The Girl from Summer Hill
A Summer Hill Novel
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The first novel of New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux’s breathtaking new series set in Summer Hill, a small town where love takes center stage against the backdrop of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
Enter Elizabeth Bennet. Chef Casey Reddick has had it up to here with men. When she arrives in the charming town of Summer Hill, Virginia, she leaves behind a demanding boss at a famous D.C. restaurant and a breakup with a boyfriend jealous of her success. Some peace and quiet on the picturesque Tattwell plantation is just what she needs to start fresh. But the tranquility is broken one misty morning when she sees a gorgeous naked man on the porch of her cottage.
Enter Mr. Darcy. What Tate Landers, Hollywood heartthrob and owner of Tattwell, doesn’t need on a bittersweet trip to his ancestral home is a woman spying on him from his guest cottage. Mistaking Casey for a reporter, Tate tries to run her out of her own house. His anger, which looks so good on the screen, makes a very bad first impression on Casey. Hollywood he may be, but he’s no sweetheart to Casey—and she lets him know it!
The plot thickens. Sparks fly—literally—when Casey is recruited to play Elizabeth Bennet opposite Tate’s Mr. Darcy in a stage adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Just brushing past Tate makes Casey’s whole body hum. As they spar on and off stage, Casey begins to think she’s been too quick to judge. Tate is more down-to-earth than Casey expected, and she finds herself melting under his smoldering gaze. But then Tate’s handsome ex-brother-in-law, Devlin Haines, who is playing Wickham, tells Casey some horrifying stories about Tate. She is upset and confused as she tries to figure out who and what to believe. As she finds herself falling for Tate, Casey needs to know: Is the intense, undeniable chemistry between them real, or is this just a performance that ends when the curtain falls?
Praise for The Girl from Summer Hill
“Kicking off a new series set in Summer Hill, Virginia, the New York Times bestselling author brings Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to the theater—and into the twenty-first century. . . . A steamy and delightfully outlandish retelling of a literary classic.”—Kirkus Reviews
“[An] enjoyable start to a new trilogy . . . This book will delight fans of Austen and Deveraux alike.”—Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this enjoyable start to a new trilogy set in the small town of Summer Hill, Va., Deveraux (True Love) playfully riffs off Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Casey Reddick leaves her demanding job as chef of a high-end Washington, D.C., restaurant and retreats to the Tattwell Plantation guesthouse, unaware that its owner is movie star Tate Landers, who's famous for playing romantic leads. She's hired to cook for the cast and crew of a theatrical production of Austen's novel and unexpectedly finds herself cast as Lizzie to Tate's Darcy under the direction of the mysterious Kit Montgomery. Deveraux's characters are modern counterparts to Austen's, and their casting in the film is telling: for example, 15-year-old Lori plays Lydia, the youngest Bennet sister, and is also wooed and used by Tate's devious ex-brother-in-law, Devlin, who plays Wickham. Chapter titles ("Act One, Scene Two: Elizabeth Doesn't Tempt Darcy") ensure that readers familiar with Austen's work will catch and enjoy the reinterpretation. From the steamy opening scene to Tate's audacious theatrical proposal, with numerous other love affairs thrown in for good measure, this book will delight fans of Austen and Deveraux alike.
Customer Reviews
Casey
Casey was just too stupid to like so it ruined the story.
The Girl from Summer Hill
Love, love, loved this. Fun and romantic. One of my favorite authors.
Strong retelling of Pride and Prejudice
I've been a huge fan of Jude Deveraux since I read my very first historical romance by her when I was in 8th grade. I feel equally in love with her contemporary romances and she has been on my auto-read list for years. I was interested to see what Ms. Deveraux had planned with The Girl From Summer Hill, as I knew from reading the back cover, it was set up as a contemporary re-telling of Pride and Prejudice, which is one of my favorite books ever.
I enjoyed The Girl From Summer Hill very much. I felt Ms. Deveraux did a great job with writing the perfect characters for each of the original roles from Pride and Prejudice. I loved Casey from the moment we met her and absolutely loved all of her half-siblings we met along the way. Tate Landers was the perfect character to equal Darcy, though i will always picture Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in my mind. Devlin, Tate's ex-brother-in-law was perfectly cast as Wickham, and in fact his character was really the only one I hated in the entire book. Seriously Ms. Deveraux made me hate Devlin more than I ever hated the original Wickham.
The Girl From Summer Hill was a beautiful romance, but I also found myself laughing out loud so many times while reading this book. I honestly didn't expect to find as much humor in the story as I did and found it completely refreshing. I honestly think all fans of the original Pride and Prejudice will really enjoy this story and believe those who have never read it before, might feel compelled to read the it after reading The Girl From Summer Hill.
Review copy provided by publisher