The Girl from Summer Hill: A Summer Hill Novel
May 2016 · Ballantine Books
4.6star
48 reviewsreport
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384
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About this ebook
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
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
Ratings and reviews
4.6
48 reviews
Liza Brown
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June 10, 2016
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
Bette Hansen
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May 3, 2016
This was a fun fresh twist on Pride and Prejudice and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was nice to read a light, fun, angst free story and that opening scene definitely got my attention. The fun witty banter between Casey and Tate really kept the story lively and intriguing. Casey's first impression of Tate is anything but impressed but as they spend time together working on the play she finds herself drawn to him. She's torn between believing what others are telling her about Tate and what she's come to know of him on her own. This is definitely a fun read and one I would recommend.
1 person found this review helpful
Kristina Anderson
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July 4, 2016
The Girl from Summer Hill by Jude Deveraux is the first book in the new Summer Hill series. Acacia “Casey” Reddick quit her job in D.C. and moved to Summer Hill, Virginia. Thanks to Kit Montgomery, she is renting a cute little cottage (she assumes she is renting it from him). Then one morning she comes downstairs to find a man taking a shower in the outdoor shower on her porch. Casey knows she should say something or look away, but, instead, Casey sits down on a stool to watch the show (which is odd considering what comes next). Casey recognizes the man in her shower. It is Tate Landers, the movie star. Casey feels that Tate is taking advantage because he is a star and feels he has the right (Casey assumes things). Casey and Tate get off to a bad start (and it gets worse after the peacock incident). Tate did not know there was a guest in the cottage. Tate is visiting his plantation with his friend, Jack Worth (Jack and Casey hit it off right away). Tate has agreed to help Kit Montgomery with his auditions for Pride and Prejudice (the play is being put on to raise money for charity). Jack and Tate end up staying for the summer and participating in the play. Casey ends up playing the female role because of her indifference towards Tate. Slowly Casey gets to know Tate and her image of him changes, but then Devlin Haines inserts himself into the picture. Devlin paints a very different picture of Tate. Is Tate’s good guy persona all an act? You will have to read The Girl from Summer Hill to find out. It is a long bumpy road to happiness. The Girl from Summer Hill is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice (yes, another one). I have not read a Jude Devereaux book in a while. I did not like her books when she moved away from the Montgomery and Taggert families. When I heard she was bringing them back, I could not resist. I was disillusioned. This book lacks her magic touch. The book is entertaining (if you like cliché romance novels) and easy to read, but it is lacking something (something that was in her earlier works). Tate and Casey dislike each other, get together, fight, happily ever after. There are other romances and situations going on at the same time as well as the play they putting together to earn money for charity. Casey is “naïve” or head in the kitchen (instead of clouds). She believes every lie she is told. Casey misconstrues conversations she overhears, and she jumps to assumptions based on little information. You just want to walk away from her (and the book). I loved the reference to A Knight in Shining Armor (my favorite book of Jude Deveraux). I give The Girl from Summer Hill 3 out of 5 stars. I was not enchanted by this novel. I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
About the author
Jude Deveraux is the author of forty-three New York Times bestsellers, including Ever After, 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. To date, there are more than sixty million copies of her books in print worldwide.
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