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    Miracles
    Miracles
    Miracles
    Ebook82 pages1 hour

    Miracles

    By Judith McNaught

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Now available for the first time ever as an e-novella, New York Times bestselling author Judith McNaught’s short historical romance Miracles—which ties up ends left open in the Westmoreland Dynasty Saga—is available for the first time ever as a standalone e-novella.

    In Regency London, world-weary lord Nicki du Ville receives an outrageous proposal from Julianna Skeffington, who is Sheridan Bromleigh’s charge from Until You.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPocket Star
    Release dateNov 1, 2016
    ISBN9781501145711
    Miracles
    Author

    Judith McNaught

    Judith McNaught is the #1 New York Times bestselling author who first soared to stardom with her stunning bestseller Whitney, My Love, and went on to win the hearts of millions of readers with Once and Always, Something Wonderful, A Kingdom of Dreams, Almost Heaven, Paradise, Perfect, Until You, Remember When, Someone to Watch Over Me, the #1 New York Times bestseller Night Whispers, and many other novels. There are more than thirty million copies of her books in print. She lives in Texas. 

    Read more from Judith Mc Naught

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    Reviews for Miracles

    3.5/5

    82 ratings12 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a disappointment. Many reviewers express their disappointment with the lack of depth and character development in the book. They feel that the story is too short and lacks passion. Some reviewers also mention that the plot could have been better and that the main character, Nicki, is not portrayed well. Overall, readers are disappointed and feel that the book does not do justice to the character. They suggest starting with other books by the same author instead.

    What did you think?

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    • 2/5
      Even without reading the other books in the series, the descriptions of the characters told me that this was a complete hack-up. The writer clearly has the chops to do this well, but was not willing to devote the time. It was too much story to be done justice in a novella. It was past imagination why the female lead was in love with the male lead in context; they had barely any contact and he hadn’t treated her well. Even if a plausible argument were made for a form of love at first sight, she would be doubting it by then.

      It would have made more sense given the premise if their marriage had begun an antagonistic relationship based on his false premises and her writing, which could have been brought around through many more pages to a plausible reconciliation. However, I felt that the choice of trope served the characters poorly, given the female lead’s characterization as an intellectual. Jaded-man-takes-interest-in-innocent-woman is not my favorite romantic assortment in general, but in this case I had the impression that, while it might be fair enough that he is bored with his setting and someone from outside of it is a breath of fresh air to him, a mere innocent girl would not be enough to get his attention. It seemed that it might be her emergence from the shadows and into a full and mature persona, not necessarily less innocent but more of an even match, which would make her a more plausible love interest for him.

      Also, he was written as demonstrating himself still willing to be intimate with a girl whom he suspected to be inexperienced and whose sobriety he had previously doubted. It was written well enough and ambiguously enough to not make the urge to throw him in the bin completely irresistible, but it leaves a bad aftertaste. Other readers seem to have liked him in other books, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt in theory. If he is meant to be her love interest, I could imagine him making her acquaintance, thinking her inconsequential but being interested by her capacity to surprise and entertain him, perhaps talking to one another here and there. Perhaps her mother is insufferable and he is mocked for it by his acquaintances; this could be one hurdle to overcome that might have killed the friendship stillborn. He might learn of her aspirations to write and, when she gave him a sample, be surprised and impressed. He might learn that her mother had blown the inheritance she hoped to live and write with on clothes, that her family situation was insufferable, that her mother was pushing her towards an intolerable marriage. He might, wishing to please his own mother, make her an offer aimed at enabling her to write. Their relationship could develop from there. Less toxic drama and a less contrived premise, though it would still afford the opportunity to generate plenty of conflict and growth, and it would prevent them (and especially him!) from coming off as deeply unlikeable.

