From AudioFile
In tones of soft Southern charm edged with erotic passion, Jennifer Wiltsie captivates the listener in this complex story of romance and murder. Wiltsie characterizes Holly, heiress to the Latham fortune, as charming and spunky. The gardener, her recent love interest, is handsome and debonair, but possibly dangerous. Using Southern accents, Wiltsie excels at defining each character. Side breaks are clear, and music enhances the action. Excellent pacing smoothly moves the plot toward an unexpected conclusion as long-held secrets are revealed. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Book Description
Jude Deveraux, the dazzling New York Times bestselling author of Wild Orchids and Forever and Always delivers a delightful and passionate yuletide tale sure to become a classic this and every holiday season. Hollander "Holly" Latham can't believe her good fortune. After endless calls, letters, emails, and promises, she's finally persuaded her parents to buy Spring Hill Plantation just outside beautiful, historic Edenton in eastern North Carolina -- and strategically located near Belle Chere, the purest, most untouched plantation site in America. At the tender age of thirteen, Holly fell in love with Lorrie Beaumont, who inherited the Revolutionary-period estate when his heiress mother died during childbirth. Though more than a decade has passed since Holly last locked eyes with her childhood love, the passion she felt in her young heart has never come close to extinguishing -- that is, until charming, ruggedly handsome Nick Taggert unexpectedly waltzes into her life and treats her to an unforgettable weekend of laughter and intense passion. Despite Holly's undeniable attraction to this dazzling stranger, she knows he's not marriage material. What Holly doesn't know is that Nick Taggert is actually Dr. Nicholas Taggert. Having been with more than his share of women only interested in money and pedigree, Nick decides to test Holly and conceal his more refined qualities. Will Holly be seduced by Lorrie's wealth and privilege, or will she choose the simple gift of love that Nick has offered her? The answer is unveiled on a starry Christmas night, when passion, hate, and greed collide to reveal bitter truths that will forever change the course of Holly's charmed life. With Holly, Jude Deveraux once again uses her golden touch to conjure up a tale full of dazzling intrigue and inspiring romance. It is a story for all seasons and one to remember always.


Download Description
"Jude Deveraux, the dazzling New York Times bestselling author of Wild Orchids and Forever and Always delivers a delightful and passionate yuletide tale sure to become a classic this and every holiday season. Hollander ""Holly"" Latham can't believe her good fortune. After endless calls, letters, emails, and promises, she's finally persuaded her parents to buy Spring Hill Plantation just outside beautiful, historic Edenton in eastern North Carolina -- and strategically located near Belle Chere, the purest, most untouched plantation site in America. At the tender age of thirteen, Holly fell in love with Lorrie Beaumont, who inherited the Revolutionary-period estate when his heiress mother died during childbirth. Though more than a decade has passed since Holly last locked eyes with her childhood love, the passion she felt in her young heart has never come close to extinguishing -- that is, until charming, ruggedly handsome Nick Taggert unexpectedly waltzes into her life and treats her to an unforgettable weekend of laughter and intense passion. Despite Holly's undeniable attraction to this dazzling stranger, she knows he's not marriage material. What Holly doesn't know is that Nick Taggert is actually Dr. Nicholas Taggert. Having been with more than his share of women only interested in money and pedigree, Nick decides to test Holly and conceal his more refined qualities. Will Holly be seduced by Lorrie's wealth and privilege, or will she choose the simple gift of love that Nick has offered her? The answer is unveiled on a starry Christmas night, when passion, hate, and greed collide to reveal bitter truths that will forever change the course of Holly's charmed life. With Holly, Jude Deveraux once again uses her golden touch to conjure up a tale full of dazzling intrigue and inspiring romance. It is a story for all seasons and one to remember always. "


About the Author
Jude Deveraux is the author of 31 New York Times bestsellers, including Wild Orchids, Forever and Always, Forever..., The Mulberry Tree, The Summerhouse, and Temptation. To date there are more than forty-five million copies of her books in print. Jude Deveraux lives in North Carolina with her six-year-old son, Sam.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Readers who like their Christmas on the hot side should go straight to Holly, a Christmas romance from Jude Deveraux, New York Times–bestselling author of Forever and Always.

The plot of this Yuletide confection revolves around a passionate fling that erupts by chance between wealthy young Hollander "Holly" Latham and mysterious Nick Taggert when they meet at the site of an old plantation. Holly, who inherited a passion for restoring old homes as a teenager -- the same year she fell in love with Lorrie Beaumont -- has persuaded her parents to buy the Spring Hill Plantation, a property that has seen better days. But Holly's interest in restoring the plantation is surpassed by her desire to rekindle a relationship with her new neighbor, Lorrie. Nick Taggert, a handsome doctor masquerading as a trucker, is hiding out from the aftermath of a bad breakup by riding a motorcycle and staying in a friend's garage in the area. The two first meet when Holly falls into an old cistern, and Nick comes to her rescue. But nothing is what it seems to be in this romance with a dash of mystery and threat. Are the money and status that Lorrie offers enough to make Holly turn her back on the powerful attraction she feels to Nick? The love triangle comes to a peak on a tumultuous Christmas Eve. Ginger Curwen

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Jude Deveraux, the dazzling New York Times bestselling author of Wild Orchids and Forever and Always delivers a delightful and passionate yuletide tale sure to become a classic this and every holiday season.

Hollander "Holly" Latham can't believe her good fortune. After endless calls, letters, emails, and promises, she's finally persuaded her parents to buy Spring Hill Plantation just outside beautiful, historic Edenton in eastern North Carolina -- and strategically located near Belle Chere, the purest, most untouched plantation site in America.

At the tender age of thirteen, Holly fell in love with Lorrie Beaumont, who inherited the Revolutionary-period estate when his heiress mother died during childbirth. Though more than a decade has passed since Holly last locked eyes with her childhood love, the passion she felt in her young heart has never come close to extinguishing -- that is, until charming, ruggedly handsome Nick Taggert unexpectedly waltzes into her life and treats her to an unforgettable weekend of laughter and intense passion.

Despite Holly's undeniable attraction to this dazzling stranger, she knows he's not marriage material. What Holly doesn't know is that Nick Taggert is actually Dr. Nicholas Taggert. Having been with more than his share of women only interested in money and pedigree, Nick decides to test Holly and conceal his more refined qualities. Will Holly be seduced by Lorrie's wealth and privilege, or will she choose the simple gift of love that Nick has offered her? The answer is unveiled on a starry Christmas night, when passion, hate, and greed collide to reveal bitter truths that will forever change the course of Holly's charmed life.

With Holly, Jude Deveraux once again uses her golden touch to conjure up a tale full of dazzling intrigue and inspiring romance. It is a story for all seasons and one to remember always.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

When Holly Latham's penchant for exploring derelict historic homes lands her in a 12-foot-deep pit-with a rattlesnake looking on-the handsome hunk who rescues her is the last person with whom she expects to have a wild fling. But relief and passion catch them both off guard-and the results are more far-reaching than either expects. An old plantation with a sordid past, a legendary treasure, and a pair of protagonists who want to be loved only for themselves combine with jealousy, obsession, and class issues in a fast-paced tale with more than one deadly twist. Barely within the "Holiday" camp-the final chapters take place at Christmas-this sexy story is loosely linked to Deveraux's recent Forever and Always, and fans will already be waiting. Deveraux is a New York Times best-selling author and lives in North Carolina. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/03, as A Christmas Tale.] Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile