The Girl From Summer Hill by Jude Deveraux

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 is 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, Casey begins to think she’s been too quick to judge. Tate is 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?

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Amanda's Review:

4/5 stars 

   Out of the works that I've read by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice is actually my least favourite book of hers, however I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl from Summer Hill which was inspired by the classic. The storyline shared similarities in character relationships and personalities, the humor was a lot of quick witted thought and banter, and the scenery read as though it were both picturesque and for the most part peaceful. As far as modern day retellings go I'd say Jude has hit the nail right on the head, as well as adding that little extra special something to craft a rather light and charming read.

   The story begins by introducing the reader to Casey, a young chef living in a small cottage just a short walk from a much larger house on the same property. One morning whilst sitting in the kitchen of her new cosy little home, Casey spots someone on her front porch acting just a tad peculiar. It is after a few moments of curious spying and a miss-hit button on an answering machine, that Casey has her first introduction, a rather unpleasant one in terms of conversation, to the stranger from her front porch/ movie star/ the owner of the estate, Tate Landers. After their embarrassing first meeting, Casey goes around to apologize to Tate, but before having the chance to, she over hears some not so nice words from his mouth that completely change her mind about any sort of apology. Too bad they won't be able to avoid each other though, as both have been conned into playing the leads, Elizabeth Bennett and Mr.Darcy in the towns charity fundraising stage production of Pride and Prejudice. 

    A lot of the story features around the play and it is where most of the characters featured in the book are first introduced. There are a lot of characters first mentioned within short periods of others in the earlier chapters, so it was a little hard to keep track of who was who, but it became a lot easier to remember names and the parts they played as the story went on. It was also fun to see the reactions on stage compared to those shown off of it, giving a lot of insight into both Casey and Tate's personalities.

  Casey is a fiery and stubborn young woman who isn't afraid to say what she feels and she will most certainly not accept rude behavior from anyone without having something to say about it, especially when it comes to a certain movie star. I found myself laughing quite a few times at the thoughts that ran through Casey's head, the opening scene where she first spots Tate, is probably my favourite part of the story, as it is absolutely hilarious. Although at times there were some things she said that may also have came off a little judgmental, her personality overall was easy enough to like.

    Tate came off as judgmental at first also, however most of his actions that were just a tad impolite were understandable as he is a successful star, which some people are quick to take advantage of, so it made sense for him to be cautious and protective of his privacy.  Though with each turn of the page and the more he and Casey came to know each other, his hard exterior began to fade revealing a caring and generous man beneath.

   Although the two main characters had a rocky start, their chemistry was undeniable and the sparks that flew between them made for a very entertaining read. Their romance moved at the perfect pace and revealed different sides to both of them and also showed some traits of other surrounding characters. Jude has penned a terrific read in this story and I look forward to reading more of her other works.