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Moonlight in the Morning

(Edilean #6)

Jude Deveraux

3.99 · Rating details · 3,409 ratings · 225 reviews

Sparks are flying between Jecca Layton and Dr. Tristan Aldredge. At the urging of her dear friend Kim, Jecca put the ruthless New York City art world on hold to spend the summer pursuing her passion for painting while enjoying Edilean's tightly knit artistic community. For years, Kim's cousin Tris -- the town's handsome and dedicated doctor -- felt a deep connection to Kim ...more

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Paperback, 432 pages

Published December 27th 2011 by Pocket Star (first published December 2011)

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Start your review of Moonlight in the Morning (Edilean, #6)

Jan 17, 2012 Sia rated it it was ok

There were several things that I couldn't get over - (1) Tris having the hots for Jecca when he was 27 and she was 19; (2) Jecca sounded a lot more mature than 26 years old - it would have been better if she was 30; (3)how quickly Tris "fell in love" with Jecca (I'm all about love at first sight, but this wasn't it.). Anyways, Jecca was too multi-talented for anyone to identify with. She was good at everything. I groaned each time where I read that she was able to solve issues, such as the fashi ...more

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Sep 30, 2019 Carolyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Carolyn by: Sha Mslvoe

Shelves: deveraux-jude, re-read

Ah, Tristan's story! This was very cute with really great characters. Thoroughly enjoying re-reading this series after so many years. ;) ...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Laurie rated it liked it

Shelves: own, loaned

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. IMO, this was definitely not one of Deveraux's better efforts. I really struggled to make it through the first half of the book. I had a major problem with Tristan for much of that time - his obsession with Jecca came across as more creepy/stalkerish than romantic. Jecca's thoughts and behavior were problematic for me as well. She first meets Tristan when he literally falls on top of her while she's sleeping in a lounge chair outside, and instead of thinking "Rapist!" and trying to fight him off IMO, this was definitely not one of Deveraux's better efforts. I really struggled to make it through the first half of the book. I had a major problem with Tristan for much of that time - his obsession with Jecca came across as more creepy/stalkerish than romantic. Jecca's thoughts and behavior were problematic for me as well. She first meets Tristan when he literally falls on top of her while she's sleeping in a lounge chair outside, and instead of thinking "Rapist!" and trying to fight him off, she thinks about how his breath smells nice and how her skin is "tingling" from his touch. That reaction just does not ring true to me - every woman I know would have been screaming at the top of her lungs and trying to push the strange man away from her, no matter how nice his breath was! Later on, after Jecca figures out who Tristan is, he tells her that Kim gave him a picture of Jecca and Sophie in bikinis, which he keeps in his mirror. The picture is folded back so that Sophie is hidden and only Jecca is visible. Jecca tells him how flattered she is because she has never been anyone's pinup before. Again, this reaction seems very strange to me - if a guy that I had met once (and didn't even remember!) kept a photo of me on display like that, I'd be creeped out, not flattered! Why would Kim have given him that photo, anyway?

I thought the second half of the book was better than the first because I really got to know Tristan and found out that he was a good guy despite his creepy/stalker tendencies. In fact, by the end of the book I found myself resenting Jecca for forcing him to give up his life in Edilean to be with her in New York. Jecca admitted that she hated working in the gallery and wanted to be able to spend more time on her art, so her adamant refusal to stay in Edilean past the end of the summer didn't make sense to me at all. Marrying Tristan and staying in Edilean would have been perfect for her - Tristan could have supported her so that she didn't have to work and could devote all of her time to her art. She could have visited New York (or any other major city, for that matter) every few weeks/months to meet with galleries and try to sell her work, or she could have followed Kim's example and set up a website to sell her work online. Instead, she forced Tristan into deciding to give up his practice in Edilean so that they could be together in New York. After all her rambling about how unhappy she would be if Tristan made her choose between him and her life in New York, why couldn't she see that Tristan would be just as unhappy if he had to choose between Jecca and his life in Edilean? Yes, her new job as a fashion designer is what ultimately forced her to remain in New York, but that opportunity didn't present itself until after she had already walked away from Tristan and Edilean.

