Rediscovering Jude Deveraux

I first started reading Jude Deveraux's books in 7th grade. I used to ride home on a bus service, and one of the girls who was with me there devoured her works. Nearly every other day I'd see her with a new book. Curiosity got the best of me, so I borrowed one. I think it was "The Conquest". I fell in love with the fierce warrior yet refined gentleman Tearle, and how he earned the love and respect of his lady love.

I stopped reading Jude Deveraux after I read her trilogy of books, "Forever", "Always" and "Always and Forever". While she has tackled the supernatural in her works before, somehow these three felt a little off for me, compared to her previous works. While it still featured a character from her Taggert and Montgomery series, it didn't endear itself to me like it did in her previous stories. Since the publishing of these books, I haven't picked up her work.

Early this week, I was browsing for something to read when I came across some books from her Edilean series, particularly the trilogy of "Moonlight in the Morning", "Stranger in the Moonlight" and "Moonlight Masquerade". I liked the premise of the stories, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Reading "Moonlight in the Morning" made me remember why I loved Jude Deveraux all those years ago. The sweet yet protective hero? Check. The stubborn, independent yet romantic woman with hidden talents brought out by the right circumstances? Check. The friends and family and small town shenanigans that round up the story? Got it. This book has all the elements that made me fall in love with the Montgomeries and Taggerts all those years ago, and this time, it's with a new clan altogether.

I look forward to the rest of the series, and I think I will dive into the other books in the Edilean series.