The Valentine Legacy [With Headphones] (Playaway Adult Fiction) [Preloaded Digital Audio Player]

Catherine Coulter (Author), Eleanor Swinden (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2008 | Series: Playaway Adult Fiction

Twenty-year-old Jessie Warfield is branded a disgrace for riding as a jockey on her father's racehorses, wearing men's clothing, exposing her skin to the sun and, in general, not acting like a lady at all. James Wyndham, eligible widower and owner of a nearby horse farm, is Jessie's rival on the race track. Outwardly competitive to the extreme with James, she is secretly in love with him. James, having known her since she was fourteen, sees her only as a little sister and a bratty one at that. Together they are the unlikeliest romantic duo among their native Baltimore riding set. When Jessie sets out to protect James from a marriage entrapment, she ends up compromising her own reputation and is pressured into leaving town. She flees to an unlikely haven: the estate of James's British cousins, the Earl and "Duchess" of Chase. There she is pampered, dressed, and transformed into a lady. Smitten by the new Jessie, James proposes and they marry. Their new, shared passion results in hideous nightmares - nightmares that soon reveal themselves to be recovered memories of a long-ago attempted rape and murder. When connections are made between those events and the pirate Blackbeard's diaries, the hunt is on for his buried treasure.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Refusing to marry James Wyndham, the man she has loved secretly for years, outspoken, naive Jessie Warfield escapes to England and the estate of James's cousins? and a life as a "nanny." However, when James comes to fetch her, a group of delightful meddlers make certain that they end up neatly married instead. Old secrets, a pirate's legacy, and a cast of wonderful characters are part of this funny, lively, and occasionally mysterious story that provides a satisfactory conclusion to Coulter's "Legacy" trilogy (The Wyndham Legacy, Putnam, 1994, and The Nightingale Legacy, Putnam, 1994.) Readers who enjoy this historical might also find those by Jo Beverley of interest. [Coulter lives in Mill Valley, Cal.]
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The horse-racing world of nineteenth-century Baltimore makes a great setting for Coulter's newest romance, the last in the Legacy trilogy, following The Nightingale Legacy (1994) and The Wyndham Legacy (1994). Tomboyish jockey Jessie Warfield captures the attention, if not the affection, of James Wyndham by beating him in races, dressing and riding in a definitely unfeminine fashion, and even rescuing a horse stolen from his stables. Naturally the two are destined for love and marriage, but it takes the "My Fair Lady" ministrations of Wyndham's English kin over a runaway Jessie to seal their fate. This conclusion to Coulter's Legacy trilogy reintroduces lively characters from across the sea and winds up with an American treasure hunt involving a pirate legacy. Coulter, while more inclined to adventure than realism, does an excellent job of luring her readers into this unlikely, exuberant adventure. Denise Perry Donavin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Preloaded Digital Audio Player
• Publisher: Playaway (October 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606406108
• ISBN-13: 978-1606406106
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Catherine Coulter is the author of the New York Times-bestselling FBI thrillers The Cove, The Maze, The Target, The Edge, Riptide, Hemlock Bay, Eleventh House, Blindside, Blowout, Point Blank, Double Take and TailSpin. She lives in northern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pirates, Treasure, And A Searing Love..., May 12, 2000

By 

Kelly - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Valentine Legacy (Legacy series) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Almost Perfect Romance, July 31, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Valentine Legacy (Hardcover)

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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A winner by Coulter!, August 17, 2005

By 

J. Brennan (Pittsburgh) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Valentine Legacy (Legacy series) (Mass Market Paperback)

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!