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A relentless campaign by phone, letter, and email has persuaded Hollander Latham's parents to purchase the home of her dreams: Spring Hill, a beautiful North Carolina plantation where Holly spent her memorable thirteenth summer. Now a successful architect, Holly is intent on reuniting with Spring Hill's neighbor and her love from that long-ago summer, wealthy heir Laurence Beaumont she dreams of working her way into Lorrie's heart while restoring his historic estate, Belle Chere. But as Christmas fast approaches, Nick Taggert a mysterious stranger who makes her laugh and tempts her with a surprising passion turns her plans upside down. One man can seduce her with fortune and privilege; the other can promise her the simple gift of love. And on a frost-covered Christmas night, Holly's choice will unmask astonishing truths and hidden dangers revelations that will forever change her charmed life and her vulnerable heart.
277 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2003
333 people are currently reading
1496 people want to read
About the author
Jude Deveraux
199 books7,053 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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October 31, 2024
Please note that I gave this book half a star and rounded it up to 1 star for the purpose of this review. Also this book review is heavy on spoilers
So I live blogged this book yesterday on Booklikes. I am so glad that those who followed me got to read along to what a completely messed up romance book this was. I read this for Romance Book Bingo 2017, the Too Stupid to Live (TSTL) square. I can honestly say this may be a romance first for me to also find that not only is the heroine TSTL, but the hero is as well. These two hot messes (Holly Latham and Nick Taggert) definitely deserve each other. One hopes that they managed to keep their clothes on for more than 10 minutes though. Here we go.
So Holly (which is somehow a freaking Christmas book) is about Holly Latham and her plans to finally capture the heart of the boy next door, or at least the boy next door to her when her family vacationed in North Carolina when she was 13. Holly falls instantly in love (bingo square) with Lorrie. Lorrie is tall, blond, and everything that she could hope to have in a boyfriend and later husband. Don't worry readers, you don't really get what is so great about Lorrie. He pretty much gives Holly the privilege of doing work around his family's falling down plantation. He also ignores her letters that she writes to him until she mentions a paper she did on colonial architecture. Well with the little response she gets back from the guy, Holly decides, she is going to study in order to learn how to restore homes like Lorrie's so she can show him what a good wife she will make some day.
So the entire freaking plot of Holly, is Holly who is now a heiress in her 20s is going to do whatever she can to show Lorrie how great she would be to him in restoring his home. Holly finds out Lorrie is now divorced and living back in his old plantation in his hometown. She decides the smartest thing to do is cause her father and stepmother to move there in order for her to use her feminine wiles on Lorrie. That's cause Holly knows she's attractive and is used to men hitting on her, so when Lorrie sees her he is so going to just fall at her feet. I don't even know what to say about this. As one person asked yesterday, has she even talked to this guy at all over the years? The answer is no. Besides the short response he gave her back when she was a teenager, there was nothing at all. I would hope that if I didn't hear from a guy for at least 10 years I would move the heck on.
That's enough about Holly and her dumb ass intentions. Let's move on to the hero, Tarzan Nick (TM Rane Aria). Tarzan Nick needs to get away from his practice after he dumps his fiancee for being a terrible person. Seriously, this was like three sentences in the book. Apparently Nick didn't realize she had no soul and was only interested in his money. Tarzan Nick runs off to recoup due to the town turning against him for breaking his engagement to woman with no soul (who would even freaking care????) and stays in the barn of some random dude's brother that just happens to be nearby where Holly will be staying. I refuse to go back and look up names, not happening. So Nick at this time is just done with women and isn't looking for love. Or is he?
Fast forward to Holly finally arriving in town while she flits around feeling sorry for those people who are poorer than she is. I am not kidding. If you want to read about a make believe character telling another character about being a social better of everyone and that only poor loose women run around having sex with men who are not our kind dear, Holly is the book for you.
Well Holly thinks that, but ends up seeing a guy she nicknames Heaven (it's Tarzan Nick) on a motorcycle looking hot and sexy like Superman.
Was I doing something? Wait a second.
Mmmmmm.
Oh yeah, Holly. Whatever. So she sees him and feels insta-lust (not a bingo square, should have been) and gets talked to about dirty filthy men like that by the owner's wife. I have never read a book when other people were so up in your supposed sex life. Mind your business.
So the random thing about Holly which should be a superpower is that she can tell the age of a house by like 50 paces. I kid you not. She disdains homes built after 1980 and when she hears about a pre-revolutionary home sitting around North Carolina she goes off by herself to investigate. And promptly falls down a pit after coming across a rattlesnake.
You cannot make this mess up.
And Holly, because God knows she's TSTL decides the smartest thing to do is to take off all of her clothes and tie them into a rope in order to try to climb out of some random 12 foot pit. Of course her clothes rip as she tries to climb out of the pit, so she falls down, and loses her clothes rope at the same time since it gets stuck on some nail or something or the other. So we now have Holly naked and shivering in boots in some pit and crawling under the debris there to stay warm.
Along comes Tarzan Nick to save the day. Tarzan Nick tells Holly to climb up a vine he just finds and throws down his shirt and pants to her so she doesn't get scratched as he pulls her out of the pit.
And then afterwards, he puts back on his pants, she gives his shirt, and he has to give her a piggyback ride back to his car cause he knocked her boots down the pit after she threw them up to him.
And since Holly thought she was going to die, she and Tarzan Nick (doesn't know or ask his freaking name) proceed to go and have sex in his car. With no protection. As one does when a dude pulls you out a pit. I guess.
There is some back and forth about Holly's parents looking for her, police, etc. it doesn't matter though since they go off to Tarzan Nick's place and have sex again with no protection both saying how they are not looking for love. Still have not exchanged names.
I am going to not do a full recap of this book, but this is just to give you a taste of what this book is and how it tried to break me yesterday.
Other characters are sadly one dimensional and did I mention awful? Lorrie's reveal was hilarious to me. I mean I laughed. Holly's stepsister Taylor was a jerk and Holly saying to herself how she's her best friend once again gives Holly a TSTL title that she can proudly carry. Holly's father was a snob, but since he's an ambassador that is apparently what one does at that level? I don't know. This book makes no sense.
The plot about Holly catching Lorries has some flaws since she can't stop having sex with Tarzan Nick. Also Tarzan Nick even though he tells Holly he's not interested in her at all, gives her a family heirloom that is worth like a couple of million, applies as a gardener at her father's home in order to be near her, and also helps her in her research into some hidden treasure that Lorrie's family hid before the Civil War I think.
The writing is not great. I think this book came out in 2003 or 2004. Either way, this whole notion about society's betters is ridiculous as hell. Also apparently women only are with certain men cause of the hot sex, but those men just sit around and drink and sponge off of them. This is doubly sad because Nick is richer than Holly and also a doctor, but she doesn't know it (also a bingo square). I hated both of them for this nonsense.
The flow was awful and then Deveraux reveals a ton of things regarding some key people so I guess you can go well now Holly can love Nick forever and ever. The book also does two time jumps which made me go huh. One was a time jump to a month later or maybe it was two months (nope not looking to see) and then it jumps another six months to Christmas. This is why it was marketed as a Christmas romance novel. Do not read this book for the Christmas parts. It was at the very end an only maybe 5 percent of the total book. I know in romanceland that Christmas and romance books are a great set-up, do not do this to yourself and read this book.
The setting of North Carolina is not used well at all. Apparently old falling down plantations and buried treasure abounds though. There is no real sense of the place at all in this book except it's always randomly cold when Holly falls down a pit or hole.
The ending was laughably bad. I won't even get into it here, but it involves a hole, having sex on top of found treasure, and Christmas Day.
So I live blogged this book yesterday on Booklikes. I am so glad that those who followed me got to read along to what a completely messed up romance book this was. I read this for Romance Book Bingo 2017, the Too Stupid to Live (TSTL) square. I can honestly say this may be a romance first for me to also find that not only is the heroine TSTL, but the hero is as well. These two hot messes (Holly Latham and Nick Taggert) definitely deserve each other. One hopes that they managed to keep their clothes on for more than 10 minutes though. Here we go.
So Holly (which is somehow a freaking Christmas book) is about Holly Latham and her plans to finally capture the heart of the boy next door, or at least the boy next door to her when her family vacationed in North Carolina when she was 13. Holly falls instantly in love (bingo square) with Lorrie. Lorrie is tall, blond, and everything that she could hope to have in a boyfriend and later husband. Don't worry readers, you don't really get what is so great about Lorrie. He pretty much gives Holly the privilege of doing work around his family's falling down plantation. He also ignores her letters that she writes to him until she mentions a paper she did on colonial architecture. Well with the little response she gets back from the guy, Holly decides, she is going to study in order to learn how to restore homes like Lorrie's so she can show him what a good wife she will make some day.
So the entire freaking plot of Holly, is Holly who is now a heiress in her 20s is going to do whatever she can to show Lorrie how great she would be to him in restoring his home. Holly finds out Lorrie is now divorced and living back in his old plantation in his hometown. She decides the smartest thing to do is cause her father and stepmother to move there in order for her to use her feminine wiles on Lorrie. That's cause Holly knows she's attractive and is used to men hitting on her, so when Lorrie sees her he is so going to just fall at her feet. I don't even know what to say about this. As one person asked yesterday, has she even talked to this guy at all over the years? The answer is no. Besides the short response he gave her back when she was a teenager, there was nothing at all. I would hope that if I didn't hear from a guy for at least 10 years I would move the heck on.
That's enough about Holly and her dumb ass intentions. Let's move on to the hero, Tarzan Nick (TM Rane Aria). Tarzan Nick needs to get away from his practice after he dumps his fiancee for being a terrible person. Seriously, this was like three sentences in the book. Apparently Nick didn't realize she had no soul and was only interested in his money. Tarzan Nick runs off to recoup due to the town turning against him for breaking his engagement to woman with no soul (who would even freaking care????) and stays in the barn of some random dude's brother that just happens to be nearby where Holly will be staying. I refuse to go back and look up names, not happening. So Nick at this time is just done with women and isn't looking for love. Or is he?
