Return to Summerhouse by: Jude Deveraux

 

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In "Return to Summerhouse," Jude Deveraux revisits the enchanting Maine summerhouse where magic intertwines with the lives of three women seeking solace and a chance to rewrite their pasts. Amy, reeling from a recent miscarriage, Faith, a widow mourning a love from years gone by, and Zoe, an artist grappling with amnesia and a tarnished reputation, find themselves drawn together by their shared pain.

Book Description

Magic most definitely resides in the Maine summerhouse where the mysterious Madame Zoya has granted the innermost wishes of its visitors. Now, three women have come to this special place with one thing in common: a painful past they would each like to rewrite. Amy, who hides a heartbreaking loss behind her seemingly perfect marriage and family...Faith, a widow in her thirties whose deepest grief is for a man from years ago...and Zoë, an artist shunned by her hometown for reasons she doesn't know, after a traumatic night erased her memory. With their mystical powers, Madame Zoya and her sister Primrose are about to transport the trio to eighteenth-century England to alter Amy's ancestry. But although surprises await each of them, will stepping back in time bring the women the happy endings they seek?

About Jude Deveruax

The oldest of four children, Jude grew up in a tiny town outside Louisville, Kentucky. She studied art at Murray State University, specializing in fiber arts and ceramics. She was also on the varsity rifle team. After graduation, she moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, hoping to work in the arts, but such jobs weren’t easy to find. For years she taught fifth grade and in the summers she took graduate courses at the University of New Mexico.

Every Friday she went to a bookstore, bought two fat paperback novels, and stayed up all night reading them. One night, both books were rape sagas. The “hero” raped a woman until she said she loved him. Jude turned out the light and thought If I read the perfect book, what would the plot be?

She began thinking about the story, complete with characters and dialogue. The sun came up, and she was still plotting in her mind. Three days of no sleep went by and the story was all she could think about. She thought that if she wrote down what was in her mind, it might stop. She bought a binder and some lined school paper and began to write.

Instead of going away, the story kept growing.

Meanwhile, she had a job and household responsibilities that took up all her time.

It was nearly two years before she finished the novel. Since it was all handwritten, she paid her next-door neighbor’s teenage daughter to type the pages. They came back bent and stained but readable.

Jude laughs now at her naiveté. She didn’t know you were “supposed” to get an agent before sending a book to a publishing house. She just packed it up and sent it to Avon Books, because they had pretty covers.

About a month later, she received a letter from them asking if they could please publish her book and send her money. The next day she quit her teaching job and started writing full time.

Jude has published over seventy novels, including A Knight in Shining Armor, The Summerhouse, The Girl From Summer Hill, and countless stories involving the Montgomery and Taggert families. She has over sixty-million books in print in eighteen languages. In 2013, Jude was recognized by Romantic Times with the Pioneer Award, a special recognition given to her as a pioneer in the romance genre.

Besides writing, Jude loves to travel the world and photograph her adventures. She swears she writes better on a cruise ship than she does on land. She’s lived in several states as well as England and Cairo, Egypt. Her other passions include boxing (she has a mean right cross) and weight lifting. She still writes all her novels by hand and watches English TV shows while she types her work.

When she’s back in the States, Jude lives in South Florida in a house filled with art from around the world. If she’s not traveling — and writing — she can be found in her comfy writing chair, in her screened-in patio, or driving around in her MINI Cooper.

My Thoughts

In "Return to Summerhouse," Jude Deveraux revisits the enchanting Maine summerhouse where magic intertwines with the lives of three women seeking solace and a chance to rewrite their pasts. Amy, reeling from a recent miscarriage, Faith, a widow mourning a love from years gone by, and Zoe, an artist grappling with amnesia and a tarnished reputation, find themselves drawn together by their shared pain.

Under the enigmatic guidance of Madame Zoya and her sister Primrose, the women are offered an extraordinary opportunity: to travel back to 18th-century England. Amy hopes to alter her husband's ancestry, while Faith and Zoe unexpectedly find themselves confronting their own histories and long-buried emotions in this unfamiliar time.

Deveraux skillfully weaves together elements of time travel and romance, creating a narrative that explores themes of loss, healing, and the enduring power of connection. As the women navigate the challenges of the past, they discover unexpected truths about themselves and the potential for new beginnings. The bonds they forge with each other become a lifeline, highlighting the strength found in female friendship.

While the premise leans into fantasy, Deveraux grounds the story with relatable emotional journeys. The characters are well-developed, and their individual struggles resonate, making their desire for happiness palpable. "Return to Summerhouse" offers readers a comforting blend of escapism and heartfelt emotion, a testament to Deveraux's storytelling prowess. It's a charming exploration of second chances and the idea that sometimes, looking back is the only way to truly move forward.

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