REVIEW: The Girl from Summer Hill by Jude Deveraux

In The Girl from Summer Hill (Summer Hill #1) by Jude Deveraux, Chef Casey Reddick’s return to Summer Hill, Virginia is giving her some much needed time to figure out the next step since her recent breakup. But little did she know that the owner of her rental cottage is movie star Tate Landers. Or that she would end up playing Elizabeth Bennet to his Mr. Darcy in the local production of Pride and Prejudice. Life begins to imitate art as Casey goes from exasperated to then smitten with Tate, all while his ex-brother-in-law Devlin Haines, aptly playing Mr. Wickham in the play, tries to woo her and fill her head with gossip. Which man should she trust?

“I’ve wanted you since I saw you in those pajamas.”
“You yelled at me.”
“It was either that or throw you across the kitchen table.”
“Too bad I wasn’t given a choice.”

Tate will admit he made a bad first impression with Casey after his arrival at his family’s plantation. But now she won’t listen to reason, having already impressively put him in place for his attitude. Which he has to admit he likes. She’s the first woman who has ever seen him for who he really is, not just the movie star persona, and he wants more. Tate figures playing Darcy in the local play will help them grow closer. What he didn’t plan on was evil Devlin showing up and causing problems. Feeling like he’s living one of the romantic movies he’s famous for, Tate is determined to win the heart of his leading lady and ride off into the sunset. Or at least get Casey to stop threatening bodily harm. Either way, it’s a win.

“…How do you disprove something that a person is absolutely sure is true? Casey has made up her mind about me, and I don’t know how to change it.”

The Girl from Summer Hill is technically a rewrite of Pride and Prejudice but it felt totally fresh and original. Completely modern and hysterically funny, I fell in love with the characters and their antics on and off the stage.

“You–the great romance hero–came on to her and she turned you down?”
Tate sighed. “Yeah, that’s just what happened. I used the full-blown, come-to-me look of the hero. The one I get paid so much to do. But she curled her very pretty upper lip at me and told me to drop dead. More or less.”

I honestly can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for Jude Deveraux to write this delightful ‘story within a story within a story’. And the fact that she pulls it off so well, with the actors and local townspeople’s lives a separate thread from the play itself, yet still intersecting in some ways was truly impressive. Now I know that there were a lot of characters to keep track of, with this being told from multiple POVs, so some readers may be overwhelmed by it. But I thought it worked in this case. It was like a madcap adventure that everyone was involved in, each scene filled with subtle, dry humor that I loved.

From the memorable (sexy) opening lines it was clear that Tate and Casey were much like Darcy and Elizabeth. The spark of attraction, the animosity and aloofness. I came to love their tiffs as much as their smoldering chemistry. Tate was such a likable, kind guy once you got to know what was behind the superstar bravado. And Casey was feisty but still caring and loyal. They both shared a compassionate nature that worked well for them in dealing with the other actors in the play and with their friends. I got such a kick out of how Tate ‘motivated’ Casey in her acting when she was to deliver her lines putting Darcy down by riling her up. Worked like a charm.

The secondary characters were every bit as complete and engaging as Tate and Casey were. I love, love, loved the director, Kit Montgomery, who is a tie-in with the Nantucket series. He was mysterious yet commanding and had everyone alternately loving him and quaking in their shoes. The other scene-stealer was Tate’s lovely little niece Emmie. What a smart sweetie pie she was! She had her uncle wrapped right around her finger. And of course I have to mention the crazy peacock. Let’s just say that Tate tangled with the wily beast and it was quite entertaining. After that it became a hilarious recurring role/punch line with everyone. *giggle-snort*

Quirky locals. Mysterious family history. Steamy romances. I was absolutely charmed by this first novel in the new Summer Hill series. I’m not sure what Jude Deveraux has planned for us in the next installment, but if it follows suit it will become a fan favorite.

Book Info:

Publication: Published May 3rd 2016 | by Ballantine Books | Summer Hill #1

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 are 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 anecstral 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, she begins to think she’s been too quick to judge. Tate’s 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?