Reviewed by: Rachel A Hyde, MyShelf.com
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Take three unhappy women on the verge of turning forty, several summerhouses and one Madame Zoya who can send people back in time to change their past and the result is the latest cracker of a book from Jude Deveraux. Beautiful Madison with an interest in medicine, writer Ellie and quiet domestic Leslie first met up in New York nineteen years ago while waiting torenew their licenses at the New York City Department of Motor Vehicles. They became instant friends but went their own separate ways and somehow all ended up miserable with lives that had gone wrong. When they meet up again and hear about Madame Zoya, how can they resist taking a chance?

Once again Jude Deveraux comes up with a winner - the trio's many mistakes and unhappy lives will surely strike a chord with every reader and the element of fantasy makes for a perfect "happy ever after" novel that is the perfect antidote to a surfeit of "realism". She can create memorable and sympathetic characters and think up highly entertaining plots but I think my own favorite aspect of Deveraux' work is her superb pacing, and technique of bringing new elements into her novels halfway through so the whole is the sort of suspenseful tale that you cannot put down.

The perfect beach read? Yes, but this sort of expertly crafted novel is more than "airport" fare and may well end up on that keeper shelf. More please!