Fast forward to Holly finally arriving in town while she flits around feeling sorry for those people who are poorer than she is. I am not kidding. If you want to read about a make believe character telling another character about being a social better of everyone and that only poor loose women run around having sex with men who are not our kind dear, Holly is the book for you.
Well Holly thinks that, but ends up seeing a guy she nicknames Heaven (it's Tarzan Nick) on a motorcycle looking hot and sexy like Superman.
Was I doing something? Wait a second.
Mmmmmm.
Oh yeah, Holly. Whatever. So she sees him and feels insta-lust (not a bingo square, should have been) and gets talked to about dirty filthy men like that by the owner's wife. I have never read a book when other people were so up in your supposed sex life. Mind your business.
So the random thing about Holly which should be a superpower is that she can tell the age of a house by like 50 paces. I kid you not. She disdains homes built after 1980 and when she hears about a pre-revolutionary home sitting around North Carolina she goes off by herself to investigate. And promptly falls down a pit after coming across a rattlesnake.
You cannot make this mess up.
And Holly, because God knows she's TSTL decides the smartest thing to do is to take off all of her clothes and tie them into a rope in order to try to climb out of some random 12 foot pit. Of course her clothes rip as she tries to climb out of the pit, so she falls down, and loses her clothes rope at the same time since it gets stuck on some nail or something or the other. So we now have Holly naked and shivering in boots in some pit and crawling under the debris there to stay warm.
Along comes Tarzan Nick to save the day. Tarzan Nick tells Holly to climb up a vine he just finds and throws down his shirt and pants to her so she doesn't get scratched as he pulls her out of the pit.
And then afterwards, he puts back on his pants, she gives his shirt, and he has to give her a piggyback ride back to his car cause he knocked her boots down the pit after she threw them up to him.
And since Holly thought she was going to die, she and Tarzan Nick (doesn't know or ask his freaking name) proceed to go and have sex in his car. With no protection. As one does when a dude pulls you out a pit. I guess.
There is some back and forth about Holly's parents looking for her, police, etc. it doesn't matter though since they go off to Tarzan Nick's place and have sex again with no protection both saying how they are not looking for love. Still have not exchanged names.
I am going to not do a full recap of this book, but this is just to give you a taste of what this book is and how it tried to break me yesterday.
Other characters are sadly one dimensional and did I mention awful? Lorrie's reveal was hilarious to me. I mean I laughed. Holly's stepsister Taylor was a jerk and Holly saying to herself how she's her best friend once again gives Holly a TSTL title that she can proudly carry. Holly's father was a snob, but since he's an ambassador that is apparently what one does at that level? I don't know. This book makes no sense.
The plot about Holly catching Lorries has some flaws since she can't stop having sex with Tarzan Nick. Also Tarzan Nick even though he tells Holly he's not interested in her at all, gives her a family heirloom that is worth like a couple of million, applies as a gardener at her father's home in order to be near her, and also helps her in her research into some hidden treasure that Lorrie's family hid before the Civil War I think.
The writing is not great. I think this book came out in 2003 or 2004. Either way, this whole notion about society's betters is ridiculous as hell. Also apparently women only are with certain men cause of the hot sex, but those men just sit around and drink and sponge off of them. This is doubly sad because Nick is richer than Holly and also a doctor, but she doesn't know it (also a bingo square). I hated both of them for this nonsense.
The flow was awful and then Deveraux reveals a ton of things regarding some key people so I guess you can go well now Holly can love Nick forever and ever. The book also does two time jumps which made me go huh. One was a time jump to a month later or maybe it was two months (nope not looking to see) and then it jumps another six months to Christmas. This is why it was marketed as a Christmas romance novel. Do not read this book for the Christmas parts. It was at the very end an only maybe 5 percent of the total book. I know in romanceland that Christmas and romance books are a great set-up, do not do this to yourself and read this book.
The setting of North Carolina is not used well at all. Apparently old falling down plantations and buried treasure abounds though. There is no real sense of the place at all in this book except it's always randomly cold when Holly falls down a pit or hole.
The ending was laughably bad. I won't even get into it here, but it involves a hole, having sex on top of found treasure, and Christmas Day.
December 23, 2008
This book is so bad that it's funny. Jude Deveraux used to be one of my favs. Her book The Princess was my first romance and I still love that book. This one is just poorly written smut.
The hero and heroine have sex w/in the first 30 pages and don't even know each other's names! She falls into a pit and he rescues her, so she bangs him. He drives her to his house and then they have sex on the car. Then in the shower. At this point it's page 50.
After this Jude seems to remember that she needs a PLOT, so she starts going back to that, but not before throwing more gratuitous sex at the characters.
The characters are not fleshed out, their attraction doesn't seem plausible and they're not good people. The climax was anti-climactic because the readers never saw what was happening, it was just told to us. It was like Jude Deveraux ran out of time just kind of skipped over the end.
All in all, a very sub-par read. Mostly I just wanted to finish this so I could make fun of it.
The hero and heroine have sex w/in the first 30 pages and don't even know each other's names! She falls into a pit and he rescues her, so she bangs him. He drives her to his house and then they have sex on the car. Then in the shower. At this point it's page 50.
After this Jude seems to remember that she needs a PLOT, so she starts going back to that, but not before throwing more gratuitous sex at the characters.
The characters are not fleshed out, their attraction doesn't seem plausible and they're not good people. The climax was anti-climactic because the readers never saw what was happening, it was just told to us. It was like Jude Deveraux ran out of time just kind of skipped over the end.
All in all, a very sub-par read. Mostly I just wanted to finish this so I could make fun of it.
December 29, 2012
OMG, this book was so bad that I don't even know where to start. I usually give even a bad book 100 pages before I give up on it but this one only got 73 before I threw it on the floor. Seriously, it's one of the worst books I've ever tried to read. I'll definitely remember this "author's" name and never pick up another book with that name on it.
The story starts out with a Summer crush when the main character (a woman named, believe it or not, Hollander James Latham) was 13 years old. She's now in her 20s or 30s, who really cares?, and has found out that the 16 year old guy she was crushing on at 13 is now divorced so she talks her parents into buying the house next to his so she can convince him to fall in love with her. Oh, I forgot to mention that Holly (short for Hollander don't you know) is stinking rich, having inherited millions of dollars.
So, there's also this ultra rich, exceedingly handsome, ripped, tall-dark-and-handsome doctor who's just broken up with another stinking rich woman who was a bitch but he didn't know it until after he'd been engaged for several months. He's rented a broken down, filthy dirty old house to get away for a weekend because all the mean old doctors he works with think he's just awful for breaking up with the stinking rich woman.
Stupid Holly goes exploring where she's not supposed to be, in some broken down old rotten house (not the one he rented though) and she falls through the floor because she's seen a huge rattlesnake (not two feet away from her, the story says) and steps back to get away from it. After she falls through the floor, get this, the rattlesnake comes over to the hole and looks down at her!! I swear it, I am NOT lying. ROTFLMAO - I swear, I'm going to quote from the book to prove it - "About twelve feet above, she saw the floor with its broken boards, and as she watched, the snake slithered over to peer down at her."
Anyway, she undresses down to her underpants and boots and makes a rope out of her clothes to try to climb out of this hole that has dead animals in it (they supposedly fell through sometime before she did and starved to death). She managed to hook one of the straps of her bra around a nail and was in the process of pulling herself up when the "rope" broke and she fell back in. That part of the story alone is so ridiculous that I LOL while reading it.
Along comes the doctor who came here specifically to look for this bone-headed woman because the police came to his door accusing him of possibly kidnapping her because she was lusting after him while eating her lunch in the local diner. Yeah. Anyway, he finds her basically naked, hauls her out of the hole - oh yeah, he takes off his jeans and shirt and lets her put them on - and then carries her (because she lost her boots coming out of the hole) to her car - a mini Cooper or mini something, again, who cares? - where they have wild sex a couple of times. Then he drives her to his place where they have sex again. Then they have sex in the shower (which she's hesitant about - WHY?!? - because that's too intimate ... having sex in the shower... I can't go on but I hope you get the picture. I have no idea how the story ends and I don't care.
I'm recommending that you never ever pick this book up with the intention of reading it. I really shouldn't have given it even one star but it did give me a few laughs.
The story starts out with a Summer crush when the main character (a woman named, believe it or not, Hollander James Latham) was 13 years old. She's now in her 20s or 30s, who really cares?, and has found out that the 16 year old guy she was crushing on at 13 is now divorced so she talks her parents into buying the house next to his so she can convince him to fall in love with her. Oh, I forgot to mention that Holly (short for Hollander don't you know) is stinking rich, having inherited millions of dollars.
So, there's also this ultra rich, exceedingly handsome, ripped, tall-dark-and-handsome doctor who's just broken up with another stinking rich woman who was a bitch but he didn't know it until after he'd been engaged for several months. He's rented a broken down, filthy dirty old house to get away for a weekend because all the mean old doctors he works with think he's just awful for breaking up with the stinking rich woman.
Stupid Holly goes exploring where she's not supposed to be, in some broken down old rotten house (not the one he rented though) and she falls through the floor because she's seen a huge rattlesnake (not two feet away from her, the story says) and steps back to get away from it. After she falls through the floor, get this, the rattlesnake comes over to the hole and looks down at her!! I swear it, I am NOT lying. ROTFLMAO - I swear, I'm going to quote from the book to prove it - "About twelve feet above, she saw the floor with its broken boards, and as she watched, the snake slithered over to peer down at her."
