Rating: 
Summary: Finally! Jude is Back!
Review: Admittedly I've been turned off of Jude since she wrote the *Forever* books. So I've resigned myself to rereading her older books.
Happily I found Holly in the library this week, and decided to give it a try.
It was like sitting down to visit with an old friend you haven't seen in years.
BRAVO Jude!
Let's see more Taggert's and Montgomery's!
Rating: 
Summary: warm romantic intrigue
Review: After nine months of seeing Stephanie Banning, Dr. Nicholas Taggert ends their relationship because she is too selfish. However, the sly Stephanie insures that most people believe Nicholas played her unfair. Needing to escape from the underserved criticism, Nicholas hides in a remote garage next to an isolated cabin near Edenton, North Carolina.When she learns that Lawrence Beaumont III is divorced, Holly, felling lonely, returns to her hometown to be near him because she has fond memories of him. When she was thirteen and he was three years older, he treated her to the most wonderful summer of her life. Holly meets Nicholas for the first time at a convenience store where both are shopping. After he leaves, the owner warns Holly to avoid him. He insists that Nicholas must be a felon as he lives in the home of an incarcerated thief. In spite of the birds of a feather alert, Holly and Nicholas begin seeing each other while Lawrence believes that she is his divine right because of his upper class blood. Holly and Nicholas may be attracted to one another, but she thinks he is a bum and that Lawrence is her one. He needs to tell her the truth, but also must keep her safe as someone wants to harm her. HOLLY is a warm romantic intrigue that is fun to read especially as Holly and Nicholas falls in love. The lead couple is a delightfully charming duet who are sold as individuals, but really fine together. Though a suspense laden subplot adds tension it seems very out of character for what is known of the villain. Still the audience will fondly regard Jude Deveraux's latest tale. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Not Exactly Brimming with Yuletide Cheer
Review: Again, I have been dupped. I bought this book in hopes of an uplifting Christmas themed story. Well, Bah-Humbug! This one just didn't do it for me. I love Jude Deveraux's work and had high hopes for this one. Unfortunatly, it let me down. Maybe it's me, maybe the stress of the season leaves me unable to fully enjoy a book, but I just couldn't "get into" this one. The story feels rushed, too much too soon, especially where sex scenes are concerned. Don't get me wrong, I am all for a good sexy read, but I was looking for a more sweet type of love for a holiday book. The cover felt slightly decieving to me as well. It looked as if it was set in another time period. If someone who had just picked it up for that reason, they would be disappointed. The title character, Holly herself, just wasn't all that likeable either. She wanted to marry a man for his house. Nick was decietful and seemed to have alot of extra time on his hands. I had a hard time figuring out why he was pretending to be who he was. All in all, I just didn't understand this book. I wanted something with a little redeeming quality to it. Check out Jude Deveraux's other works though, they are fantastic.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: Either this book was ghost written, or Deveraux had a publishing date and had something better to do than actually write a good book. The book is completely rushed with absolutely no character development. It's a waste of time read, and was definitely a waste of time to write as well.
Rating:
Summary: THOROUGHLY ENJOYED IT!
Review: Excellent romance mystery. Great characters. Romance, humor, mystery, and an excellent twist to the story! What more could you want. Loved the ending.
Rating:
Summary: What has happened to Jude?
Review: First, let me say that I have read almost all of Jude Deveraux's work, and have loved it, especially the Montgomery and Taggert families' stories. However, if Holly is the new standard, I won't be bothering in the future. Several major plot points are glossed over in a paragraph or two, such as Lorrie's actions, which are completely out there, and poorly explained. Character development is adequate for Holly and Nick, but the others are cardboard. And frankly, I thought the sex scenes were awkward. They were more explicit than her usual work and I don't get the feeling that she's comfortable writing that way. In a nutshell, I was disappointed and I think I'll stick with re-reading A Knight in Shining Armor and some of her earlier work.
Rating:
Summary: A fine southern romance story - UNABRIDGED though it says AB
Review: Holly is a privileged young woman who has falling in love with History - specifically historical houses. This is to the point that she tends to overlook all else that is happening, which has gotten her into trouble. Much of her life has centered around the magic she felt one summer while working with a friend on his old house, in secret. But was it all a secret? Years later Holly thinks she finally has a chance at her dream man and his home. But, along the way she meets a "biker dude" who may be more than she thinks he is. But, he is trying to get over a recent nasty break up and doesn't want to let too much on. This sets the stage for a wonderful romance story. If you like the romantic suspense type of story this one is for you. Yes the girl gets the right guy in the end. But, along the way there are very well developed characters and lots of tricks that make you think twice about the background etc.... If you are looking for a good 6 hour unabridged romance story this one is it. It is based in modern day North Carolina, and there is a lot about the history of the area woven into the story.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointment!
Review: Holly is your basic love story formula read. Man & woman meet, instant attraction, instant misunderstanding. Then comes the sex and blah blah blah. Ok some parts were intriguing. It wasn't all bad. I even enjoyed reading it. But I'm glad I borrowed it instead of actually spending my money on it. I prefer books with just a tad more substance and sense of reality. And on a last note, Holly had to be the most annoying main character with her whiney, poor little rich girl, snobbish attitude. Yuck! Of course Nick was just as bad, so I suppose in the end they did deserve each other.
Rating: 
Summary: Not great- not terrible
Review: Holly is your basic love story formula read. Man & woman meet, instant attraction, instant misunderstanding. Then comes the sex and blah blah blah. Ok some parts were intriguing. It wasn't all bad. I even enjoyed reading it. But I'm glad I borrowed it instead of actually spending my money on it. I prefer books with just a tad more substance and sense of reality. And on a last note, Holly had to be the most annoying main character with her whiney, poor little rich girl, snobbish attitude. Yuck! Of course Nick was just as bad, so I suppose in the end they did deserve each other.
Rating:
Summary: Not her best
Review: I have been a fan of her novels for over 10 years. I think they are usually warm and funny and extremely well written. This book was not. It lingered on sex scenes and rushed through the plot. The usual family element that makes her novels so wonderful, revisiting old characters and just spending time with the Mongomery-Taggert family was missing in this book. Also the major events of the novel happened so quickly taking up a paragraph or two while the sex scenes go on for several pages. Just not what I would expect from a Jude D. novel
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