Customer Reviews

Legend

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I've read every one of Jude Deveraux's books, and while this book was entertaining, it was not her best work. Kady, the heroine, is engaged to a devastatingly handsome man, but we immediately know he's exploiting her chef talents. (He's the son of the restaurant owner Kady works for.) You've gathered from the synopsis that Kady puts on an antique wedding dress and is drawn into the past, where she meets Cole. However, we know Cole is not the hero, because all of her life Kady has had visions of an Arabian man calling to her. Cole has the same voice but not the visage.

So that's the first problem with "Legend." There are too many heros. Our loyalties are split between Kady's (as of yet unknown) soulmate, and Cole. Deveraux spends too much time - half the book - on the relationship between Kady and Cole, and her time in the 1800s.

Then Kady is returned to the present and is tasked with a mission to correct the wrong done to Cole's family. She must find the family's descendent for help - and there we finally meet Tarik, the hero.

The last half of the book seems sloppy. Deveraux is trying to create tension between Kady and Tarik, and then she has to undo the animosity somehow. She doesn't flesh that part of the story out enough, and the plot for the last half of the book is completely implausible.

If Tarik's nastiness to Kady is an act (he's known about her all of his life and has always been in love with her), it's impossible for Deveraux to explain the interactions when Kady and Tarik first meet. She builds an elaborate series of encounters and then explains them away in one sentence at the end of the book. It just doesn't work.

Then, Deveraux completely messes with time travel - Kady and Tarik go back in time, leave a motorcycle and a biker girl in the past, alter the course of Cole's family (who, obviously, are Tarik's ancestors), and return to the present to find all unchanged. Deveraux needed to spend a bit more time here tying up loose ends and making sure her plot was solid.

Deveraux does create animated characters that you want to keep reading about. She writes with her characteristic irreverence and wit. The emotions and dialogue are very entertaining. But in the end, it seems that Deveraux followed a tangent in the Kady/Cole story and couldn't match it with the Kady/Tarik story. She needed to go back and clean the plot, and either improve the Tarik storyline or reduce the Cole storyline.

Kady Long is an accomplished chef, the "it" chef at an Alexandria, Virginia restaurant. She's engaged to marry her boss's son, Gregory, a gorgeous, charming man who Kady believes loves her just as she is. She loves Gregory, but can't forget the mysterious Arabian knight she's seen in her dreams since childhood. Despite that, as far as she's concerned her life is perfect.

During her search for a wedding dress (she's overweight by modern standards and can find none that look good)and furnishings for the townhouse the couple will share after marriage, she impulsively purchases an antique flour tin. Among the items inside are a watch, an old tintype photo and a beautiful old wedding dress. Once she puts the dress on (it's a perfect fit, by the way), she's transported back to Legend, CO in 1873, and the scene of a hanging about to occur. The man she saves from the hangman's noose is Cole Jordan.

Through a bit of trickery and manipulation which only becomes evident later, Cole first convinces Kady to marry him and then remain in Legend for a three-day honeymoon. During her entire stay in 1873, Cole declares his love for her and she tries to avoid falling for him, intent on getting back to Gregory. It's only when Cole deposits Kady at his homestead then disappears that we learn of his trickery. In desperation, she writes to his grandmother, who he's mentioned is his only living relative. Then, with a change of heart and a strengthening backbone, she endears herself to the entire town.

Following a false start with Cole after his return, Kady realizes she's fallen for him. She changes her mind about going back to her time, and then comes a message from Cole's grandmother. At Cole's urging, she decides to meet the woman and heads for the hanging tree, not understanding the sea of sad faces behind her. After a heart-wrenching conversation with Cole's grandmother, she returns to her own time, a changed woman. It's because of the changes brought on by Cole and Legend (and a promise to his grandmother) that she leaves Gregory and the restaurant behind and meets C.T. Jordan (Tarik), who she recognizes as the Arabian Knight from her dreams.