Anyway, she undresses down to her underpants and boots and makes a rope out of her clothes to try to climb out of this hole that has dead animals in it (they supposedly fell through sometime before she did and starved to death). She managed to hook one of the straps of her bra around a nail and was in the process of pulling herself up when the "rope" broke and she fell back in. That part of the story alone is so ridiculous that I LOL while reading it.
Along comes the doctor who came here specifically to look for this bone-headed woman because the police came to his door accusing him of possibly kidnapping her because she was lusting after him while eating her lunch in the local diner. Yeah. Anyway, he finds her basically naked, hauls her out of the hole - oh yeah, he takes off his jeans and shirt and lets her put them on - and then carries her (because she lost her boots coming out of the hole) to her car - a mini Cooper or mini something, again, who cares? - where they have wild sex a couple of times. Then he drives her to his place where they have sex again. Then they have sex in the shower (which she's hesitant about - WHY?!? - because that's too intimate ... having sex in the shower... I can't go on but I hope you get the picture. I have no idea how the story ends and I don't care.
I'm recommending that you never ever pick this book up with the intention of reading it. I really shouldn't have given it even one star but it did give me a few laughs.
December 15, 2009
To say this book was "bad" would be an under representation, and an offense to all those truly bad books out there. Laughable, implausible, lacking plot, interest, any kind of suspense between the two lead characters, and poorly developed conflict would be better descriptors.
I picked up this gem while perusing the local library, in the hopes of a Christmas romance. Let's face it, sometimes you need a little bodice-ripping literature in your life. Needless to say, this wasn't the fix I needed.
A better title for this book would be "The Jaw-Droppingly Rich Heiress Who Makes Poor Decisions and Has Unprotected Sex in the Back of a Mini Whilst Never Knowing his Name." But I suppose that is a bit lengthy.
Long and the short of it is, the nameless hero, with whom she has "rescue sex" (um, yeah) in a Mini (apparently they are both extras for Cirque de Solei) turns out to be, wait for it, a Doctor! And an heir to a large fortune himself! Amazing!
But I did laugh out loud when the phrase "erect maleness" was used. Oh, Jude. How have the mighty fallen.
I picked up this gem while perusing the local library, in the hopes of a Christmas romance. Let's face it, sometimes you need a little bodice-ripping literature in your life. Needless to say, this wasn't the fix I needed.
A better title for this book would be "The Jaw-Droppingly Rich Heiress Who Makes Poor Decisions and Has Unprotected Sex in the Back of a Mini Whilst Never Knowing his Name." But I suppose that is a bit lengthy.
Long and the short of it is, the nameless hero, with whom she has "rescue sex" (um, yeah) in a Mini (apparently they are both extras for Cirque de Solei) turns out to be, wait for it, a Doctor! And an heir to a large fortune himself! Amazing!
But I did laugh out loud when the phrase "erect maleness" was used. Oh, Jude. How have the mighty fallen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2010
Edenton... look also for First Impressions, Carolina Isle,investigates
Holly - heir to a fortune - thought relatively new money... Her father, of old money, married new money... and they had trouble... then her father married old family with no money... and they had different problems...
Holly is kind, positive, and has a love of old houses / plantations, that started in her 16th year when she fell in love with North Carolina's Belle Chere & the 18 year old heir Lawrence (lorrie) - helping him repair the house that summer... as an adult, she had her degree, and was deeply involved in the preservation of homes - and was known regularly to wander off and 'invade' people's homes...
10 years later, she has talked her father, stepmother, & stepsister in buying a home in North Carolina near Belle Chere, where she hopes to reconnect with Lorrie & the house... She gets there early, and goes to explore some homes that may have been built in the 1700s, she goes into a house, is scared by a rattler, and the floor gives, dumping her into a basement... she uses her clothing to make a rope to try to get out, but the rope breaks... 10 hours later she is found by Nick Taggart...
Dr Nick Taggart, personally wealthy & family very wealthy, is coming out of a terrible relationship where the rich bitch wanted a richer catch... and he is staying at the lake home of the ambulance drivers incarcerated brother incognito... Holly had oogled him at the cafe - and Holly had gotten a lecture from the waitress warning her that their worlds would not mix... when they found out she was missing, the waitress told the sheriff that Nick (whom seemed like a biker hoodlum to them) must have kidnapped her... after Nick gets out of that, he tries to track her, finds her car, and finds her...
He rescues the almost naked woman, tossing her his shirt, who had managed to keep her sense of humor... and as they park at his house, they get carried away... and they spend the weekend together making wild sex... he is reticent to talk about himself, wanting to keep things light, but when she asks him to share one thing about himself that most don't know, he tells her he is a great listener - and he has been... he knows & intuits a lot about her...and as their weekend ends, he gives her a family heirloom, a canary diamond necklace worth a million dollars... she declines a further relationship, because based on her father's and other's marriages, she knows she couldn't bear to watch him come to hate her and her money...
She goes to her family, and meets up with Lorrie & his house... she askes to be able to study his house and its records for her masters dissertation... and he agrees... unbeknownst to her, her half sister has hated her and had been planning with Lorrie to get exploit her young feelings and her love of old houses to marry him & get her money...
and Nick, not ready to give her up, and wanting her knowing she doesn't want him for his money follows her - getting a job as gardener at her family home, and volunteering to help her in her research... for a month, she spends her days with Lorrie and her nights with Nick... their bodies share even when their minds are not quite there...
There is a family story of buried treasure on the land (buried by a brother betrayed by another brother)... and Nick's clairvoyant cousin tells him the treasure is there.
Lorrie proposes, Holly realizes she wants the house not him, she has her 'last' rendevous with Nick in Lorrie's attic, while they sleep Lorrie sees them, and realizes he has lost... in anger he goes to her half sister, and when she laughs at him he shoots her and her fiance... after a few days, and with Nick's help, he is arrested... but Holly & her family have closed the house and headed for Europe, leaving Nick...
In Europe, Holly finally realizes that Lorrie was using her, that her half sister was unreasonably jealous of her, and that she loves Nick - not that she holds much hope out for a relationship because she still thinks he's poor... and she returns to North Carolina - to testify in his trial, and to buy his house - it's being auctioned for money for his trial and her father wants the house to have the one thing Lorrie loves... and she meets up with Nick again - and finds out he is very rich and also bidding on the house... and though she is hurt and disappointed, they work together... the see Ivy touching the carved mantle, and hear the story of her great, great, grand something as a slave who carved 4 fireplaces all with hidden compartments... and they find the hidden compartment in the fireplace in the carekeeper's house with a map of the hidden treasure - the find the tree it is buried under, and she once again falls through the ground, right onto the treasure... and Nick playfully tells her he's a doctor, and she should take off her clothes - as he 1st found her ... bringing her 1st smile withhim... but then Lorrie is there with a gun, and demands that Nick jump into the hole... and they get him to talk to fill out what they didn't know, and Nick & Holly subtley see and recover a knife in the treasure, and Nick throws it through Lorrie's throat... and they spend the rest of Christmas eve in the pit, and Holly realizing that her anger was nothing compared to her feelings of love for him forgives him... and they make love on top of the treasure (owww!) , and his family finally find him at noon the next day - his cousin having purchased Belle Chere and giving it to them as a gift.. ahhhhh.
Holly - heir to a fortune - thought relatively new money... Her father, of old money, married new money... and they had trouble... then her father married old family with no money... and they had different problems...
Holly is kind, positive, and has a love of old houses / plantations, that started in her 16th year when she fell in love with North Carolina's Belle Chere & the 18 year old heir Lawrence (lorrie) - helping him repair the house that summer... as an adult, she had her degree, and was deeply involved in the preservation of homes - and was known regularly to wander off and 'invade' people's homes...
10 years later, she has talked her father, stepmother, & stepsister in buying a home in North Carolina near Belle Chere, where she hopes to reconnect with Lorrie & the house... She gets there early, and goes to explore some homes that may have been built in the 1700s, she goes into a house, is scared by a rattler, and the floor gives, dumping her into a basement... she uses her clothing to make a rope to try to get out, but the rope breaks... 10 hours later she is found by Nick Taggart...
Dr Nick Taggart, personally wealthy & family very wealthy, is coming out of a terrible relationship where the rich bitch wanted a richer catch... and he is staying at the lake home of the ambulance drivers incarcerated brother incognito... Holly had oogled him at the cafe - and Holly had gotten a lecture from the waitress warning her that their worlds would not mix... when they found out she was missing, the waitress told the sheriff that Nick (whom seemed like a biker hoodlum to them) must have kidnapped her... after Nick gets out of that, he tries to track her, finds her car, and finds her...
He rescues the almost naked woman, tossing her his shirt, who had managed to keep her sense of humor... and as they park at his house, they get carried away... and they spend the weekend together making wild sex... he is reticent to talk about himself, wanting to keep things light, but when she asks him to share one thing about himself that most don't know, he tells her he is a great listener - and he has been... he knows & intuits a lot about her...and as their weekend ends, he gives her a family heirloom, a canary diamond necklace worth a million dollars... she declines a further relationship, because based on her father's and other's marriages, she knows she couldn't bear to watch him come to hate her and her money...
She goes to her family, and meets up with Lorrie & his house... she askes to be able to study his house and its records for her masters dissertation... and he agrees... unbeknownst to her, her half sister has hated her and had been planning with Lorrie to get exploit her young feelings and her love of old houses to marry him & get her money...
and Nick, not ready to give her up, and wanting her knowing she doesn't want him for his money follows her - getting a job as gardener at her family home, and volunteering to help her in her research... for a month, she spends her days with Lorrie and her nights with Nick... their bodies share even when their minds are not quite there...
There is a family story of buried treasure on the land (buried by a brother betrayed by another brother)... and Nick's clairvoyant cousin tells him the treasure is there.
