When Venus Fell: A Novel

by Deborah Smith

Home is wherever the heart leads....

The ties that bind us--to our families, to our pasts--are at the heart of this deeply engrossing story.  

Venus Arinelli saw her future as a concert pianist shattered when her father's life ended in disgrace.  Now Venus plays in cocktail lounges, sporting her survival skills like a suit of armor.  When a stranger emerges from her parents' long-ago past with an offer too good to refuse, Venus' suspicions flare up.

But Gib Cameron has a special mission.  He represents the Camerons of Tennessee--a family as rooted in American history and Southern soil as Venus' is notorious and fly-by-night.  Yet the Camerons, survivors of tragedy, need Venus for reasons that have to do with honor and loyalty and an almost mystical bond to their shared past.  And Gib, as hard-eyed a skeptic as Venus herself, has to persuade her to come to their mountain home.

Humor, sexiness, pathos, and surprises are all part of Deborah Smith's unique storytelling magic.   When Venus Fell will entrance readers with its tale of Venus's reluctant journey to Tennessee, where two well-guarded hearts, afraid to trust again, will find they've come home.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Southern, Chick Lit, Music

453 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

aka Jackie Leigh
aka Della Stone
aka Leigh Bridger

Bestselling Author
Co-founder, co-publisher
Vice-president, Editor in Chief
BelleBooks, Memphis, TN

Deborah Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of A Place to Call Home, and the No. 1 Kindle Bestseller The Crossroads Cafe, A Gentle Rain and other acclaimed romantic novels portraying life and love in the modern Appalachian South. A native Georgian, Deborah is a former newspaper editor who turned to novel-writing with great success.

With more than 35 romance, women's fiction and fantasy novels to her credit, Deborah's books have sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Among her honors is a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times Magazine and a nomination for the prestigious Townsend Literary Award. In 2003 Disney optioned Sweet Hush for film. In 2008 A Gentle Rain was a finalist in Romance Writers of America's RITA awards.

For the past fifteen years Deborah has partnered with Debra Dixon to run BelleBooks, a small press originally known for southern fiction, including the Mossy Creek Hometown Series and the Sweet Tea story collections. As editor, she has worked on projects as diverse as the nonfiction Bra Talk book by three-time Oprah Winfrey guest Susan Nethero, and the In My Dreams novella by New York Times bestselling author Sarah Addison Allen.

In 2008 BelleBooks launched Bell Bridge Books, an imprint with a focus on fantasy novels and now expanded to include multi-genre fiction--mystery, suspense, thrillers, women's fiction, nonfiction and other. In 2013 BelleBooks acquired the late Linda Kichline's paranormal romance press, ImaJinn Books, and hired legendary editor Brenda Chin, formerly of Harlequin Books, as editorial director. Chin will expand the imprint to cover a diverse mix of all romance types.

Deborah's newest books are the Crossroads Cafe novellas: THE BISCUIT WITCH, THE PICKLE QUEEN, THE YARN SPINNER, and THE KITCHEN CHARMER (2014). She released a mini-short story, SAVING JONQUILS, in March 2014. A sexy romantic novella, A HARD MAN TO FIND, is scheduled for later in the month.

Reviews

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good. I think it straddles the abyss of women's fiction (I hate women's fiction) but in such a good way. I say that because although it's a romance, it's also a story about two sisters and their journey to finding a home and stability. The writing was so effortless and the storytelling utterly addictive. The characters snuck their way inside your heart. Venus is a very unique but completely likeable heroine. Her upbringing is quite unusual, and she is a piano prodigy who ends up being a lounge singer. Her sister is the delicate, vulnerable type that men love to prey on. But you can't resent her or hold it against her. You want to give her a hug instead. Did I mention they are part Japanese? She had me there. I love reading books with characters of Asian heritage. Let me tell you about Gib. He was utterly wonderful. He is such a sweetie. He's missing part of his hand and possibly more on the sexually inexperienced side. He's strong but also kind and loving. I really loved the romance between Venus and Gib. They are two people who have been through bad times and you want them to be happy, together.

