Helpful Score: 3
I'm not usually one for the romance novel...but this time Jude Deveraux has thrown enough mystery into the mix to get me hooked. The main characters are likable and while the situation might not be completely believable, it was a fun romp with some good old fashioned intrigue.
Helpful Score: 1
Where do I start? I have no idea what the plot of this book was, and I just finished reading it! Cassie falls in love with Jefferson Ames as a girl of 12, and she carries that love into adulthood. Instead of going out and getting married after college and getting a job she calls off her engagement to move closer to a now widowed Jeff. She weasels her way into his family and somehow becomes his nanny. As far as I can tell this is the only plotline I could understand. Then in a tangled web of events Cassie meets her elusive next door neighbor, an aged movie star (the greatest movie star of all time) who is also a spy for the government. Upon meeting her Cassie she reveals things about Jeff that makes Cassie question her complete devotion to him and all of the things she thought she knew about the man she had loved for most of her life. Jeff's whole life is a maze of secrets and Cassie wants to get to the bottom of them before its too late. There's also several murder mystery plot lines added into this that are tied into the movie star/spy but there's so many odd story threads that its difficult to tell what is actually pertinant to the storyline and what isn't.
This book is horrible! Every so often I got glimpses of what her writing used to be, but for the most part it was just a jumbled mess of confusion. Cassie is so naive and Jeff is so condescending that it made me dislike both of the main characters. Some of the plots she created were just too far out there to be believeable, and in the end it seemed like everyone was some sort of spy for the government (which is apparently easier to write than to actually develop some characters.) I always go out and buy Jude's books as soon as they hit the bookstore but I might hesitate the next time I see a new one of her titles. If you want to read a book by her that's not terrible may I suggest "Remebrance" or her "Velvet" series.
This book is horrible! Every so often I got glimpses of what her writing used to be, but for the most part it was just a jumbled mess of confusion. Cassie is so naive and Jeff is so condescending that it made me dislike both of the main characters. Some of the plots she created were just too far out there to be believeable, and in the end it seemed like everyone was some sort of spy for the government (which is apparently easier to write than to actually develop some characters.) I always go out and buy Jude's books as soon as they hit the bookstore but I might hesitate the next time I see a new one of her titles. If you want to read a book by her that's not terrible may I suggest "Remebrance" or her "Velvet" series.
Helpful Score: 1
I thoroughly enjoyed this book... glad I didn't read the reviews on here first or I might not have started it. Entertaining, fast read. Light romance, light mystery.
Helpful Score: 1
Best book read in awhile!
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed reading it but thought the ending needed a little more work. Maybe just a page or two.
Helpful Score: 1
I am normally NOT a fan of Jude's modern books except for maybe Sweet Liar, which this book reminded me of a lot. But either way this was an excellent read. I was no crazy about the first 30 pages or so but it moved along well and sucked you in. The plot with the CIA and all was kind of dumb to me because I like real fiction meaning like in sweet liar it was the gansters etc true fiction. In this though the main female was very interesting because she was initially portrayed as a weak little innocent but she proved soon enough it was not the case. Very Very good read, read the entire book in a day and a half because it was such a good read!
Helpful Score: 1
I have read every Jude Deveraux book. While I've never concidered them a 5, I've always enjoyed them. Until Secrets. The story is slow, and the plot childlike. I kept falling asleep trying to read it.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed this book a lot, and regarded it as more true-to-life than some of the other reviewers. It begins with a young girl's secret crush on a young man, which was embarrassing to her to remember, as an adult. So when she has an opportunity to work for the same man as a nanny for his motherless daughter, years later, she keeps her painful memories of her summer crush a secret, and becomes a nanny and housekeeper to the man who doesn't remember her as a child...she hopes. Then a neighbor's mystery envelops them and the child with danger...
It's a good mystery mixed with romance, with memories of how painful puppy love can be to a child. I gave it five stars.
It's a good mystery mixed with romance, with memories of how painful puppy love can be to a child. I gave it five stars.
Helpful Score: 1
I am a big Jude Deveraux fan and this was a fairly good story. Not one of her best, but interesting and fun to read, which is why I gave it 3 1/2 stars. Like so many authors now, it seems like they just piece stories together to sell another book. This story was interesting, but not quite believable. A good read, but not a great read.
Helpful Score: 1
This is the first of her books i've read and i loved it loved it loved it!!!! It went by so fast....i couldnt put it down! Im exausted while writing this right now b/c i had couldnt go to sleep last night until i finished it.... Perfect combination of romance & mystery expertly woven into one page-turning read... I will definitly be reading more of her books!!
Really enjoyed this romance. Great characters and suspense.Jude Deveraux is a great storyteller
I really enjoyed this book. I have read almost all of Jude Deveraux's books, and this was a little different then most of her stories. There was action and mystery that made the story line move along. A quick read that I was anxious to finish.
I love Jude Deveraux, she has a knack for writing books that you can't put down. Though this book didn't make it to my list of Deveraux favorites, it was very good and I couldn't wait to pick it back up after having to put it down.
There could have been more time spent on the developing relationship between the main characters. It felt like a missed opportunity to me. Still a good story.
Not one of my favorite by this author. It seemed unreasonable and kinda fell flat in the middle.
At age twelve, Cassandra Madden fell in love with Jefferson Ames, a young man she met at one of her mother's business conferences. For years, Cassandra held on to this unrequited love in order to cope with her loneliness and the pain of her mother's coldness; even after meeting a man she thought she might marry, her heart yearned for Jeff.
In a decisive moment, Cassandra calls off her pending engagement and travels to Williamsburg, Virginia, to become the nanny to the now-widowed Jeff's young daughter. But the object of her desire barely notices her. That is, until the day she hears shots coming from the mansion of an eccentric neighbor, a world-renowned actress. Stepping into a world of deception, where no one is who they claim to be, Cassandra must unravel the secrets all around her--before she and Jeff can ever find happiness together.
In a decisive moment, Cassandra calls off her pending engagement and travels to Williamsburg, Virginia, to become the nanny to the now-widowed Jeff's young daughter. But the object of her desire barely notices her. That is, until the day she hears shots coming from the mansion of an eccentric neighbor, a world-renowned actress. Stepping into a world of deception, where no one is who they claim to be, Cassandra must unravel the secrets all around her--before she and Jeff can ever find happiness together.
Fast read, good romance story, kept you guessing as to what was going on. I have read lots of Jude Deveraux books and this was not disappointing.
