Scarlet Nights: A Novel (Edilean) [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Jude Deveraux (Author), Rick Holmes (Reader)

Book Description

Series: Edilean | Publication Date: August 3, 2010

In the third book in the Edilean series from New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux, a young woman learns that her fiancÉ is not who he appears to be.

Sara Shaw and Greg Anders are engaged to be married. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Sara, Greg is a big time fraud man, descended from a long line of con artists and thieves. In fact, his mother is also in Edilean, incognito, masterminding a scheme to pull of the heist of her lifetime—and Greg is using Sara to get closer to what his mother is seeking.

But when Mike Newland, a sexy undercover cop, who is investigating Greg and his family, enters the picture, he is able to tip Sara off that her fiancÉ is not who he seems. When he asks Sara to help him gather evidence against Greg and his mother she is terrified—especially since it means she must pretend to still love Greg, even after she has found out the terrible truth about him.

As they work together Sara gets to know Mike and find out about his long connection to the town of Edilean. And with the help of Jocelyn from Lavender Morning, they at least learn the secret that has been haunting Edilean for almost seventy years.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Deveraux (Days of Gold) returns to Edilean, Va., to tie up some loose ends, return to familiar characters, and introduce a few new ones. Sara Shaw is happily preparing for her marriage to Greg Anders, and though her family doesn't like him very much, she sees his good nature. That is, until he disappears three weeks before the wedding, and Mike Newland crawls through the trapdoor in the floor of her apartment. As it turns out, Mike is her friend Tess's brother and a cop investigating Greg, who is actually a criminal with a fiendish plan that Mike doesn't yet fully understand. As Mike and Sara fall in love, they remain at risk until they can figure out what Greg wants. Readers familiar with the series will delight in immersing themselves back in the comfortable world of Edilean, and new readers should enjoy exploring it with Mike and Sara. While the threat presented by the villains is minimal, Deveraux's colorful cast and easy way with words shine, even if the story's thin on plot.
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

Undercover detective extraordinaire Mike Newland's new and urgent case sends him from Ft. Lauderdale to Edilean, Virginia, the setting for Deveraux's popular series. His job is to protect Sara Shaw, whose fiancé Greg is part of the notorious Vandlo crime family. Everyone in Edilean hates Greg except Sara, who stubbornly believes in Greg even after he disappears weeks away from their wedding. Mike figures it will be easy to get Sara to trust him; women have always been attracted to him. But Sara is the exception. Weary of being seen as weak, she believes hunky Mike, brother of her best friend, has been sent to tempt her away from marrying Greg. The longer Mike stays, however, the more appealing he becomes to Sara, and soon they begin revealing secrets to each other, including Mike's true mission. As Deveraux continues her series, she brings to life the sort of sweet and spunky heroines who attract the muscular men her fans expect and enjoy. So this is another guilty-pleasure romance of suspense that will hook readers and leave them with a smile. --Patty Engelmann --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD: 6 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Abridged edition (August 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 144230443X
• ISBN-13: 978-1442304437
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #611,926 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

59 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars You can skip this one, not a keeper., August 3, 2010

By 

J. Kollasch (Vadnais Heights, MN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Scarlet Nights: An Edilean Novel (Hardcover)

I always buy Jude Deveraux's books the day they hit the store and even though I had some misgivings (her last two books of this series were a bust) I had high hopes of this being the one that would win me once again. Wrong, this book left me thinking that I should probably stop paying expensive hardcover prices and wait to get it used. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't good either and I miss the old Books that made me want to cry at the end because they were so beautiful.

This book revisits the modern Edilean featured in her first book of the series, Lavender Morning. Mike Newland, brother of Tess featured in the first book is a cop specializing in undercover work. An old friend of his is working on a case that has found leads in Edilean and knowing Mike's connection to the town he is asked to go there and guard Sara Shaw-the town's local girl next door. Sara is engaged to what the police believe to be a con man and if Sara marries him her life could be forfeit. Upon arriving Mike realizes that sweet Sara Shaw is just what has been missing from his life and getting her to leave her dangerous fiance becomes less of a chore than it has originally been. In a town as small as Edilean everyone gets involved in Mike's undercover mission and by the end of the book it really isn't very undercover anymore.

This book read the same as the last bunch I have disliked; some plot involves a man and a woman that forces them together, they try to resist their attractions but it is too much for them to resist. They must be together! Then one of their lives are threatened and the other one realizes that they mean much more to them than they had thought. Sigh. I can't believe I keep buying these books with the same exact plot. All of this happens over a period of a week, maybe ten days, then they move blissfully into each others' lives, happily ever after. One of the things that bothered me the most in this book however was that the description of the hero included a forehead that started several inches higher than most men's and Sara describes him to his sister as being "bald." He also is described as being short. I think it is pointed out a few more times in the book about his receding hairline and in my little mind I was unable to get past it. I want the hero of the books I read to be virile and manly and bald and short doesn't fall into my idea of either of these things. I know bald men can be sexy but a short man with a large shiny forehead doesn't enter into my description of dashing hero, it just reminded me of George Costanza.

Don't do it, don't buy this book. It's just going to encourage her to write more crappy novels and overcharge for them. This must be stopped! If you've (somehow) become attached to the Edilean series then this will help to further advance the story but really you can pretty much figure out the plot of most of the novel from the book jacket itself. I'm hoping that she writes something about the more attractive sounding Frazier cousins in the future but now that I've been burned by so many bad books I'm going to hold off on purchasing them.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh new book from the talented Deveraux, October 31, 2010

By 

R. Pelaiz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scarlet Nights: An Edilean Novel (Hardcover)

Scarlet Nights is a wonderful read. If you are a Jude Deveraux fan this is a book worth reading. I admire how she is always growing as an author by bringing out books like this. This book has classic Jude Deveraux style yet she gives us a fresh new book that has a detective twist in it. I also love how she makes this a more down to earth book with characters like Mike Newland, who is a detective from a big city and is a bald slick guy that draws you to him. I actually like how Deveraux in this book strayed away from the usual cookie cutter type heroes that sometimes can make it almost non realistic. I actually pictured two men while reading this book that I imagined as "Mike Newland", a Bruce Willis and a Jason Statham type men who although short and bald, still very manly and attractive. I like the contrast of Mike's character to Sara Shaw's character. Mike being from a big city contradicts well with Sara's small town sheltered personality. I love the detective twist to it that also brings about a fight scene in the book that involves the Vandlo con artist family.
Although a more modern setting/theme, like classic Deveraux, she always connects her settings and characters to historical places and dates in her books, which is clearly well researched by the author. All in all I thought this was a great book and hope Jude Deveraux continues to show different sides of the proficient author she is.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointed, August 16, 2010

By 

Book Worm "Silvertop" (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Scarlet Nights: An Edilean Novel (Hardcover)

I have to agree with the other negative reviews on most things. I don't find the balding hard to take; because Mike's perfect physique was described in such detail I pictured a buzz cut with a receding hairline like a lot of action heroes seem to have. My problem was with the same-o plot, different names. The worst to me was the ending, which I agree sounded rushed and I thought stretched things a lot. I don't want to do a spoiler, so I'll just say as I read the last chapter with disgust. I won't be advance ordering her hard-covers anymore.