Secrets by Jude Deveraux
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although this is the first book I have ever read by Jude Deveraux, I have seen her name all over book sites and the web for some time. I was under the impression that she was just a good romance author, and so when I picked up the book, I figured that was what I would be reading.  Something light and nice with a basic romance plot.

Nothing could be further from the truth!  I now understand why this author is a best-selling novelist.  She is so much more than a typical romance novelist.  She is a master as romantic suspense writing, and I was completely engrossed in this book.

There was so much I appreciated about this novel.  It had a strong romantic story–which was what I was initially looking for.  In addition to this, she added a fantastically suspenseful plot with lots of twists and turns. I remember thinking halfway through that I was not even assured what would happen at the end!  Would it even end how I thought it should?

I would certainly put Jude Deveraux in the same category as Agatha Christie, and that is saying something.  I found myself not wanting to put this book down once a chapter finished because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.  There was never a dull moment in this book, and the writing was dynamic!

The other thing I appreciated about this book was the absence of steamy sex scenes.  While sex was mentioned as having happened, it was not described in detail. I also appreciated the absence of vulgar language.  There was an occasional mild word, but nothing that was truly horrendous.  This author has easily become one of my favorite romance novelists, and I  can hardly wait to read more of her books.  I now know why she is considered one of the greats!

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