Customer Reviews

The Valentine Legacy (Legacy Series)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

What more could you ask for? *The Valentine Legacy* is a wonderful romance about the "girl next door" transforming into a lovely woman who finally catches the eye of the man she has loved for years. James is obviously surprised and attracted when he meets Jesse again. Also, he is jealous! Every time she goes out in her new dresses, he can hardly believe his eyes. "Trollop," is the name he uses mostly to describe her, but you know it is just because he dosen't want anyone else to feel like he feels about her. If that isn't a blossoming love, I don't know what is. Also, the incidents leading up to Jesse's transformation were hysterical. It was heartwarming to see her try to save James from Glenda. The plot was interesting, and the secret of Blcakbeard's diary added much intrigue. One dissapointment is that you expect more time to be devoted to the treasure. All in all, it is an extremly well written book with interesting word choice, excellent organization, interesting side plots, and a wonderful love that turns the book into the treasure that is being sought.

Coulter is the best! In this third book in this series, Catherine Coulter again uses her magic and created a totally perplexing story of love and mystery. The stunning heroine, Jessie Warfield, was pronounced ruined after falling on top of her dazzling neighbour James Wyndham. She ran away and was so very changed the next time James saw her. from an ugly duckling she had transformed into a diamond of the first water! Of course he was bedazzled by her and they were married. But Jessie continued to have frightening nightmares which she haven't had for many years. They decided to find out the source of this nightmare and in the end they solved all the problems and of course lived happily ever after. I really love this book and I think it is simply fantastic. I highly recommand it to any Catherine Coulter's fans

No, I would not give this a 5 just because the characters were not as intense and besotted as I like in a Coulter novel - but there is one thing I love about all Coulter novels - it is the way she intertwines the characters from all of her novels - even though they are not even part of the same series - the fact that Marcus and the Dutchess named their son Anthony Welles - that was just so touching - it is like Catherine totally feels like all of these people are all real to her and that is why so many of them seem real to us! This novel was in part not quite as compelling because of the horse racing theme - no nearly as interesting as events in Britain - and truly the mothers in this book should be banned from both families. Jesse grew on me - where as James just seemed a little stiff - I did not see them as the greatest love of all time - like I have felt in other Coutler books - especially in the Night series and Devil series. i really could have cared less about the burried treasure although I guess going back there relieved Jesse's nitemares and perhaps made James realize he loved her truly - although he did wait awhile to tell her. I would always recommend a Coulter book almost before anyone and she is almost the only author that her contempoary are as good as her historical!

This is one of my most favorite books by Coulter. I have read it so many times that I had to get a new copy. I found Jessie endearing in her hilarious attempts to make herself into the kind of woman that James would notice. James is oblivious to her except as a racing appointent until fate strikes sending her fleeeing to England and his relatives. When James finds her she has been transformed from a tomboy to a beautiful woman. As they find eachother they also find a mystery that still haunts Jessie. This book has it all.

What happens when a good premise ends up in the hands of a bad writer? This book sums it up. Childish is the best way to describe the writing. On the one hand, it's very "Dick and Jane" in many respects. On the other hand, the adult characters were written as if they were 8-12 years old in adult bodies. Naive is one thing, but many of the characters seemed as if they were arrested in childhood. The dialog is clunky and yet too simplistic. No emotional depth. Having read a lot of historical romance of this society, I can also say that a lot of the societal norms were missed entirely which makes the research suspect as well. Don't waste your money on this two-dimensional "prose".

While the story line was good (and fitted well with the previous 2 "Legacy" books), the dialogue was a bit on the sophomoric side. A bit insipid. Can't imagine grown adults really talking this way no matter what time period or locale they were from.

Description from the back of the book:

In the early 1820's, horse racing was a down and dirty sport. James Wyndham, who owns racing stables in both England and America, finds his racing nemesis in red-haired Jessie Warfield, renowned hoyden and champion jockey, who knows as many dirty racing tricks as James does. When either wins a race, the other's nose gets rubbed in the dirt.

Jessie has known James for six years, since she was fourteen years old. She often wants to kick him for the way he treats her, but more importantly, she adores him. She just doesn't know how to show it.

When chance throws Jessie out of a tree, finding her on top of James, she is pronounced Ruined. When she decides to run, she really goes for it, all the way to England, to James's cousins, Marcus and Duchess Wyndham.

James arrives, laden with guilt, to find a Jessie who sounds like the old Jessie but isn't. Jessie has undergone a transformation worthy of Pygmalion.

Will James do the Right Thing and undo Jessie's Ruin? What about Jessie's nightmares that seem to call up something terrible from her childhood?

There's a treasure to be found on the Outer Banks, a mystery to be solved, a love story that will plant a smile on your mouth for a long time, and lots of laughter.

* This is the 3rd & final book in the legacy series. This was probably my 2nd favorite. I didn't enjoy the treasure in this book. I didn't care for the scene that played out when the treasure was found. I predicted the villain very easily & the cow brains beside Jessie's head grossed me out when they had their first intimate moment. Other then those things the books was good & kept me going but I wouldn't call this story great. Overall I'd say that I'd probably read this series again but I could truly take it or leave it. It's not a series that will stick with you the next book you read.

The Valentine Legacy is excactly what you would except from Coulter, perfect!!!! I had read the other two Legacys before reading this one (I bought them all at the same time because I love COulter's style!!) and I loved the way she linked all of the characters lives together letting us read more of the Duchess and Marcus( my two favorite characters). Keep writing Cathrine!! :-

This book is really great. I have read all of the books in the trilogy as well as the viking trilogy, and this is one of the best. It has a great plot, a good mystery, and intriguing characters. I was constantly wondering what would happen next. It didn't seem as if Jessie and James would ever, or could ever get together. One thing I especially like about Caltherine Coulter's trilogies are that she uses the characters from her previous books again, so you get even more insight into them. For any Catherine Coulter fans, or romance fans in general, this book is a must

This is the second book of the Trilogy I've read after the Nightingale Legacy and I'm not disappointed at all. I found Jessie irresistibly cute in her attempts to provoke James... As you may assume I must give the book a high score.The first half is however more intriguing than the second .