Review--SCARLETT NIGHTS

Review for:
SCARLET NIGHTS, by Jude Deveraux
ISBN: 9781439107973
Publisher: Atria Books (Simon & Shuster Inc.)

Author Jude Deveraux is the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of thirty-eight books. There are more than sixty million of her books in print worldwide. Other titles include: Days of Gold, Lavender Morning, Return to Summerhouse, and Secrets. She resides in North Carolina with her family.

This book is part of the EDILEAN SERIES, though can be read as a stand alone novel.

In the quaint little town of Edilean, Virginia, Sara Shaw is making wedding plans, much to the distress of her family and friends. Greg Anders is not the man they would have chosen for the town's "golden child." Greg isn't like everyone else in town--he's abrupt, rude, and has a superior attitude. Plus, most think he's cheating on her. But Sara is devoted to him, assured that Edilean just doesn't know him. Then Greg leaves town unexpectedly, leaving Sara to wonder when he'll return and where they stand in their relationship. Strangely enough, undercover cop Mike Newland shows up just after Greg leaves. And the town all but bows down to the newcomer. When Sara learns that Mike was sent to Edilean because her fiancé and his mother are career criminals and planning the heist of a lifetime, Sara doesn't know what to do. Worse, she's finding herself attracted to the man, a man who cannot emotionally or physically commit to her. Either way, Mike and Sara need to figure out what it is Greg's family wants from her, before they find it first and she becomes expendable.

The only fault I found with the book was that the characters backgrounds and inner thoughts didn't always seem to match their actions. For instance, Sara is witty and smart, yet she lets this Greg guy push her around and doesn't see through him. And Mike, who refuses to ever commit and marry, who lives a thousand miles away, quickly falls for Sara and is a bit soft at times.

In saying that, I always take pleasure in a Jude Deveraux book. She writes with a poetic simplicity that makes her stand alone. Though a romantic suspense, this is heavy on the contemporary romance with intrigue elements. The hero and heroine were hilarious in their dialog. Back and forth, back and forth. I laughed out loud. As typical of her books, Deveraux is at her best when describing her settings. It puts the reader right there in the pages with the characters. The secondary characters were a nice add to the storyline. I can't wait to read more about them. Recommended.

Kelly Moran,
Author and Reviewer
Bookpleasures