Lorrie proposes, Holly realizes she wants the house not him, she has her 'last' rendevous with Nick in Lorrie's attic, while they sleep Lorrie sees them, and realizes he has lost... in anger he goes to her half sister, and when she laughs at him he shoots her and her fiance... after a few days, and with Nick's help, he is arrested... but Holly & her family have closed the house and headed for Europe, leaving Nick...
In Europe, Holly finally realizes that Lorrie was using her, that her half sister was unreasonably jealous of her, and that she loves Nick - not that she holds much hope out for a relationship because she still thinks he's poor... and she returns to North Carolina - to testify in his trial, and to buy his house - it's being auctioned for money for his trial and her father wants the house to have the one thing Lorrie loves... and she meets up with Nick again - and finds out he is very rich and also bidding on the house... and though she is hurt and disappointed, they work together... the see Ivy touching the carved mantle, and hear the story of her great, great, grand something as a slave who carved 4 fireplaces all with hidden compartments... and they find the hidden compartment in the fireplace in the carekeeper's house with a map of the hidden treasure - the find the tree it is buried under, and she once again falls through the ground, right onto the treasure... and Nick playfully tells her he's a doctor, and she should take off her clothes - as he 1st found her ... bringing her 1st smile withhim... but then Lorrie is there with a gun, and demands that Nick jump into the hole... and they get him to talk to fill out what they didn't know, and Nick & Holly subtley see and recover a knife in the treasure, and Nick throws it through Lorrie's throat... and they spend the rest of Christmas eve in the pit, and Holly realizing that her anger was nothing compared to her feelings of love for him forgives him... and they make love on top of the treasure (owww!) , and his family finally find him at noon the next day - his cousin having purchased Belle Chere and giving it to them as a gift.. ahhhhh.
March 5, 2008
I am appalled to find that there are still books being written where the heroine finds herself having sex in the backseat of her car with a man she met 10 minutes prior and without using any protection. When I checked this out of the library, I knew Jude Deveraux's smut inclinations, but encountering the sex scene I described above, on page 32 of this book shocked me. Yes, I did finish it...but I have this soft spot in my heart for books. I never give up hope that something will turn it around and make it a great read in the end. Unfortunately, this did not happen here. It remained a typical bodice-ripper until the gag-happy ending.
On a personal note, one of my pet peeves is when a man (for example, the hero in this book) says, "we're likely to have twins because they run in my family." Did anyone finish high school Biology? A man's family history of twins will not influence a multiple birth in his wife's case. She actually has to have twins in her family. A man's contribution to a child will not cause more than one egg to drop. He is likely to pass any propensity for twins on to any daughters he has, but that is it. Step down from my soap-box. Thank you.
On a personal note, one of my pet peeves is when a man (for example, the hero in this book) says, "we're likely to have twins because they run in my family." Did anyone finish high school Biology? A man's family history of twins will not influence a multiple birth in his wife's case. She actually has to have twins in her family. A man's contribution to a child will not cause more than one egg to drop. He is likely to pass any propensity for twins on to any daughters he has, but that is it. Step down from my soap-box. Thank you.
January 4, 2023
Copyright 2003, my book is from that date & that's the last time I read it! The cover makes you believe this is a Christmas story, but the very end is set on Christmas Day. Holly also wears a red cloak on that day. I didn't remember anything about this story (bad sign].
This is a contemporary romance & the trope is "I've loved him for "fill in the blank" years & he doesn't know I'm alive. It's worse than that in this book. The heroine, Holly has loved Lorrie since she was 13 years old & he was 16. They hung out one summer, but nothing romantic happened (thank goodness!). Holly goes on to make her life's work domestic American architecture. All so she can renovate Lorrie's 1700's house & marry him. Hooboy! Holly is also an heiress.
JD's imagination was humming along is this story. There's twists & turns. She meets Nick Montgomery, who pretends to be poor. This is to showcase what a snob Holly is. She does meet back up with Lorrie & there's lots of angst, since she's having sex with Nick.
Although I was able to finish it, this isn't one of JD's best efforts.
This is a contemporary romance & the trope is "I've loved him for "fill in the blank" years & he doesn't know I'm alive. It's worse than that in this book. The heroine, Holly has loved Lorrie since she was 13 years old & he was 16. They hung out one summer, but nothing romantic happened (thank goodness!). Holly goes on to make her life's work domestic American architecture. All so she can renovate Lorrie's 1700's house & marry him. Hooboy! Holly is also an heiress.
JD's imagination was humming along is this story. There's twists & turns. She meets Nick Montgomery, who pretends to be poor. This is to showcase what a snob Holly is. She does meet back up with Lorrie & there's lots of angst, since she's having sex with Nick.
Although I was able to finish it, this isn't one of JD's best efforts.
July 9, 2023
This is the first book I have read by this author and definitely my last. I was looking forward to a nice enjoyable Christmas romance and instead I got a slutty, badly written story.
Holly is a successful architect who restores historical homes and is heir to the Hollander Tool company. While investigating an old house, the floor boards break, and she falls down 12 feet underneath the house. Nick, a rich doctor, happens to hear her cries for help and rescues her. Immediately, the two of them have sex in the backseat of her car without even knowing each other's names.
Unfortunately, Holly is more interested in marrying Laurence Beaumont, her childhood crush, and restoring and living in his historic estate, Belle Chere. Nick makes it his mission to change her mind and marry him instead.
I felt deceived by the title and cover of the book because this is definitely not a Christmas novel. The only thing Christmas-y about the book is the last chapter takes place on Christmas day.
Holly is a successful architect who restores historical homes and is heir to the Hollander Tool company. While investigating an old house, the floor boards break, and she falls down 12 feet underneath the house. Nick, a rich doctor, happens to hear her cries for help and rescues her. Immediately, the two of them have sex in the backseat of her car without even knowing each other's names.
Unfortunately, Holly is more interested in marrying Laurence Beaumont, her childhood crush, and restoring and living in his historic estate, Belle Chere. Nick makes it his mission to change her mind and marry him instead.
I felt deceived by the title and cover of the book because this is definitely not a Christmas novel. The only thing Christmas-y about the book is the last chapter takes place on Christmas day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2012
I like this author, I really do, but this book was just strange. Let's forget about the bookish almost virginal heroine who instantly becomes a slut when she sees a handsome guy who rescues her being unrealistic. What happens with Taylor and Lorrie just ruins any plot this book was trying to have. I'm sorry, but the Montgomery-Taggert clan deserves better than this drivel. On a side note, having our main character Holly's full name be Hollander James Latham was just ridiculous. And yes, they saddled a girl with that name. *Disappointed*
December 10, 2022
This was a cute romance. I thought there would be more holiday aspects based on the cover but there really weren’t any until the end. This was a little predictable but overall not a bad read.
December 17, 2016
OK, I admit it. I read every – single -word of this book. I knew almost immediately it wasn't what I expected. I was almost immediately offended at the gratuitous sex. I knew this was not a good book, but I read every – single – word!
I found this book at the Goodwill. I was in the throes of ecstasy at discovering a trove of Christmas books and added this one to that stack. The title of the book is “Holly”. The cover scene shows a wall covered in snow. Next to it stands a young woman draped in a long red cape. Seemed like a Christmas book to me. Wrong.
The author of this book, Jude Deveraux, used to be one of my very favorite authors. But that was 25 years ago. I stopped reading her books when she got into time travel romances. And because my taste in literature improved!
The story is about Holly (duh) an architecture lover. She has designs on a pre-Revolutionary War mansion owned by a teen-age crush. Her plan is to get him to marry her so she can used her vast fortune to lovingly restore the house and grounds to its original glory. Dumb.
She is waylaid when she meets Nick, a burned out surgeon who has taken refuge in a refurbished barn in the area. Nick rescues Holly when she falls into the cellar of an old house she is exploring. Of course, she is nearly naked because she has tried to use all her clothing to make a rope. In rescuing her, Nick takes off most of his clothes too. Later, they tumble into the “spacious back seat” of her mini and have sex. Come on. Even in Fifty Shade of Grey the couple knew each other for a while before the did the deed.
Another bone to pick with this mess of a book: “making love” happens when two people know and care for each other. When you are doing the deed with a stranger, it's just sex!
Nick does not reveal his true identity to Holly and ends up taking the position of gardener for her family. Sheesh! More excuses for random sex.
The story twists around to plots by Holly's step-sister and her crush. He turns out to be totally nuts (and gay) and kills the sister, which she totally deserved.
I've written enough about this awful book!
I found this book at the Goodwill. I was in the throes of ecstasy at discovering a trove of Christmas books and added this one to that stack. The title of the book is “Holly”. The cover scene shows a wall covered in snow. Next to it stands a young woman draped in a long red cape. Seemed like a Christmas book to me. Wrong.
The author of this book, Jude Deveraux, used to be one of my very favorite authors. But that was 25 years ago. I stopped reading her books when she got into time travel romances. And because my taste in literature improved!
The story is about Holly (duh) an architecture lover. She has designs on a pre-Revolutionary War mansion owned by a teen-age crush. Her plan is to get him to marry her so she can used her vast fortune to lovingly restore the house and grounds to its original glory. Dumb.
She is waylaid when she meets Nick, a burned out surgeon who has taken refuge in a refurbished barn in the area. Nick rescues Holly when she falls into the cellar of an old house she is exploring. Of course, she is nearly naked because she has tried to use all her clothing to make a rope. In rescuing her, Nick takes off most of his clothes too. Later, they tumble into the “spacious back seat” of her mini and have sex. Come on. Even in Fifty Shade of Grey the couple knew each other for a while before the did the deed.
Another bone to pick with this mess of a book: “making love” happens when two people know and care for each other. When you are doing the deed with a stranger, it's just sex!
Nick does not reveal his true identity to Holly and ends up taking the position of gardener for her family. Sheesh! More excuses for random sex.
The story twists around to plots by Holly's step-sister and her crush. He turns out to be totally nuts (and gay) and kills the sister, which she totally deserved.
I've written enough about this awful book!
November 14, 2020
I assumed this was a Christmas story but it truly was a very steamy love adventure. Holly was an interesting heroine although a bit fickle. Nick was really the savior in two instances but he was a bit immature/secretive and he really loved Holly. There is murder, loss and a secret treasure. It made a great short novel.
July 29, 2008
Pretty good book! Sometimes what you think you want doesn't turn out to be what you really wanted but didn't know it.
Read
December 6, 2020I need to talk to a lot of people about this book. SO MUCH HAPPENED and 50% of it was problematic!!!
November 15, 2024
Not a Xmas book, only barely takes place at Xmas time. No warm and fuzzies, just a really bad love story.
December 10, 2024
Well THAT took a turn!!!!! Whoa!!! No Christmas!!!! Nada, so very misleading and then we get into crazy stuff. Skip.
July 23, 2023
This one was better than most. Typical rich people find each other book. This one would probably not be published today as the content is one of turmoil these days.
January 6, 2024
Love this series!
February 7, 2019
Nick and Holly. Darcie also comes into play in this book, you recall Darcie, the clairvoyant who helps Nick. Montgomery. Forever Trilogy! Those 3 books are so good. I did enjoy this book. Do Nick and Holly find the treasure, is there a treasure
February 13, 2017
Leído el 01/06/2010
RESUMEN: Hollander " Holly " Latham no puede creer en su buena fortuna. Tras interminables llamadas, cartas, e mails y promesas, finalmente ha persuadido a sus padres para que compren la Plantación Spring Hill. Justo a las afueras del precioso e histórico Edenton en el este de Carolina del Norte... y estratégicamente situada cerca de Belle Chère, la más pura e intocable plantación existente en América.
A la tierna edad de 13 años, Holly Se enamoró de Lorrie Beaumont, quien heredó la finca del período Revolucionario cuando su madre murió al darle a luz. A pesar de haber transcurrido más de una década desde que Holly vio por última vez a su amor de la infancia, la pasión que sentía en su joven corazón nunca ha llegado a extinguirse... bueno, hasta que el encantador y toscamente atractivo Nick Taggert entre inesperadamente en su vida y la invite a un inolvidable fin de semana lleno de risas y de una intensa pasión.
A pesar de la innegable atracción de Holly hacia este deslumbrante extraño, ella sabe que él no es de los que se casan. Lo que Holly desconoce es que Nick Taggert es, de hecho, el Dr. Nicholas Taggert. Habiendo estado con más de su parte correspondiente de mujeres interesadas sólo en su dinero y pedigrí, Nick decide poner a prueba a Holly y ocultarle sus cualidades más refinadas.
RESUMEN: Hollander " Holly " Latham no puede creer en su buena fortuna. Tras interminables llamadas, cartas, e mails y promesas, finalmente ha persuadido a sus padres para que compren la Plantación Spring Hill. Justo a las afueras del precioso e histórico Edenton en el este de Carolina del Norte... y estratégicamente situada cerca de Belle Chère, la más pura e intocable plantación existente en América.
A la tierna edad de 13 años, Holly Se enamoró de Lorrie Beaumont, quien heredó la finca del período Revolucionario cuando su madre murió al darle a luz. A pesar de haber transcurrido más de una década desde que Holly vio por última vez a su amor de la infancia, la pasión que sentía en su joven corazón nunca ha llegado a extinguirse... bueno, hasta que el encantador y toscamente atractivo Nick Taggert entre inesperadamente en su vida y la invite a un inolvidable fin de semana lleno de risas y de una intensa pasión.
A pesar de la innegable atracción de Holly hacia este deslumbrante extraño, ella sabe que él no es de los que se casan. Lo que Holly desconoce es que Nick Taggert es, de hecho, el Dr. Nicholas Taggert. Habiendo estado con más de su parte correspondiente de mujeres interesadas sólo en su dinero y pedigrí, Nick decide poner a prueba a Holly y ocultarle sus cualidades más refinadas.
December 10, 2015
I really liked this book. I loved it until , which just made me laugh and wince a bit in incredulity. Then I just liked it, thought it was somewhat original, but that it didn't end up being a priceless story for me. While I love that it ended happily and I liked the premise, I thought there were just certain elements that didn't fit.
All in all, I sort of had a love-hate relationship with this story. At least the stuff I didn't like made me laugh, and the stuff I loved made me all warm and fuzzy on the inside (this is said with reverent sarcasm... just a tad, though; seriously there were elements that made the story actually quite fun and worth reading). Thus, when it comes to which side of the love-hate coin lands side-up, it seems it lands on the likable side. Of course, this is with an absolutely note-worthy throw ().
All in all, I sort of had a love-hate relationship with this story. At least the stuff I didn't like made me laugh, and the stuff I loved made me all warm and fuzzy on the inside (this is said with reverent sarcasm... just a tad, though; seriously there were elements that made the story actually quite fun and worth reading). Thus, when it comes to which side of the love-hate coin lands side-up, it seems it lands on the likable side. Of course, this is with an absolutely note-worthy throw ().
July 2, 2019
What was I thinking liking this book? It seems so out of character for Holly to start sleeping with Nick pretty much as soon as she met him. She wasn't a virgin, but she didn't have many lovers because she was "in love" with Lorrie. Nick was also a problem. He gave Holly a family heirloom that he just had to get back from an ex. Nick did that before even knowing her full name and as she was leaving. Then when he tracked her down he didnt try to court her as himself, he pretended to be the gardener. He already gave her family jewelry. If he thought she was that shallow, why even pursue her? The relationship doesn't make much sense when you look at it closely.
There's also just so much casual mentioning of slavery that's cold and unnecessary. Example: Lorrie offers Holly's dad brandy. Her father asks if he got it at Walmart. Lorrie replies his great great grandfather risked half a dozen slave's lives to bring the brandy from France. Lorrie's estate, Belle Chere, is a plantation, but the casual ease the slave history of the house just does not work for me.
There's also just so much casual mentioning of slavery that's cold and unnecessary. Example: Lorrie offers Holly's dad brandy. Her father asks if he got it at Walmart. Lorrie replies his great great grandfather risked half a dozen slave's lives to bring the brandy from France. Lorrie's estate, Belle Chere, is a plantation, but the casual ease the slave history of the house just does not work for me.
November 18, 2022
*spoilers*
DNF - Oh my, this book is problematic. The woman just went through a trauama and, according to the man who is a doctor (and jusy met her 5 minutes ago when he saved her), may be dangerously concussed. So what does this doctor do? He goes to reach for her face but touches her boob by accident. I'm still trying to figure that one out. Then he kisses her and they have sex in the car. How did the author think that taking advantage of a woman who is distressed and not in her right mind was romantic?
Right before the sex she said, "you saved me." He replies, "does that mean I own you now?" Like wtf? This man is a doctor. His character started out kind and seemingly respectful in the prologue. I was very disappointed by the inconsistency in his behavior. Does he think he owns all of his patients he treats and saves too? Or does he only feel he owns the women he sleeps with?
No. Just, no.
2 stars because the writing was actually good; I'd consider trying a different book by this author.
DNF - Oh my, this book is problematic. The woman just went through a trauama and, according to the man who is a doctor (and jusy met her 5 minutes ago when he saved her), may be dangerously concussed. So what does this doctor do? He goes to reach for her face but touches her boob by accident. I'm still trying to figure that one out. Then he kisses her and they have sex in the car. How did the author think that taking advantage of a woman who is distressed and not in her right mind was romantic?
Right before the sex she said, "you saved me." He replies, "does that mean I own you now?" Like wtf? This man is a doctor. His character started out kind and seemingly respectful in the prologue. I was very disappointed by the inconsistency in his behavior. Does he think he owns all of his patients he treats and saves too? Or does he only feel he owns the women he sleeps with?
No. Just, no.
2 stars because the writing was actually good; I'd consider trying a different book by this author.
July 29, 2018
Holly (Hollander ) is heress to her matern is an arcgiol grandfasthner's factory, Hollander Tools.Her father, thbe ambassador, has remarried and has a slightly older stepdaughter, Taylor.
When Holly was 13, she met a neighbour boy, Laurence (called Lorry- for Little Women) who was 16.
They have spent the summer together.
11 years later. Holly is an archbitect, who restores old houses. She learns Lorry is back at his family plantation, Belle Chere, and asks her father to buy the next one, Spring Hill.Lokrry starts to court Holly.But she is more interested in the house and its legend of a hidden treasure.
Dr Niuck Taggert of Montgomery-Taggerts pretends to be a gardener/ driver for Holly's family. He and Hoilly are lovers.
Taylor, who is engaged to be married to wealthy Charles, conspires with Lorry against her step-sister.
Love story from early 19th century, combined with jealousy, betrayal and lots of secrets in present.
When Holly was 13, she met a neighbour boy, Laurence (called Lorry- for Little Women) who was 16.
They have spent the summer together.
11 years later. Holly is an archbitect, who restores old houses. She learns Lorry is back at his family plantation, Belle Chere, and asks her father to buy the next one, Spring Hill.Lokrry starts to court Holly.But she is more interested in the house and its legend of a hidden treasure.
Dr Niuck Taggert of Montgomery-Taggerts pretends to be a gardener/ driver for Holly's family. He and Hoilly are lovers.
Taylor, who is engaged to be married to wealthy Charles, conspires with Lorry against her step-sister.
Love story from early 19th century, combined with jealousy, betrayal and lots of secrets in present.
January 19, 2019
Sometimes when life gets tough you have to chill out and read a Deveraux. Yes, you know how it's going to end but it is enjoyable anyways.
