Ever After: A Nantucket Brides Novel (Nantucket Brides Trilogy Book 3)

"Using kisses to calm him from a nightmare wasn't exactly professional behavior."THE STORY: Hallie Hartley is just beginning her career as a physical therapist. Hallie's stepsister Shelly impersonates her in order to take her inheritance, a house on Nantucket. When Hallie finds out, she decides to step into the role that Shelly had created -- being the physical therapist for a man who will be staying at Hallie's Nantucket house. James "Jamie" Michael Taggert was injured in a skiing accident and comes to Nantucket to recover. Jamie is pleased to find out of the switch in sisters because he finds Hallie much more attractive than her sister. Jamie, however, has secrets that he doesn't want to share which has caused him to want to recover away from his loving family. Jamie and Hallie also discover that the house they inhabit might be haunted by the ghosts of two sisters who are infamous matchmakers.OPINION: This is the story of two people who have been damaged by life and bear scars physical and emotional. Hallie has survived despite her dysfunctional family and Jamie is hiding from the overwhelming love of his wonderful family. They join forces and manage to heal one another.Hallie has been beaten down by her stepmother and stepsister. Abandoned by her family emotionally, she has gotten used to being second choice of almost everyone. At the same time, she is smart and sensible and works hard. When she discovers her stepsister's deception, she doesn't succumb to drama but takes on the responsibility of being Jamie's physical therapist.Jamie has a big loving family but he cannot bear to be with them because they are smothering him with their concern and care. When he comes to Nantucket, he finds that Hallie's practical refusal to coddle him is exactly what he needs.I really liked the updates on the characters from prior books and the appearances of various Montgomerys and Taggerts.Unlike the prior books in the series, the ghosts here are less important to the story and are merely traditional hauntings. I missed the immediacy of the importance of the ghosts' stories from the previous books in the series. There is nothing to be resolved with these ghosts. As a result, they remain distant and ultimately unknowable and less real than the other ghosts of Nantucket.What was refreshing in this book was the practical and adult nature of the relationship between Hallie and Jamie. The two talk and have a relationship beyond the drama and emotional upheaval. They do simple things together that form the foundation of their relationship.Ultimately, I liked this one a tiny bit less than the others in the series, but the addition of the influx of Montgomerys and Taggerts made the book funnier and sweeter.WORTH MENTIONING: Lots of Montgomerys and Taggerts make appearances here. I have only read a couple of books in the series so I don't recognize everyone but I can tell that readers of the series will know who these people are and get updated on their lives.FINAL DECISION: I liked this story because of its connection to the broader Montgomery/Taggert series. This story felt cozy and filled with loving family. I especially liked that Hallie is able to help Jamie in ways that his family is not and how she is absorbed into the family. I thought the ghost story was a weakness here. It was better developed in the other books in the trilogy.CONNECTED BOOKS: EVER AFTER is the third book in the Nantucket Bride Trilogy. This one can be read as a standalone although characters from prior books appear. This trilogy is also connected with the larger Montgomery/Taggert series.STAR RATING: I give this book 4.25 stars.NOTE: I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in order to provide an honest review of the book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.

If you like a good old fashioned ghost, love story, then this series of 3 books is for you! A great story line that continues from Book 1 to Book 3. You can get caught up in the story, so leave time to kick back and immerse your self in this series!

***A gifted copy was provided by the publisher for my honest review******Hallie Hartley has given everything up for her step sister only to have it thrown in her face. Her step sister steals, takes, cries, for anything of Hallie’s that she wants and it is given to her while Hallie sits there to see it given. And all too often it is Hallie’s boyfriends-but what really sets off Hallie to have her done with her step sister is when she gets off work one day she arrives home to find she has been left a house by a mysterious relative and her step sister has been doing her darnest to steal it out from under her which has Hallie wanting to be done with Shellie, her step sister. She gets out of dodge and goes to Nantucket to see this property she has been left .When she gets there, she finds out that in her property, she has a guest name James Taggert . He has been hurt in a skiing accident . Hallie decides to be James’s physical therapist and she thinks he is a rich playboy so she treats him as such. James lets her think him as such because he is war veteran who has injuries from battle and from a recent skiing accent. James suffers from nightmares and Hallie does help him from this.His friends and family push them together a lot. This is a good story and it will pull at your heart. I liked this story and felt there could have been a bit more together of a story , alittle more explanation- Oh and there is a the meddlesome ghosts , so do not forget them- but overall is a good story.My rating: 4.0 stars ****

Get ready to be swept away to the beautiful Nantucket to fall in love and laugh--“Ever After” was my favorite of the Nantucket Brides Trilogy, and that is saying a lot because I absolutely enjoyed the storyline and characters of these books. These books reminded me of some of my earlier favorite Deveraux books such as “A Knight in Shining Armor,” “The Princess,” and “Sweet Liar,” to name a few between the chemistry between the hero and heroine, the meddling family members and friends, and the witty dialogue and humorous scenes that had me laughing out loud and smiling to myself. I have to admit that I am biased in my opinion of “Ever After” because I am a veteran and I love, love, love that Jamie Taggert is a wounded warrior. PTSD is such a sensitive subject and I thought that Deveraux honored Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans by treating the subject with respect. I never saw Jamie as broken or an incomplete man. In some ways, he reminded me of another favorite Jamie from literature, Jamie from Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series—especially when he did not want Haley to see his scars from war. I was surprised by the twists and turns in the plot of this book, which was unexpected because I have been reading Deveraux’s books for over half of my life (18 years to be exact), and she continues to surprise me! I also liked that Deveraux brought in new characters for the final book in the trilogy. It can get so formulaic when authors feature 3 pairs of friends (male and female) and writes about how each couple gets together in a trilogy. I've been there, done that, and read that story 5 million times. Another way that Deveraux is a masterful storyteller is her ability to make us sympathize with characters who are initially repulsive. I also love the cameos from former characters- did anyone catch the reference to Aunt Dougless’ son Nicholas? I CANNOT WAIT TO READ A STORY ABOUT THE SON OF MY MOST FAVORITE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS OF ALL TIME, Nick and Dougless from “A Knight in Shining Armor.” I cannot wait to get my hands on the next Jude Deveraux book. Thank you Jude for writing such a wonderful book that made my heart so happy. Please keep them coming!

A really good story. Beautifully bewitching.

Excellent I really enjoy her writing

I always love her books and can never wait to read them. My husband comments that he feels like he loses me whilst I am reading these. I like that the characters have different personalities and have humour and passion with everyday life. These latest ones I have enjoyed with the twist of the supernatural. And that the past can effect the present.

Recommend reading the three books in sequence ... True love once again spanning centuries with characters and story lines of previous books entwined to tell another character and his true love

Loved it