An inspiring
new family saga by New York Times bestselling
author Jude Deveraux
Two headstrong sisters are
bound by tradition but long to forge their own path.
It’s 1972 and times are changing. In the small
farming community of Mason, Kansas, Vera and Kelly Exton are known for their
ambitions. Vera is an activist who wants to join her boyfriend in the Peace
Corps. But she is doing her duty caring for her widowed mother and younger
sister until Kelly is firmly established. Kelly is studying to become a
veterinarian. She plans to marry her childhood sweetheart and eventually take
over his father’s veterinary practice.
But it’s a tumultuous time and neither sister
is entirely happy with the path that’s been laid out for her. As each evaluates
her options, everything shifts. Do you do what’s right for yourself or what
others want? By having the courage to follow their hearts these women will
change lives for the better and the effects will be felt by the generations
that follow. Meant to Be delivers
an emotional, smart, funny and wise lesson about the importance of being true
to yourself.
Jude Deveraux is the author of
forty-three New York
Times bestsellers, including For All Time, Moonlight in the Morning, and A Knight in Shining Armor.
She was honored with a Romantic Times Pioneer Award in 2013 for her
distinguished career. To date, there are more than sixty million copies of her
books in print worldwide.
Author Website: https://judedeveraux.com/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/JudeDeveraux1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudeDeveraux
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judedeveraux/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/28574.Jude_Deveraux
Meant to Be by Jude Deveraux is a story that covers three generations in Mason, Kansas beginning in 1972. Vera and Kelly Exton have their futures planned out. Vera is looking forward to joining her boyfriend in the Peace Corps in Africa. Kelly is going to marry her beau while working with his father in his veterinary practice. The 1970s were a time when things were changing, and people questioned their roles which is what happens with Kelly and Vera. These two women need to decide what is best for them even if it upsets others. Meant to Be is an intriguing escapist novel. I thought the story was well-written with developed characters. I liked that Vera and Kelly were strong, smart women. Meant to Be is an appealing romance. There is some foul language in the book as well as intimate situations. I have been enjoying this author’s books since I was a teen, and I did miss the humor that is normally present in Jude Deveraux’s books. Lounging by the pool with a copy of Meant to Be is a lovely way to pass a warm afternoon. Meant to Be is a charming multigenerational tale with protest rallies, fields of fruit trees, high-speed horses, hidden hideaways, matchmaking mamas, and heart pounding romances.
Mason,
Kansas May 1972
Adam
is back.
Vera Exton couldn’t get that thought out of
her head. The man she had always loved, the man who held the keys to her
future, was finally home.
She
was on the front porch of her family home. As always, she was surrounded by
newspapers and magazines. She paid to have the New York Times sent to
her. That it arrived three days late didn’t matter. At least she got to see
what was going on in the world. The world. Not just Kansas, not just the
US, but everywhere.
In
college, she’d majored in political science, with a minor in geography. She
knew where the Republic of Vanuatu was, where Rajasthan, India, was. She could
tell Bhutan from Nepal by a single photo. She’d studied languages on her own
and knew a smattering of several. Rhodesia, she thought. Madagascar. She’d send
her sister photos of herself with a lemur when she got there. Kelly would like
that.
Vera
closed her eyes, leaning back in the old chair that her mother had bought at a
craft fair. It had been made by someone local, using local materials. That was
the difference between them. Her mother and her sister prided themselves on
“local,” while Vera could only see the world.
“And now it’s all going to begin,” she
whispered, and opened her eyes.
Bending, she began stacking the newspapers and
magazines. Her mother complained about the mess that always surrounded Vera.
“We can hardly walk through a room,” her mother often said, frowning. Since her
husband died two years ago, Nella Exton did little but frown.
If
Kelly was around, she helped Vera clean up. Or helped Vera do anything, for
Kelly was deeply glad her big sister was there and doing what everyone expected
her to do.
When Kelly mentioned her gratitude, their
mother just sniffed. “She’s the eldest child, so of course she takes care of
things.” Even though the sisters were only ten months apart, to their mother
Vera was to take on the family’s responsibilities, so she was doing what she
was supposed to do. There was no other choice.
But
Kelly didn’t feel that way. In what people tended to call “the drug culture,”
many kids ran away, never to be seen again. The idea of “family obligations”
was becoming obsolete. But not to Vera.
She
had postponed the future she’d dreamed of, had studied for, to give her sister
what she wanted and Kelly was ever thankful, grateful and appreciative.
For all her sister’s appreciation, right now
all Vera could think of was that Adam’s return meant the ordeal of staying at
home was over.
He’d
arrived just in time for his father’s funeral, as there’d been delays on the long
flight from Africa. Vera had searched the newspapers to find out what was going
on in Kenya. During the years he’d been away, Adam’s letters were full of
stories of floods and bridges collapsing, infestations and diseases with exotic
names. His letters had made her heart pound with excitement. She’d read them to
her mother and sister, then was shocked by the horror on their faces. “But
doesn’t it sound wonderful?” Vera would ask.
Nella
said a flat no, and Kelly would say, “If you like that sort of thing.” Then
she’d pick up a few of her animals and feed them or groom them or whatever she
did with them.
Vera
had seen Adam after the service, but she’d not spoken to him. He was surrounded
by people offering condolences. His father, Burke Hatten, had been a big shot
in the county. “Ask Burke” was a common catchphrase.
In Vera’s opinion, the man thought he knew
much more than he did, which is why he and his eldest son had always butted
heads. Burke’s temper and his son’s matching one was why Adam had run off to
join the Peace Corps.
Well,
that and Vera’s endless talk of how she was joining the second she finished
college. She’d begged Adam to go with her, but he’d always said no. He said
he’d be waiting for her in Kansas when she grew tired of moving about the world
and came home.
Funny how things work out, she thought
as she stacked the papers. Adam had the big fight with his dad and had run off
to the Peace Corps. Vera had planned to join him, but her father had died
suddenly, leaving no one to care for the farm. To Vera, the solution was to
sell the farm, but Nella had refused to leave the place. In just a few weeks,
everything changed. Vera had agreed to stay behind until Kelly finished
veterinary school. The new plan was that as soon as Kelly graduated, Vera would
join Adam wherever the Peace Corps had sent him.
Now
everything was going to change again. Burke Hatten’s horse threw him and he’d
died instantly, so Adam had returned. But this time when he left the country to
go back to his job in Africa, Vera wouldn’t be kissing him goodbye. They’d
leave together. The goodbyes would be to her mother and sister, to the farm, to
her job at the travel agency. Goodbye to the town of Mason. The world she’d
been reading about was out there and calling to her.
At last, she was going to answer its call.
Kris
The Avid Reader
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