still has the power to pull me in. I will admit that there are questions left unanswered in my thoughts but you still feel the hea is valid and there. A very enjoyable experience.
June 5, 2015
This book started out pretty good, then it into the 'why is this even necessary' territory, and then the lst third of it ws just stupid, useless crap (So stupid. Especially everything to do with C. T. 'Tarik' Jordan. He wouldn't even count as well-thought-out if he only made a cameo appearance as a stableboy let alone the leading man. And Kady just seemed to change character whenever the author needed.). I was not horrified. It wasn't as bad as some of Deveraux's other works, but it also wasn't up to par with A Knight in Shining Armor or Remembrance. Overall, a disappointment.
****Spoiler Alert****
YOU SHALL NOT PASS...if you don't want to read some spoilers.
If not getting shot relies on being recognized, why wear a mask? And if it's just a ploy to make the girl like you, why wear a mask that might scare the sh*t out of her? And why would you think this is a good way to make someone like you?If Ruth shut down the mines and the town, then she wouldn't have had any income, and unless were trying to imagine that the mines were gushing up silver like a white rapid, she really shouldn't have been able to live so extravagently and still had a fortune left over for her dynasty. Silver wasn't THAT highly vlued. If the timeline was altered by things with the Lost Lady Mine, doesn't that refute Kady and Ruth's whole hypothesis that everything Kady experienced in the past had already happened and was 'meant' to happen? If Ruth already knew Kady and she was the one to put away the wedding dress in the beginning, shouldn't Cole have already known Kady and have already hidden the gold?Does this mean that Gamal managed to seduce Ruth with nerly the exact same timing as he had in the original timeline? And what about her husband? Kady tells Tarik(the original) that Ruth would make a good wife for Gamal, so is she planning Mr. Jordan's demise? Do the lovers kill him off so he won't find out the latest addition to the Jordan family isn't a Jordan, at all? And if they do, why didn't they give C. T. Jordan Gamal's last name? Why did they even name him C. T. (assuming they did)? How did Tarik(the 'hero') come to be the same person when his rebellious, teenaged great-great-granddaddy didn't have his reason to be angry at his mom anymore? I mean, if Ruth wasn't grief-crazy and didn't lock him up in Denver, C. T. wouldn't have been angry. If C. T. weren't angry, he wouldn't have run away and might never have had reason to leave Colorado. If C. T. didn't go to New York as a runaway at sixteen, he wouldn't have had the same experiences and very likely wouldn't have met whatever woman he originally married. If he didn't marry that woman, they wouldn't have had Tarik's great-grandpa and he wouldn't have had Tarik's grandpa and so on and so forth. They would have married other people and had other children at other times and there would be no C. T. Jordan(the fifth?). Even if, by some miracle, they all met the right people at the right time and had just the right children, they would've had different names because there wouldn't have been a will saying that all first born sons had to be named C. T. (BTW, why did the Jordan men comply to the will or even keep it around and stalk some poor little girl in Ohio if the will wouldn't hold up in court anyway? Why write up papers to file a civil suit against Kady if you knew from the start that she never really inheritted your money?)If Kady never had her heart to heart with Ruth, she'd never have been put into the will and that dress never would've been made, let alone put inside a flour tin with all the right gewdads for timetravel. Therefore, our heroine never should have gone to New York and met C. T. Jordan (who rightfully shouldn't have existed anyway), she should have married that jerkoff Gregory and withered away into misery.
Flaws. These are either huge, gaping holes int the foundation of this story, or... no, nevermind, they're just that. There is no or. This is very disppointing.
****Spoiler Alert****
YOU SHALL NOT PASS...if you don't want to read some spoilers.