Holly, rich heir of Hollander Tools . had dreamed of marrying "Lorrie" a boy she met when she was 13. That summer gave her the love of finding old homes and renovating them. As an adult she talks her father into buying the home near Lorrie. However the famous Taggerts get in her way as she is rescued by Nick when she falls through a floor of an old home.
You know that she's going to end up with Nick, but it is a fun story and worth the read.
Holly, rich heir of Hollander Tools . had dreamed of marrying "Lorrie" a boy she met when she was 13. That summer gave her the love of finding old homes and renovating them. As an adult she talks her father into buying the home near Lorrie. However the famous Taggerts get in her way as she is rescued by Nick when she falls through a floor of an old home.
You know that she's going to end up with Nick, but it is a fun story and worth the read.
December 31, 2010
Mind candy! Just pure entertainment for the busy holiday season. Rich girl meets mysterious stranger. Will she follow her heart or stick to the rules set by her family. Not very original for a romance but fun.
April 1, 2015
Fun and light reading
August 24, 2022
I liked this review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This takes place in South Carolina in 2003.
Holly #25 Montgomery/ Taggert Series
By Jude Deveraux
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance Mystery
H Dr. Nick Taggert 29.
h Holly Latham Heiress 24.
Bio
Dr.Nick Taggert
Family -7 siblings cousins- Mike Taggert (Sweet Liar), Darci a clairvoyant married to his cousin.
Bad break up with a gold digger. Needed to get away and his ambulance driver let him stay at his brother’s cabin. His cousin was doing time for theft. He was a street racer with a fancy garage with his truck inside. That is where Nick lived when he met Holly.
Holly
Family- mother deceased (heiress to Hollander tools). Father Ambassador James Latham recently retired. Stepmother Marguerite and stepsister Tracey.
Holly is writing her dissertation for her PHD in American Architecture. When 13 she helped Lorrie Beaumont fix up Belle Cherie a pre revolutionary house a bit during the summer. This inspired her to restore old homes to their original design and structure. When she turned 21 she came into her inheritance and she set up a foundation for restoring these old beauties. Her plan was to marry Lorrie Beaumont and restore Belle Cherie.
Meet Cute
Holly is at the local gas station restaurant and sees Dr. Nick Taggert getting gas. Some bikers drive in. He asks one of them if he can try out their bike and they watch hoping he has a mishap but he doesn’t. Holly thinks he looks like heaven. The lady at the restaurant says to stay away from men like that. Holly goes to look at an old house on her way home. She comes in contact with a rattlesnake and slowly backs up keeping her eye on the rattler and falls into a cistern. No cell service in the cistern. She tried calling for help.She tried to get out by tying her clothes together to make a rope. She was preparing to cover herself with material at the bottom of the cistern when someone came into the house and said is anyone there? She called out and Dr. Nick Taggert came to the rescue. He got another rope and pulled her out. He was attracted to her as she wasn’t wearing anything but her underwear. She was grateful to him for rescuing her. She kissed him and sparks flew. They made love in his jeep. She followed him back to his garage and they had a love fest for two days. Nick never let on that he was a Dr. from a wealthy family. Holly never let on that she was an heiress. Nick gave her a yellow diamond necklace. She didn’t know it was worth a million. She thought he was a commoner blue collar worker. Nick wanted someone to love him for more than his bank account. They parted after two days but missed each other.
Plot summary
He asks his cousin Mike to do background checks on Holly her family and Lorrie Beaumont. He has a bad feeling about Lorrie once he learns of his divorce to a wealthy actress. He asks his cousin to find him a job near Holly. He gets a job as the family gardener. Holly can’t resist him. Lorrie has Holly’s family over for dinner and tells them a tale about buried treasure. He says it is a legend but no one ever found anything to support it. Holly asked if she can do her dissertation on Belle Cherie and the history leading up to the buried treasure. Everyday she spends being courted by Lorrie and every night she sleeps with Nick in the gardeners house. Meanwhile Lorrie and her sister Tracey are in cahoots with each other. They have been lovers in the past and both have lusted after money. Tracey is marrying a millionaire that week who is an older man but she actually hates him. Lorrie wants Holly for her millions to fix up Belle Cherie. Lorrie doesn’t find Holly interesting at all. The only thing they both love is Belle Cherie. Lorrie proposes to Holly. She doesn’t say yes or no. Holly is looking for documents leading to the treasure with Nick up in the attic and they make love. Lorrie finds them asleep on the floor naked wrapped in each other’s arms. He is so angry and he blames her sister Tracey. He grabs a gun and goes over to Tracey’s house and ends up shooting her and her rich fiancé. The police arrest him. Holly goes away with her parents to Europe for a year. Lorrie’s house is being auctioned off to pay for his lawyers fees. James Latham tells Holly to back home and outbid everyone and get Belle Cherie to make Lorrie suffer as they have. The auction is at Christmas time. Holly goes to the auction and sees Nick. She finds out he is wealthy and she is angry that he lied to her. A woman is looking at the Holly leaves in the fireplace. They ask her what interested her in the leaves. She tells them her great grandfather carved them and you could remove them to hide things behind them. This lead Nick and Holly to look in another fireplace where they found a map to the treasure. They went to it right away. It has been snowing. When they got to the tree with the sword in it Holly falls into a hole on top of the buried treasure. Nick goes in after her to make sure she is okay. They are held up at gun point by Lorrie who bribed his way out of jail. He plans to kill them. They try to stall him by talking and Holly finds a dagger and Nick throws it straight into Lorrie’s throat. He dies. Holly and Nick make love and Mike shows up and finds them. Mike bought Belle Cherie and agrees to sell it to Holly for a dollar. They talk about the canary diamond Nick gave her. Nick tells Mike that he gave it to the mother of his children. Nick tells Holly they might have two babies by next Christmas as twins run in the Taggert family.
I gave this four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jude Deveraux Montgomery /Taggart Family.
Family Tree Link: The Mongomery/Taggert Family Tree | The Jude Deveraux Board
1.The Black Lion.
1100 Ranulf de Warbrooke Earl of Malvoisin & Lyonene
2.The Maiden
1100 King Rowan and Princess Jura of Lanconia son of Ranulf and Lyonene is a squire to King Rowan (Montgomery de Warbrooke.4th Earl of Malvoisin
3.The Velvet Promise.
1501 Gavin Montgomery & Judith Revedoune
5 Montgomery siblings: Gavin, Stephen, Raine, Miles and Mary
4.Highland Velvet.
1501 Stephen Montgomery & Bronwynn MacArran
5.Velvet Song
(Robinhood) 1501-2 Raine Montgomery (The nicest brother)
6.Velvet Angel
1502 Miles and Elizabeth Chatworth
Gavin and Judith had at least 2 children. Later one of their descendants who looks like Judith shows their estate to tourists and meets an American millionaire who says he is a descendant of Miles Montgomery.
Stephen and Bronwynn have 5 sons and 1 girl
Raine and Alyx had 3 girls
Miles and Elizabeth had 23 children some adopted. Two sons emigrated to America.
7.The Heiress.
1572 James M and Axia Maidenhall
8.The Raider
.( Zorro) 1766 America Warbrooke Massachusetts Alexander Montgomery and Jessica Taggart
9.Mountain Laurel
( Lone Ranger)America 1859 Ft. Breck Rocky Mountains Capt.CH (Ring)Montgomery escort Opera Singer Maddie Worth. Warbrooke Shipping in Maine.
10.Eternity.
1865 Warbrooke, Maine Montgomery family 7 boys Ring, Jamie, Ranleigh, Lachlan … 2 girls Carrie …
h youngest sister “Carrie” and H Joshua Greene Templeton a divorcee with 2 children. Eternity Colorado children Josh’s two Tem and Dallas plus one of their own
11.The Duchess
1883 Scotland H MacArran and h Claire Wiiloughby American heiress
.
12.Twin of Fire.
1892 Chandler Colorado. Twin girls Blair and Houston
Blair marries Dr. Lee Westfield. They have a son Blair also a doctor. (Invitation )Houston marries Kane Taggert. Issues: Female doctors, Miners and Unions, Women’s rights, Range wars, Criminals. The town is named after the girls father.
13.Twin of Ice
1892 H Kane Taggert and h Houston Chandler. Kane Taggert Self made millionaire relatives: Parents Charity Fenton ( daughter of Horace Fenton mine owner) Frank Taggert miner. Cousins Jean and Ian. Uncle Rafe. Uncle Sheldon (Jeans father) Business partner Edan orphaned when 17 family died of dysentery. Son Zachary Younger. Houston twin Blair. Their mother Opal married Gates stepfather. Their dad founded Chandler.
14.The Temptress
1890’s Washington state. A charming rom com HR with lots of action. Montgomery female Christiana Chris Mathison. Her mother is a Montgomery. H is Tynan ( Samuel Dyson) grandson of Samuel Dyson.
15.Wishes
1896 Chandler Colorado Jace (Jocelyn)Montgomery parents (Ring Montgomery and Madeleine Worth )& Nellie Grayson. They have 12 children
Ghost Berni assignment is to help Nellie
16.The Awakening
1913 Kingman, California Dr. Henry Reine ( Hank )Montgomery & Amanda Caulden Unionization Hop pickers Amanda’s father goes broke. Henry’s parents are James Montgomery and Laurel Worth. Hank would be Jace’s first cousin.
Dr.Henry Reine Montgomery grew up in Maine.
17.”The Invitation” (Invitation)
1934 Eternity and Chandler Colorado William (Billy) Montgomery & Jackie O’Neill ( Jace &Nellie Parents of Billy)Jackie is 10 years older than Billy. They marry and have two children.
