The Girl from Summer Hill

A Summer Hill Novel

By: Jude Deveraux

Narrated by: Emily Rankin

Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

New York Times best-selling 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 DC 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 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, 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?

©2016 Jude Deveraux (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"Filled with family, friends, ghosts and the magic of love." ( BookPage)

"Thoroughly enjoyable." ( Publishers Weekly)

"A beautifully written story with a refreshing old-romance feel." ( RT Book Reviews)

Laugh Out Loud

I enjoyed the new slant on Pride and Prejudice. I felt like it was predictablei it was following the story. However, I really enjoyed the humor. I caught myself driving down the road alone laughing out loud. So if you need a book to relax with and laugh this book is for you.

Outstanding

Sophisticated romance. This is a rare jewel of a story. All the reasons I fell in love with Jude Deveraux’s books years ago. This has comedy, suspense, a peacock, a play, Uncle Kit (for those of you who have read Ever After), a cute little Emmie, hot guys and a variety of pretty women. All together, it makes a wonderful story which is just multiplied by the narration. I will listen to this many times before I can walk away from it. When you can’t stop the story...reading...listening...reading-listening, you know you have a good one. Highly recommend.

wonderful

I loved this story, it was funny and exciting! I would love to see what happens with Josh as well. I want to hear kit story with Olivia!

Modern day pride and prejudice

Another great Deveraux novel. While not my favourite it still read very well and told a story with some meaning.
Worth a listen.

interesting storyline ...but...it was..eh

I liked the storyline concept. It was good how the author worked the Pride and Prejudice storyline into the 'present ' storyline. But, it kept gttng confusing and it dragged on and on.... It was also not very believable (and confusing )with some of the subplots tht were going on.
I think tht the narrator did a good job. But, some of her male characters voices would interchange (Josh and Devlin), and tht would be confusing.

My husband even liked it

My only complaint is the poor quality of the recording. My husband said it sounded like an old record. It did! But the story was great and the performance very entertaining.

Darn, now I have to get the rest of the series!

I have to find out how the lives of the others turn out. Be warned - like chips you can't stop at one.

Would not stop listening until the end!

What did you love best about The Girl from Summer Hill?

This was modern day and the location could have been in my backyard. The story line was a story within the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tate, he seemed even in temperment.

What about Emily Rankin’s performance did you like?

A smooth listen, nice voice with appropriate reactions is areas of the book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The peacock!

Any additional comments?

Worth every credit!!!!

ok, but not knight in shining armor

very avarage, for Deveraux fans disapointing. book was just Ok, nothing I would listen again.

Wonderful Romance

I've listened to lots of romance novels on Audible recently, and I've been very disappointed in the quality of writing even when the narrator does an excellent job. I decided maybe I should just give up on romance Audible for a while. I have found it difficult to find decent recordings because the same authors and titles pop up as recommendations based on books I've returned after listening to just the first few horrible chapters. But I decided to look for romance novels by authors I've enjoyed in the past. I'm so glad I did. I ended up staying up until 4 a.m. just listening to the end of this book—I usually just listen as I walk or run errands. I was sad when book ended. Jude Deveraux did an wonderful job with the story line which was lighthearted and funny—even when the author dealt with tough issues. I loved the characters. The writing and the narration were equally wonderful. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves romance as an escape from the day-to-day stress of 2020 and 2021.