If not getting shot relies on being recognized, why wear a mask? And if it's just a ploy to make the girl like you, why wear a mask that might scare the sh*t out of her? And why would you think this is a good way to make someone like you?If Ruth shut down the mines and the town, then she wouldn't have had any income, and unless were trying to imagine that the mines were gushing up silver like a white rapid, she really shouldn't have been able to live so extravagently and still had a fortune left over for her dynasty. Silver wasn't THAT highly vlued. If the timeline was altered by things with the Lost Lady Mine, doesn't that refute Kady and Ruth's whole hypothesis that everything Kady experienced in the past had already happened and was 'meant' to happen? If Ruth already knew Kady and she was the one to put away the wedding dress in the beginning, shouldn't Cole have already known Kady and have already hidden the gold?Does this mean that Gamal managed to seduce Ruth with nerly the exact same timing as he had in the original timeline? And what about her husband? Kady tells Tarik(the original) that Ruth would make a good wife for Gamal, so is she planning Mr. Jordan's demise? Do the lovers kill him off so he won't find out the latest addition to the Jordan family isn't a Jordan, at all? And if they do, why didn't they give C. T. Jordan Gamal's last name? Why did they even name him C. T. (assuming they did)? How did Tarik(the 'hero') come to be the same person when his rebellious, teenaged great-great-granddaddy didn't have his reason to be angry at his mom anymore? I mean, if Ruth wasn't grief-crazy and didn't lock him up in Denver, C. T. wouldn't have been angry. If C. T. weren't angry, he wouldn't have run away and might never have had reason to leave Colorado. If C. T. didn't go to New York as a runaway at sixteen, he wouldn't have had the same experiences and very likely wouldn't have met whatever woman he originally married. If he didn't marry that woman, they wouldn't have had Tarik's great-grandpa and he wouldn't have had Tarik's grandpa and so on and so forth. They would have married other people and had other children at other times and there would be no C. T. Jordan(the fifth?). Even if, by some miracle, they all met the right people at the right time and had just the right children, they would've had different names because there wouldn't have been a will saying that all first born sons had to be named C. T. (BTW, why did the Jordan men comply to the will or even keep it around and stalk some poor little girl in Ohio if the will wouldn't hold up in court anyway? Why write up papers to file a civil suit against Kady if you knew from the start that she never really inheritted your money?)If Kady never had her heart to heart with Ruth, she'd never have been put into the will and that dress never would've been made, let alone put inside a flour tin with all the right gewdads for timetravel. Therefore, our heroine never should have gone to New York and met C. T. Jordan (who rightfully shouldn't have existed anyway), she should have married that jerkoff Gregory and withered away into misery.
Flaws. These are either huge, gaping holes int the foundation of this story, or... no, nevermind, they're just that. There is no or. This is very disppointing.
November 22, 2011
I liked it - I'm a fan of JD, but I did struggle with the heroine having three men all in one book that were falling all over her. I mean, I can see one as the antagonist and one as the protagonist, but three? And then I wasn't clear on why she had to go back through the portal later. Seemed to me she'd finished her journey, except maybe JD didn't have a high enough word count so she had to send Kady back through the portal one more time - no, two more times, wait . . . everybody jump in and let's see who jumps out. Yeah, that part I didn't care for. I don't believe in messing with events that will alter the future. Someone won't come back through because they've never been born (and in this case, one of them didn't). It was a little too far-fetched that since they fixed the issue in the past, the guy that Kady ultimately ends up with should have not existed (even though they tried to allow for that).
Again, I liked it - it was light reading, but maybe a little more suspended reality than I like.
Again, I liked it - it was light reading, but maybe a little more suspended reality than I like.
March 1, 2009
So...many...plot...holes...
The plot is fast paced, and has engaging bits. There are so many plot holes, however, that whole swathes just don't make sense.
1. How can Tarik have Cole and Kady's marriage certificate when they got married in alternate-ghost-town, and Cole actually died at the age of nine?
2. How can Kady stumble upon Cole's cabin in the present when, again, Cole died at the age of nine and the cabin only existed in alternate-ghost-town?
I'm sure there's about eight other plot holes, but those are the two that just made me want to throw the book out the window.
The plot is fast paced, and has engaging bits. There are so many plot holes, however, that whole swathes just don't make sense.
1. How can Tarik have Cole and Kady's marriage certificate when they got married in alternate-ghost-town, and Cole actually died at the age of nine?
2. How can Kady stumble upon Cole's cabin in the present when, again, Cole died at the age of nine and the cabin only existed in alternate-ghost-town?