I can't say enough good things about this book. It doesn't have any suspense or uber-dramatic moments, but they are not necessary. You just want to read about these great characters that Deborah Smith has created.

[Gwen (The Gwendolyn Reading Method) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this one at first, but Deborah Smith's epic style storytelling really worked here. You get a sense of the generations of the family and felt like you'd lived through centuries by the end, which just deepened all the aspects of this romance novel.

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/18/08
I am rereading this book for the umpteenth time. I love this book utterly. More when I've finished. Note, it is definitely a sappy romance.

10/19/08
I've been thinking about how to describe this book. I still don't know. I think this is a book that you either love or are completely indifferent to. It is definitely a romance story, so skip it if you hate them.

What to say about this book?

I guess I'm just in love with Gib. He's wonderful. I also love the prickly, passionate, fiercely loyal Venus. Of course, I love the idea that you can fall in love with a childhood sweetheart and stay that way forever.

Because I loved this book so much, I read Deborah Smith's other books. I enjoyed A Place To Call Home (same childhood love theme), but I didn't like the rest of her books very much. They felt more like a melodramatic version of a typical romance novel. There is nothing wrong with the romance genre, it's just not usually my favorite.

Maybe you'll read When Venus Fell and let me know why I like it so much. I sure haven't been able to find a way to explain it. I guess it just has a pile of good things I love in a book: great title, interesting (but not stupid) names, beautiful setting I connect to, strong characters, great supporting characters, strong sense of place, southern novel, male character I am half in love with, tug-at-your-heart emotional quality... I just love it.


8/7/24
I love this book just as much as I ever did. Why, or why is it not available on Kindle?

2/9/25
This may well be my most favorite book. I love it so very much.

read count: 8 or 9

[Cátia Lopes · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25/5

Este livro foi uma estreia para mim, não conhecia a escrita da autora, apesar de já ter visto vários livros dela publicados em Portugal.

Foi uma história que me conquistou de início, a personalidade de Venus, a fragilidade de Ella e a capa durona de Gib. Personagens aparentemente simples com várias camadas e complexidade, gostei muito da forma como a autora conseguiu desenvolver praticamente todos os personagens.
Houve espaço para os protagonistas, mas também houve espaço para os personagens secundários.

No final do livro, senti que me estava a despedir de uma família, porque consegui conhecer todos e já fazia um pouco +arte da família Cameron.

Há histórias que nos tocam pela beleza e outras que nos atravessam pela verdade e pelo poder de reflexão. Esta foi uma delas, uma narrativa intensa sobre amor, perda e redenção com uma escrita que me transmitiu emoções, desde dor, ternura, paixão, sentimento de pertença.

É um livro sobre segundas oportunidades e sobre família. Uma leitura que me tocou profundamente. Fiquei com vontade de ler mais livros da autora.

[Glyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by Deborah Smith, and I didn't like it nearly as much as her other one. I mentioned earlier that I was having trouble with the prose's pacing, and this problem persists through the entire book.

There doesn't seem to be any logic behind most of the character's interactions. What they say, do, and mean are often totally different things. The main character kept getting offended, and I never understood how the other people upset her so badly.

The romance wasn't very well done. They went from the "I reject you because we cannot be together" stage to the "emotional breakthrough" moment to the "TOGETHER FOREVER" stage far too quickly. I wasn't actually rooting for them to get together, because I wasn't given any reason to.

Also, it bugs me that the main character, Venus, had been in love with the guy since her childhood. And that she was a virgin/had no other relationships/"you're the only one for me!" I didn't find it realistic, and the idea that you're supposed to find your one true love as a child, and then hold a torch for them your entire life is... creepy, to say the least. This came up on Smith's other book too. I hope she doesn't carry on with this theme.

Oh! Not to mention the fact that one woman has her husband die in a traumatic accident, and then less than a year later, they're egging her on to hook up with someone else. Give the woman time to grieve, for fucks sake. It always sets my teeth on edge when characters go "Oh that was a few weeks ago WHY AREN'T YOU OVER IT YET." It also reeked of "EVERYONE MUST HAVE SOMEONE. TO BE ALONE IS TERRIBLE."

