First Impressions: A Novel [Hardcover]

Jude Deveraux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2005

A contemporary novel of romance and renewal from perennial bestseller Jude Deveraux, First Impressions is an emotionally charged story of one woman's bid to start over. Eden Palmer knows how to make it on her own. The forty-something single mother has worked hard to raise her beloved daughter, but sooner or later a woman must come into her own, and that's what Eden tries to do when she moves to Arundel, North Carolina, to take ownership of Farrington Manor. Arriving in the South's prettiest small town, Eden quickly learns that looks can be deceiving when her move is met with delight in some quarters and jealousy in others. Pursued by two eligible bachelors -- the rugged Jared McBride and Braddon Granville, small-town lawyer and town catch -- Eden is flattered and more than a little suspicious. Juggling the attentions of two men is hard enough, but soon Eden's bid to start over plunges her in the middle of a mystery that threatens not just her reputation, but her very life. Can she use one man to save her from the other?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

After Eden was thrown out by her religious zealot parents when she was raped at 17 and became pregnant, she was taken in by Mrs. Farrington, a member of Arundel, North Carolina's elite. Mrs. Farrington put Eden to work cataloging family papers, and Eden and her daughter lived there until Mrs. Farrington's pedophile son came home. Now that Eden is 45, her daughter is about to become a mother, and Eden has received an inheritance, she decides to leave New York and head back South. But her return is marred by Jared McBride, an undercover FBI agent. His mission, to romance the single mother and find out what she knows, is complicated by Eden's romantic interest in the local lawyer. Deveraux's spunky heroine and quirky hero make this an entertaining read, and the surprise ending is a fun fillip for longtime fans. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Deveraux's touch is gold."

-- Publishers Weekly

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Atria; First Edition edition (October 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743437144
• ISBN-13: 978-0743437141
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,532,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jude Deveraux was once a fifth-grade teacher who loved to read. When her imagination began to be filled with her own stories to tell, her career as a writer began. Jude's novels have been set in both contemporary and historical periods. Her strong, lyrical writing style and ability to write stories with memorable characters, rich detail, and believable dialogue has garnered her many devoted readers.

Jude has had over thirty books on the New York Times bestsellers list, has over 60 million copies in print, and has been translated into 18 languages. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading murder mysteries, working in her garden, and in boxing class she likes to show much younger males that she can throw a mean right cross.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable romantic suspense, October 25, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Impressions: A Novel (Hardcover)

Forty-nine year old Agent Jared McBride feels too old to do another field assignment, but his boss insists. Agent Roger Applegate had been selling out his country for fifteen years, but swallowed incriminating notes just before the feds arrived; they found the hard way a scrap that named an Eden Palmer with her social security number. The Feds want to know the connection.

Jared is to investigate forty-five years old single mom Eden who recently left New York City when she inherited a home in Arundel, North Carolina from the late Alice Farrington who she once worked for. Jared learns that when his target was seventeen she was coming home from choir practice when she was raped; when she became pregnant her parents tossed her out of her home. Alice took her and her newborn into her home, but Eden fled when Melissa turned five because her employer's son was a pedophile.

Jared knows he must be cautious because someone killed agent Tess Brewster in Arundel. To get close to Eden he begins to court her, but for the first time Jared is emotionally involved as he has fallen in love with his mark who may be a traitor.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS is a delightful romantic thriller that stars two wonderful middle age protagonists, both wanting to start over. Jared is caught between duty and love as he finds the warm Eden is a fabulous beautiful person who he desires and is so removed from his FIRST IMPRESSIONS of a victimized Mother Theresa (based on her file). Eden just wants to connect, but also begins to learn that a house is not a home. Together with a fine support cast they provide fans with an enjoyable romantic suspense.

Harriet Klausner

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What is Going On with Romance, February 12, 2006

By 

M. White "Romance's 1# Fan" (Los Angeles, Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Impressions: A Novel (Hardcover)

Another stinker from Deveraux.. Its not as bad as Carolina Isle.. but that's not saying much. Does Devereux not want to be a romance novelist anymore- she has taken out all romance. All that is here is a high school version of a John Grisham novel.. but worse. I miss my Devereaux of old where there were these great characters that you fell in love with that inturn fell in love with each other. There used to be good dialogue that made you smile, laugh out loud or even made you tear up. It is hard to believe the author who wrote Rememberance would put her name on a book so very badly written an call it a love story.
Very badly done Deveraux.. very badly done.
Look for her earlier works.. if this is any indication of her future writng there are all going to be worth missing.

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars My "First Impression" was that it was good, but then it went over the top!, December 17, 2005

By 

JJ Stark (Cicero, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: First Impressions: A Novel (Hardcover)

The first book I read by Jude Deveraux was SUMMERHOUSE. I really enjoyed that story, about four friends with a little bit of "magic" mixed in. I then read Mulberry Tree, which I really liked. I was really hoping I would like FIRST IMPRESSIONS, and while I liked the idea (my "First Impression" was that it would be a good read!), I found that it dragged on a little too much, and as the chapters moved forward, I found myself thinking, "What else could go wrong?" Everytime it seemed like the "mystery" was solved so that the story could shift from mystery to relationships, the characters were hit with another mystery to solve, and more danger ahead. By the time I was about 3/4 through the book, I had had enough mystery and danger. I wanted to know what happened with the relationships that were formed in the beginning of the story.

Even once I finished the book, I wasn't completely satsified. Too many questions remained unanswered, and it was all wrapped up nice and neat and "tied with a bow." After reading the last few pages, I didn't think it left a "Lasting Impression" on me!!

The characters introduced in the beginning of the book provided promise for a character driven story, but seemed to loose momentum along the way. For example, I found the daughter, Melissa a little annoying and bratty by the time she reappeared later on in the book. Her first appearances in the beginning of the story didn't make the same impression she made later on. The character of Brad was confident and strong-willed when first introduced, but later turned into a bit of a whimp!! I found this type of inconsistency several times throughout the book. Characters seemed to do a 180 degree turn-around, and took on different personalities as the story progressed. While this may seem to be a form of character development or growth under the pen of other authors, I didn't find this to be the case in this book. The story is definitely more plot-ridden, rather than character-driven, so I didn't find myself emotionally attached to any of the characters.

I'm also not a big fan of mystery, which this book is loaded with. A little bit of mystery mixed in with romance is fine, but FIRST IMPRESSIONS took it a little too far. I found myself skimming the paragraphs, grabbing the highlights, just to get through it. At times I felt like I was reading the latest script was a romantic-comedy (kinda like the Meg Ryan & Kevin Kline characters from French Kiss!). I could see this story on the big sceen, but it just didn't play out well within the pages of a novel.

For fans of Jude Deveraux, it's a good one to check out of the library and true fans may not want to miss it, but new readers who have never read Jude Deveraux may want to skip this one, and read one of her older releases. Maybe then, come back and read FIRST IMPRESSIONS, and see what type of "impressions" Ms. Deveraux makes on you!