Eden Palmer knows how to make it on her own. This forty-
five year-old single mother has worked hard to raise her
beloved daughter. Melissa, Eden's daughter, has long been
the jewel of her life but there comes a time when a mother
must come into her own. So Eden moves to Arundel, North
Carolina to take ownership of Farrington Manor. Torn
between the desire to stay with her daughter and the need
to build a separate life on her own, Eden opts for some
much needed perspective.
Her move is met with delight in some quarters, and
jealousy in others. Pursued by two eligible bachelors,
Eden is flattered, and more than a little suspicious.
Juggling the attentions of two men is hard enough, but
soon Eden's bid to start over plunges her in the middle of
a mystery that threatens not just her plans and
reputation, but her very life. Can she use one man to save
her from the other?
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
With her daughter happily married, fortyish single mom
Eden decides to seek her own happiness in small-town North
Carolina-and instead finds trouble. Copyright 2005 Reed
Business Information.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
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Helen, jumping for joy, January 25, 2006,
This book had me go OH MY GOD at the end!!!!
If this is the first book you've read by Jude Deveraux,
this is a great one. However, you wouldn't understand the
last sentence in the book that had me gasping for air and
totally jumping for joy! If you are already a big Jude
Deveraux fan, RUN and get this book. The story is
heartwarming and totally introspective of a mother who had
a very harsh life. Raped when she was 17, she had to raise
her daughter when so many stigmas are attached to those
like her. She used her brains and braun to get ahead. At
40, she's finally living the life she wished. Except the
whole daughter and son in law thing, everything's great.
When an inheritance comes up in NC, she hurries there not
knowing that the FBI has their eye on her and her actions.
The FBI sends one of their best agents undercover. Jared
McBride does not even want to like Eden, but can't help
falling for her. And then there's Brad who is already in
love with Eden. Who will she choose? What happens to the
mystery that the FBI has to solve with Eden as the major
suspect? Read the book!
Tamara, a graduate student and mom., January 20, 2006,
Trite and confusing
I picked this up because I have loved her books in the
past. This one was just not very good. There is no reason
on Earth for the love relationships to form, and there is
a lot of confusing 'mystery' plot - not that you didn't
understand it, just that it didn't make sense. This one
seems written in a hurry, without much plot or character
to carry a pretty flimsy story. Wait till it comes out in
paperback.
A reviewer, September 29, 2005,
An enjoyable romantic suspense
Forty-nine year old Agent Jared McBride feels too old to
do another field assignment, but his boss insists. Agent
Roger Applegate had been selling out his country for
fifteen years, but swallowed incriminating notes just
before the feds arrived they found the hard way a scrap
that named an Eden Palmer with her social security number.
The Feds want to know the connection..................
Jared is to investigate forty-five years old single mom
Eden who recently left New York City when she inherited a
home in Arundel, North Carolina from the late Alice
Farrington who she once worked for. Jared learns that when
his target was seventeen she was coming home from choir
practice when she was raped when she became pregnant her
parents tossed her out of her home. Alice took her and her
newborn into her home, but Eden fled when Melissa turned
five because her employer’s son was a
pedophile. .............. Jared knows he must be cautious
because someone killed agent Tess Brewster in Arundel. To
get close to Eden he begins to court her, but for the
first time Jared is emotionally involved as he has fallen
in love with his mark who may be a
traitor................... FIRST IMPRESSIONS is a
delightful romantic thriller that stars two wonderful
middle age protagonists, both wanting to start over. Jared
is caught between duty and love as he finds the warm Eden
is a fabulous beautiful person who he desires and is so
removed from his FIRST IMPRESSIONS of a victimized Mother
Theresa (based on her file). Eden just wants to connect,
but also begins to learn that a house is not a home.
Together with a fine support cast they provide fans with
an enjoyable romantic suspense................ Harriet
Klausner