      I would note also that he did not seem, off hand, like he was the type who was very likely to be prone to marital fidelity, what with the hinted-at aimless wandering through other people’s hopefully-open marriages, and that issue of his personal values is another thing that ought to have been tackled but wasn’t. (If in the reimagining above he were cast as a sort of mentor and supporter - well, I haven’t read the other books in the series, but if one is writing a jaded society man who’s supposed to be likeable, one must take every precaution to make sure that he doesn’t end up sounding like Lord Henry from the Picture of Dorian Grey.)

      - Anyway, this novella is another item of proof that there are some stories that should either have the thought devoted to them that they deserve, or else be left to the reader’s imagination.
    • 2/5
      It was too short especially the reconciliation part and lacking passion. I after reading 4 books of this series I got tired of men accusing women of lying and tricking them. There should be other ways to create drama.
    • 5/5
      This novel is short sweet and spicy.After loving Nikki in Whitney My Love it was great to read his love story
    • 1/5
      If I could rate it 0 stars, I would. Nikki is a great character in the other 2 books, but in this one -his own story!- he is flat and unlikeable. No, no, his story needs to be rewritten.
    • 1/5
      I wish I didn’t read this book.. this had spoilt my beautiful image of Nicki
    • 1/5
      Wow.Honestly! How can you butcher a character like that...Nikki had so much potential...I am so disappointed really...
    • 1/5
      If I could put negative stars, or even zero stars, I would. Nikki was such a great character, but this book is so brief and lame and...such a letdown. It would've been better for there to be no story on Nikki at all. That way, there would still be hope that his story would be told. But this is not it.
    • 1/5
      I was a bit disappointed after reading the book...I feel like Nick deserves a long story considering that he contributed and sacrificed a lot to Westmorelands..
    • 2/5
      The premise of the plot is good and i am so excited for the story of Julianna and Nicki but i dont know what happened why the story was so short, and their romance/how they fell in love or how the story moved to different way was also cut short. Like the part when Julianna mets Nicki's family, Judith couldve put a better description there and write a profound scene so i can visualize how Nicki eventually really fell in love with his unwanted wife. Julianna is smart but it wasnt written woth enough scenes how smart is she (couldve been put while she was with the fam). Anyways, as a writer myself for radio and local books, my brains cant stop thinking of all the things that could done. Judith, i read a lot of your story. I know you are better than this.
    • 2/5
      I have loved Judith McNaught for years. I hadn’t read any of her books in almost 20 years. I kept them remembering what pleasure they once gave me. I recently came across Until You on Scribd and read it all in one day. I read Miracle right after and was very disappointed there was no depth I didn’t feel as if I got to know the characters at all I yearn.... I was underwhelmed to say the least actually I feel cheated. If I write much more it may be longer than the book.
    • 2/5
      If this is your first Patricia McNaught don't start here. I really love this author. I am not sure why she was so brutal to this story. Nicholas DuVille showed so much potential in the other Westmoreland saga novels. I have seen similar complaints in other reviews. I think this needs a rewrite Patricia! Start with A Kingdom of Dreams.
    • 1/5
      This book was a disservice to Nicki. I don't understand why Judith McNaught wouldn't have dedicated an entire book to him. He was fantastic in the Westmoreland series. So disappointed now. The Nicki in this book was hollow and shallow.

      2 people found this helpful

    Book preview

    Miracles - Judith McNaught

    1

    THE ROAR OF MUSIC AND voices began to recede as Julianna Skeffington fled down the terraced steps of a brightly lit country house in which 600 members of Polite Society were attending a masquerade ball. Ahead of her, the formal gardens were aglow with flaring torches and swarming with costumed guests and liveried servants. Beyond the gardens, a large hedge maze loomed in the shadows, offering far better places to hide, and it was there that Julianna headed.

    Pressing the hooped skirts of her Marie Antoinette costume closer to her sides, she plunged into the crowd, wending her way as swiftly as possible past knights in armor, court jesters, highwaymen, and an assortment of kings, queens, and Shakespearean characters, as well as a profusion of domestic and jungle creatures.

    She saw a path open through the crowd and headed for it, then had to step aside to avoid colliding with a large leafy tree with red silk apples dangling from its branches. The tree bowed politely to Julianna as it paraded past her, one of its branches curved around the waist of a lady decked out as a milkmaid complete with bucket.