Finally, the politics and family trauma kept getting buried underneath the patriotism, sentimentalism, and creepy family history stories. I found myself skimming over the third lengthy family history lesson, clumsily conveyed through dialogue.

...Plus there were too many characters with similar sounding names. I kept forgetting who was who.

I did enjoy the surprise!lesbian couple, Venus bonding with a woman over their terrible fake hair-dos, and Venus' cat (I'm a sucker for a good animal sidekick).

So, yes. I enjoyed reading it, but it wasn't a very good book.

[LadyCalico · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been working my way through the Deborah Smith novels and this is my least favorite so far. It was well-written and well-developed, but I really didn't like Venus, and her inappropriate nasties really got on my nerves after a while. I knew that sooner or later the author was going to have to knock a few chips off her shoulder and humanize her if the story was going to go anywhere, but until that process started, it was not an enjoyable read for me. Granted the author did a good job with the back story to explain why Venus was so filled with hate and anger that she splashed nasty all over people who didn't deserve it, and such nasty may work for secondary characters like Ruth and Emory, whose role is limited, but not the main character--there was just too much Venus and too much nasty, and it made no sense to me why people tolerated it and didn't just throw the rotten witch out on her keister. If these were real people I would be heartbroken to see poor Gib end up stuck with this walking misery. In short, this is a well-executed novel about an unpleasantly damaged character, but to me, the unpleasant main character lead to an unpleasant read--the only thing that enabled me to force myself through this novel was the hope that Gib would come to his senses, dump her, and meet somebody nice. No, that wouldn't save this book--maybe if poor Ella had slugged the bully and broken her nose--yeah, that might have saved this book--just some realistic response to Ms. Witchy's ridiculous bratty tantrums. Yeah, obviously I had to evoke a rich fantasy life to make it through this book. The orange paint incident would probably have been satisfying, except that was the one time she didn't deserve it.

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was picked by a member of my book club for our next meeting. I am only about 100 pages in so far. Isn't terrible, isn't great. So far it seems a bit over-dramatic, almost like a romance novel. And the main character, Venus, isn't very likeable. She reminds me of that girl in high school that takes great pains to show everyone how "deep" and "troubled" she is and how her life is so complicated. Kind of annoying so far. Some of the other characters are very cliche, for example the "mysterious southern gentlemen" type that attended the Citadel and has a drinking problem and a dark secret. Also there is the wilthering flower of the younger sister who must consantly be protected, blah blah blah.

However, I'm open to my mind being changed and this turning into a great book.

......okay, finished. It is at best a beach read. And by that I mean that if it accidently fell in the ocean, no great loss.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://breesabookworm.blogspot.com/

I love love love Deborah Smith. Her books are just beautiful.

In saying that, this is my least favorite so far. It was still really good and I didn't want to put it down. But the female lead grated under my skin. I just didn't like her is all. But, overall the book was excellent!

[Sharon A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Deborah Smith's books -- she writes intelligent yet romantic stories. I was thrilled to find this older book at the library; especially when I realize I'd never read it before.

[Livros_escolhas_e_relaxar Marcia Tavares · Rating 5 out of 5]

📖✨ A Queda de Vénus – Deborah Smith

Começou de forma lenta… confesso que demorei a entrar no ritmo. Mas depois, quando dei por mim, já estava completamente envolvida na história, a virar páginas sem parar. O difícil foi largar o livro — as horas passaram sem que desse conta, até as tarefas do fim de semana ficaram para trás 😅. No fim, as 470 páginas pareceram poucas!

