Heartwishes

Breathlessly awaiting the next Edilean Novel! Jude Devereaux is one of my favorite authors ! This book is bringing the Frasher family into modern times! While my favorites are the historical types of her books, I do love a continuing series! So, Jude, keep them coming!

This book was ordered LARGE PRINT.....but i received a small print book........i was refunded my purchase $$.....but i really wanted the LARGE PRINT book..........i am sure i will like the book but.......

I have just finished reading Heartwishes! I loved the epilogue, it helps you understand the Frazier's. I was sorry to see it end. According to Jude's web page she is writing about Gemma's doctor friend Tristin which will be published in December you can preorder it now. Moonlight in the Morning

Like several other readers who have posted here, I have been a long-time Deveraux reader, starting with A Knight in Shining Armour.
I was happy to see another title available, and the positive reviews only bolstered my decision.
I wish I had taken it out of the library...it was the first disappointing read I have had from this author, I am so disappointed!
Flat characters, no story, just filler and kissing.
Don't waste your money...if you have to read it, support your local library

I realize I'm going against the general opinion here, but I thought "Heartwishes" was a good read (NOT the great page-turner other have posted about). Jude Deveraux once again weaves a very interesting story, this time involving the Fraziers and their family's magical legend.

What I loved most about reading "Heartwishes" was the sense of familiarity I found within the story. Not only was the Edilean Saga expanded on, but other very 'Deveraux-like' qualities appear in the book as well... almost as if she incorporated aspects of a few of her previous books ("Wishes", "Sweet Liar", etc) into a brand new tale.

What I *didn't* love most about reading "Heartwishes" was the sense of familiarity I found within the story... What I mean to say is that Ms. Deveraux seems to be using alot of the "classic" aspects of her books like a crutch. Young, pretty researcher? Check. Cousins involved in a pseudo-love triangle? Check. Love-sick, "jock" cousin jealous of his polar opposite, calm and handsome, "tall and lean" cousin? Check. Mysterious circumstances and some kind of treasure to be found? Check! ... All of that, combined with one too many descriptions of Gemma being one of the boys and working out, the plotline involving Jean and her uncle, the 'Mayberry-ness' of the citizens of Edilean, etc... There was just too much going on in the story for me to completely enjoy the book.

"Heartwishes" is definitely worth a read, but might not be the strongest story in the Edilean Series thus far. That being said I'm definitely looking forward to 'Moonlight in the Morning.'

The premise of the book sounded so interesting. It took 68 pages till the main character, Gemma, gets the job. Well, we already knew she would or there wouldn't be a book. A lot of unnecessary filler right off the bat. Then the author starts introducing a lot of characters with really weird names (annoying) and I felt the story, if there was one, was already getting lost. I started skipping pages already at page 70, and finally just gave up. This author, in general, writes a lot of boring, descriptions of things that don't matter. I had hoped maybe this book would be different, but it wasn't. Isla, Perregrine, Alea, Gemma......this is just a sampling of the idiotic names in this book. Yuk. It's seems like a diversion for lack of a good story.

Maybe because it's part of a series - Edilean Novels, or somesuch - that I haven't read, but I found very little meat on the bones of this book. The characters seem to be purely romance novel cardboard cut-outs, and there's very little of the dialog that I can imagine actual people saying. The author is repetitious to fault, telling us over and over again mainly how beautiful, rich and/or educated everyone is, how hot they are for someone or other, how they love to work out, and mainly how perfect they all are. The story advances at a snails pace, and mostly concerns how the heroine gets the guy, a foregone conclusion we can all guess from the start. The only item of interest, to me, at least, is the magical item at the heart of the story, and how such an item can exist in the prosaic world. But such consideration is scarcely mentioned, and none of the book's characters seem to give it more than a passing thought. Also, the editing is abyssmal, with all the aforementioned repetition and a plethoria of howlers throughout. But, I will give credit for correct usage of the phrase "I couldn't care less" rather than the more common and logically inverse "I could care less."