Of course, Tarik is initially not the romantic man with yearning in his eyes from her dreams. He's cold, rude and condescending, and Kady can't stand him. But since he is the man from her dreams, the barriers eventually (and predictably) crumble as the truth about the relationship between Kady and Tarik emerges.

In the end, not only does Kady find true love, but she also manages to keep a 100 year old promise.

OK, first the largest problems as I saw them.

I had a bit of a problem dealing with the two heroes (Cole and Tarik), and yes, I had trouble giving up on Cole. I found myself mentally screaming at Kady, begging her to find a way to get back to Cole after her talk with Ruth, Cole's grandmother. Which is why I cried when Kady met up with him again in the end. I also thought she and Tarik went too quickly from hate to love.

I also had a very hard time reconciling the cold, ruthless Cole the five Ms (five women whose names begin with M) described to Kady with the endearing, fun-loving, and somewhat childlike Cole I had come to know and love.

That said, what I had the hardest time with was saying goodbye to Kady, Cole and Tarik when I finished the book.

Now the things I loved.

I loved that Kady wasn't model perfect. Fat by today's anorexic standards, but nearly perfect in almost any other time.

I loved Cole, and I was devastated when I learned the truth about him. Truth be told, I still am.

I grew to feel very strongly for Tarik, too (although not as strongly as I felt for Cole), and saw some of the same playfulness and protective nature that Cole so easily possessed eventually emerge from him, as well.

And the female cattiness in me has got to scream: I'M GLAD GREGORY LOST HIS MEAL TICKET!

Whew. I feel better.

Overall, as I said, I loved the book, and have put it on my shelf to read again and again.

Let me just say that I love Jude Deveraux. I know some of you that read the title of my review are thinking "She just doesn't appreciate a good Jude Deveraux story" or "Well, time travels just aren't her thing". I'll clear the air for you. Jude Deveraux is fastly becoming one of my all time favorite authors, and I am a BIG fan of time travel. But, _Legend_ just doesn't do it for me... sorry.

I started the book prepared to hate it. Let me tell you... I didn't. It was well written and entertaining. But, the story line was a little too twisted. The book starts out inroducing us to Kady Long, a famous chef. She is about to be married to her boss' son. Although he is gorgeous and gives Kady the freedom she thinks she needs, the reader knows right away that he is not the man for her. While browsing through an antique store, Kady impulsivly buys a flour tin. But, when she gets home, she realizes she bought more then she thought, and that the simple little flour tin would change her life forever.

Once Kady pries open the tin, she finds three treasures inside: a breathtaking wedding dress, a watch and a family photo. Since Kady is getting married so soon, it seems that the hands of fate were guiding her decision to buy the ancient tin. Kady tries on the dress, and is overcome by a dizzy spell. When she wakes up, she is no longer in her drab little appartment in Virginia. Instead, she is on a mountain top, and a hanging is about to take place.

Rushing to the hanging tree, Kady sees three men trying to hang a gorgeous man. She uses her wits and saves the man. It turns out his name is Cole. Kady instantly feels a pull to him, but thinks that he is not the man for her because all of her life, she's dreamt of an Arabian Night. Because of Cole's fair features, he can not be the man for her. Nevertheless, Cole feels that he is in Kady's debt for saving his life, and so the two end up getting hitched. Cole is in love with Kady, but she is still trying to decide what it is exactly that she feels for him. All this while there is a secret, and once Kady figures it out, Cole is gone from her forever. Can she still find true love? Will she ever see the truth about Gregory? Will an Arabian come from the desert and sweep her off her feet?

Okay, I never usually give a three to a book, so I'm going to break down the good things and the bad things about it so you can understand why it's not the greatest.

