Part one of this story shows us best friends Eli Harcourt
and Chelsea
Hamilton. Eli, at twelve years old, is a genius, with
prestigious
colleges like Princeton, courting him. It is his dream to
attend such a
University but he worries about leaving his mom Miranda,
whom he utterly
adores. Miranda is extremely hard-working as a nurse and
is trying to keep
up with all of their bills, but always hands over what
little money they have
to Leslie, Eli's deadbeat dad, who shows up whenever he
needs cash.
Eli's
best friend Chelsea, seems the opposite to nerdy Eli. From
a very wealthy
family and beautiful to go with it, Chelsea is also
extremely clever, so
together, the childhood friends take on the role of 'Robin
Hood' to help
people as much as possible.
Eli and Chelsea decide that they need to find
Miranda a husband that deserves her, and it just so
happens that Eli knows
an eccentric billionaire, Franklin Taggert, who is in need
of some private
care for an injury. As Miranda and Franklin are manoeuvred
together, it
doesn't take them long to figure out Eli's plan, but as
sparks begin to fly,
Franklin struggles with acknowledging what he really
wants. Can they all
have their happy ever after?
Fast forward to Part Two and we find Eli and Chelsea all
grown up. Eli has
a top secret job with the Government, whilst developing
computer games
on the side. He has changed from a skinny child into a
masculine, sexy guy
that girls are falling over themselves to be with. However
Eli is not
interested. He has never forgotten Chelsea, even though
she suddenly
stopped writing to him after her family moved. Eli, being
a computer genius,
has kept tabs on what she has been doing over the years,
and wonders
what has happened to the Chelsea he knew and loved.
Instead of the
caring, beautiful, intelligent girl he grew up with,
Chelsea appears to be
conceited and self-absorbed, too busy dating playboys to
actually do
anything fulfilling with her life. Eli wants her to find
her way back, so taking
time off from work, he organises for her to come and visit
him. Chelsea is
unwilling to go but finds herself at his house anyway.
After an apparent
misunderstanding, they embark on a journey to rediscover
their friendship,
but they have an explosive connection that neither one can
deny. In the
midst of their reconnection, Eli and Chelsea become
embroiled in a case
perfect for the 'Robin Hood' duo. Involving an innocent
widow Grace and
her daughter Amy, Eli and Chelsea stumble into a nest of
criminal activity,
blackmail and treachery. Will Chelsea open up and accept
her feelings for
Eli and what that might mean for their future, or will she
run and shut him
out like she has in the past? And will they be able to
escape the danger
they seem to have found themselves in?
CHANGE OF HEART by Jude Deveraux is absolutely
enthralling. I love
part one of the story where we get to know Eli, Chelsea,
Miranda and
Frank, and their relationships together. I was so happy
that I then got to see
Eli and Chelsea all grown up. Eli is so sweet and sincere
that I could not
help cheering him on in his pursuit of Chelsea. Chelsea
doesn't really know
what path her life should take and as she struggles with
what she wants, I,
as the reader, was willing her to make the right choice.
The chemistry
between the two characters was absolutely sizzling, so
when you throw in a
mystery involving blackmail and an undiscovered secret, I
was completely
hooked. I read CHANGE OF HEART in one sitting because I
physically could not put it
down. Jude Deveraux is an excellent storyteller and I look
forward to her
next novel.
Two childhood playmates grow into more than just friends
in
#1 New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux’s
full-length romantic novel based on her short story of the
same name.
In the hugely popular, New York Times bestseller A Holiday
of Love, Jude Deveraux wrote a novella about two kids
playing matchmakers—Eli and Chelsea, best friends who were
determined to find true love for Eli’s bighearted mother.
But what happens when these ambitious children grow up?
What
exactly made Eli’s mother, Miranda, fall in love with
Frank
all those years ago? And how does that affect their future
together?
Eli and Chelsea lost touch with each other over the years,
until Eli bought a house in his father’s hometown of
Edilean, Virginia, and invited Chelsea for a visit. She
had
her own life, and was certain that a childhood friendship
couldn't be anything more, but she went nonetheless—and
found herself quite unprepared for the changes she saw in
Eli. And neither of them were prepared to run into a
mystery, with a family that needed to be rescued.
Now, just like when they were children, they must join
together to straighten out a very big problem. The
question
is what happens after the mystery is solved; they are very
different people—so can they stay together?
Combining love and passion with sweet, unexpected twists,
and shedding new light on Miranda and Frank’s
relationship,
Change of Heart is an unforgettable addition to Deveraux’s
classic bestselling novels.