Classic Jude Deveraux: clever, witty, compassionate and compelling all at the same time. Jude is the queen of one-liners, and she has some zingers in Heartwishes. The scene with Mr. Lang in the grocery had me laughing out loud, and I cheered Gemma on the "blowing magazines off the table."

Since other reviewers have already told the basic story, I'll skip that. One of the many reasons I love reading Jude's books, and Heartwishes in particular, is that if you go deeper than the premise, there's a lot more to it. You can read this book as a basic romance novel, or you can start reading between the lines and learn so much more.

Colin was a very flawed hero in the beginning. His lack of communication skills, and his pattern of picking fights with her to vent his frustration and disappointment are a common and often serious problem. How many men do we know who are like that? It sabotages relationships and more than once has been the cause of a breakup, even divorce. For me, his athleticism - creating his own body, if you will - was a way for him to express himself and feel powerful and successful at something while he was being controlled and manipulated by his father's wishes.

Jean (the Dragon, LOL) didn't have anything to go on but her own conclusions that he was jealous of her success, and she was fighting serious battles of her own that she couldn't share with him. She didn't turn to Colin for help because she'd learned not to trust men and he was emotionally unavailable. We see the problems and misunderstandings caused by keeping secrets, not being honest with our feelings, and basically being inauthentic.

Gemma's ability to break through Colin's barriers was a blessing to him, and she did it by being open and direct. She taught him a lot, as you'll see in the story, and Jude shows us how, together, they created a wonderful partnership.

I saw in another review that Gemma was pegged as a stereotypical heroine, but I didn't see her that way at all. Her childhood experiences led her to her chosen profession (and as an amateur genealogist, I loved it!) She became a jock while tutoring her "boys", and Jude reminded me that balance is necessary. I have a tendency to veer towards being either athletically or cerebrally focussed, and Gemma balances both well. Seriously? I didn't think an athletic, kickboxing history professor-to-be was stereotypical at all, LOL!! Both of her skills were necessary to the story.

For me, the hidden gem (excuse the pun) in this book was that Jude showed us a type of dysfunctional relationship, the damage it can cause, and that we shouldn't accept it as "normal" or try to live with it. Why not change it so we can have our own "happily ever after", instead of just reading about it in novels?

Finally: if you could be granted one wish from deep in your heart, for yourself or someone else, what would it be? It's not just winning the lottery, a new job or career, living in a particular place, it's an invitation to look deep in your heart and ask yourself what you really, truly want in life.

I highly recommend Heartwishes. It's a beautiful love story with a mystery thrown in (always love that combination), and I truly enjoy revisiting the Edilean characters.

This is another of the fun and entertaining romance stories from Jude Deveraux. I have been reading her stories for years, and they always deliver a 'sit and enjoy' kind of read. Not overly serious or deep, but funny and quite readable. They seem to be blending of late, but still provide a step out of reality into fantasy of a romance, if you are a fan of "Pretty Woman" sort of storyline in every book.

The Edilean series is the only Jude Devereaux series that I have ever read, so I can't compare this with her other books. I know some don't like this series at all. I enjoyed this as a nice "escape" novel, as I have all the others in the series. But the Kindle price is outrageously high -- I got it from the library instead.

Ah, this book really delivers the goods! I love the people and felt connected to the story and the plot. The heroine was way more gutsy than I'd expected, the hero was cool and vulnerable and the family & cast of characters definitely kept me reading. Only thing that was a tad sketchy was the uncle, didn't get all that. But that's me. Can't wait for the doctor's story, or one of the other brothers now. Excellent read!

Applause to Jude for an extremely well-written and enjoyable installment in the Edilean series! I truly loved it! The characters are lovable (well, most of them - lol) and it was so much fun to read. I love it when the main characters start out liking each other and their friendship evolves into love. That's all I'm going to say about that! Read this one for sure!!

I have certainly read better. I liked the story in the beginning but then it seemed to become trite and I started reading quickly so the story could be resolved. I am very surprised by the excellent reviews. I found many of the characters shallow and not credible. If you want a light novel to pass the time, then pick this one up and read it.