Also, Jecca's reaction when she found out that her father and Tristan hadn't included her in their plans to open another Layton Hardware in Edilean seemed way out of proportion to me. I can see how it might have come across as somewhat manipulative, but why was she so convinced that it was a personal betrayal? What difference did it make to her whether her father lived in New Jersey or Virginia? She had already decided that she was going to return to New York. It's not like she lived with her father or saw him on a daily basis, and no matter how isolated Edilean may seem, they do have working telephones and Internet access. She could have been in touch with him just as often as if he still lived in New Jersey. Besides that, Jecca knew how unhappy her father was with the situation with Joey and Sheila in New Jersey, so it would have been nice if she could have recognized that his decision to move wasn't just about her, it was about making himself happy as well.

Overall, this wasn't a terrible book, but I'm not sure that I would recommend it for people who haven't already been reading the Edilean series and want to see how characters from the previous books are doing. I was actually more interested in some of the secondary characters (Reede, Kim, Lucy, and Sophie, for example) than I was in Tristan and Jecca. I look forward to learning more about them in future books. ...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Nan rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance

Forgive the execrable title. If you're a full member of the Cult of Deveraux, you'll love this book, as I did. If you're a part-time, non-dues paying member, it might not do much for you. If you're completely unfamiliar with Deveraux, I'd recommend going back to Lavender Morning (the start of her Edilean series) and catching up a bit before you hit this one. At the very least, you need to read the contemporary Edileans--Lavender Morning, Scarlet Nights, and Heartwishes. But that's not too much t ...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Joyce rated it did not like it

I feel like another reviewer that Ms. Deveraux is bored with the Edilean series & needs to lose it. I skimmed the book as I did the last one of the original Edilean series. Just couldn't get to like the characters as they seemed superficial & the whole plot was disorienting.The whole bunch of scenes with Jecca & Tristan in the dark was hokey to me, Forced somehow. ...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Kamaliah rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-collection

It has been quite sometime since I last read Miss JD’s books. Reading her book again triggers all the beautiful memories from her other books. I have always enjoyed her writing. There’s something in there that made me not want to put down the books.

This book is the first of Edilean series that I read. A modern romance. Much different from her other books. This is a story of a simple yet delightful sweet romance between Tristan and Jecca.

The beginning : Date-in-the-dark. Playing the roles of Cu ...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Jill rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, jude-devereaux

I was disappointed in this one for about the first 50-60 pages or so. I just felt bored and wanted some good action to happen. After I finished this book, I went online to refresh myself about the Edilean series, as I couldn't remember what all I'd read. In doing so, I went to JD's website and read in a blog something about her being bored sometimes by what she's writing, but she has to do it in order to tell the story. Well, I say Ms. Deveraux, if you're bored, so are we! Find another way to ge ...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Maria rated it liked it

Shelves: romance

Although I have read better books by Ms. Deveraux, I have also read worse. I didn't get really attached to the characters in the book until I was nearly halfway through it, but there did come a point (the children's fashion show) when I did. Although I found most of the book too light and fluffy for my taste and the end of the book confusing, I will pick up the next in this series to see what happens to Kim. Perhaps now that I know the characters a bit better, a second reading might prove useful ...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Irene B. rated it did not like it

Disappointing! Sometimes Deveraux's novels contain an actual mystery or adventure plot, and I'd found the Edilean (small Virginia town outside of Williamsburg) setup amusing. Well, she did not even bother to put in a story line or have any inspiration with this novel. Characters are flat. Back to the library with it! No wonder the 200+ long wait list moved so quickly. ...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Heidi rated it did not like it

Shelves: smut-read, read-2012

I thought the characters were super unlikeable. I set pretty low standards for smut but this was really bad.

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Apr 02, 2019 Evelyn Wilson rated it it was amazing

#6 Jecca, yes, by the time you are halfway through this book, you will pronounce it in your mind easily, and Tris. Will Jecca return to NYC or stay in Edilean? You will be SHOCKED how this truly sweet, adorable book ends! Now I bet the next one is about Kim!