Bad Things- 1) About half of the book is spent with Cole. Now, I loved Cole, and he was a great character. I got tricked into thinking he would be the hero. Not so. Kady is whisked away from him, so you are left with a strange feeling of loss. Then, we are introduced to Tarik, Kady's Arabian man, and think that he could be Cole's replacement, but alas, he treats her very badly. When he later tells her that it was all an act, I had a hard time believing it. Tarik treats Kady hostilely and then it is explained in two seconds, and all is forgiven. It was a little sloppy. 2) The ending. The first part of the book was really good. I could see how Jude came to the conclusions that she did about time travle. But, the second half was too confusing. She got sloppy, and it shows. The relationship between Tarik and Kady was too shaky for me to believe that it was actually true love. 3) Jude's whole time travel idea in the second half of the book. I think Jude forgot about the cosiquences of changing things in the past. For instance, Tarik's biker straddling cousin stays back, with her cycle mind you, and when Kady and Tarik return to the real world, nothing has changed. This was a little too convinient for me to believe. One thing I really enjoy in most of Jude's books is that it is easy to believe that this could really happen. _Legend_... well... it just doesn't make the grade.

But, Jude is a good writer, and I did enjoy _Legend_. Although there are problems with the story line, it is still a pretty good book. So, if you feel you have to read all of Jude's work, it's not a waste of your time. But, if you are just looking into Jude Deveraux books, I'd say wait a while. If you're looking for a good time travle, try _A Knight in Shining Armor_, _Remebrance_ (both by Jude Deveraux), or Diana Gabaldon's _Outlander_ series.

My best advice is to read the first half of the book and then to stop. The character Cole Jordan was refreshing and completely cativating, and he was also good for a laugh. After Ruth's revelation though, the story quickly deteriorated. While I found the intricate plot twist wholly interesting, I can't say I really liked the switch to the present. Upon returning to the modern day world, Kady eventually falls for her Arabian man (a questionable jerk) who lacks the luster of his ancestor, Cole. Although Tarik eventually shapes up into a decent character thanks to the use of the neat addition of the reccurring dreams, I still could not fathom why Kady would feel he is the answer to her prayers. I won't even comment on my opinion of Wendell since there was such a miniscule amount of character development to base my opinions upon. What really bugged me was the abundance of loose ends. We don't really get to hear much about Cole's fate, Luke is a huge plot hole, and what about the wedding dress? Did the absence of any explanation about the wedding dress nag anyone? Overall, I really loved the premise of the story, however, and the town itself was enchanting. This book would truly have been a favorite if its loopholes were resolved. Is it too much to hope for a sequel relating Cole's fate?

I've browsed through the reviews of this book, and see there's really no middle-of-the-road. Folks either love it or hate it. Actually, I can see both sides. BUT, I fall on the "love it" side.

I know other reviewers have recounted the plot, so I'll make mine brief for the purpose of this review:

Kady Long is an accomplished chef, engaged to marry her boss's son, Gregory. She loves Gregory, but can't forget the mysterious Arabian Knight she's seen in her dreams since childhood.

During her search for a wedding dress (she's fat by modern standards and can find none that look good)and furnishings for the townhouse the couple will share after marriage, she purchases an antique flour tin. Among the items inside is a beautiful old wedding dress. Once she puts it on, she's transported back to Legend, CO in 1873, and the scene of a hanging about to occur. The man she saves from the hangman's noose is Cole.

During her entire stay in '73, Cole declares his love for her and she tries to avoid falling for him, intent on getting back to Gregory.

After a heart-wrenching conversation with Cole's grandmother, she returns to her own time, a changed woman. It's because of the changes brought on by Cole and Legend (and a promise to his grandmother) that she meets Tarik, who she recognizes as the Arabian Knight from her dreams.

OK, first the largest problems as I saw them.

Yes, there is a problem with the two heroes, and yes, I had trouble giving up on Cole. I found myself mentally screaming at Kady, begging her to find a way to get back to Cole after her talk with Ruth, Cole's grandmother. Which is why I cried when Kady met up with him again in the end. I also thought she and Tarik went too quickly from hate to love.

