Lavender Morning (Edilean) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jude Deveraux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2009 | Series: Edilean (Book 1)

Jocelyn Minton is a woman torn between two worlds. Her mother grew up attending private schools and afternoon teas, but she married the local handyman. After her mother died when Joce was only five years old, her father remarried into his own class, and Joce became an outsider -- until she met Edilean Harcourt. Although she was sixty years Joce's senior, Miss Edi was a kindred soul who understood her like no one else ever had.

When Miss Edi passes away, she leaves Joce all her worldly possessions, including an eighteenth-century house and a letter with clues to a mystery that began in 1941. In the letter, Miss Edi also mentions that she has found the perfect man for Joce -- a handsome young lawyer. Joce is shocked to learn that the mystery, the house, and the future love of her life are all in Edilean, a small town in Virginia that Miss Edi never told her about. Hurt that the woman who meant so much to her kept so many secrets, Jocelyn moves to this tight-knit village in an attempt to understand the legacy that has been left to her. As she begins to dig into Miss Edi's mystery, she soon discovers some shocking surprises about her family's history and her own future -- and she meets a man with his own mysterious past.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Family ties, smalltown values and unexpected love in picturesque settings have made Deveraux a longtime bestselling author, so it's no surprise she again delivers on her tried-and-true formula. Jocelyn Joce Minton, daughter of a Williamsburg, Va., debutante and a handyman, is alienated from her family after her widowed father marries a woman who is decidedly not debutante material and has a pair of selfish twins. Joce ends up in the care of an elderly neighbor, Miss Edi, who watches over the girl through college. When Miss Edi dies, she leaves Joce an ancestral manor house and a trove of secrets going back to 1941 that compel Joce to visit Edilean, Va., where she meets the local color, including a sexy lawyer and his sexier gardener cousin—who has a secret or two, himself. Alternating WWII battlefront tragedy with contemporary romance, Deveraux packs in something for every generation, from wicked supermodels to patriotic sacrifice, from planting an herb garden to DNA tests. For all the novel's coincidences and predictability, readers will find it hard to resist the charm of Edilean, the manor house, the town, the woman of many secrets and, of course, the series to follow. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Jocelyn Minton is a young woman of many contradictions. Her wealthy mother married the local handyman. After her mother dies, her father returns to his blue-collar roots and marries a woman who has two gorgeous twin daughters who torment Joce. The only bright spot in her life is Edilean Harcourt, an older woman who connected with Joce on every level and enriched her life until she died. Joce thought she knew her mentor and protector very well, until Edilean leaves Joce her family home in Edilean, Virginia, and Joce discovers how heavily edited her version of Edilean’s life is. As she follows Edilean’s instructions and moves into the house and contacts a young lawyer, Joce enters a new world, learns the truth about her dear friend, and meets the insular inhabitants of the town, including her own bad boy—not the lawyer, but his cousin Luke, her gardener. With the promise of future books about surprising and interesting Edilean, veteran storyteller Deveraux incorporates her trademark sweet and salty characters into a pair of entertaining romances, one past, one present, to create one of her most fun and pleasing tales. --Patty Engelmann --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; 1 Reprint edition (November 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743437217
• ISBN-13: 978-0743437219
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Deveraux, Jude

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

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it, but...., April 4, 2009

By 

21st Century Bluestocking "Pat" (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lavender Morning: A Novel (Edilean) (Hardcover)

I love Jude Deveraux, and I am happy to see her start a new series. I liked this story and the characters very much, but I was somewhat disappointed in the book in several respects. First, I thought it was too similar to several of her other books, particularly "Holly," although Ramsey is not evil the way Lorrie Beaumont was and there are no Montgomerys or Taggerts in this book.

Second, the book ended very quickly, which just left me with a lot of questions. The story revealed at the end was simply not believable, given the characters involved. I kept reading the last few pages over and over thinking I missed something and wondering. Maybe future books in the series will supply more believable information about what actually happened in the past.

Third, I always have a problem with contemporary novels where the principal characters talk/plan love and marriage after only a few kisses.

Having said all the above, I still liked this book and the characters and can't wait to read the next book in the series. It's an easy, enjoyable read without murder and mayhem.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Is she using a ghost writer? This is not the Jude I've read before., April 8, 2009

By 

C. Schnitzler "bookaholic" (Austin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lavender Morning: A Novel (Edilean) (Hardcover)

I had some really trouble with this book. First, the ending seemed like she looked at the page count midway thru and said opps I have to end it NOW! Second, the romance seemed contrived and stilted. There is a triangle yet none of them seem to actually be involved in said triangle. And if a man were to propose after one somewhat chaste kiss I am gong to believe he is really just looking for a beard to hide is real tendencies. This is the second book that she has written that the main characters never made love. Is she scared of sex? Don't get me wrong I am not looking for smut, but a romance should have a mention of the physical side of there new love. Jude, please go back and reread some of you earlier work to refresh your self on why we love your books so much. You seem to have forgotten.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointed, April 9, 2009

By 

Maggie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lavender Morning: A Novel (Edilean) (Hardcover)

Well I must admit Lavender Morning is the last Jude Deveraux book I will buy. I have been a loyal fan since the Velvet series and I eagerly awaited her new titles. Lately I have found her books to be less intriguing than her earlier ones but this was one of the most boring books I have ever read. It had potential with the triangle and the war story but nothing happened. I kept waiting for interesting events, plot twists, sparks between characters, something ... anything to happen. And when I got the ending all I could think was there must be a chapter or two missing - it couldn't possibly end like that. There is no way that this is the same author who wrote all those lovely books like Knight in Shining Armour, Sweet Liar and Mountain Laurel. Well I won't be reading any new Jude Deveraux books again. Very disappointing indeed.