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Feb 21, 2018 Barbara ★ rated it really liked it

Shelves: zzcover-blue, zzz-cover-water, read-2018, romance, x-set-in-usa-virginia

This wasn't as good as the other books in the series though I did really like Jecca, Nell and Tristan. ...more

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Sep 06, 2018 Tracy rated it liked it

2.75 stars. So behind on my reviews so this will be especially quick. Started out ok, but much of it was too cheesy and improbable. The ending was better than expected but overall this wasn’t a great read.

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Dec 13, 2011 Mel P rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, jude-deveraux

I really enjoyed this book! The last couple of books in the series were nice/cute but nothing really stood out to me. This book was definitely different. I loved the Cupid and Psyche allusion. I thought it was very romantic that their first couple of "dates" were conducted in the dark. That they got to know each other first. I know some people would scoff at that but I thought it was romantic. Then we find out that Tris has had somewhat of crush on Jecca since she was 19 and he 27. Now I know so ...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Dianna rated it liked it

Since I had won the second book of this series (Stranger in the Moonlight - Edilean #7), I wanted to read this one first.

"Sparks are flying between Jecca Layton and Dr. Tristan Aldredge. At the urging of her dear friend Kim, Jecca put the ruthless New York City art world on hold to spend the summer pursuing her passion for painting while enjoying Edilean's tightly knit artistic community. For years, Kim's cousin Tris -- the town's handsome and dedicated doctor -- felt a deep connection to Kim's ...more

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Dec 06, 2011 Olivia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library

I haven't loved one of Deveraux's books as much as this one in a long time. There was something about Tristan and Jecca (though I really dislike that name) that was purely addicting. I devoured this book in two days, probably would have been one if I hadn't had to work. Now I'm dying to find my own Edilean, or maybe I just need to find my own Cupid in the moonlight. ...more

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Jan 25, 2012 April rated it liked it

This a simple and mindless read. As predictable and unrealistic as it may be, it is a romantic and idealistic read,which was a well needed break for me.

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Mar 25, 2012 Marie Summers rated it it was ok

This read was improved by the fact that I was in Hawaii at the time.

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Aug 05, 2017 Anne Marie rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book focused on Jecca Layton, an artist who lives in New York City, and Dr. Tristan Aldredge, the Doctor of Edilean. Jecca is friends with Kim Aldredge, Tristan's cousin and jewelry designer in the town. Jecca is able to visit Edilean for the summer since her boss at an art gallery will be on her honeymoon. Jecca is hoping to see Kim's brother Reede who she has had a crush on for years. Little does she know that Tristan has had a crush on her and has kept a picture of her taken the last tim This book focused on Jecca Layton, an artist who lives in New York City, and Dr. Tristan Aldredge, the Doctor of Edilean. Jecca is friends with Kim Aldredge, Tristan's cousin and jewelry designer in the town. Jecca is able to visit Edilean for the summer since her boss at an art gallery will be on her honeymoon. Jecca is hoping to see Kim's brother Reede who she has had a crush on for years. Little does she know that Tristan has had a crush on her and has kept a picture of her taken the last time she was in Edilean, seven years ago. When Tristan finds out that Kim wants to do everything she can to set Jecca and Reese up, Tristan makes sure he gets to Jecca first. She is staying at the house next to Tristan's, with Olivia Windgate and Lucy Cooper, two middle aged women who know Tristan well and spend their time sewing baby clothes for their store and doing different kinds of exercise every day. Tristan literally falls over Jecca one night as she was asleep on the chase lounge. They start talking and meeting outside every night...in the dark. They come to know one another without seeing each other and a romance soon takes shape rather quickly. They come to meet face to face at a party being thrown to welcome Reese back to the town. He will be the town doctor until Tristan's broken arm heals (gotten from his fall in the last book when a thief was after the heartwishes stone.) With a lot of time to rest on his hands, Tristan and Jecca become serious, spending time with Tristan's niece Nell and cousin Roan in his remote cabin in the woods.
Between designing/fixing up an old play house, painting orchids for a jewelry ad campaign for Kim, and designing children's clothes for a party Nell is going to, Jecca is busy and loved in Edilean. But her heart is with her art gallery job in New York. So much so, that even when Tristan buys an old building her father can turn into his own hardware store to be near his daughter, Jecca still wants to go back to the city. And she does. Yes, Tristan goes after her...getting a job at a practice in New York. And lo and behold, Jecca gets an offer of designing children's clothes, being able to live wherever she wants after three years of training.
Overall, this was a good story, but the falling in love happened at too quick of a pace it seemed in this story. It seemed Tristan was in love with Jecca after meeting her for the first time and Jecca didn't even remember him. Also, we never found out what the story was behind Mrs. Windgate....was she in love with the gardener, Bill Welsch, back in the day? Did he ever complete the play house renovations? What's the story with Lucy? Will Lucy and Jecca's father marry? ...more

