I thought I would love Jude Deveraux forever because of novels like A Knight in Shining Armor and Remembrance. I felt so-so or either outright disliked some of her more recent modern fare and unfortunately her latest novel, True Love (Nantucket Brides Trilogy) is definitely an out and out dislike for me.

The first in a planned trilogy taken place on Nantucket island involves the Montgomery-Taggert family that Deveraux has written about for decades.

This story focuses on Jared Montgomery, an architect, living on Nantucket after the recent death of his great-aunt. His great aunt in her will leaves instructions for Alix Madsen, to come and live in her home for a year. Jared's aunt hopes that Alix will be able to solve the mystery of what happened to Valentina, a woman with ties to Jared's family who lived on Nantucket more than 200 years ago. Alix, we quickly find out is a recent architecture graduate and with her best friend goes to Nantucket to get over her latest break-up. While there she begins investigating the secret of the old house and finds that her past is connected with Jared's.

I marked this novel down three and a half stars due to the following:

1)I have to say that there were way too characters in this novel. I needed a flow-chart to keep people straight due to Jude Deveraux touching upon past lives and ghosts as she has done in previous novels. I actually at one point sketched out character flow charts since at the end of the novel I was still confused about who was who and who did what to who in another life (did you follow that, no, then following the novel is going to be really difficult).

2) The points of view changing in the novel from Jared and Alix to past events was too much. I liked the before mentioned "Remembrance" because it was told from just one person's point of view through their former lives so it was easier to keep straight. Having the novel shift points of view when you have the influx of characters and past lives characters was way too much overload.

3) The main plot of the novel, Alix finding out the secret of Valentina was just a non-starter. Having all of the other characters' keeping secrets from her was uber frustrating since it makes no sense why she can't be told these things. I thought something would happen, like a paradox or some such thing but nope. No one tells her for any discernible reason that I can think of in the end. Also at the resolution of the story I have no idea how Jude Deveraux plans on writing part two or three in this trilogy. I could hazard a guess at the next bride in the trilogy due to the ending of this novel, but I really don't want to read anymore about ghosts or pasts lives again.

4) The romance part of the novel was dull. I felt no heat between Jared and Alix and I was very disappointed. Re-reading "A Knight in Shining Armor" and "Remembrance" the other day I remember how much love I felt between those characters in those books. I felt as if Jared and Alix fell in love because that was the way that Jude Deveraux wrote it, not because I felt like Jared and Alix were meant for each other.

To sum, I would pass on this novel. I am definitely not going to get book two or three in the "Nantucket Brides Trilogy."

I received this novel for free via the Amazon Vine Program ( )

I know that I am in a minority in wanting to read romance that doesn't include sex; sex is wonderful but I don't really want to read about it - I much prefer that it be implicit or implied or hinted at than described.

I loved the Nantucket setting and I liked Alix and Jared. It did strike me as a bit unbelievable that Alix's mother Victoria got away with all her manipulations and lies (and what I would call theft) without even an arguement...

Tavia Gilbert was great in her voice for Alix; her other voices could have done with a bit more personality. ( )

A bit too long, not as romantic as her other books. The writing was just OK, very basic at times. I didn't love it as much as some of her other books. ( )

This was a wonderful book and I loved all the characters main and side. Romance, mystery, family tales, and hauntings fill the book and make it very enjoyable. Nantucket is a lovely setting for the story and I very much enjoyed it taking place there. I did particularly enjoy the ghost and the secrets of the past being unraveled after over 200 years. ( )

http://pepitamagica.blogspot.pt/2015/05/livro-amor-verdadeiro-jude-deveraux.html

Eu quero tanto dizer coisas boas acerca deste livro… Eu gostei bastante mas tenho uma crítica enorme a fazer… Este livro é praticamente igual ao “Jardim de Alfazema”, da mesma autora. Vou dar-vos uns exemplos:

Jardim de alfazema:
- Morre uma senhora e deixa uma casa a uma jovem, numa cidade onde toda a gente é família.
- Há um homem famoso que a dita jovem admira nessa cidade.
- Há uma história a descobrir na cidade e é a jovem que tem que descobrir a verdade
- Nessa cidade há mulheres que rapidamente se tornam melhores amigas da jovem.

Amor Verdadeiro:
- Morre uma senhora e deixa uma casa a uma jovem, numa cidade onde toda a gente é família.
- Há um homem famoso que a dita jovem admira nessa cidade.
- Há uma história a descobrir na cidade e é a jovem que tem que descobrir a verdade
- Nessa cidade há mulheres que rapidamente se tornam melhores amigas da jovem.

Serão semelhanças suficientes? Estava sempre a ter um flashback de história de Joce e Luke, os protagonistas de “Jardim de Alfazema”, em vez de seguir apenas a história de Alix e Jared, as personagens principais de “Amor Verdadeiro”.

Apesar disso, e como podem ver se forem espreitar a minha estante no Goodreads, eu gostei bastante do Jardim de Alfazema. E talvez por isso tenha gostado tanto deste livro, apesar de tudo o que poderia ter contra ele – inovação não é o ponto forte, como podem perceber.

A história até tinhas uns pontos diferentes e que gostei bastante, incluindo um fantasma mais real que qualquer fantasma que já tenha lido, uma mãe que apesar das festas e doidices todas acaba por ter um coração de ouro, um pai carinhoso que merece todo o amor que teve noutra vida e um paralelo com vidas passadas que nos prende do início ao fim.

A escrita de Jude é, como sempre, divertida e coerente, com um espírito alegre e cativante.

Faço apenas mais uma crítica, neste caso directamente à tradução portuguesa: encontrei vários erros, tanto ortográficos como de construção frásica (erro esse que não estava presente no original).

Depois de uma crítica destas parece que seria difícil dar um rating a este livro, não?

Pelo contrário: desde que o acabei que sei que merece, apesar de tudo, as 4 bolachas bem completas! Porque mesmo tendo um plot super semelhante a outra obra da autora, eu sou uma eterna fã da Jude Deveraux, adoro histórias de cidades em que todos são família e onde se vê que haverá uma continuação onde poderemos rever as nossas queridas personagens e acima de tudo, gosto de uma escrita fluída que me ligue às personagens e à história, fazendo com que eu consiga imaginar quase na perfeição, tudo o que se passa, desde as belas casas de Nantucket onde se desenrola a acção deste livro, até ao aspecto físico, mental e emocional de cada personagem.

Um romance divertido e que apaixona pelas histórias de cada um dos habitantes (e amigos dos habitantes) desta ilha de Nantucket. ( )