I'm sure there's about eight other plot holes, but those are the two that just made me want to throw the book out the window.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2023
5/5 every time
April 1, 2020
Synopsis:
Elizabeth Kady Long is 30 years old, an accomplished chef, and engaged to handsome Gregory Norman, her employer's son. While shopping for her wedding, she impulsively buys a large, dusty tin box at an antique shop. When she pries it open, she discovers an 1873 wedding dress and underpinnings, together with a photo of a family. Intrigued, she can't resist trying on the dress, and when she does, she's drawn back into the past. The year is 1873, the place is Legend, Colorado, and Cole Jordan is about to be hanged.
I loved this book. It kept me on my toes the entire time. I couldn't put it down!!
This is a beautiful romance, daring adventure and wonderfully written. U'll gasp at the things that happen. I bet u will definitely like Legend.
Time travel is the best when there is a hot guy involved! Although the time travel bit does not really make any logical sense but who care! The characters came alive for me.
She has written the 3 best books I have ever read, Legend, Remembrance and Knight in Shining Armor ♥♥♥
Elizabeth Kady Long is 30 years old, an accomplished chef, and engaged to handsome Gregory Norman, her employer's son. While shopping for her wedding, she impulsively buys a large, dusty tin box at an antique shop. When she pries it open, she discovers an 1873 wedding dress and underpinnings, together with a photo of a family. Intrigued, she can't resist trying on the dress, and when she does, she's drawn back into the past. The year is 1873, the place is Legend, Colorado, and Cole Jordan is about to be hanged.
I loved this book. It kept me on my toes the entire time. I couldn't put it down!!
This is a beautiful romance, daring adventure and wonderfully written. U'll gasp at the things that happen. I bet u will definitely like Legend.
Time travel is the best when there is a hot guy involved! Although the time travel bit does not really make any logical sense but who care! The characters came alive for me.
She has written the 3 best books I have ever read, Legend, Remembrance and Knight in Shining Armor ♥♥♥
March 7, 2017
This is one of my most favorite book! As always, Ms. Devereaux wrote a very nice time-travel.
This is a whirlwind romance with hearty characters. They are fascinating and I love the way Jude Deveraux makes you love them, whatever they do and whatever they have been through. This book comes alive. I love everything about it. The characters, the plot and story line, the blow your mind ending. The town of Legend through the years becomes so real that you wish you could only visit it yourself. This was an adventure with a difference it showed that through time the ties that binds a family are so strong that each moment effects the next generation. Jude Deveraux has a way about making you believe in something, then taking it away as though it never existed. However, keeping the story so intricate that you can not help but keep reading.
If you are looking for something to read just for pleasure this is a good one with just enough romance to keep you interested without explicit sex. Love it Love it Love it! --- Diane ™
This is a whirlwind romance with hearty characters. They are fascinating and I love the way Jude Deveraux makes you love them, whatever they do and whatever they have been through. This book comes alive. I love everything about it. The characters, the plot and story line, the blow your mind ending. The town of Legend through the years becomes so real that you wish you could only visit it yourself. This was an adventure with a difference it showed that through time the ties that binds a family are so strong that each moment effects the next generation. Jude Deveraux has a way about making you believe in something, then taking it away as though it never existed. However, keeping the story so intricate that you can not help but keep reading.
If you are looking for something to read just for pleasure this is a good one with just enough romance to keep you interested without explicit sex. Love it Love it Love it! --- Diane ™
March 7, 2019
Where this book falls on the motor revvin’ scale:
Sweet: This book could be read by Puritans without blushing.
--->Sensual: A few pages of sexy time, but mostly story.
Hot: NSFW but safe enough for the bus if you hide the cover.
Erotic: Oh my.
This was my first romance novel. I read it when I was 18 and a prude and I remember being a bit turned on and scandalized at the time. By my standards today, this book hardly counts as PG-13. There's exactly one sex scene, but there's certainly a lot of gazing into each other's eyes and falling in love at first sight.
It's funny the things that stick with you. There are certain scenes I remember vividly, and they are exactly as I remember them. Then there are 300 other pages I don't remember at all.
The writing leaves a bit to be desired, but honestly, the story is pretty darn good for a romance novel. There are several unexpected twists. Kady spends a lot of time being mad, sleeping, cooking, or some combination of those. She grows a backbone over the course of the story and it's neat to see that happen.
Sweet: This book could be read by Puritans without blushing.
--->Sensual: A few pages of sexy time, but mostly story.
Hot: NSFW but safe enough for the bus if you hide the cover.