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Dec 07, 2011 Kathy rated it liked it

Shelves: romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Setting - New York art gallery & Edilean, Virginia - old mansions

Theme - love, life experience building to bring one where one is vs knowing one’s place always

Characters -

Jecca Layton - artist (especially water colors), gallery manager, life long friends with college roommates Kim (of Edilean) and Sophie. She has not sold many of her watercolors, which is depressing/frustrating for her. Having been raised in dad’s hardware store that specialized in fixing machinery, she can fix any tool, she can ...more

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Aug 30, 2020 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Dr. Tristan played a big role in the last book. He showed up in a few of the other books (I think) but that one introduced us to him and we got to know him better. When I finished the last book and realised that this one would be about him I was pretty excited, because of course I felt sorry for him after the last one. Reading about the relationship between him and Jecca was really (unrealistic but) cute. He is such a sweet and kind character you only want what is best for him, lol.
It was reall ...more

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Nov 08, 2016 Nalini Warriar rated it it was ok

This is a light read, a romance, yet another trilogy Book 1 of 3 about college mates. It has a strong female character, at home with a tool belt around her waist yet brimming with an artist’s creative sensitivity. The ‘getting to know each other in the dark,’ disturbed me instead of keeping me in the intended masterful lusty suspense.
Plot is rather weak with characters moving homes in the snap of a thought as the well-to-do are wont to do. Jecca’s Dad gives up his store and moves to Edilean to ...more

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Oct 27, 2017 Wow rated it did not like it

Shelves: contemproary, novel, rom-com, jude-deveraux, 2017-purchases, paperback, 2017-reads, us, romance, 2010s

I can't believe , I'm giving one of Jude deveraux's novels a one star rating ...

I usually enjoy her work , she mixes other genres with romance which is something rally fun to read, especially her historical fiction in which she creates kick ass female characters .

Her characters in his one are really superficial , too much of a perfect characters that become quite unlikable .

The novels leave us with this warm fluffy feeling but not this one unfortunately .

I still have 4 more novels of hers that r ...more

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Jul 03, 2018 Sarah rated it did not like it

Shelves: reviewed, did-not-like, so-so, series, romance, own, 2018-books, 2018-personal-challenge

While this was a quick read, I can't say that I particularly enjoyed it. I know that Tristan's actions are supposed to be romantic, but I find them to be overbearing controlling. He manipulates Jecca throughout the whole book, and the reader is supposed to be swept away by the romance of it all. I can't say that I finished this book hoping that this would happen to me. Overall Jude Deveraux has a special place in my heart, but this book just didn't do it for me the way that some of her others h ...more

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Dec 15, 2018 Rebecca T rated it it was amazing

I started out wondering if I’d like this one as much as I found myself liking the previous installments in this series, but after Tris and Jecca met it quickly became my favorite-despite her terrible name. Tris is my new favorite leading man. I loved their mysterious meetings, the leaps of faith Tris forces himself to make, and the way they eventually announce themselves as a couple. You have to suspend a bit of disbelief at how perfectly everything rolls out, but I expect to do that going into ...more

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Jul 29, 2019 Mary rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance

A classic modern romance from Jude! The initial meeting between Tristan and Jecca was a little cheesy for my tastes but that is the only criticism I have. The characters were lovable, their chemistry was palpable, and their romance was charming. I also think that Jude wrote a splendid segue into the second Moonlight book without it seeming like an advertisement or shameful plug. I can’t wait to read the next book!