I found I had a very hard time reconciling the cold, ruthless Cole the five Ms described with the endearing, fun-loving, and somewhat childlike Cole I had come to know.

That said, what I had the hardest time with was saying goodbye to Kady, Cole and Tarik when I finished the book.

Now the things I loved. I loved that Kady wasn't model perfect. Fat by today's anorexic standards, but nearly perfect in almost any other time. I loved Cole, and I was devastated when I learned the truth about him. Truth be told, I still am. I grew to feel very strongly for Tarik, too (although not as strongly as I felt for Cole), and saw some of the same playfulness and protective nature that Cole so easily possessed eventually emerge from him, as well. And the female cattiness in me has got to scream: I'M GLAD GREGORY LOST HIS MEAL TICKET!

Whew. I feel better.

Overall, as I said, I loved the book, and have put it on my shelf to read again and again.

As I looked through the racks on one of my regular trips to the library, I could not find any books that I hadn't read by my favorite author. So I was browsing, as I often do. I came across "Legend". The outline on the back cover interested me, so I checked it out. The only thing that comes to mind when I remember the story is....BRILLIANT. Deveraux outdid Coulter with this book, in my opinion. The storyline was intriguing, keeping me on the edge of my seat. There was romance, mystery, humor....you name it! It was such a nice change from what I usually read, historical romance, that I instantly fell in love with Deveraux. Now, I am a devoted fan. I read everything of hers I can get my hands on. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast pace, humorous romance. Sit back and enjoy this book. I have bought a copy for myself, and enjoy reading it time and again!

Jude Deveraux has done it again (sigh)...invented a complex, fascinating plot with megatons of potential-and promptly shoved it off a cliff into the land of stupid. Why does she do this? I don't know, but for some reason I keep reading just to find out.

The inane characters and thoughtless "whimsy" begin to arrive about mid-book...that is, after you've already invested enough time/money/thought to want to finish it-regardless of the depth to which it plummets.

Thus far, I recommend you read half of just about any Jude Deveraux book. It's almost like she runs out of writing plans and gets repetitive or suddenly dumbs it down just to fill pages. I think we would be better off with a few of her beginnings, some of her middles, and one or two of her endings-made into occasional GOOD books instead of eleventy-three mediocre efforts.

Truth is, I could have written this review about nearly any of her books. Why do I continue with this author? Because her story ideas have such POTENTIAL that one day, she may just create a startling beauty. It's not all bad. Two stars here.

This book wasn't bad, but I expected more from Jude Deveraux. As other reviewers have mentioned, the existence of two separate heroes and the unequal amount of time spent with them seriously mars the pacing, leaving the reader unsatisfied at the end. For time-travel romances, A Knight In Shining Armor is far superior. In Legend, Deveraux is much sloppier about handling paradoxes associated with time travel, and fails to wrap up the stories associated with secondary characters. The one truly wonderful aspect of this book is the emphasis on the protagonist's culinary talent; anyone who likes cooking or just plain loves good food will delight in the descriptions of her concoctions.

I wouldn't even bother trying to describe the plot of this book because there really isn't one. The story drags on and the love scenes are unoriginal and dull, very unlike Jude Devereux. The main character basically gets transported to different times and places and her actions become very hard to distinguish. The storyline is very hard to follow and there is no climax. Overall, this book was a complete waste of my time and I was very disappointed with Jude Devereux's latest project.

A knight in shining armor was the first dude deveraux book that I read. I loved it and fell in love with time travel. So I rushed to get Legend and Rememberance. I read Legend first but I was really disappointed. I agree that the first half book was great while cole and kady were together. but as soon as cole disapppeared from the storyline, it's getting weird to see how farfetched it was to bring the T man and kady together. So many loose end with no answers. the wedding dress? It would definitely be a GREAT book if she concerntrated just on cole, ghost or not. Now I am afraid that Rememberance will turn out to be the same as this one.