The Mulberry Tree

Lillian Manville was nothing until James Manville found her.
And she continued to be nothing unless he was with her. She was plump and shy and unhappy and unfazed by the glitter of the billionaire life. And that was just the way James liked it. Lillian knew that. And she was ok with that.

And then he died.

And she became the scapegoat and the butt of all jokes. The dumpy woman behind the genius. The pitiful wife who was left out of his will. The lump in the corner that everyone loved to ignore who now was truly a nobody.

But, did James really turn his back on her?
He left her a note in the will asking her to find the answers.
And he left her a house. A horrible tumbledown ghastly house in the mountains of Virginia outside the town of show more Calburn.
A hideous house...with the most incredible garden hiding in the weeds under a magnificent mulberry tree.

And that is where Lillian finds her true self as Bailey James.

She finds her voice
and her will
and the truth behind James Manville.

This was a book that I thought I had figured out a couple of times.
It is a love story - the hunky contractor who swoops in to save the newly widowed. newly beautiful stranger in town. And yes that does happen - but it's more than that.

It is a story of empowering women to be more than just the spouse.
It is about the lengths of pain one decision can inflict on others.
It is about the stories that are hidden in small towns.
It is about how hard it is to find truth when most people want life to just be.

I enjoyed this!
And I would recommend this! show less

Jude Deveraux books are a guilty pleasure after finishing particularly heavy reads. They are a nice distraction to wind down with - like having coffee with a friend.
The Mulberry Tree is an intriguing story of a billionaire's widow forced to unravel the mystery of her husband's life and find her independence. A cryptic letter leads her to a small town shrouded in secrecy, false identities, and murder. However, while seeking answers, she puts herself and her new close-knit community of friends at risk.
Part mystery thriller / part romantic suspense, this fast paced novel is two stories within one. There are many twists and turns as this sheltered woman works to find her own identity and build a future in an unlikely place.
A very enjoyable show more stand alone novel. show less

This is a great book. I really loved finding out all the connections of the past that led up to the current events in the book. It doesn't just focus on the Lillian/Bailey and Matthew romance but truly delves into the past of her deceased husband showing how he became the man she married. The events that happened in a small town left a lasting effect and mysteries and secrecy for decades. I actually really enjoyed the parts about her canning. It interested me and not long after I actually tried (successfully) to can MULBERRIES after reading this book since I have 3 mulberry trees in my yard. So this book not only gave me a very enjoyable reading experience but influenced me to try a new activity that I have come to love.

Easy fast moving and good read! Reminds me of [Wildflower Hill]. The book begins with the newly widowed Lillian being woken in the middle of the night with the news that her billionaire husband is dead and he has left her nothing but an old abandoned farmhouse in a washed up town in rural Virginia. Left with just a note from her deceased husband to find out what really happened, the widow leaves her mansion and millions and goes into hiding. The book kept me very engaged. It is a mix of romance and mystery and in my opinion just enough to be tolerable. I would recommend it.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. There are some major problems with the plot for me, but it didn't stop it from being a page turner. It was fun.

I enjoyed being along for the ride as Lillian/Bailey tried to solve the mystery of her deceased husbands past. Matt was a nice leading man. For me, a bit more romance or sparks between the two would've earned it a 5 star.

"One of her best books..Jude Deveraux as her finest! Great storyteller with a combination of generations past, greedy business world, drama, history, and a little romance! "