Erotic: Oh my.
This was my first romance novel. I read it when I was 18 and a prude and I remember being a bit turned on and scandalized at the time. By my standards today, this book hardly counts as PG-13. There's exactly one sex scene, but there's certainly a lot of gazing into each other's eyes and falling in love at first sight.
It's funny the things that stick with you. There are certain scenes I remember vividly, and they are exactly as I remember them. Then there are 300 other pages I don't remember at all.
The writing leaves a bit to be desired, but honestly, the story is pretty darn good for a romance novel. There are several unexpected twists. Kady spends a lot of time being mad, sleeping, cooking, or some combination of those. She grows a backbone over the course of the story and it's neat to see that happen.
January 10, 2023
When I first started reading and realized this is a book from the 90s where a woman falls through a rock and is transported to 1873, I got serious Outlander vibes 🤔
I stuck with the book and glad I finished it. It was a great story but the only reason it’s not 5 stars is the writing was a bit wonkey or forced in parts. Just my opinion!
If you like time travel romance, I recommend adding this to your TBR.
I stuck with the book and glad I finished it. It was a great story but the only reason it’s not 5 stars is the writing was a bit wonkey or forced in parts. Just my opinion!
If you like time travel romance, I recommend adding this to your TBR.
November 29, 2020
2.5 stars 🌟
March 24, 2020
Y'all, "Legend" let me tell you-
So first of all, let's just start by saying: It's Jude Devereaux. Therefore, I'm grading on a curve. Another thing that I want to point out is that it was published in 1994. I'm keeping in mind that writing styles and reader expectations have changed in the last almost 30 years.
This story was definitely a bell curve of interest for me. It stared slow, the middle was deliciously creepy, but I lost the love in the end.
This was a time travel experience like A Knight in Shining Armor, but different enough to not feel like a ctrl C ctrl V. Knight in Shining Armor had that kick in the gut at the end. You know, when she finds out about how he lived his life and then the whole airplane scene? Swoon. Well, Legend didn't have that. It just kinda, ended.
Book Club debated if the story was about Legend the town or Kady the person.
In a @fatedmatespod epi, @sarahmaclain discusses that current writing styles just dictate that the H/H must always be together. And if they're not together, then they need to be thinking about each other. This builds the tension we crave.
Legend doesn't adhere to this modern stipulation.There are multiple love interests and you don't meet the Hero (and I'm calling him this loosely because I was UNimpressed) until the end. So it's really hard to buy into the romance plot. While there is a HEA, the whole plot is focused on saving the town of Legend and Kady coming into her own (sort of- us modern gals still find she has room for improvement). I wouldn't classify this book by today's standards A Romance.
Legend was the kind of book you have to just choose to believe. I found a lot of holes in the way it played out, which lead to my overall lack of love with this story. But y'all, it's still Jude Devereaux.
Alrighty, they've kissed, I was unaffected by it, and now I've told you about it.
So first of all, let's just start by saying: It's Jude Devereaux. Therefore, I'm grading on a curve. Another thing that I want to point out is that it was published in 1994. I'm keeping in mind that writing styles and reader expectations have changed in the last almost 30 years.
This story was definitely a bell curve of interest for me. It stared slow, the middle was deliciously creepy, but I lost the love in the end.
This was a time travel experience like A Knight in Shining Armor, but different enough to not feel like a ctrl C ctrl V. Knight in Shining Armor had that kick in the gut at the end. You know, when she finds out about how he lived his life and then the whole airplane scene? Swoon. Well, Legend didn't have that. It just kinda, ended.
Book Club debated if the story was about Legend the town or Kady the person.
In a @fatedmatespod epi, @sarahmaclain discusses that current writing styles just dictate that the H/H must always be together. And if they're not together, then they need to be thinking about each other. This builds the tension we crave.
Legend doesn't adhere to this modern stipulation.There are multiple love interests and you don't meet the Hero (and I'm calling him this loosely because I was UNimpressed) until the end. So it's really hard to buy into the romance plot. While there is a HEA, the whole plot is focused on saving the town of Legend and Kady coming into her own (sort of- us modern gals still find she has room for improvement). I wouldn't classify this book by today's standards A Romance.
