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Sweetbriar
IT HAD BEEN ONLYA FEW MINUTES, YET HER LIFE WAS FOREVER CHANGED.
Linnet left the remnants of her old world behind her, as she trudged into the Kentucky wilderness. She and the six children were all who survived the Indian attack on their wagon train.
Devon Macalister offers her freedom. He wagers his life for hers. And both risk losing their hearts.
Linnet left the remnants of her old world behind her, as she trudged into the Kentucky wilderness. She and the six children were all who survived the Indian attack on their wagon train.
Devon Macalister offers her freedom. He wagers his life for hers. And both risk losing their hearts.
313 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
165 people are currently reading
1007 people want to read
About the author
Jude Deveraux
199 books7,059 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 91 reviews
September 24, 2024
3.5*
Si hubiera sido una historia más larga y un poco más desarrollada, le habría dado las 4*
Tiene una trama muy entretenida y que no decae.
Recomendable.
Si hubiera sido una historia más larga y un poco más desarrollada, le habría dado las 4*
Tiene una trama muy entretenida y que no decae.
Recomendable.
March 11, 2009
Why do I even bother with older Deveraux titles? She's always a hit or miss writer for me, and while I did finish this one, it was definitely a miss. It was originally published in '83, when racist romances were more common, but I have a hard time reading this book and thinking that no one would see the racism today.
Linnet is in the Kentucky frontier when her family is attacked by "renegade," "tribeless" Indians. The Indians kidnap the children (including Linnet because she's small and they think she's a kid). When they discover that she's an adult, they're pissed and basically plan to rape her back at the camp. However, one heroic blue-eyed Indian (who also speaks English) fights and kills the cheif's younger brother to claim her as his. Once they're safe, he puts on his white-man clothes (gack!) and tells her that his grandfather is Shawnee, but he lives in a white community called Sweetbriar, and he'll take her there and keep her safe. If I had to read one more line about how he had an Indian's stealth and a white man's cunning, I was going to tear out pages.
Of course, they fall in love, fight, get separated, reunited, complications ensue . . . it's an early eighties romance plot. You get the drift.
Linnet is in the Kentucky frontier when her family is attacked by "renegade," "tribeless" Indians. The Indians kidnap the children (including Linnet because she's small and they think she's a kid). When they discover that she's an adult, they're pissed and basically plan to rape her back at the camp. However, one heroic blue-eyed Indian (who also speaks English) fights and kills the cheif's younger brother to claim her as his. Once they're safe, he puts on his white-man clothes (gack!) and tells her that his grandfather is Shawnee, but he lives in a white community called Sweetbriar, and he'll take her there and keep her safe. If I had to read one more line about how he had an Indian's stealth and a white man's cunning, I was going to tear out pages.
Of course, they fall in love, fight, get separated, reunited, complications ensue . . . it's an early eighties romance plot. You get the drift.
August 18, 2013
Sometimes, I have this deep desperation and passion of going back to the past and feel the beauty of the life that was experienced back then. Then again, I realized how hard it is to live in a place full of people locked in their greed and selfishness. Other people back then are lovely. They are genuine, polite, and always, they give love more than they should -whether it is the love for the nature they're living in or the love they have for their families. This fact made me want to experience the life before although hardships and pain are inevitable.
The novel is new to me. It's as if it was my first time reading a romance novel. It's as if it gained me new wisdom of the world. The setting and the conflicts that were set in the way of the characters were intense. How I loved the fact that it was very fast-paced and direct to the point that it shocks me most of the time. There were so many hardships that you would think and almost doubt if the love they have would survive. Majestically, the love that was shared by the hero and heroine of the story was profound and insatiable.
The both of them went through a lot yet who can understand the meaning of love? It survives until the end.
This is definitely another heartwarming and heartfelt masterpiece from Jude Deveraux. Although a lot of tragedy seemed to overtake the world she built inside the book, the love that exuded from it is much greater.
GODSPEED!
The novel is new to me. It's as if it was my first time reading a romance novel. It's as if it gained me new wisdom of the world. The setting and the conflicts that were set in the way of the characters were intense. How I loved the fact that it was very fast-paced and direct to the point that it shocks me most of the time. There were so many hardships that you would think and almost doubt if the love they have would survive. Majestically, the love that was shared by the hero and heroine of the story was profound and insatiable.
The both of them went through a lot yet who can understand the meaning of love? It survives until the end.
This is definitely another heartwarming and heartfelt masterpiece from Jude Deveraux. Although a lot of tragedy seemed to overtake the world she built inside the book, the love that exuded from it is much greater.
GODSPEED!
