CHANGE OF HEART is the first book that I've read by Jude
Deveraux (I know, have I been under a rock somewhere?). I
also haven't read the novella, The Matchmakers, that this
novel is based upon, so I didn't have any pre-conceived
ideas or expectations. Based on what I've read in this
book, it is not likely to be the last book I read by this
author.
It's a story of the phases people go through until they
find where they belong and whom they belong with. It's not
actually one story. The first part of the book is about
Miranda Stowe and Frank Taggert. They find each other
through the intercession of two do-gooder children. Eli
Harcourt wants his mother, Miranda, to be taken care of
and
to be happy. She dreams of a love like the ones in the
romance books she reads. So, when Eli makes friends with a
billionaire widower, Frank, he thinks he has found the
answer. He and his best friend, Chelsea Hamilton cook up a
scheme to hopefully get Frank and Miranda together.
Years later, the storyline switches to the matchmakers
themselves. The once best friends have grown apart through
the years and have taken different paths. Fickle-hearted
Chelsea and steadfast Eli agree to meet and try to catch
up
on their friendship...or so Chelsea thinks. It has never
just
been about friendship for Eli. His heart has never
changed.
He hopes to convince her that she belongs with him
forever.
The heart is supposedly a fickle thing. People get
distracted by others' physical beauty and look no deeper.
Sometimes they ignore what their hearts are telling them
and lose their chance of happiness. CHANGE OF HEART by
Jude
Deveraux explores these ideas in touching, amusing, and
exciting ways. It's never too late to find love...that is
the message that beats steadily through this story...
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.