Rating: 
Summary: A great book
Review: Although this book is not your typical romance, I found that to be one of its biggest advantages. It was a very captivating read. The story of Lillian's life with James, told in flashbacks throughout the book, seemed very true to life in the sense that she didn't realize his true intentions until she was outside of the situation looking back. As for the romance, it develops slowly and naturally so you actually have the oppurtunity to root for the two to get together. As for the food and romance mixture, if you have a passion for good food as I do,the two seem to intermingle quite sucessfully. I read this book almost all in one sitting and then read it again less than a month later. It has so much going on that you mind is constantly whirring with what might happen next. It is the kind of book you can read again and again and always discover something new. It was my first Jude Deveraux novel and I have enjoyed it immensely.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocore
Review: I have to start off by saying that this is the first book that I have ever read by Jude Deveraux. Saying that, this book did not convince me to keep reading her work. The story was terrible. The heroine was boring the whole first part of the novel. There was never a connection between her and the hero-oh he tastes her chutney and bam!-in love, lets move in together. The heroine's husband was terrible to her before he died, yet she didn't see anything wrong with him. There were like ten billion characters from the pot smoking ex whore to a crazy mountain man. Do not waste your money on this book!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read - Very Entertaining..
Review: This book is very enjoyable, decriptive and entertaining. This is the first book I have read by this auther and would read more of her books. A definite great story...
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: I loved this book. It had been quite a while since I read a Jude Deveraux book. It was like getting back on a bicycle---You never forget the thrill of it. I loved this book. It was a great page turner.
Rating: 
Summary: Romance author's attempt at mystery
Review: Jude Deveraux has been one of my favorite authors for years. This book is not a good example of her work, however. It seems as if either Ms Deveraux herself, or perhaps her publisher, decided to jump on the current romance writer- turned mystery writer bandwagon, and unfortunately this is not her best subject matter. I felt the story started off well - I was immediately interested in the heroine, Lillian (Bailey) and wanted to know more about the circumstances surrounding her husband's death, his mysterious childhood, the reason he wrote her out of his will, and how Bailey would come to terms with his loss and her new life. The character of Matt, while a likeable character, seemed forced upon the scene - and his immediate interest in her after one bite of her food was too hurried and unbelieveable, even for a romance novel. Their "relationship" was very, very drawn out and I just didn't feel the connection there - usually Jude is a master of heart string tugging, but I never felt the connection between these too.But it is the mystery and the plot that I found the greatest fault with - it had so many holes and was very hard to follow. I kept finding myself rereading sections to see if I had perhaps misread a fact or scene - and upon checking back, realized that I had indeed read it correctly but the author had changed the facts around a bit from one chapter to the next. The story is riddled with many confusing bits of information that are so tangled, the author doesn't even seem to unravel them properly - facts get changed or mixed up and the ending of the "mystery" is so convoluted, it never made sense. I was completely confused and the ending seemed very hurried and jumbled. I wish I could say better things about this book, but unfortunately, this just didn't work for me at all. I read the entire story hoping for some grain of the Jude Deveraux I have always enjoyed, but this just never came together for me. The basic idea behind the plot was a good story idea, and there are brief moments of humor and scene descriptions that recall the usual wit & charm of this author. But as a whole, I would not not recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't Know What To Expect
Review: I have heard mix reviews on this book, when it first came out on hard cover it wasn't getting good reviews so I thought I would wait until it came out on paper back. I wish I would have got it on hard cover it was really good. I didn't know what to expect. I felt so sorry for Lillian the way her husband Jimmie
treated her I just wanted to go in the book and smack him one! When he dies he leaves her with nothing only this run down house in the back it has a Mulberry tree. Lillian finds a note that Jimmie wrote and it said find the truth about what really happened. Lillian had to change her name whole identity on her journey on a new life she has to find out what happen in the past. Will her old life make sense to her when she discovers what really happened? This book was like a roller coaster I had to catch my breath. Jude Deveraux is such a great story teller.
Happy Reading Lisa
Rating:
Summary: Oh dear, dear, dear! How much worse can it get?
Review: Like many of you, I have been reading Jude's books since I was in my teens. In fact, Jude's books were my introduction into romance novels. Nobody did it better than Jude Deveraux! So, after years of faithfully keeping this author on the top of my 'must-read' list, I have decided to replace her name with another beloved author in the number one position. It all started to go down hill with her novel "High Tide". When I finished it, I was convinced Jude Deveraux had not written it. I have felt this about every book from "High Tide" to "The Mulberry Tree". I believe she may have a ghost writer and I know I am not the first person to bring this theory to the table among reviewers. So, to sum this up, I still get excited when I see she has published another book. "The Mulberry Tree" will probably be the last one of hers I ever buy as, it too, is missing her old familiar charm, wit, and flare. Ms. Deveraux, if you are brave enough to log on and read these reviews, could you please consider addressing your fans and tell us what is going on? We have afforded you faithful and diligent respect in continuing to hold you in our esteem and buy your books because we fell in love with your characters and your ability to take us away from our busy lives and show us the fantastic in your pages. Please, I implore you, offer your fans the same respect and either come clean and tell us why your writing has so drastically changed or just stop publishing and go out with your head held high like another reviewer suggested.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book until the ending
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It started off very good with an
entertaining beginning, then when we got to the end, it got confusing with all the characters that I think I lost the whole meaning of the book. I only give this one three stars.
Rating:
Summary: Time to put down the pen
Review: There are so many problems with this book, I don't even know where to begin. However the story was so convoluted and pointless it's probably not worth wasting too much time on. So in a nutshell; there are main characters who are so underdeveloped you really don't care about them. There are so many other characters in the story you need a map to keep them all straight. So much of the story is spent on food descriptions that I felt as though I was reading a menu. The story went around and around in circles so many times that I lost track of what was going on with whom and finally, half of the too many conflicts that were going on the story were never resolved. (Though by the time the story was over, I really didn't care, I was just proud of myself for sticking with it, hoping it would get better.) Jude, do yourself a favor and quit while your ahead instead of embarrassing yourself with this pointless, unrealistic drivel. You had a good run; you deserve to go out with your head held high. I can't believe any publisher would actually buy this stuff or that you would even want your name on it.(I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that someone else wrote it for you) If your fresh out of good ideas or too burnt out to continue, please... don't do it for the money. It's not worth your reputation or the insult to our intelligence. I for one will probably not be reading any more of your books. You just don't have it anymore.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: The Mulberry Tree is a great book. It is full of mystery and romance. It is unpredictable and leaves you wondering each time you put it down. I would highly recommend this book.
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