Kane Taggert H and Cale Anderson h. Kane a widower with twin boys Trevor and Jamie. Cale is a Murder Mystery bestseller author. Mike his twin brother and his wife Pam have twin boys.
18.The Princess
1942 WWll Florida Keys h Princess Aria from Lanconia History King Rowan & Queen Jura ( Amazon) Bk. #2. Aria Grandfather King and one sister Gena. H JT Jarl Tynan Montgomery Warbrooke Shipping Maine. Parents Amanda Caulden & Henry Reine Montgomery ( The Awakening). Brother Adam and Cousin Freddy Taggart. Aria and JT have a daughter Victoria.
JT’s lineage: Family came to America in the Elizabethan era. They were there to meet the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Miles Montgomery’s two children emigrated to America ( Velvet Angel) Family Motto ‘ Never Sell the Land’ They still own the land of Ranulf de Warbrooke the Black Lyon 1100’s in England ( the Black Lion) In the 18th century the Montgomery’s were wealthy but through marriage to a Taggert they ended up owning 1/2 of Maine.The Raider, Alexander Montgomery and Jessica Taggert 1766. 1880 Kane Taggert made a lot of money ( Twin of Ice) JT’s Aunt married a Taggert and they own Fenton Taggert Steel in Colorado ( ) He is also related to Tynan Mills in Washington State ( The Temptress Chris Mathison and Samuel Dyson “Tynan”) Another ancestor who was the Grand Duchess in Russia ( The Duchess ) another Aunt who was a French Duchess and several Earls and a few gunslingers. His ancestors have fought and been decorated in every American war as well as many of the women.
19.A Knight in Shining Armor h Douglass Montgomery. H Nicholas Stafford Time 1988 and 1560-1564
1988 Douglass family ( Awakening) parents Dr Henry Raine (Hank) Montgomery and Amanda Caulden. Uncle JT Montgomery (King of Lanconia) (Princess) sisters Elizabeth, Catherine, Anne
1560-1564 Nicholas Colin Stafford - Christopher Stafford Earl of Thornwyck (brother)Lady Margaret Stafford (mother)
Descendant Reed Colin Stanford 1988
20.Sweet Liar
1991 NY CityLouisville KY and 1928.
h Samantha Elliott father Dave Elliott parents Maxie and Cal Elliott ( real dad Michael Ransome) H Michael Taggert twin Kane (Matchmakers)parents Pat and Ian Chandler (have 11 kids)Colorado Kane Taggert and Houston grandparents.
21”Matchmakers” (Invitation)
Invitation above
*22.”Change of Heart”(Holiday of Love)
*23.”Just Curious “ (Gift of Love)
24.High Tide
New York and Florida 1999 H Ace Montgomery
Dr. Paul Montgomery ( Maine Montgomery’s) cousins Frank Taggert, Mike Taggert. h Fiona Burkenhalter creator of Kimberley doll. Marry 3 months pregnant.
*25.Holly h Holly Latham heiress 24
H Dr. Nick Taggert- 7 siblings- cousins Mike Taggert (sweet Liar)- Darci (Clairvoyant).
*26.Always
c.2004 missing husband Adam Montgomery
*27. Somebody to love
This takes place in South Carolina in 2003.
Holly #25 Montgomery/ Taggert Series
By Jude Deveraux
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance Mystery
H Dr. Nick Taggert 29.
h Holly Latham Heiress 24.
Bio
Dr.Nick Taggert
Family -7 siblings cousins- Mike Taggert (Sweet Liar), Darci a clairvoyant married to his cousin.
Bad break up with a gold digger. Needed to get away and his ambulance driver let him stay at his brother’s cabin. His cousin was doing time for theft. He was a street racer with a fancy garage with his truck inside. That is where Nick lived when he met Holly.
Holly
Family- mother deceased (heiress to Hollander tools). Father Ambassador James Latham recently retired. Stepmother Marguerite and stepsister Tracey.
Holly is writing her dissertation for her PHD in American Architecture. When 13 she helped Lorrie Beaumont fix up Belle Cherie a pre revolutionary house a bit during the summer. This inspired her to restore old homes to their original design and structure. When she turned 21 she came into her inheritance and she set up a foundation for restoring these old beauties. Her plan was to marry Lorrie Beaumont and restore Belle Cherie.
Meet Cute
Holly is at the local gas station restaurant and sees Dr. Nick Taggert getting gas. Some bikers drive in. He asks one of them if he can try out their bike and they watch hoping he has a mishap but he doesn’t. Holly thinks he looks like heaven. The lady at the restaurant says to stay away from men like that. Holly goes to look at an old house on her way home. She comes in contact with a rattlesnake and slowly backs up keeping her eye on the rattler and falls into a cistern. No cell service in the cistern. She tried calling for help.She tried to get out by tying her clothes together to make a rope. She was preparing to cover herself with material at the bottom of the cistern when someone came into the house and said is anyone there? She called out and Dr. Nick Taggert came to the rescue. He got another rope and pulled her out. He was attracted to her as she wasn’t wearing anything but her underwear. She was grateful to him for rescuing her. She kissed him and sparks flew. They made love in his jeep. She followed him back to his garage and they had a love fest for two days. Nick never let on that he was a Dr. from a wealthy family. Holly never let on that she was an heiress. Nick gave her a yellow diamond necklace. She didn’t know it was worth a million. She thought he was a commoner blue collar worker. Nick wanted someone to love him for more than his bank account. They parted after two days but missed each other.
Plot summary
He asks his cousin Mike to do background checks on Holly her family and Lorrie Beaumont. He has a bad feeling about Lorrie once he learns of his divorce to a wealthy actress. He asks his cousin to find him a job near Holly. He gets a job as the family gardener. Holly can’t resist him. Lorrie has Holly’s family over for dinner and tells them a tale about buried treasure. He says it is a legend but no one ever found anything to support it. Holly asked if she can do her dissertation on Belle Cherie and the history leading up to the buried treasure. Everyday she spends being courted by Lorrie and every night she sleeps with Nick in the gardeners house. Meanwhile Lorrie and her sister Tracey are in cahoots with each other. They have been lovers in the past and both have lusted after money. Tracey is marrying a millionaire that week who is an older man but she actually hates him. Lorrie wants Holly for her millions to fix up Belle Cherie. Lorrie doesn’t find Holly interesting at all. The only thing they both love is Belle Cherie. Lorrie proposes to Holly. She doesn’t say yes or no. Holly is looking for documents leading to the treasure with Nick up in the attic and they make love. Lorrie finds them asleep on the floor naked wrapped in each other’s arms. He is so angry and he blames her sister Tracey. He grabs a gun and goes over to Tracey’s house and ends up shooting her and her rich fiancé. The police arrest him. Holly goes away with her parents to Europe for a year. Lorrie’s house is being auctioned off to pay for his lawyers fees. James Latham tells Holly to back home and outbid everyone and get Belle Cherie to make Lorrie suffer as they have. The auction is at Christmas time. Holly goes to the auction and sees Nick. She finds out he is wealthy and she is angry that he lied to her. A woman is looking at the Holly leaves in the fireplace. They ask her what interested her in the leaves. She tells them her great grandfather carved them and you could remove them to hide things behind them. This lead Nick and Holly to look in another fireplace where they found a map to the treasure. They went to it right away. It has been snowing. When they got to the tree with the sword in it Holly falls into a hole on top of the buried treasure. Nick goes in after her to make sure she is okay. They are held up at gun point by Lorrie who bribed his way out of jail. He plans to kill them. They try to stall him by talking and Holly finds a dagger and Nick throws it straight into Lorrie’s throat. He dies. Holly and Nick make love and Mike shows up and finds them. Mike bought Belle Cherie and agrees to sell it to Holly for a dollar. They talk about the canary diamond Nick gave her. Nick tells Mike that he gave it to the mother of his children. Nick tells Holly they might have two babies by next Christmas as twins run in the Taggert family.
I gave this four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jude Deveraux Montgomery /Taggart Family.
Family Tree Link: The Mongomery/Taggert Family Tree | The Jude Deveraux Board
1.The Black Lion.
1100 Ranulf de Warbrooke Earl of Malvoisin & Lyonene
2.The Maiden
1100 King Rowan and Princess Jura of Lanconia son of Ranulf and Lyonene is a squire to King Rowan (Montgomery de Warbrooke.4th Earl of Malvoisin
3.The Velvet Promise.
1501 Gavin Montgomery & Judith Revedoune
5 Montgomery siblings: Gavin, Stephen, Raine, Miles and Mary
4.Highland Velvet.
1501 Stephen Montgomery & Bronwynn MacArran
5.Velvet Song
(Robinhood) 1501-2 Raine Montgomery (The nicest brother)
6.Velvet Angel
1502 Miles and Elizabeth Chatworth
Gavin and Judith had at least 2 children. Later one of their descendants who looks like Judith shows their estate to tourists and meets an American millionaire who says he is a descendant of Miles Montgomery.
Stephen and Bronwynn have 5 sons and 1 girl
Raine and Alyx had 3 girls
Miles and Elizabeth had 23 children some adopted. Two sons emigrated to America.
7.The Heiress.
1572 James M and Axia Maidenhall
8.The Raider
.( Zorro) 1766 America Warbrooke Massachusetts Alexander Montgomery and Jessica Taggart
9.Mountain Laurel
( Lone Ranger)America 1859 Ft. Breck Rocky Mountains Capt.CH (Ring)Montgomery escort Opera Singer Maddie Worth. Warbrooke Shipping in Maine.
10.Eternity.
1865 Warbrooke, Maine Montgomery family 7 boys Ring, Jamie, Ranleigh, Lachlan … 2 girls Carrie …
h youngest sister “Carrie” and H Joshua Greene Templeton a divorcee with 2 children. Eternity Colorado children Josh’s two Tem and Dallas plus one of their own
11.The Duchess
1883 Scotland H MacArran and h Claire Wiiloughby American heiress
.