Legend was the kind of book you have to just choose to believe. I found a lot of holes in the way it played out, which lead to my overall lack of love with this story. But y'all, it's still Jude Devereaux.
Alrighty, they've kissed, I was unaffected by it, and now I've told you about it.
May 14, 2019
A story in three parts, focused on Legend, a small mining town in the Colorado mountains.
Kady, a talented chef about to get married, finds herself transported to 1873 when she first tries on a beautiful wedding dress she discovered in a mystery box she bought on impulse. She makes it there just in time to save Cole Jordan from being hanged, and in turn he helps her survive in this unfamiliar world.
Cole is a pretty great guy, but he's not the main hero of the series, and neither is Kady's fiance, who . We only meet the real hero in the third part of the story, after .
Interesting story that keeps you guessing, with a number of twists, and the eventual well earned happy ending.
Kady, a talented chef about to get married, finds herself transported to 1873 when she first tries on a beautiful wedding dress she discovered in a mystery box she bought on impulse. She makes it there just in time to save Cole Jordan from being hanged, and in turn he helps her survive in this unfamiliar world.
Cole is a pretty great guy, but he's not the main hero of the series, and neither is Kady's fiance, who . We only meet the real hero in the third part of the story, after .
Interesting story that keeps you guessing, with a number of twists, and the eventual well earned happy ending.
March 16, 2019
Copyright 1996, my copy is from that date. This is a reread, but I think I must have only read it once. I remember very little about it, except that it's a time travel "romance". Actually, as I was reading it, it was like I'd never read it before. Nothing jogged my memory. Like a new read. Not a good sign! 4,256 4 & 5 stars on Goodreads - WOW very strange.
So, "A Knight In Shining Armor", was a huge success for JD in the 80s. I can see she would've liked to revisit that. This story, though isn't a medieval time travel, but set in the American West. 1873 Colorado to be exact.
The beginning of the story we meet a heroine JD loves : pretty, but curvy. Too nice & pushed around by the man she "loves". She buys on impulse a large tin box & finds a wedding dress with all the trimmings & tries it on. She's then transported back to Colorado 1873 in time to prevent a hanging. The story seems to try to get you to believe that Cole, the man Kady marries in 1873 is the hero. In fact, though he marries her they don't have sex. There's a convoluted reason for that. What comes after is one wild situation after another. It kept my interest, but ultimately, it wore me down.
Truthfully, this story was a mess. It heads one direction, then, we're told that's not where it's going to go & heads off somewhere else. Over & over. You end up with reader whiplash! I get the impression when I first read it, it wasn't a keeper. I'm wondering why I didn't get rid of it years ago!
So, "A Knight In Shining Armor", was a huge success for JD in the 80s. I can see she would've liked to revisit that. This story, though isn't a medieval time travel, but set in the American West. 1873 Colorado to be exact.
The beginning of the story we meet a heroine JD loves : pretty, but curvy. Too nice & pushed around by the man she "loves". She buys on impulse a large tin box & finds a wedding dress with all the trimmings & tries it on. She's then transported back to Colorado 1873 in time to prevent a hanging. The story seems to try to get you to believe that Cole, the man Kady marries in 1873 is the hero. In fact, though he marries her they don't have sex. There's a convoluted reason for that. What comes after is one wild situation after another. It kept my interest, but ultimately, it wore me down.
Truthfully, this story was a mess. It heads one direction, then, we're told that's not where it's going to go & heads off somewhere else. Over & over. You end up with reader whiplash! I get the impression when I first read it, it wasn't a keeper. I'm wondering why I didn't get rid of it years ago!
November 16, 2011
I don't really know what to say about this book. While in the midst of the first half, I thought for sure I'd end up giving this book at least three stars. The second half, however, with its constantly repeating phrases and sentiments, its weak plot, and its sappy dialogue, just sort of annoyed me. Even the premise became ridiculous. I like sci-fi fantasy type stuff, but this wasn't well-written time-travel fantasy. The main protagonist did things in the past that would have resulted in some serious changes to the present, yet it was treated as almost a non-issue. It has a Happily-Ever-After ending which comes at the expense of all reason. Kady herself is just plain irritating (zero self-esteem and no spine), and Tarik's behavior changes so quickly the reader is left not understanding his motives. I couldn't tell if he was interested in Kady or just trying to use her, which didn't breed a lot of sympathy for the character.