June 5, 2012
I love Jude Deveraux. Yes, her books can be predictable. But, isn't that why you read a particular author, because you know their style and you know you are going to enjoy the book? Yes, the girl is going to get the boy in the end. However, you NEVER know how they are going to get from point A to point B. No two books are alike and I found this book to be a fun, enjoyable read...It's June and I had to build a fire in my woodstove because it was dismally rainy, cold and windy. This book was perfect with a cup of tea, a cat and snuggly blanket on the couch.
October 23, 2018
I found the pace of this book somewhat jarring in that some of the scenes are thoroughly and deeply written drawing you in easily and others just skim the surface and leave you floating above the story. There are also the times when you are reading along in one scene and suddenly find yourself in another. I stopped and re-read the previous paragraph at least six times in this book. Plus there was at least once that I felt a whole part of the story had gotten deleted when I jumped from Linnet and Devon being together to a later scene at the school house. It felt like a roller coaster ride, and a not very enjoyable one.
February 9, 2019
I believe Jude Deveraux believes that back in 1784 - 26 months later 1787 that there was a lot of promiscuous sex but I believe there are people that can wait until marriage, obviously more than she believes. But then I have read Katherine Hepburn's book ME: Stories of My Life: Katherine Hepburn and in it, she was very promiscuous back in the '20s and '30s. Maybe people have a sex gene. This book is worth reading in that Linnet who has an English accent and this is based in Kentucky, down by the Cumberland River, there is a beautiful FALLS not far off I-75 on that river.
June 18, 2019
The blurb was misleading because it's not exactly an Indian romance. Even though Devon is 1/4 Indian (I think), he lives in a settlement with other whites.
Devon kept on seeming to deny his attraction to Linnet for the beginning of the book. I was reading on waiting for them to finally kiss and get together. This book was entertaining. There was never a dull moment except for maybe one chapter in the beginning when Devon and Linnet were travelling to Sweetbriar.
This is the second book I've read with the name Linnet. I read "Beauty Tamed the Beast" with the main character Linnet just last week. The people in this book had weird names, though.
Devon kept on seeming to deny his attraction to Linnet for the beginning of the book. I was reading on waiting for them to finally kiss and get together. This book was entertaining. There was never a dull moment except for maybe one chapter in the beginning when Devon and Linnet were travelling to Sweetbriar.
This is the second book I've read with the name Linnet. I read "Beauty Tamed the Beast" with the main character Linnet just last week. The people in this book had weird names, though.
June 15, 2025
So sweet but dramatic!! I enjoyed this a lot despite not liking how it started. I couldn’t put it down after that! I loved Devon and Linnet; their dynamic was a bit chaotic but it was fun. Little Miranda was so precious too and all the residents of Sweetbriar were a hoot!! Some parts did feel a bit rushed and the drama was big but also rushed! Overall, it was really good. This had been sitting on my bookshelf for a while so I’m happy to finally have read it! 4 stars! ❤️
March 27, 2019
I love this author and have read her for years. I must admit I have lots of books, but that does not mean I don’t look for bargain tables. I was sure I have read it, but the price was a steal. It is not my favorite time period, but the love between the couple, one being Indian, and running from the chiefs jealousy, and hatred drew me in. You know it is going to end well, and your going to like her style. It was an adventure, a touch of true love, and a great ending. 4 stars.
November 24, 2021
This was about a young English woman who ends up in Kentucky in 1784. She is captured by the Indians and a man, Devon Macalister, rescues her and takes her home to his town of Sweetbriar, where she causes quite a stir. The usual Deveraux. I enjoyed it.
April 26, 2014
Some of my ancestors lived in Kentucky and one was with Daniel Boone in his explorations, even married his sister so I thought this book was interesting particularly in the relationships with the Indians.
June 18, 2024
This is the book in the James River series. It also brings to life my love of plantations and their beauty. No, I'm not talking about the history of slavery or anything but the beauty of the homes and tree lines driveway. We are losing the beauty of acres of farmland, trees, and nature as we build bigger buildings and the population grows. I miss seeing acres of land untouched.
It is here in the wild of Kentucky that we meet Linnet. A woman rescued by a daring man. Linnet is a strong woman whose heart is filled with love and kindness. When she is rescued she is taken to Sweetbriar where she falls in love with the people and the man who rescues her.
Devon saves Linnets and is taken with her but his jealousy just may cause him to lose her.
What I loved about this book was Linnet's ability to love everyone. I loved she taught her daughter to love people for what's inside and not out. This book is in true Jude style and I absolutely loved it. It had love, it had adventure and it had people who loved one another.
Once again Jude drew me into her world and I loved every moment of it. She brings to life the scenery and the people. Brilliant.
It is here in the wild of Kentucky that we meet Linnet. A woman rescued by a daring man. Linnet is a strong woman whose heart is filled with love and kindness. When she is rescued she is taken to Sweetbriar where she falls in love with the people and the man who rescues her.
Devon saves Linnets and is taken with her but his jealousy just may cause him to lose her.
