COUNTERFEIT LADY [Paperback]

_Counterfeit Lady_, the first of the James River Trilogy of books is an engaging story, one that will keep you preoccupied until you reach the end. Searching to reclaim the happiness he's lost, Clay Armstrong plots to have the woman he loves, Bianca, kidnapped and brought to him in America. Plans go awry and he's met by Nicole Courtalain. A turbulent romance begins between the two, with Clay fighting his supposed love for Bianca and Nicole fighting to show Clay that she's the one for him. You'll find yourself almost screaming at Clay's absurd stupidity and hoping that Nicole will punch Bianca. You'll feel the desperation, the love, and every other emotion in this book as if you're living them yourself. The book and characters are so well written, you'll even find yourself feeling sorry for Bianca. Ms. Deveraux really outdid herself with this book and the others that follow in the series. The perfect book for those wanting to experience the magic that is Jude Deveraux's writing.

I have mixed feelings about Counterfeit Lady -- the first installment in the James River trilogy. On one hand, this novel is very emotionally moving with lots of twists and turns coupled with beautiful descriptions of late eighteenth century Virginia. On the other hand, the hero got on my nerves and Jude Deveraux throws political correctness out the window big time here. But more on that later. The year is 1794. Plantation owner Clayton Armstrong is madly in love with an English young woman called Bianca Maleson. Tired of her excuses for not marrying him, he hires men to kidnap her and arranges a marriage by proxy during the long voyage to America. Imagine his surprise when instead of getting plump, blue-eyed blond Bianca he gets a petite, beautiful and exotic Frenchwoman named Nicole Courtalain. Clayton is outraged when he learns that she was forced to marry him during the voyage and he agrees with Nicole to have the marriage annulled as soon as possible. It appears that his men kidnapped the wrong woman. A refugee from her homeland during the French Revolution and daughter of aristocrats, Nicole was Bianca's personal maid before she was kidnapped and brought to America. Her attraction and feelings for Clayton grow deep in a matter of days and she hopes that he will soon see her as more than just a second choice. But Clayton's feelings for Bianca run deep, for she reminds him of an old unrequited love. However, he may be in for a very rude awakening. There are many twists throughout the novel.

As said earlier, I have mixed feelings about this first installment of the series. The story is riveting and moved me to the core. I felt Nicole's sorrow of having endured the pain of losing her family during the Revolution and then trying to pick up the pieces in England. I also felt her pain when her love for Clayton wasn't reciprocated. Clayton irritated me big time. As other reviewers had stated, he was too stupid to live at times. How could he "love" a spiteful, hateful creature like Bianca? He makes Nicole miserable whenever she witnesses his blind, undying devotion to Bianca. I wanted to strangle him at times. He reminded me of Gavin Montgomery from The Velvet Promise, for he also fancied himself in love with another woman. I know that is the whole point of the novel and that this is the central plot and intrigue, but I must say that it is my least favorite. Anyway, one thing I loved about this novel was the backdrop of late eighteenth century south. I pictured the beautiful plantations, the clean air, the high-waist dresses and parasols, and all of the other wonderful descriptions Deveraux provided for us. This is a beautiful time period and I look forward to reading more novels set during this period. One thing I found unnecessary and no doubt offensive to many readers was the emphasis on Bianca's weight. For a while I thought, "Okay, she's fat, I get it. Now let's move on." I thought Bianca was a horrible, spoiled, self-centered, unredeemable villainess and I hated her. Her hefty figure was the least of my problems with her. I appreciate any author's attempt at realism (because making fun of a fat person, regardless of his or her personality, is an unfortunate common thing), and Deveraux does have a wonderful sense of humor, but not when it's gratuitous, and I thought it was definitely gratuitous here, not to mention excessive. And so, I give Counterfeit Lady three stars. I both loved and hated this novel as I read it. Novels that move me while reading it is definitely a good thing, but I nevertheless cannot overlook the faults in this effort enough to give it a higher star rating.

I thought this book was a DISSAPOINTMENT.
NEVERMIND the predictable and at times boring plot, Ms. Deveraux doesn't seem to know any other way to describe Bianca other than "fat", "plump", "swollen", "so fat when she sits, she can't get up", "her eyes were lost in her fat swollen face"...etc. I don't know how many different ways Jude Deveraux feels the need to describe Bianca as overweight or how many different characters needed to tell her so. Wherever the name Bianca was, there was an insult to her weight and she eventually took on name "The Fat Woman". It was unneccessary and took over the whole story. Instead of spending so much time on describing how repulsive Bianca was because of her weight, Ms. Deveraux should have been developing a stronger, more meaningful plot with likable characters.