    She did not have to slow her pace again until she neared the center of the garden, where a group of musicians was stationed between a pair of Roman fountains, providing music for dancing couples. Excusing herself, she stepped around a tall man disguised as a black tomcat who was whispering in the pink ear of a petite gray mouse. He stopped long enough to cast an appreciative eye over the low bodice of Julianna’s white ruffled gown, then he smiled boldly into her eyes and winked before returning his attention to the adorable little mouse with the absurdly long whiskers.

    Staggered by the abandoned behavior she was witnessing tonight, particularly out here in the gardens, Julianna stole a quick glance over her shoulder and saw that her mother had emerged from the ballroom. She stood on the terraced steps, holding an unknown male by the arm, and slowly scanned the gardens. She was looking for Julianna. With the instincts of a bloodhound, her mother turned and looked straight in Julianna’s direction.

    That familiar sight was enough to make Julianna break into a near run, until she came to the last obstacle in her route to the maze: a large group of particularly boisterous men who were standing beneath a canopy of trees, laughing uproariously at a mock jester who was trying unsuccessfully to juggle apples. Rather than walk in front of their line of vision, thus putting herself in plain view of her mother, she decided it was wiser to go around behind them.

    If you please, sirs, she said, trying to sidle between the trees and a row of masculine backs. I must pass. Instead of moving quickly out of her way, which common courtesy dictated they should, two of them glanced over their shoulders at her, then they turned fully around without giving her any extra space.

    Well, well, well, what have we here? said one of them in a very young and very inebriated voice as he braced his hand on the tree near her shoulder. He shifted his gaze to a servant, who was handing him a glass brimming with some sort of liquor, then he took it and thrust it toward her. Some ’freshment for you, ma’am?

    At the moment Julianna was more worried about escaping her mother’s notice than being accosted by a drunken young lord who could barely stand up and whose companions would surely prevent him from behaving more abominably than he was now. She accepted the glass rather than make a scene, then she ducked under his arm, walked quickly past the others, and hurried toward her destination, the drink forgotten in her hand.

    Forget about her, Dickie, she heard his companion say. Half the opera dancers and the demimonde are here tonight. You can have most any female who takes your eye. That one didn’t want to play.

    Julianna remembered hearing that some of the Ton’s high sticklers disapproved of masquerades—particularly for gently bred young ladies—and after what she’d seen and heard tonight she certainly understood why. With their identities safely concealed behind costumes and masks, members of Polite Society behaved like . . . like common rabble!

    2

    INSIDE THE MAZE, JULIANNA TOOK the path to the right, darted around the first corner, which happened to turn right, then she pressed her back into the shrubbery’s prickly branches. With her free hand, she tried to flatten the layers of white lace flounces that adorned the hem of her skirts and the low bodice of her gown, but they stood out like quivering beacons in the breezy night.

    Her heart racing from emotion, not exertion, she stood perfectly still and listened, separated from the garden by a single tall hedge but out of sight of the entrance. She stared blindly at the glass in her hand and felt angry futility at her inability to prevent her mother from disgracing herself or ruining Julianna’s life.

    Trying to divert herself, Julianna lifted the glass to her nose and sniffed, then she shuddered a little at the strong aroma. It smelled like the stuff her papa drank. Not the Madeira he enjoyed from morning until supper, but the golden liquid he drank after supper—for medicinal purposes, to calm his nerves, he said.

    Julianna’s nerves were raw. A moment later she heard her mother’s voice come from the opposite side of the leafy barrier, making her heart hammer with foreboding.

    Julianna, are you out here, dear? her mother called.

    Lord Makepeace is with me, and he is most eager for an introduction . . .

    Julianna had the mortifying vision of a reluctant Lord Makepeace—whoever he was—being dragged mercilessly by the arm through every twist and turn, every corner and cranny, of the twisting maze and torchlit gardens

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