Legend started off decent and somewhat interesting, but then spiraled down into a mess of confusing characters and incomprehensible motives.
Legend started off decent and somewhat interesting, but then spiraled down into a mess of confusing characters and incomprehensible motives.
June 10, 2019
Frantically, gloriously insane nonsensical mishmash of historical fantasy time-travel comedy pop psych romance drags on through three potential heroes, an overly thorough yet meaningless attempt at explaining the in-book mythology and every 90s romantic trope, sadly including a heroine who secretly yearns to be taken care of and heroes who are liars. Everyone is handsome, girlfriends are tell-it-like-it-is sidekicks, historical people do comic historical things, Egyptian Muslim characters exude oriental mystery, and there is a lot of food preparation. Really, it’s like the author, a very competent writer, threw in everything that might make this book sell, which when read by CJ Critt makes it oddly Stephanie Plum sounding. Characters have personality quirks that appear and disappear randomly, plus they seem to redo the same Foolish Mistakes often, which may be how real people operate but fictional people need to be a bit more consistent. This was crazy. I can see why people like it, but too many iffy things date this for me, including consent issues.
May 23, 2018
This book was a disjointed mess that left a logical minded person in search of romance more than a little frustrated. While Cady is a well-developed and likable protagonist, there are fundamental problems with both Cole and Tarik. Many of the interactions between Kady and Cole feel largely inappropriate given the later reveal of Cole's age. His physical interactions with Kady as well as his wisdom and insight grow more and more impossible at the plot of the book develops. Moreover, while Tarik is supposed to feel like the mature love interest of the novel, his actions often feel entirely more juvenile that those of Cole. This is entirely frustrating to the reader because are given no opportunity to truly develop a desire for Tarik and Kady's romance. Finally, the lack of reveal in regards to Kady's dreams in the end makes her feel like a dishonest heroine. The reader is left not believing the plotline and finding one the grandmother, Ruth, a redeemable figure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2014
I'm giving this one two stars even if I didn't finish it because it was well written as all Jude Deveraux books are. I do have many of them on my keeper shelf. I didn't finish this one because the heroine Kady really annoyed me. I know it's important that characters, particularly the heroine, be relatable to readers but after too many references of how the heroine didn't think she was pretty enough or how she was too much of a 'real' woman to be considered fashionable I had to put the book down. Kady (I was willing to look past the annoying quirky play on what should be 'Katie' or at least Katee') has this gorgeous fiancee and her friends keep going on about how beautiful she is while she goes on complaining about her looks. It reeked of false modesty and made the heroine extremely unlikable to me. After two chapters of this I was done.
July 28, 2017
Wow! I cannot believe this book was published. After a need for something Outlander-ish I decided to give this a try. What a disappointing mess! The story is fractured, odd and extremely flawed. Kady the protagonist is a pathetic young woman with serious self esteem issues who is vapid, boring and unappealing. How anyone fell for her let alone a nine year old ghost boy she marries or the great great great grand nephew of said ghost boy baffles me. Kady brought nothing to the table save for annoyance and the ability to cook. Whew I needed to cleanse my palette with a few books to reassure myself there are good books in the world.
July 8, 2009
No one can question Jude Deveraux's ability to write and captivate her readers. This book left me incoherent until i finished it. every new page meant i couldn't put it down! This book has everything, and right when you thought you figured everything out, there's another twist that leaves you dieing to read more. i'm not going to tell you about the context of the book because it really is one you just have to read. There's too many things for me to even begin to tell, so please read it!!!!!
January 19, 2015
I first read this book well over ten years ago, and I remember being glued to it. I think it's safe to say my tastes have evolved since then. I still found the book to be entertaining, and JD's brand of romantic fairy tale style storytelling still put a smile on my face, but it was much easier for me to set the novel down this time around. And the plot holes! A lot of it completely defied any logic. So, I'm giving it a 2.5. It was enjoyable, but flawed.
June 6, 2009
This definately was not one of my favorite of JD's books. She is an interesting writer and there is definately potential, but it all just falls flat, things were just too convoluted. The story twisted and turned until you could lose interest. I give this one two of five stars.
December 1, 2018
was a really good book
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