Moonlight Masquerade
Read Moonlight Masquerade Online
Authors: Jude Deveraux
“Exquisite and Enchanting.”
âBookpage
Uncover all the secrets of “the quaint, charming Southern town of Edilean”
(RT Book Reviews)
in these wonderful romances by
New York Times
bestselling author Jude Deveraux.
Moonlight in the Morning
“Deveraux delivers a modern romance addressing relatable relationship obstacles. . . . Tristan and Jecca's chemistry jumps off the page.”
âPublishers Weekly
“A masterful tale that centers on family, friendship, and love. . . . Sprinkled with equal parts sweetness, charm, and tender moments, Deveraux's latest is a truly delightful read.”
âRT Book Reviews
“Lots of tender moments . . . with embers of realism throughout. . . . I eagerly await the second offering in the Edilean trilogy.”
âGood Reads
“An engaging, charming tale . . . with a surprising final twist.”
âGenre Go Round
Scarlet Nights
“Deveraux brings to life the sort of sweet and spunky heroines who attract the muscular men her fans expect and enjoy. . . .
Scarlet Nights
will hook readers and leave them with a smile.”
âBooklist
“Readers will delight in immersing themselves in the comfortable world of Edilean. . . . Deveraux's colorful cast and easy way with words shine.”
âPublishers Weekly
“Deveraux is a master storyteller, and her books fairly shimmer with excitement and adventure, making her one of the most popular women's fiction writers today.
Scarlet Nights
is no exception. With strong characters, down-home charm, and an intriguing story, fans will enjoy catching up with the folks from Edilean.”
âWichita Falls Times Record News
Days of Gold
“Deveraux has a sure hand evoking plucky heroines, dastardly villains, and irresistible heroes, as well as a well-rounded supporting cast. . . . The pace moves quickly and the romance sparks with enough voltage to keep readers turning pages.”
âPublishers Weekly
Lavender Morning
“Sweet and salty characters . . . entertaining . . . one of her most fun and pleasing tales.”
âBooklist
“Quick dialogue, interesting settings, and plot twists.”
âDeseret Morning News
More bestselling sizzle from Jude Deveraux, whose novels are “just plain fun to read . . . she keeps readers on the edge of their seats.”
(The Baton Rouge Advocate)
The Scent of Jasmine
“A delightful adventure romance. . . . [An] enchanting heroine and engaging hero. . . . This is a tale to read for the simple joy of a well-crafted romance.”
â
RT Book Reviews
(4½ stars)
Secrets
“A sweet love story filled with twists and turns.”
âBooklist
“The deceptions will keep readers trying to guess the next plot twist.”
âRT Book Reviews
Someone to Love
“Fabulous. . . . Fast-paced. . . . Delightful paranormal romantic suspense.”
âHarriet Klausner
Have you ever wanted to rewrite your past? Get swept away in the magic of
The Summerhouse
and
Return to Summerhouse
“Marvelously compelling. . . . Deeply satisfying.”
âHouston Chronicle
“Entertaining summer reading.”
âThe Port St. Lucie News
“Deveraux is at the top of her game.”
âBooklist
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Edilean, Virginia
“I quit!” Heather
said. “I cannot take any more of that man's bad temper.”
She was in the outer office of Dr. Reede Aldredge's medical clinic and she was talking to Alice and Betsy. Alice wanted to retire and she was nearly desperate for Heather, young, recently married, and new to Edilean, to take on her job. But Heather was having a difficult time adjusting to Dr. Reede's sharp tongue. Betsy and Alice referring to it as his “perfectionism” wasn't helping Heather to adjust. “He never says a pleasant word.”
“But what he does say is usually right,” Alice said, her face encouraging.
“Yes, but it's the
way
he says it. Today I said, âGood morning,' he says, âI'm inside so how would I know?' And yesterday, he told Mrs. Casein that her only problem was that she ate too many of her husband's pies.”
Betsy and Alice just looked at her. Betsy was in her late forties and had lived in Edilean since she was
six. She was glad she wasn't a nurse as Heather was. Instead, she sat at the computer all day and answered the phoneâand that kept her away from young Dr. Reede for most of the workday.
Heather understood the looks the women were giving her. “I know, I know,” she said. “That's true about the pies, but couldn't he at least
try
to be diplomatic? Hasn't he even
heard
of a bedside manner? Last week Sylvia Garland left here crying. He wasn't at all sympathetic.”
The two women again gave her a look.
“What?!” Heather asked, exasperated. She'd moved to Edilean because her husband worked nearby and he said the small town would be a great place to raise kids. And Heather had been thrilled to get a nursing job so close to their new house. But that was three weeks ago and now she didn't know if she could stay there. All this week she'd been saying she was going to quit.
Betsy spoke first. “Everyone in town except her husband knows that Sylvia Garland isn't going out with the girls on Thursday nights. She's sleeping aroundâand Dr. Reede told her so.”
“What business is that of his?”
“Communicable diseases, I guess,” Alice said. “Besides, he's used to working with people who have serious problems, like elephantiasis and leprosy.”
Heather had heard about Dr. Reede's work around the world, but she wasn't going to be put off by that excuse. “If he thinks that small town illnesses are beneath him, why doesn't he leave?”
Yet again the women exchanged looks, then Alice spoke. “He tried to get other doctors to take over the practice for him.”
“But doctors today want lots of money,” Betsy said. “And they don't want to live in a tiny town and have to care for locals who talk too much, and tourists who get too many mosquito bites.”
“Although he did enjoy that rescue last month,” Alice said. “He had to climb down the side of a cliff.”
“Great!” Heather said. “If everyone jumped off the side of a mountain would that make him happy?”
For a moment Alice and Betsy seemed to consider the idea. They too were worn out by Dr. Reede's never-ending bad temper. In fact, though she'd never admit it, it was the real reason Alice was taking early retirement.
Heather dropped down onto a chair by the photocopy machine. “Doesn't he have a personal life? A girlfriend? He's a good-looking man. At least I think he would be if he weren't always frowning. Has he ever smiled in his entire life?”
“Dr. Reede used to smile a lot,” Betsy said. “When he was a child he loved to come to the office to visit cousin Tristan's father who was the doctor then. Reede was a very sweet little boy who always knew he wanted to be a doctor. But then . . . ”
“What happened?” Heather asked.
“Laura dumped him for the Baptist preacher,” Alice answered.
“Where?”
“Where what?” Betsy asked.
“Where did this Laura find a preacher so dynamic that she left a hottie like Dr. Reede?” Heather asked.
“A hottie, is he?” Alice asked. “Even though he never smiles?”
“If I just
saw
him I'd think he was gorgeous. But he opens his mouth and I can't stand him. So what about this Laura? Where'd she go to find a man?”
“Nowhere. She lives here in Edilean. Her parents moved here in the 1970s.”
“Wait a minute!” Heather said. “You don't mean Laura Billings, do you? The wife of the Baptist preacher here in Edilean?”
“The very one,” Alice said.
“But she's . . . ”
“She's what?” Betsy asked.
“Drab,” Heather said. “She looks like she was always somebody's mother. I can't imagine her being the Great Love of anyone.”
“But she was. She and Reede were inseparable from seventh or eighth grade and all through college. Then he went away to medical school and she took up with the new pastor.” Betsy lowered her voice. “The rumor is that Dr. Reede was so depressed that he tried to kill himself, but he was rescued by Dr. Tris's wife. This was before they were married and she was still a teenager.”