Veena’s review of The Girl From Summer Hill (Summer Hill, Book 1) by Jude Deveraux
Contemporary Romance published by Ballantine Books 03 May 16
What’s a girl to do when she wakes up to a handsome stranger standing naked on her back porch? Enjoy the view, of course! And fan herself down to stay cool. Things, however, get more heated as they rub each other the wrong way every time they meet, but things definitely come to a head when she’s cast in the role of Miss Elizabeth Bennet opposite his Mr. Darcy in the town’s enactment of Pride and Prejudice. From the beginning Ms. Deveraux draws in her readers and keeps them engaged in her very own interpretation of this classic, both onstage and offstage.
Casey is on a sabbatical in the country, licking her wounds after the unhappy demise of her love relationship. I really felt her pain when she expresses how she talked to her absent boyfriend for more than a week after he had moved out of her apartment. She definitely does not think herself as actor material, particularly given all the Hollywood talent on display as her friend Kit launches his production of the local town play, but she steps neatly into the role of Lizzie opposite her nemesis Tate, who is playing Mr. Darcy.
A promise to his sister has brought Tate for a flying visit to the plantation and a promise to Kit takes him to the casting call for the play his cousin is producing. Several heated meetings with Casey have him changing his mind and planning to stay in town for the duration. Despite their on-again/off-again quarrels fanned by Tate’s brother-in-law, who is a real-life replica of the character Wickham from the play, they share an electric connection that continues to build and thrive.
Tate has fond memories of the stories his mother used to share with him of her vacations on the plantation with her friend Ace. As it turns out, Ace is Casey’s father, along with several of her half siblings that we meet along the way in the story. Apparently, Ace, who is now the local GP, at one time sold his sperm to fund his travels around the world, leading to a prolific number of offspring, some of whom we meet here.
Threaded into the main event are several ancillary romances. Olivia and Kit definitely share a few secrets, which add a nice element of tension and conflict the outcome of which will take a reader by surprise. Then there’s the dainty butter-won’t-melt-in-her-mouth sister of Casey, who, contrary to her appearance, stages a lusty romance with Tate’s friend Jack. Out of all the characters, my favorite is Tate’s niece, who steals the show and captured my heart.
I’m hooked. I can’t wait to see what the next in story is in Summer Hill.
Grade: A
Summary:
The first novel of New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux’s breathtaking new series set in Summer Hill, a small town where love takes center stage against the backdrop of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
Enter Elizabeth Bennet. Chef Casey Reddick has had it up to here with men. When she arrives in the charming town of Summer Hill, Virginia, she leaves behind a demanding boss at a famous D.C. restaurant and a breakup with a boyfriend jealous of her success. Some peace and quiet on the picturesque Tattwell plantation is just what she needs to start fresh. But the tranquility is broken one misty morning when she sees a gorgeous naked man on the porch of her cottage.
Enter Mr. Darcy. What Tate Landers, Hollywood heartthrob and owner of Tattwell, doesn’t need on a bittersweet trip to his ancestral home is a woman spying on him from his guest cottage. Mistaking Casey for a reporter, Tate tries to run her out of her own house. His anger, which looks so good on the screen, makes a very bad first impression on Casey. Hollywood he may be, but he’s no sweetheart to Casey—and she lets him know it!
The plot thickens. Sparks fly—literally—when Casey is recruited to play Elizabeth Bennet opposite Tate’s Mr. Darcy in a stage adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Just brushing past Tate makes Casey’s whole body hum. As they spar on and off stage, Casey begins to think she’s been too quick to judge. Tate is more down-to-earth than Casey expected, and she finds herself melting under his smoldering gaze. But then Tate’s handsome ex-brother-in-law, Devlin Haines, who is playing Wickham, tells Casey some horrifying stories about Tate. She is upset and confused as she tries to figure out who and what to believe. As she finds herself falling for Tate, Casey needs to know: Is the intense, undeniable chemistry between them real, or is this just a performance that ends when the curtain falls?
No excerpt available.
