4.5 STARSWhat a remarkably beautiful story! I loved this, even despite the somewhat controversial ending, I really loved this. When poor, down on her luck, Dougless Montgomery gets jilted by her boyfriend and left to fend for herself in rural England, at a church no less, she accidentally summons Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck. The fact that he happens to be a knight sent from sixteenth century England baffles the both of them. She cried for a knight in shining armor, she prayed to be given a man that would love her. And although it seemed crazy at first and wholeheartedly unbelievable, she soon realizes her wish had been granted.This was a time traveling, epic love story. Righting the wrongs of the past and discovering your soul mate exists across all time was the purpose between Dougless's and Nicholas's journey together. I won't get into the details because like any time travel romance, these books must be read to fully understand them. And since this has been around for decades, many have read it already. I loved Dougless! She was a sweet and considerate woman who grew up wealthy and loved but always felt like she didn't quite measure up. When she loved, she loved with all her being. She gave and gave but was always left behind by the men she gave to. I think she was a great heroine. Strong and determined to help others, especially Nicholas, who found himself in a time not of his own. I couldn't believe the shit she put up with from her boyfriend, Robert. WHAT AN ASS.His behavior and blatant use of every good thing Dougless gave him was despicable. And so was his disregard for his daughters mistreatment of Dougless. Nicholas was delicious, truly. Whether in modern England, or rural sixteenth century England, he loved Dougless the way she deserved to be loved. This was such an epic love story. I couldn't hardly put it down. The deception behind Nicholas's legacy was fantastic. It was suspenseful, thrilling and beautiful to read. There were many times I teared up for Dougless, and felt her pain. The angst was not over the top but honest and relatable. So many scenes I had to put the book down and wipe my tears. It did remind me of Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series, but with a couple differences. Her ending was what one would expect, but this book flowed better, was more romantic, more sensual, more absorbing. But the ending here was different and a matter of some minor controversy. You'll have to read it to understand but what I can say, was that I got it. It was still beautiful to me because it showed Dougless and Nicholas were truly soul mates, time having no significance to their love. The scene on the plane was moving and had me in tears yet again. I was honestly afraid I wouldn't like it, but I loved it. I don't think it would have been plausible any other way. The only criticism I have was the lack of an epilogue to show how our couple fared in life. It would have been the most perfect ending to a beautiful and evocative love story. Highly recommended for lovers of historical romance! LOVED IT.
Buddy read with Camaro, 6-16-2014 :D:D:DGoing to make this short, because it's not so sweet :(This was my second by Jude Deveraux, and I suppose my expectations were to the moon and back, seeing as how this is on nearly every top Historical Romance and time travel list that I've come across. My other by JD was The Black Lyon and it got two stars from me. So I think this will probably be my last by her. A few reasons stand out for my dislike. First of all, I feel like her writing is very dated...and it's in fact decades old, so it has the right. I just feel like I've read other romance authors who have done it better, and their work has lasted through the ages. (Judith McNaught, Anne Stuart, and even Virginia Henley and Kathleen E. Woodiwiss.I'm an avid and devoted romance reader, so I'm no stranger to a certain amount of misogyny and male chauvinism. However, in both this and the Black Lyon, the male leads...I hesitate to call them heroes...are enough to make me a man hater. Not so badly in this book...no rape or physical violence from good ole Nicky, but the complete and total turnaround that he took from the first half of the book to the second was so glaring. I enjoyed his character in the first half. He was confused, completely out of his element, and his character was quite endearing and humorous. In the second half, I felt like we got the real Nicholas, and I didn't like him at all. When he felt comfortable, he was quite the ass, and it took a lot to pull him out of his asshat mode. Just not really my type of guy. On the other hand, our heroine was somewhat dull. She's a doormat to the point that I felt quite disdainful of her for awhile, and even as the book wears on, I just never warmed up to her all that much. This was very low on sensuality/sexuality, and I'm not talking smut. There was almost no chemistry between our H/h. I felt nothing, and when the sex does happen, it's low key and pretty blah, over quickly, and not at all memorable. The entire relationship had a decided lack of umph...The ending...it's caused many a thrown book, I'm sure, and I have to say that this was actually one of my favorite parts about the book...in fact, the only thing that really made it stand out for me. I can't say that I loved it completely, as (view spoiler)[ I do wish that Nick had not lived the entirety of his life alone. (hide spoiler)]
Do You like book A Knight In Shining Armor (2002)?
This is my all time favorite romance novel, which I've read more than once (the last time being this past weekend). Nicholas is a real live Knight in Shining Armor sent to comfort a heartbroken Douglass in 1988. Destined to be soul mates through all eternity, the two set out to clear Lord Nicholas' name and right the wrongs done during his Elizabethan life. Just as he gets used to the weird inventions and strangness of the twentieth century, they are whisked back through time to 1560 where Douglass gets to experience medieval life.This timeless romance has stuck in my memory since the first time I read it, a tale you'll never forget. Jude Deveraux does an amazing job on the historic details, from the food to the clothes to the customs. I highly recommend this book.
—Tina Hayes
I keep wavering between a 4 and a 5 for this book. I literally couldn't put this book down. When I was unable to read the book, I found myself thinking about what happened in the book only because I was going through withdrawal! This love story was such a sweet one and funny at times. I rarely find myself laughing out loud while reading a book. Not in this case. Some of the funniest scenes were when the heroine goes back in time. She has to entertain Nicholas' mother and she does so by singing t
—Gigi
This is the ultimate time travel romance that rocked the publishing world back in 1989. It was fresh and unique because Jude brought her hero forward in time to the present day before sending her heroine back in time to search for him. It was the first time I realized just how compelling a "lovable loser" heroine could be. And I still smile when I think about Nicholas being introduced to the modern joys of the vacuum cleaner and can opener and get a catch in my throat when I think about the ending. Jude has always had the ability to write in almost any genre because she's such a consummate storyteller. One of my all-time favorite books! (Alternate: WISHES, the VELVET series).
—Teresa Medeiros