What I loved about this book was Linnet's ability to love everyone. I loved she taught her daughter to love people for what's inside and not out. This book is in true Jude style and I absolutely loved it. It had love, it had adventure and it had people who loved one another.
Once again Jude drew me into her world and I loved every moment of it. She brings to life the scenery and the people. Brilliant.
July 28, 2021
Entertaining as always, not Jude’s best but certainly nowhere near the worst. Linnet is captured by a Native American tribe where Devon, a part Shawnee brave, decides to save her in spite of the possessive and violent chief Crazy Bear. He brings her to Sweetbriar, a town of many lovable and fun characters that help Linnet start a new life there. Jealousy ensues and Devon and Linnet go through many twists and turns on their journey. A fun read, very familiar of some of her other books. So familiar in fact I’m having trouble finding which books it reminds me of. I really hate when in Deveraux books characters spend a lot of time apart after a fight. It happens often where’s there’s an argument and suddenly it’s been 6 months without seeing each other. I didn’t love that but “Sweetbriar” did have a injured male protagonist gets nursed by female protagonist trope and that is one of my favorites. Devon and Linnet had a cute story.
October 1, 2020
I enjoyed this book for several reasons. Not only is it a romance but the writing is so descriptive and clear that the reader can easily imagine the surroundings. It is also very exciting. Never a dull moment. Yes, there are Indian enemies but there are also white man enemies as well. The story starts in 1784. There was tremendous racism back then. You can’t write a story about that time period and expect it to be politically correct. This book was written in 1983 and the author did well in describing the situations. If you like romances, this book is good. If you are easily offended by race, religion or gender then stay away from historical novels which are filled with these types of issues. You can’t change history and write politically correct stories with historical content for today’s audience. It won’t work.
June 16, 2023
Oh I love the community of Sweetbriar so much.. The author wrote it so beautifully that I can feel the attachment to them people drawn in me. I found myself cursing to the Spring Lick's people 😂 how so judgemental!
About the main couple, I sorta hate how Devon was so of a coward himself for not being able to be more honest with his feelings. Everything bad at the Spring Lick could have been avoided if he just spat it out his love to Linnet. Idk lah, whatever.. but I must say that I LOVE Linnet so much. She's a bionic lil girl, always has fire in her.. Ready for any battles. Devon was so lucky to have her. The fact that she hardly ever given up 😭
Now, I wonder if Linnet updates to Nettie or asks her to move to Sweetbriar altogether. Bcoz I can't even bear myself living in such community like in Spring Lick... Hahaha
About the main couple, I sorta hate how Devon was so of a coward himself for not being able to be more honest with his feelings. Everything bad at the Spring Lick could have been avoided if he just spat it out his love to Linnet. Idk lah, whatever.. but I must say that I LOVE Linnet so much. She's a bionic lil girl, always has fire in her.. Ready for any battles. Devon was so lucky to have her. The fact that she hardly ever given up 😭
Now, I wonder if Linnet updates to Nettie or asks her to move to Sweetbriar altogether. Bcoz I can't even bear myself living in such community like in Spring Lick... Hahaha
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2025
Ah the nostalgia.
My dear, sweet mum, God bless her, gave me the greatest gift a mother can give her child. She gave me the love of reading. She encouraged me to read whatever I wanted, which included any book she read. From horror to romance, I read them all. This was one of my favourites.
I remember my pre-teen self falling in love with a story about a beautiful girl called Linnet who was kidnapped by native Americans and then rescued by a blue/eyed hunk of a man, that she falls in love with. When he’s hurt, later in the book, she nurses him back to health.
I couldn’t recall the name of the book, but through the wonders of google, I managed to track the book down.
It was as sweet as I remembered. Linnet and Devon MacAllister go through every conceivable obstacle but Linnet never gives up. She’s got spirit and is the beatinest woman!
My dear, sweet mum, God bless her, gave me the greatest gift a mother can give her child. She gave me the love of reading. She encouraged me to read whatever I wanted, which included any book she read. From horror to romance, I read them all. This was one of my favourites.
I remember my pre-teen self falling in love with a story about a beautiful girl called Linnet who was kidnapped by native Americans and then rescued by a blue/eyed hunk of a man, that she falls in love with. When he’s hurt, later in the book, she nurses him back to health.
I couldn’t recall the name of the book, but through the wonders of google, I managed to track the book down.
It was as sweet as I remembered. Linnet and Devon MacAllister go through every conceivable obstacle but Linnet never gives up. She’s got spirit and is the beatinest woman!
July 18, 2019
Mostly it was unbelievable.
The Indians weren't interested in taking the women prisoner (really???) and only mistook Linnet because they mistook her for a child. Devon Macalister (Mac) just happened to be in the renegade Indian camp and fought for her and won.
