Customer Reviews

Sweetbriar

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't get it, really. Sometimes Jude Deveraux comes up with these amazing male characters that just take your breath away...then she comes up with characters like Devon. What redeeming quality did he have?? Sure, he saves her and he's sweet to her at first, but then she's beautiful and all of a sudden he feels the need to treat her like she's the lowest bit of scum on the bottom of the lake. PLUS he kisses that Corinne chick in front of her, when it's obvious that Linnet was repulsed by Cord when he kissed her. But of course, Jude's men always have to have their stupid revenge on the innocent woman that's in love with them.

Ok, and then he leaves her after he gets what he wants (secks) from her the night in the woods?? UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. The guy made me sick.

But oh well, the important thing is that Linnet ended up marrying him. Afterall, he DID sigh "Ok, I'll marry you..."

Well, this book was a page turner. I had a hard time putting it down. I loved the plot so much! It was interesting, but I do have to agree with another reviewer that there wasn't a whole lot of character developement, and that was very disappointing. Why was Mac so bitter to her? What events in his life led up to that? When did Linnet ever mourn her parents? I really liked Linnet, but her love for Devon seemed totally...naive. One minute she was angry at him, the next minute they are dancing like nothing happened, everything forgotten. He took advantage of her in a major way and she went back to him without a valid explaination or heartfelt, genuinely feeling apology. I didn't like him. At all. He only claims he loves her after he finds out she had his baby and even then it's, "all right, I'll marry you." I don't believe he was angry because she was beautiful when he thought she was ugly when he rescued her. You aren't mean to someone like he was to her for a reason that...stupid. (If you read it, you will know what I mean, but I urge you no to.) Why did he leave her like he did after a night of passion? How could he still think she was after other men, even after all she did to avoid a man that every woman wants, his cousin Cord. His jealousy of Cord was annoying and took was too much control of him. He was way too angry and blind for my taste. He is my least favotire hero of all time. Sorry to give such a low review, but I know Jude can do better, especially with such a good setting and plot.

The year is 1784. Young Englishwoman Linnet Blanche Tyler and her parents have left life in England behind in favor of the American countryside. However, Linnet's life isn't the same after Indians attack the travelers in a remote area in Kentucky, killing Linnet's parents. She is mistaken for a child and is abducted along with the other children, but her fate is unknown after the Indians discover that she is a grown woman. In comes a man that looks Indian, save for his blue eyes and the fact that he speaks perfect English, and saves her life. She is taken to the small town of Sweetbriar in Kentucky, where she meets the nicest people in the world and settles in as though she's lived there her whole life. Feelings ensue between Linnet and her rescuer, whose name is Devon "Mac" Macalister, but the journey to happiness is a long, miserable one, where sibling rivalry, a pigheaded hero, and a squire who wants to become Kentucky's first governor get in the way. There are various twists throughout the novel.

I don't like novels set in backwater towns during Colonial times, but this one is quite good. I like the small town, countryside feel and the inhabits in Sweetbriar. Linnet is a great heroine -- a fighter who doesn't allow people to walk all over her. The way she gets her life in order after the Indian raid is admirable, a little too admirable, for I felt that she hadn't grieved the loss of her parents all that much, if at all. I feel that Deveraux didn't explore that side of the plot enough. Linnet adjusts to her new surroundings a little too well for my taste. And I don't like Devon -- no redeeming qualities whatsoever. When he isn't angry, he's treating the heroine like so much trash. Why Linnet swoons over this guy is beyond me. His actions after he sleeps with Linnet are appalling. I know this is the "redeemed hero" type of storyline, so I held on just in case. However, I almost threw the book against the wall when Devon sees Linnet after three years and is beside himself with happiness because she "remembers him" and he could "have a little fun" with her before turning her over to the squire. Why oh why does he think she's easy, especially after their first time together? He is worse than Rogan Peregrine from The Taming, in my opinion. At least Rogan knows of no other way to behave, but this guy, despite his half-Indian heritage, has grown up in fairly civilized surroundings and knows what treatments are acceptable and which ones are not. And even though his feelings for Linnet are quite transparent from the very beginning, his reasons for being afraid to love her are not very convincing. I just don't buy the tortured hero aspect this time around because his back story is very underdeveloped, which makes Devon seem quite one-dimensional. I give Sweetbriar two and a half stars because it is a roller coaster ride of emotions and I was enthralled in spite of wanting to hit Devon with a frying pan for most of the novel. The unlikeable male protagonist and the loose ends I mentioned earlier are too glaring for me to give this any more than two and a half stars. However, Jude Deveraux is still my favorite romance author (I like her a little more than Judith McNaught) and I look forward to reading her other books whether or not they anger me as much as this one.

This is a sweet book ~~ not my favorite though. Linnett and Devon fought too much for my liking and Devon was just a little too perfect and arrogrant for me. However, it is an enjoyable reading and it definitely whiles away time when you're reading it!

Linnett came over to the States from England after her father lost his business. Her family gets killed by Indians and she is captured. Devon rescues her and chaos follow those two for two years till a confrontation with the Indians led them back together.

It's a very sweet book and a quick read. It's perfect for a summer reading!

9-11-04

. . . with two characters and a town that will steal your heart. _Sweetbriar_ is the story of Linnet Tyler who leaves England for the wilds of Kentucky and during an Indian raid finds powerful love and a town full of the sweetest people ever. You'll laugh, cry, and want to hit Devon so many times that you'll have this book finished before you even realize you started it. One of Ms. Deveraux's best, the often overlooked _Sweetbriar_ is the front-runner to the 'Lady' series and by far one of my very favorites. My only complaint is that it's so short! Easily able to be finished in one sitting and well worth a second read through before you put it away! The scene near the end with the folks from Sweetbriar is priceless! A must read!

Deveraux did a wonderful job in this novel! The characters were fabulous and you could feel their every emotion, and I actually fell in love with the leading man, Devon. I loved this book!

Sweetbriar is a kind of book that will catch your eye in a bookstore. I know it caught mine and i have not put it back on my bookshelf to sit since then.

This story tells of Linnet Tyler's travel to the wilds of Kentucky from her homeland in Europe. Near the end of her long journey her and her family and the rest of her group are attacked by indians. Mistaken for a child Linnet is taken to their camp where she meets a man who will save her life...and steal her heart...

Devon Macalister has never met a woman quite like Linnet. When he saves her from the indians he has no idea what impact on his life she would have...

Sweetbriar is a wonderful book and I highly reccomend it to all of you readers out there.

Personally, I thought Devon was a jerk and a bit stupid but he did have his good points. Linnet, now there's a character that I really like...

Overall, the book was good but it didn't give me the silly grin on my face and the happy skip in my steps.

Very interesting book, Linnet is traveling through the Kentucky wilderness, when Indians attack the wagon train, and take her to be sold. a handsome young brave saves her. linnet was safe until jealousy and treachery makes her flee from the life she grew to love.
I love Jude Deveraux books so if you like this one you'll love her other books!

Jude Deveraux reaches into her Kentucky heritage to write the saga of Linnet Tyler. The wagon trail on which she is traveling is destroyed by the Indians. She is taken prisoner and marched to the camp of the dreaded Shawnee, where she is claimed as a trophy of war.
So begins a romance with a historical setting that is fun to read for the romance, but do not take the history seriously.
Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and HAINTS, both of which were finalists for 2009 Indie Awards.