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Apr 21, 2018 Naomi rated it liked it

Jecca Layton is an artist that has been unable to sell her paintings to make a living. So she leaves her home town and goes to visit a friend, Kim and meets many of Kim's relatives including Tristan. He is Edilean's town doctor and very handsome. The whole novel revolves around their falling in love and the friendliness of the people in Edilean. A beach read if I ever saw one. ...more

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Feb 23, 2020 Sharon Macon rated it it was amazing

Loved Tristan and love the little town, Edilean. I’ve read several in this series and have loved them all. I don’t understand other reviews that pick the books apart. Why not read for the pure pleasure of it.

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Jun 05, 2017 Darlene Emanuel rated it really liked it

I am still loving this Edilean series. Feel like I live in this town.
Small town Dr. Tristan Aldredge and artist Jecca Layton from New Jersey
can they get together? Great story!

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Nov 28, 2017 Samantha rated it it was amazing

So good! Light and fun

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About Jude Deveraux

Jude Deveraux

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Jude Gilliam was born September 20, 1947 in Fairdale, Kentucky. She has a large extended family and is the elder sister of four brothers. She attended Murray State University and received a degree in Art. In 1967, Jude married and took her husband's surname of White, but four years later they divorced. For years, she worked as 5th-grade teacher.

She began writing in 1976, and published her first bo Jude Gilliam was born September 20, 1947 in Fairdale, Kentucky. She has a large extended family and is the elder sister of four brothers. She attended Murray State University and received a degree in Art. In 1967, Jude married and took her husband's surname of White, but four years later they divorced. For years, she worked as 5th-grade teacher.

She began writing in 1976, and published her first book, The Enchanted Land (1977) under the name Jude Deveraux. Following the publication of her first novel, she resigned her teaching position. Now, she is the author of 31 New York Times bestsellers.

Jude won readers' hearts with the epic Velvet series, which revolves around the lives of the Montgomery family's irresistible men. Jude's early books are set largely in 15th- and 16th-century England; in them her fierce, impassioned protagonists find themselves in the midst of blood feuds and wars. Her heroines are equally scrappy -- medieval Scarlett O'Haras who often have a low regard for the men who eventually win them over. They're fighters, certainly, but they're also beauties who are preoccupied with survival and family preservation.

Jude has also stepped outside her milieu, with mixed results. Her James River trilogy (River Lady, Lost Lady, and Counterfeit Lady) is set mostly in post-Revolution America; the popular, softer-edged Twin of Fire/Twin of Ice moves to 19th-century Colorado and introduces another hunky-man clan, the Taggerts.

Deveraux manages to evoke a strong and convincing atmosphere for each of her books, but her dialogue and characters are as familiar as a modern-day soap opera's. "Historicals seem to be all I'm capable of," Jude once said in an interview, referring to a now out-of-print attempt at contemporary fiction, 1982's Casa Grande. "I don't want to write family sagas or occult books, and I have no intention of again trying to ruin the contemporary market." Still, Jude did later attempt modern-day romances, such as the lighthearted High Tide (her first murder caper), the contemporary female friendship story The Summerhouse, and the time-traveling Knight in Shining Armor. In fact, with 2002's The Mulberry Tree, Deveraux seems to be getting more comfortable setting stories in the present, which is a good thing, since the fans she won with her historical books are eager to follow her into the future.

Jude married Claude White, who she later divorced in 1993. Around the same time she met Mohammed Montassir with whom she had a son, Sam Alexander Montassir, in 1997. On Oct. 6th, 2005, Sam died at the age of eight in a motorcycle accident.

Jude has lived in several countries and all over the United States. She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and has an additional home in the medieval city of Badolato, Italy. ...more