The Blessing

Rating:
Summary: Not one of her best...
Review: I am a longtime fan of Jude Deveraux, but I cannot recommend this novel. In addition to finding the heroine to be incompetent and helpless, the romance between the two main characters was very disappointing. They barely had a romance. I had to make myself finish this book, which is not a good sign. If you are loking for a good Jude Deveraux book, stick with Sweet Liar or the Velvet series.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Forgettable
Review: Sadly, each author has one or two off books, and this is Jude Deveraux's. It's not that it is bad, but it is really not memorable.

Jason (who is so rich he probably owns half of NY) is asked by his brother to babysit baby Max, because Jason's brother has a thing for Max's mother Amy. Then Jason moves into Amy['s shabby little house and begins to fall in love with Amy and Max. Through the entire book, Amy would refuse any form of financial help, even though her income was below the poverty level. I understand that she has her pride, but when she has a young baby to care for, I think she can sacrifice her own feelings and do what's best for him. Jason keeps on rigging things and setting up things "coincidentaly" so that he can find ways to pay Amy and give her gifts. His intention was good, I suppose, but I felt that his tricking Amy constatnly reduced his character in my eyes instead of making me think that he was kind and noble.

There are also abrupt time changes in this book that are not confusing but annoying. I personally like stories to happen in one flowing book indstead of a choppy book. Even after these time changes, Jason does realize that he can't throw his money around, but he doesn't seem any more humble than he did at the beginning of the book. It's as if the author was trying to make him seem like a dynamic character, but the effect was not so good.

This book was not Jude Deveraux's finest, and I do not recommend it. However, the other books I have read by this author are very good, and I feel that this one was just a fluke, so I will continue to read books by Jude Deveraux like "Wishes" and "The Raider" which are very good.

Rating:
Summary: Love is the greatest blessing of all!
Review: I loved "The Blessing." Jason Wilding, although a super wealthy man, was truly down to earth and "a blessing in disquise." When Dr. David Wilding called his brother, Jason, back to his hometown under false pretense, it was the beginning of a change in all their lives. David thought he was in love with the heroine, Amy Thompkins, a penniless widow with a young baby. However, when Jason met Amy, Jason fell instantly in love with Amy. Not only was Jason a blessing to Amy and her young son, Max, but Amy was a blessing to Jason. His character was changed from a hard, uncaring fellow into a loving and generous guy. Some parts of the story were funny, but overall the story was uplifting. Amy was a dedicated mother, who did not want charity and eventually realized her worth and this too was partly through Jason's doing -- so there is another blessing. Amy's buried talent was uncovered. The love between Amy and Jason withstood some hardships, but in the end it was worth it. Amy and Jason finally realized that they were a blessing to each other. Good read!

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe this book got published
Review: This book was poorly written. If anyone other than a best-selling romance writer were to submit this story to a publishing house, it would be immediately rejected. The writing is so poor and the story line is so stupid that it seems to me that this book was only written to meet some type of deadline that Jude Devereaux must have had to meet. I have read other books by her in the past but I will not waste my money (or time) on any more of them in the future.

Rating:
Summary: For a romance, it is what it is
Review: My friend recommended Jude Deveraux to me and since I respect her taste in books I thought I would go ahead and give it a shot. So I read it . . . and not terribly disappointed. It is sort of like eating cotton candy . . . it is what it is . . . not very fulfilling nor gratifying, but it settles that sweet tooth. Would I read another of her books? I suppose, if I ever got the urge for some more fluff. But that happens so rarely that I am not going to hold my breath.

Rating:
Summary: A total disappointment, and a real chore to read
Review: This was my first Deveraux book, and I must say I won't be reading any additional ones.

As some other reviews have already noted, the plot and characters were totally unrealistic. The book was so unrealistic that it prevented me from being able to become involved in the story as a reader, or to identify in any way with the totally unbelievable characters.

The other thing that bothered me the most was the poor quality of the writing: bad sentence construction abounded, and the writing was generally unimaginative and amateurish.

Rating:
Summary: Solid Romance!
Review: The Blessing is the first of Jude's works i've read. I just fell in love with it. I am a great fan of literature in general, but here in Mongolia, people have mostly Russian classic literature background and have a very less understanding of such lighthearted novels of american authors. The novel and heros have a lot to do with reader's life and thinking in the current Mongolia. I liked the idea of putting love and kindness higher than money and wealth. With newly emerging capitalism, this idea of the novel would be much interested and liked by the readers here. I am ready to translate the novel into mongolian. But I am wondering how I can get a permission for that. If I can do so Jude Deveraux and the Blessing would become the first of modern American literature books to meet mongolian readers.I would much appreciate to recieve e-mails on my thought([e-mail]). Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: There should be a rating lower than 1 star
Review: I have read many Jude Deveraux and enjoyed every one. Many of the books were light romances that didn't have an award winning plot, but they were pleasant and lighthearted. Good reading at bedtime. This book was one of the top five worst books that I have ever read. I read approximately 4 books or more weekly. I have rarely disliked characters more. I doubt that I will ever read another book by this author. I buy my own books and frequently reread the good ones years later, like visiting an old friend. I forced myself to finish this book and will not be wasting shelf space for such stupidity.

Rating:
Summary: Lighthearted, warm, humorous, entertaining
Review: My first Jude Deveraux book. I picked it up because of the title and because I was intrigued by the picture on the cover, being a fairly new mom myself. It was pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Light but not "brain dead"! The dialogue was good, often funny, and it came naturally to picture everything because it reads and flows so easily. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down. I will definitely look into reading another one!

Rating:
Summary: I thought it was sweet...
Review: I enjoyed "The Blessing," as I do most books by Jude Deveraux. True, some parts may be a little unbelievable, but isn't that why we read fiction! If you don't want fantasy, don't read romance novels! "The Blessing" is not a keep-you-up-all-night suspense, but it's a pleasure to read, it's easy to pick up again when interrupted (which I frequently am!), & the ending is just simply sweet enough (& maybe just a wee bit unexpected) to make it worth reading all the way through. Enjoy!