🎹 Vénus Arinelli

▪︎Ex-criança prodígio do piano.
▪︎A mãe morreu cedo, o pai foi preso e acabou por morrer pouco depois 💔
▪︎As visitas constantes do FBI e a forma como foram tratadas deixaram-na sem confiança na justiça e endureceram o seu coração.
▪︎Cresceu com a promessa de proteger a irmã mais nova, Ella.
▪︎Essa responsabilidade tornou-a dura, desconfiada, por vezes pouco simpática… mas sempre leal
▪︎Sobreviveram como artistas de clubes noturnos, presas a um passado de dor e a um futuro incerto

Ao contrário de Vénus, a irmã Ella é doce e vulnerável, despertando sempre o instinto de proteção de todos.

Mas tudo muda quando surge Gib Cameron — ex-agente dos Serviços Secretos e membro de uma poderosa família sulista. Ele convence as irmãs Arinelli a regressar às montanhas do Tennessee, ao lendário Cameron Hall, lugar onde os pais de Vénus se casaram. Entre memórias, segredos e promessas, nasce uma ligação inesperada entre os Cameron e as Arinelli.

🎶 O que me conquistou:
✨ Os cenários vibrantes das montanhas do Tennessee
💔 Gib Cameron (e a sua família), com um passado doloroso mas um coração enorme
📚 Drama, romance e segredos do passado entrelaçados
🏡 Relações intensas entre duas famílias: os Cameron, sustentados por honra e tradição, e as Arinelli, fragmentadas pela dor mas unidas pelo amor. Gostei muito da forma calorosa como as receberam — quase exagerada no início, mas que depois faz todo o sentido.

Apesar de alguns capítulos longos, foi uma leitura muito envolvente. Terminei com aquela sensação deliciosa de “queria mais!”.

[Lenny Husen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable Chick Lit, better than many, well-written with many lovable and engaging characters who comprise a large interconnected family. This book seemed to last forever but did get interesting and more fun in the last third when the characters were cooperating instead of sniping at each other. Main flaws were too much repetition and this would have been a much better book if it had not been written in the first person. Venus' story would be less grating and tortuous if told by someone else.
I loved the setting for the story--the Appalachian mountains in Tennessee.
I really like this author.

[Mary Newcomb]

This is one of those sweeping novels where everything ends up all tied in a bow. We start with some people with a shaky connection who somehow form attachments which transcend all difficulties, even those of a long lasting nature. And it takes 352 pages to tell the story. It was not a bad story I guess, just not my favorite type of story.

[Debbie Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this author because her name is the same as mine. I almost didn't read this book because I was so disappointed with "Blue Willow " but I am glad that I did read it. This book was entertaining to read, a sweet story. There were cuss words but less than in Blue Willow. I loved the details of the mountains.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um romance passado no sul dos EUA, sobre laços entre irmãos, laços entre famílias, sobrevivência, preconceito, amor e amizade, com algumas tragédias e mistérios pelo meio, mas também com muita alegria e redenção. Muito bem imaginado e bem escrito, é difícil de parar de ler. Adorei!

[Suzie Quint · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not up to the author's usual standard. The heroine had a chip on her shoulder the size of Mount Rushmore. DNF at 82 pages.

[Rebecca Metzger · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old favorite.

[Ingride · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gostei, um romance clichê que se lê num sopro! uma história de uma família e de duas irmãs de volta às suas origens, um amor que pode nascer aonde menos se espera.

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muito, muito giro, gostei mais que do The Crossroad's Café.

É mais uma história muito bonita de família, amizade, amor e confiança. Não é que seja uma história de momentos que nos sobressaltam, mas com um toque de doçura por todas as páginas.

Depois daquilo porque a Venus e a irmã passaram, problemas com figuras de autoridade governamentais, foi preciso muita confiança e coragem para confiar num homem que é desse mundo.

Teve cenas engraçadas, a Venus tinha piadas muito engraçadas, aquela cena no pomar, quando andavam a apanhar maçãs e ela bebeu álcool e depois vai ao pé do Gib, que está num escadote, pelo que ela fica com os olhos à altura das ancas dele (e não só lol) e ela diz, what big apples e ele lhe responde you should see the stem. lol São muito queridos. Ou as cenas quando andavam atrás dos leitões que fugiram... Ou o Casper a dançar com uma cabra!