12.Twin of Fire.
1892 Chandler Colorado. Twin girls Blair and Houston
Blair marries Dr. Lee Westfield. They have a son Blair also a doctor. (Invitation )Houston marries Kane Taggert. Issues: Female doctors, Miners and Unions, Women’s rights, Range wars, Criminals. The town is named after the girls father.
13.Twin of Ice
1892 H Kane Taggert and h Houston Chandler. Kane Taggert Self made millionaire relatives: Parents Charity Fenton ( daughter of Horace Fenton mine owner) Frank Taggert miner. Cousins Jean and Ian. Uncle Rafe. Uncle Sheldon (Jeans father) Business partner Edan orphaned when 17 family died of dysentery. Son Zachary Younger. Houston twin Blair. Their mother Opal married Gates stepfather. Their dad founded Chandler.
14.The Temptress
1890’s Washington state. A charming rom com HR with lots of action. Montgomery female Christiana Chris Mathison. Her mother is a Montgomery. H is Tynan ( Samuel Dyson) grandson of Samuel Dyson.
15.Wishes
1896 Chandler Colorado Jace (Jocelyn)Montgomery parents (Ring Montgomery and Madeleine Worth )& Nellie Grayson. They have 12 children
Ghost Berni assignment is to help Nellie
16.The Awakening
1913 Kingman, California Dr. Henry Reine ( Hank )Montgomery & Amanda Caulden Unionization Hop pickers Amanda’s father goes broke. Henry’s parents are James Montgomery and Laurel Worth. Hank would be Jace’s first cousin.
Dr.Henry Reine Montgomery grew up in Maine.
17.”The Invitation” (Invitation)
1934 Eternity and Chandler Colorado William (Billy) Montgomery & Jackie O’Neill ( Jace &Nellie Parents of Billy)Jackie is 10 years older than Billy. They marry and have two children.
Kane Taggert H and Cale Anderson h. Kane a widower with twin boys Trevor and Jamie. Cale is a Murder Mystery bestseller author. Mike his twin brother and his wife Pam have twin boys.
18.The Princess
1942 WWll Florida Keys h Princess Aria from Lanconia History King Rowan & Queen Jura ( Amazon) Bk. #2. Aria Grandfather King and one sister Gena. H JT Jarl Tynan Montgomery Warbrooke Shipping Maine. Parents Amanda Caulden & Henry Reine Montgomery ( The Awakening). Brother Adam and Cousin Freddy Taggart. Aria and JT have a daughter Victoria.
JT’s lineage: Family came to America in the Elizabethan era. They were there to meet the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Miles Montgomery’s two children emigrated to America ( Velvet Angel) Family Motto ‘ Never Sell the Land’ They still own the land of Ranulf de Warbrooke the Black Lyon 1100’s in England ( the Black Lion) In the 18th century the Montgomery’s were wealthy but through marriage to a Taggert they ended up owning 1/2 of Maine.The Raider, Alexander Montgomery and Jessica Taggert 1766. 1880 Kane Taggert made a lot of money ( Twin of Ice) JT’s Aunt married a Taggert and they own Fenton Taggert Steel in Colorado ( ) He is also related to Tynan Mills in Washington State ( The Temptress Chris Mathison and Samuel Dyson “Tynan”) Another ancestor who was the Grand Duchess in Russia ( The Duchess ) another Aunt who was a French Duchess and several Earls and a few gunslingers. His ancestors have fought and been decorated in every American war as well as many of the women.
19.A Knight in Shining Armor h Douglass Montgomery. H Nicholas Stafford Time 1988 and 1560-1564
1988 Douglass family ( Awakening) parents Dr Henry Raine (Hank) Montgomery and Amanda Caulden. Uncle JT Montgomery (King of Lanconia) (Princess) sisters Elizabeth, Catherine, Anne
1560-1564 Nicholas Colin Stafford - Christopher Stafford Earl of Thornwyck (brother)Lady Margaret Stafford (mother)
Descendant Reed Colin Stanford 1988
20.Sweet Liar
1991 NY CityLouisville KY and 1928.
h Samantha Elliott father Dave Elliott parents Maxie and Cal Elliott ( real dad Michael Ransome) H Michael Taggert twin Kane (Matchmakers)parents Pat and Ian Chandler (have 11 kids)Colorado Kane Taggert and Houston grandparents.
21”Matchmakers” (Invitation)
Invitation above
*22.”Change of Heart”(Holiday of Love)
*23.”Just Curious “ (Gift of Love)
24.High Tide
New York and Florida 1999 H Ace Montgomery
Dr. Paul Montgomery ( Maine Montgomery’s) cousins Frank Taggert, Mike Taggert. h Fiona Burkenhalter creator of Kimberley doll. Marry 3 months pregnant.
*25.Holly h Holly Latham heiress 24
H Dr. Nick Taggert- 7 siblings- cousins Mike Taggert (sweet Liar)- Darci (Clairvoyant).
*26.Always
c.2004 missing husband Adam Montgomery
*27. Somebody to love
December 15, 2025
How do I even start?
Well first of all, it's not a Christmas book. The vast majority of the story takes place in summer. There's a time jump before the last couple chapters, which take place on Christmas Eve/morning, but really Christmas has nothing to do with it.
Secondly, the synopsis plays this story off as one of choosing between love and privilege, but the FMC, Holly, has privilege regardless. She's an heiress and is is funding her whole family's lifestyle with her money.
Thirdly, WTF is up with all the terrible sex in this book? Stop reading now if you don't want details. The first sexual encounter in this book is literally described as four thrusts in the back of a Mini Cooper. Who could possibly think that's what "mind blowing" or even slightly enjoyable sex is?
Lastly, this book just kept getting more convoluted and melodramatic there was a part that was supposed to be really sad and I laughed. It got more and more like a soap opera towards the end. I'm half shocked no one came back from the dead or had a secret twin.
Oh and somewhere in the middle we had what my husband referred to as Checkov's panties. Holly took a shower because she got dirty working in the attic, it was mentioned that she hung up her panties on the heated towel bar, and was wearing the homeowner's dressing gown. Then she got a call that she was late for an appointment. Got in her Mini and left for the appointment. Didn't mention her getting dressed. The panties were never mentioned again. No one at the appointment mentioned how she was dressed so I'm pretty sure she wasn't there in a man's robe and no underwear. I think the author just forgot she wasn't dressed.
Oh also I recognize this review is getting sloppy but if you're going to name a character after the Little Women character "Laurie" just name him that. Don't have his full name be Laurence and his nickname be "Lorrie" that's a truck.
Well first of all, it's not a Christmas book. The vast majority of the story takes place in summer. There's a time jump before the last couple chapters, which take place on Christmas Eve/morning, but really Christmas has nothing to do with it.
Secondly, the synopsis plays this story off as one of choosing between love and privilege, but the FMC, Holly, has privilege regardless. She's an heiress and is is funding her whole family's lifestyle with her money.
Thirdly, WTF is up with all the terrible sex in this book? Stop reading now if you don't want details. The first sexual encounter in this book is literally described as four thrusts in the back of a Mini Cooper. Who could possibly think that's what "mind blowing" or even slightly enjoyable sex is?
Lastly, this book just kept getting more convoluted and melodramatic there was a part that was supposed to be really sad and I laughed. It got more and more like a soap opera towards the end. I'm half shocked no one came back from the dead or had a secret twin.
Oh and somewhere in the middle we had what my husband referred to as Checkov's panties. Holly took a shower because she got dirty working in the attic, it was mentioned that she hung up her panties on the heated towel bar, and was wearing the homeowner's dressing gown. Then she got a call that she was late for an appointment. Got in her Mini and left for the appointment. Didn't mention her getting dressed. The panties were never mentioned again. No one at the appointment mentioned how she was dressed so I'm pretty sure she wasn't there in a man's robe and no underwear. I think the author just forgot she wasn't dressed.
Oh also I recognize this review is getting sloppy but if you're going to name a character after the Little Women character "Laurie" just name him that. Don't have his full name be Laurence and his nickname be "Lorrie" that's a truck.
August 12, 2021
I hesitate to call this a Christmas book because Christmas only appears in the last few pages of the book but the cover and name, a quote on the cover make it seem like it should be a Christmas story.
Holly fell in love with a plantation house and it's 16 year old owner when she was 13. She helped him do much of the restoration work on the house one summer. Now she is in her 20s and wondering if Lorrie might like to get reacquainted. While she's waiting to meet Lorrie again she meets bad boy Nick Taggert who rescues her from a hole she fell in while exploring an old house. She assumes that Nick is a local laze about who probably steals what he needs. Nick does not tell her that, like her, he comes from a very rich family and is a doctor to boot.
As Holly and Nick get to know each other through several steamy encounters she wonders if Lorrie even counts anymore. But she would love the chance to restore his plantation. However, Lorrie is not who he seems and he is being egged on by her step-sister.
There will be a definite winner and loser in this tug of war and Nick is determined to be on the winning side.
Holly fell in love with a plantation house and it's 16 year old owner when she was 13. She helped him do much of the restoration work on the house one summer. Now she is in her 20s and wondering if Lorrie might like to get reacquainted. While she's waiting to meet Lorrie again she meets bad boy Nick Taggert who rescues her from a hole she fell in while exploring an old house. She assumes that Nick is a local laze about who probably steals what he needs. Nick does not tell her that, like her, he comes from a very rich family and is a doctor to boot.
As Holly and Nick get to know each other through several steamy encounters she wonders if Lorrie even counts anymore. But she would love the chance to restore his plantation. However, Lorrie is not who he seems and he is being egged on by her step-sister.
There will be a definite winner and loser in this tug of war and Nick is determined to be on the winning side.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 271 reviews