Well-Spoken Wednesday--Secrets by Jude Deveraux

Tweet

Summary from goodreads:  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 still 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.

Secrets by Jude Deveraux
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although this is the first book I have ever read by Jude Deveraux, I have seen her name all over book sites and the web for some time. I was under the impression that she was just a good romance author, and so when I picked up the book, I figured that was what I would be reading.  Something light and nice with a basic romance plot.

Nothing could be further from the truth!  I now understand why this author is a best-selling novelist.  She is so much more than a typical romance novelist.  She is a master as romantic suspense writing, and I was completely engrossed in this book.

There was so much I appreciated about this novel.  It had a strong romantic story--which was what I was initially looking for.  In addition to this, she added a fantastically suspenseful plot with lots of twists and turns. I remember thinking halfway through that I was not even assured what would happen at the end!  Would it even end how I thought it should?

I would certainly put Jude Deveraux in the same category as Agatha Christie, and that is saying something.  I found myself not wanting to put this book down once a chapter finished because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.  There was never a dull moment in this book, and the writing was dynamic!

The other thing I appreciated about this book was the absence of steamy sex scenes.  While sex was mentioned as having happened, it was not described in detail. I also appreciated the absence of vulgar language.  There was an occasional mild word, but nothing that was truly horrendous.  This author has easily become one of my favorite romance novelists, and I  can hardly wait to read more of her books.  I now know why she is considered one of the greats!


View all my reviews

About the Author

Jude Deveraux is the author of thirty-seven New York Times bestsellers, including Scarlet Nights, Days of Gold, Lavender Morning, Return to Summerhouse, Secrets, Someone to Love, Wild Orchids, Holly, The Mulberry Tree, The Summerhouse, and Temptation. To date, there are more than 50 million copies of her books in print worldwide. She lives in North Carolina.