Cena comovente: a Venus, na cabana dela, muito triste por ter rapado o cabelo e o Gib lhe acaricia a cabeça com a sua mão deformada. É especialmente comovente pois para a Venus, ter perdido o cabelo, era como se tivesse uma deformidade, da mesma maneira que é para o Gib perder 2 dedos duma mão.

A Olivia e a Bea. Aquela Olivia é cá uma cena. O que me ri quando a Kelly contou à Venus que a Olivia envenenou o marido há 50 anos. Claro que só teve a sua graça até mais tarde saber que ele tinha matado os filhos. O que aquelas mulheres devem ter sofrido. A esconder um segredo, a serem chantageadas e afinal toda a família sabia que estavam apaixonadas e, claro, não têm qualquer problema com isso. Muito giro.

Adorei a forma como a Ella e o Casper se apaixonaram tão depressa, foi um romance muito querido. Acho que é o 1º livro dela que leio em que há mais de um casal a apaixonar-se. Houve também a Min e o Bo.

[Sandra Jackson - Alawine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Venus and her younger sister Ella have spent ten years on the run after their Father was arrested for treason. Government agents seized their home, belongs and harassed the teenage girls, one low life almost raped Venus (Nellie). So when former government agent Gib Cameron shows up claiming to have money left for the girls by their Father Venus is understandably suspicious, but agrees to visit Cameron Hall, in the mountains of Tennessee.

The delicate Ella is charmed by the Cameron Family and falls under the spell of the mountains. All to fast for Venus' liking Ella falls for the smooth talking Carter. Meanwhile Venus fights her attraction to Gib. When Ella and Carter marry Venus fears disaster and her fears seem to be well founded when a secret from Ella's past threaten to destroy the new marriage.

Ella's delicate mental state leaves Venus torn between staying with the man she loves and fleeing with Ella. When a fire breaks out in the family chapel Venus prepares to flee before Ella can be blamed. Trying desperately to put out the fire Venus' hands are severely burned but she manages to save the organ and most of the chapel, she also pulls Gib's Aunt Olivia from the blaze.

Olivia's own secrets are finally revealed as Olivia finds her voice and the courage to stand up to Emory, who attempted to blackmail her out of her home.

[Marla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so ya, this is a romance novel. It's been forever since I read one and probably won't on purpose for many years to come...if ever again. I'm not even sure why I picked this off the shelf at the library. But I did. I freely admit that I couldn't put the thing down. Very engaging, if you're even a little bit romantic. But it was pretty typical as far as romance novels go (I read more than my share as a teenager, so I recognized the pattern well). Two people meet who have something in common, but leave a very bad first impression on one another. Then circumstances force them to spend time together, each to his/her dismay. After some time, they just can't help but fall madly in love, fix each other's life, and begin to live happily ever after. If you're hankering for a romance novel, this one will keep you to the end, if not shaking your head when some of the details are too good, or just too fabricated, to be true. It doesn't get into raunchy details, but it has its fair share of intimacy and inuendo. It is a romance novel. As much as it was entertaining, I did close the book wishing I had picked something with more substance with which to spend a week of evenings.

[Tania Martins · Rating 2 out of 5]

E pronto acabei When Venus Fell, não fiquei muito apaixonada! Gostei muito mais do Crossroad's Cafe!

Irritou-me sobremaneira a maneira de ser da Venus, tudo bem que ela teve aqueles problemas todos com o pai mas acho que isso a tornou amarga para a vida e o facto de ela proteger desmesuradamente a irmã é fruto disso mas é exagerado porque a irmã tinha a vida dela além de que a maneira como ela trata o Gib foi outra coisa que me deu nervos, o rapaz até fez um piercing por causa dela (pelo que eu percebi)! Além de que lhe salvou a vida quando ela quase morre no incêndio na igreja...se isso não é amor e achei que faltou romance quando eles se envolvem no hotel, nem se percebe apesar de ter achado óptimo que ele tenha ido buscar as coisas dela!