Then their was Mac's treatment of her, he was insanely jealous and assumed she was sleeping with every man in town, then after he made love to her and discovered she was a virgin he left town. When the woman he was pretending to be interested in told Linnet she was pg with Mac's baby Linnet leaves town and actually does have Mac's child and when he shows up 2 years later looking for her she not only takes him back (and granted he did run into a burning building to save their daughter) but she risk her life to save him.
The Indians weren't interested in taking the women prisoner (really???) and only mistook Linnet because they mistook her for a child. Devon Macalister (Mac) just happened to be in the renegade Indian camp and fought for her and won.
Then their was Mac's treatment of her, he was insanely jealous and assumed she was sleeping with every man in town, then after he made love to her and discovered she was a virgin he left town. When the woman he was pretending to be interested in told Linnet she was pg with Mac's baby Linnet leaves town and actually does have Mac's child and when he shows up 2 years later looking for her she not only takes him back (and granted he did run into a burning building to save their daughter) but she risk her life to save him.
March 30, 2021
I read this because it was in my books but I realized I hadn't actually read it. So... Let me start by saying I have usually loved Deveraux's books. And this one follows her general line of storytelling. HOWEVER. There's a lot of issues with this book, including some racist ideas and using some pretty big stereotyping. There's parts that get pretty cringe-worthy. It's not even the anti-native american stuff the characters say. I get that as those characters are racist and she's specifically portraying that. But even the narration is bad at some points. So the least amount of stars possible solely based on that.
January 18, 2023
Linnet plunged into the Kentucky wilderness, leaving behind the remnants of her life in London. But a savage Indian attack on the wagon train wiped out her fellow travelers, and left her alone in a harsh land...at the mercy of a fierce Shawnee tribe. When handsome young brave claimed her, in perfect English, as his own, Linnet knew she was safe. Until the jealousy of his powerful chief forced them to flee on a hazardous journey, fraught with peril and treachery...a journey that threatened both their lives, and their very special love!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2023
This book gave me whiplash…. Over and over again! Besides the fact that it did not go with the back of the book. Devon was awful! I hated him, from being so insecure that he couldn’t handle a man even looking at her, all the way to sleeping with her for revenge knowing she loved him and had done absolutely nothing wrong. Loved everything about Lynette besides that she took him back when he found out she had his child and supposedly realizing he had loved her all along. By far the worst book I’ve read this year. Went straight in the trash
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2024
Sweetbriar (1983). A pleasant, quick read and bodice ripper light. Sweetbriar is set in the Kentucky wilderness just after American independence... the story of the heroine’s survival after her wagon train is wiped out by Native Americans, and hero helps her to settle in a small town. In this book there were lots of misunderstandings and miscommunication which I found slightly annoying. Reading level for the book… perhaps for early teens.
February 5, 2019
Searching
Element watched her family die at the hands of a group of Indians. As a captive she was saved by blue eyes.Now the search for love and safety begins. Another good book by Jude Deveraux.
Element watched her family die at the hands of a group of Indians. As a captive she was saved by blue eyes.Now the search for love and safety begins. Another good book by Jude Deveraux.
July 23, 2019
This was a pretty good book. I wasn't sure How it would be based on the awful cover. It was pretty well written, and a good story. I wish the ending hadn't been rushed, I would have loved to read more about the characters lives after the end of the book.
October 2, 2019
Inability to put down
I just could not put this book down. When I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it. The story developed into so many exciting twists and turns that I was unable to stop reading until long into the night. Fantastic reading. Thank you!
I just could not put this book down. When I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it. The story developed into so many exciting twists and turns that I was unable to stop reading until long into the night. Fantastic reading. Thank you!
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October 17, 2022Best selling author series another winner
Any book by Jude Deveraux is a great book. Well crafted, feisty characters, a plot that keeps you in the edge of your seat, realistic, descriptive setting, and romance and adventure. I highly recommend this book.
Any book by Jude Deveraux is a great book. Well crafted, feisty characters, a plot that keeps you in the edge of your seat, realistic, descriptive setting, and romance and adventure. I highly recommend this book.
May 12, 2025
Good enough. Had some romance. Had some adventure. Had some stupidity. What I really liked was the cast of sidekick characters. You meet some of them in River Lady, but I enjoyed seeing this younger side of them.
January 4, 2019
It was a quick read with emotional rollercoasters. A few chapters left you with a feeling of something was missing.
February 11, 2019
A good historical western read with wagon trains, Indians, and cowboys. Lots of action and a healthy dose of romance
April 6, 2019
Sweetbriar
The story was great. I have been fan of Jude Deveraux for years, Love how she builds her stories and tied it all together ❤.
The story was great. I have been fan of Jude Deveraux for years, Love how she builds her stories and tied it all together ❤.
special-unread-plot
March 14, 2020loved the h and hated the stupid H
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews