New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux’s Lavender Morning is now available from Encore.
Jocelyn Minton is a woman torn between two worlds. Her mother grew up attending private schools and afternoon teas, but she married the local handyman. After her mother died when Joce was only five years old, her father remarried into his own class, and Joce became an outsider—until she met Edilean Harcourt. Although she was sixty years Joce’s senior, Miss Edi was a kindred soul. When Miss Edi passes away, she leaves Jocelyn all her worldly possessions, and clues to a mystery that began in 1941, set in a small town in Virginia—a town that Miss Edi had never mentioned. But the townspeople know who Joce is, and they’ve plotted out her entire future, including who she is meant to marry. But Jocelyn has her own ideas about men and secrets that no one wants revealed…
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"It has been a little while since i have read a love story and it was great. This book had a lot of mystery thrown into the romance. And it is a series so I need to go find if anymore are out."
— Gretchen (5 out of 5 stars)
“Alternating WWII battlefront tragedy with contemporary romance, Deveraux packs in something for every generation, from wicked supermodels to patriotic sacrifice, from planting an herb garden to DNA tests…Readers will find it hard to resist the charm of Edilean, the manor house, the town, the woman of many secrets and, of course, the series to follow.”
— Publishers Weekly“Deveraux incorporates her trademark sweet and salty characters into a pair of entertaining romances, one past, one present, to create one of her most fun and pleasing tales.”
— Booklist“A fabulous family drama filled with twists.”
— Best Reviews" The storyline was pretty predictable but I still enjoyed it! "
— Robin, 2/18/2014" This was a fluff book, but really silly and not one I'd recommend as it took forever to get the background established and was not good character development. There was a mystery within the story that could have been good, but it was interspersed with a storyline that just didn't work. "
— Mary, 2/17/2014" Good story with a secret to be uncovered and a surprise ending. "
— Daphne, 2/12/2014" For a Deveraux novel, I was a tad disappointed in this one. Maybe it was because I didn't like the main character all that much, but I didn't think it was nearly as good as the 2nd one in this series. I did start enjoying it more about half-way through the book, but maybe that was when the story of Miss Edi started being revealed, allowing for more than just this weird banter between characters. I don't know, it just felt disjointed to me. I'm still really looking forward to the 3rd book though, and hope there will be some answers to questions left in this one, like why Alex McDowell felt he "owed" it to Miss Edi and supported her for the last portion of her life. I also hope it's better written than this one. "
— Jill, 2/10/2014" This was a really fun read. Quick and easy. A great book to read while sitting on the beach. It was a little of a romance/mystery. I rated it a 3 because I thought that the end was a little rushed and a few of the plots could have been developed more. "
— Kay, 2/9/2014" Yes, I'm reading trash. It's not as trashy as other trash that's out there, but its kind of comfort food for my mind. "
— Meredith, 2/7/2014" Another amazing book by Jude. I kind of wish I had read this one first before the others in the serious because then I wouldn't have known who she ends up with. "
— Alicia, 1/23/2014" Great read- I started this series at Book 5 and have now gone back to read the series in order. "
— Sharon538, 1/19/2014" Quick read for a lazy afternoon. A lot of manipulation and secrecy. "
— Tishke, 1/19/2014" It was very good book and I love how the author writes her stories. I want to contuine reading more from her. "
— Sherry, 12/31/2013" I decided to give Jude another try. This one was not bad. "
— Britt, 12/30/2013" Loved this book...I love the authors style of writing..it was really intriguing & a page turning...A must read... "
— Shiuli, 12/30/2013" So far so good....it's confusing if you don't think but then again...we should all think more shouldn't we. "
— Shauna, 12/6/2013" Really enjoyed this book. Just a nice, cozy read with a happy ending! First in a new series and I will definately be reading the next one. "
— Lindsey, 8/23/2013" reluctant 3 stars. not complex, felt kinda like fluff, but overall not bad. a huge improvement over the last books ive read from her. not meaty and as a result, was a very easy read. but at the same time, to be fair, i def want to finish the series and have come to like luke a lot. "
— T, 8/5/2013" Terrible, terrible book. "
— Kristen, 7/5/2013" The beginning of a great new series! Loved it. The best contemporary Deveraux has written in a long time. "
— Brenda, 12/25/2012" Dearly loved it!! Couldn't put it down. Stayed up half the night reading it! Absolutely Brillant!!!!!!!!!!!! Cried at the end. "
— à®, 8/19/2012" October selection for B&N (Burlington, MA) Romance Readers. My spreadsheet says I finished this on October 6, so here I am on October 20 struggling to remember details. Guess that puts Lavender Morning in the just-a-so-so reading experience column. "
— Marcia, 4/5/2012" Good romance novel... surprising ending... but happy. Liked this book very much. Suppose to be a trilogy... will check that out. "
— Azhuffys, 3/23/2012" I have always liked to read Jude Deveraux, this is the first book in ther series, it did take me a while to get into it, but the main characters were likeable, and I love the ending. I am going to read the next in the series. "
— Christine, 6/3/2011" An excellent read. I was crying at the end. I also had some laughs about Bertrand, and his lazy stories XD "
— Jennifer, 5/19/2011" This book so far is really good and reminds me of a Cinderella-esque novel, which I love! Romance, mystery, and more! "
— Kelsey, 5/10/2011" The best part of this book was the story of Edilean. The rest felt contrived, and the characters were inconsistent and stereotyped. There was also something about the writing that didn't flow for me as it usually does. "
— Shannon, 5/5/2011" This was an okay book- it got better the more I got into it. It wasn't very creative and I get the feeling the author cranks out books to a certain, predictable formula. "
— Flora, 4/9/2011" This was a light, predictable story you don't have to think much about. If you are looking for that, you will not be disappointed. "
— Delores, 4/6/2011" Pretty good....but I figured out the plot "twist" way before the ending. "
— Denise, 3/25/2011" Very cute and very fun to read. I felt like I was reading a Lifetime movie. I enjoy these books for some "no thought", just fun, books. "
— Nicole, 3/16/2011" This is my first Deveraux book, and I enjoyed it. I'd say I was probably about 100 pages in before the story line picked up for me, by the end I didn't want to put it down so I could find out what happened. "
— Kelly, 3/7/2011" Fairly predictable but a nice fast read. "
— Teresa, 3/7/2011Jude Deveraux is the author of more than forty New York Times bestsellers, including For All Time, Moonlight in the Morning, and A Knight in Shining Armor. She was honored with a Romantic Times Pioneer Award in 2013 for her distinguished career. There are more than sixty million copies of her books in print worldwide.
Barbara McCulloh has appeared on Broadway as Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan and as Anna in The King and I. Her film and television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Another World, and Peter Pan. She has also done extensive work in regional theater and recorded dozens of audiobooks.