Jasmine...It's a Sweet Scent

I posted a teaser for Jude Deveraux's The Scent of Jasmine yesterday and managed to finish the book yesterday evening.  And, I have to say, the book was a pleasant surprise.  Most romance novels have a set in stone formula, which this one does stick to, but for some reason I found this book much more compelling than most.  I've read some of Deveraux's other novels, but none seem to stick out in my mind.  This one does that.

The book follows Catherine Edilean Harcourt, lovingly referred to as Cay, and Alexander McDowell's adventure across the Southern states.  Cay has inadvertently placed herself in Alex's protection after helping him escape from prisoner for a crime he claims he's innocent of committing.  Along the way they encounter obstacles which must be overcome.  They discover certain truths about each other and their respective circumstances.  They grow as people. 

I think what I like most about this book was the characters.  Cay was funny, thoughtful, smart, and a smart-ass.  A wonderfully developed character.  Alex was lonely, introverted, scared, and angry but, with Cay's help and encouragement, he develops into a warm, caring, funny, roguish leading man.  These two were played wonderfully off of each other and showed that first impressions can be deceiving.  

Jasmine is part of the Edilean series and, now that I've read this one, I think I want to read the others in the group.  We'll see how those stack up.  Overall, I enjoyed this quick read after the heaviness of the last book I reviewed.  Good work, Deveraux!