Customer Reviews

River Lady

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This book had me enthralled as I watched a dirty, grimey, unloveable (by the shallow standard) young girl change into a beautiful and confident young lady. Leah had to put up with much hardship in her young life from poverty to child abuse but her one shining moment was when a young man (Wesley)rode into her life and smiled at her one day. She held on to this moment for years as she grew from a child to a young woman and never wavered in her love for Wesley. She took her one chance at that love when upon meeting up with him again, she gave herself to him, body and soul. This one night set her on an adventure from becoming a "lady" to pioneering out west. The most humorous part of the book was when Regan and Nicole (both heroines from the other two books in the trilogy) decided to "clean" Leah up. Not a task for the weak (of mind or stomach). After layer after layer of dirt and grime melted off of Leah, she became a beauty to behold. Absolutely wonderful story and if you liked the other two books in the trilogy, you will find this book is a fitting end to the series.

Though you'll be sad to see the series end (we certainly could have used more books about the lovely people on the banks of the James River!) the third and final book of the remarkable James River Trilogy is as well written and moving as the first two books of the series. Unfolding the Cinderella-like story of Leah and Wes is like opening a long awaited present. Their romance is intense and moving. You'll often find yourself rolling your eyes and gritting your teeth at the horrible way Wes flaunts his first intended in front of Leah. You'll even find yourself hoping that Leah will just give up on Wes because you'll feel he doesn't deserve her at all. Wes is by far the most stubborn of the three men in this series and becomes quite exasperating before he realizes what an idiot he's been. The scene where Nicole and Regan unveil Leah's hidden beauty is a classic and gives you more respect for the women you met in the previous two books. You'll feel the awe and

happiness of Leah as she lives up to her potential. The mud fight that marks the turning point in Wes and Leah's relationship is one of the best scenes I've ever read. It's great to see how all the characters from the other books have turned out and the return to Sweetbriar at the end is a wonderful glimpse at that funny, loving town. All around it's a great book and a fitting end to the series. I never get tired of reading this series from beginning to end!

Leah is a poor farmers daughter tring to make a living on a little swamp-farm to feed her many brothers and sister.Wesley is a half-owner to the Stanford Plantation. Leah meets Wesley when she is just but a young girl,and falls in love at first sight with him. Years later she meets up with him again and gets herselfs pregnant.In a forced wedding Wes marries Leah,and then leaves that very night(a big fat jerk if you ask me).A year later Wes comes back, but while he was gone Leah has gone through some changes. She looks, talks, and acts totaly different, thanks to Regan and Nicole. Wes is still unaffected by the change and still want his first intened, Miss Kim. Leah leaves with Wes, along with Miss. Kim and her brother, to go to Wes's farm out west, so she can start a whole new life. As the goes on, Wes starts to see Leah in a different light. While the beginning was great, the middle was lacking, and the end was so sudden, and was over so fast. This wasnt ms. deveraux best work, but it was a good read.

River Lady lacked romance and its adventure got muddled up. The begining of the book starts off great. Unfortunatly the story losess its appeal in the middle. I continued to read and told my self that it would get better, but it did not. The ending lacked the hero we normaly see in Jude Deveraux books and in my oppinion it left me hanging in the end. I am a Deveraux fan and own most of her books. This book could have been great if she had only stuck to the plot she set out in the begining. Leah gave into guickly, and Wesley still remained the same stubborn idiot he was in the begining. It left me wanting more.

I had to force myself to finish this book, thinking it would get better...after all, reading Knight in Shining Armor, The Conquest, and other great books by Jude Deveraux, I had such hope for this book.

There was no love between Leah and Wesley. All Leah had was an infatuation with a stubborn, stupid jerk. She deserves so much better than Wesley. I found myself hoping that she would get together with Justin and leave the idiot Wesley with his darling Kimberly.

About Wesley and his stupid need to have a woman who "needs" him, and is not as "independent" as Leah: all I can say is, "bullcrap". He impregnates Leah at the beginning of the book, thinking she is a whore, and then rejects her? Who "needs" a man more than a pregnant lady?

Wes's sense of honor is seriously impaired, and I found myself feeling bad for Leah. Poor Leah, obsessed with a dandy who only wants his precious Kimberly.

Readers, do yourselves a favor and read other Deveraux novels, such as The Invitation, Sweet Liar (my favorite), or Knight in Shining Armor.

Ever since the wealthy Wesley Stanford gave Leah a gold coin as a child, Leah knew that this man was her hero ~~ and fell in love with him. She meets him years later and he, mistakenly thought she was a prostitute like her sister, gave her one night that ended in a pregnancy. Forced to marry her, Wesley takes off for Kentucky for a year ~~ and Leah grows up into a beautiful and talented woman ~~ full of grace and determination.

This is another classic Jude novel ~~ full of sassy ladies and beauty and love that warms even the coldest soul. It's fun and great ~~ and wonderful ~~ as always!

10-3-04

What an awesome book! I loved the courage and determination she showed no matter what was thrown at her. I really disliked Wesley at first and couldn't see why he hated so very much since it was his doing that she was pregnant. He was such a jerk to her even when she worked so hard to become a "lady" for him. It was very intersting to watch him grow into a better man as time went on. I did warm up to him and found him actually quite comical throughout the book. The scene with the mud was hilarious!!

There was a lot of action and a great plot throughout the book which kept me interested to the very end. I did find the book ended rather quickly and left me wanted to know more about where their lives would go.

This is the third book in a trilogy. I am extremely anxious to read the other two: Lost Lady and Counterfeit Lady. Regan and Nicole had appearances in this book and I want to know more about their stories.

If your looking for classic Jude at her best, then you've found it with this book!

This book was classic Jude and I loved it! I hadn't read the first two books to this series before I read River Lady and now I can't wait to get my hands on them and learn about Nicole and Clay's story and Travis and Regan's in Lost Lady and Counterfeit Lady!

Wesley could definetely be a jerk and at times I wanted to just kick him for his blindess... but he made me fall in love with him in the second half of the book. And Leah was the perfect heroine... turning her life around and being so strong and courageous. A perfect match for Wesley. A true heart warmer. I couldn't put the book down!

As an impressionable fifteen year old, I chanced to pick this book off the shelf at the home of a woman whose children I was watching, and I have never looked back. Jude Deveraux is a winning author with a wonderful sense humor and a writing style I have loved for 15 years. If you enjoy a tear-jerking side-splitter (trust me on this), RIVER LADY is for you. I've had three copies of this book, and have worn out every one. Thank you, Ms. Deveraux, for being the talented woman who inspired me to try my own hand at writing romance.

This was the first of James Rver Trilogy I read. I hope the rest is a BIG improvement. The beginning was good, but Wesley turned into a Grade-A J E R K . Come on people!!! The guy dumps poor Leah FLAT, takes off for a year or so, and comes back to run around with an old flame. On top of that, he says that she's loose and to leave him alone because it hurts his old girlfriend. All Leah ever wanted was some one to love. And then Weslye wonders why Leah won't go for him? Come on dude, where were you for the first part of the book? This book was demeaning. The heroine gets a tough-luck sob-story and, try as I might, I couldn't get up any sympathy for Wesley. I trust the other books had characters that were a little more enjoyable.