...outra coisa que me irritou foi mesmo aquela irmã dela, completamente apanhada do esquema! Coitado do Carter que não era melhor mas ela depois do aborto espontâneo pirou um bocadinho para além de depois ter incendiado a igreja juntamente com a Olivia! Que confusão!

Salvou-se a relação lésbica da Bea e da Olivia! Achei o máximo quando descobri!

[Haidé (Nox Lectio) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esperança.

Sinto-me sempre esperançosa depois de uma história de amor.

Esperança de que, talvez um dia, eu possa viver uma história assim bonita, cheia de significado, para contar aos sobrinhos, um dia mais tarde.
Que talvez encontre alguém que não tenha medo de um bocadinho de sarcasmo.

Chorei muito, e houve um momento em que parei mesmo a leitura. É sempre doloroso para mim ler episódios de perda gestacional. Sinto que deve ser o horror de qualquer mãe. O seu maior medo, antes do parto. O meu seria.

Para contrapor, também me ri muito.
O humor cáustico da Venus foi uma lufada de ar fresco. Sei lá, identifiquei-me.

Foi uma leitura que me agarrou e que fluiu lindamente. A descrição das paisagens é incrível, e a voz das personagens única.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Venus and Ella Arinelli have been on their own for the ten years since their father died in prison where he was being held for crimes against America. The government took everything and followed them, city to city, harassing them. The two sisters work nightclubs as a musical duet, Venus on the piano and Ella on her violin. Then one day an old family friend finds them and tells them about $100,000 that belongs to them, but there is a catch.

Venus, who has been taking care of her weaker sister has an understanding resentment toward the government, so when Gib Cameron shows up she is mistrustful of the ex-secret service man, even if she has dreamt of him her whole life. Now Gib wants the sisters to come to his family’s inn in a remote, mountainous Tennessee valley to reopen the family business. Willing to show up for the money the women find the All-American family eagerly awaiting their arrival.

there's more on my blog http://stacybuckeye.wordpress.com/200...

[Pbwritr · Rating 2 out of 5]

An obvious romance, but I didn't notice when I bought it. The protagonist, Venus, is annoying with her "out there" attitude, comments, and behaviors. All other characters were fairly well drawn. A story about saving another ancestral home and reopening it as a hotel after a tragedy the previous year. Venus and her sister, Ella, are embraced by the family when they arrive to claim their father's legacy.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Life had always seemed chaotic to me. That was why I liked music. The precision, the order, the logic of it. It was the same with a well-oiled machine, a fine meal, a freshly polished floor, a perfect sunset. A moment of pure order, where the world is safe and absolutely right, and just by being there to appreciate the moment, to observe, to listen, to perform, to learn, you're the center of the universe.

[Arthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a stunning but delicate story from beginning to end. There are only minimal lengths in mystery that abound about love and remain love woven from its very outset for this story. Concludes with the subject of all the potential ideals that encourage many for the tough are the one’s who need to get their going. And then when the rough is even harder.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the main character of Venus and her protective sarcasm. It had me laughing a lot. Smith is great at creating strong female characters in a Southern setting. Even though the romance between Venus and Gib is predictable, you are still drawn in to the pair. And as in all of Smith's novels, the antagonist always gets what's coming to them.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel seems to go along with Smith's formula of taking an outcast, tough, misunderstood young woman and putting her with a large, ecentric Southern family where she fights and then loves the troubled oldest brother of the clan. Though it was unbelievable at times, the love story between the two always works for me and made me speed through the book until it's end.

[C C Cedras · Rating 5 out of 5]

My God, I've read this book more times than I can count, it always makes me fall in love with ALL of these characters again and again, makes me laugh and cry, it's that good. The other day I read a writer's blog that said that you cannot cross the literary fiction and romance genres. Smith disproves that theory in almost every book she writes. Highly recommended!

[Barbra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried to read this but couldn't get into it so it hit the wall.

Back Cover Blurb:
Entrancing tale of a woman who finds herself embarking on a reluctant trip to the Tennessee mountains, after her dream of being a concert pianist falls through.