Because I Wanted You [Hardcover]

Annie Garrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1997

Ruby Maxwell has what every young woman dreams of: a glamorous job hosting a successful talk show, a penthouse on Fifth Avenue, and a boyfriend who only wants to put a Tiffany diamond on her finger. But she also has unsettling dreams about the Appalachian home she ran away from at age seventeen, dreams that make it impossible for her to find peace -- or love. When a reporter inadvertently uncovers her secret past, he sets in motion a chain of events that place Ruby in the harsh spotlight of public opinion and threaten to destroy the life she has built for herself.

As her two worlds collide, Ruby is haunted by the memory of the man she once loved and cannot forget, the idealist who saw more in her than she saw in herself. And even as she faces her mistakes, she tries to believe the fortune cookie adage that she carries with her at all times: "Love does no wrong that can't be made right."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Ruby Maxwell, host of a popular TV talk show, never dreamed that secrets from the past would surface to mar her climb to success. She had been careful to hide details of her life prior to her glamour-filled Fifth Avenue existence. Not even Paul Carrigan, her fiance of appropriate social status, knows the truth. But a reporter looking for upward mobility brings Ruby's Appalachian family into the public eye, with potentially disastrous results. Will past love indiscretions bring Ruby to ruin in full view of her TV audience? Or will her innate sense of charm save her skin? This is a well-told, enticing tale from a celebrity journalist and author of Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground (LJ 1/96). Recommended for popular collections.?Heather Blenkinsopp, Mercy Coll. Lib., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Talk-show host Ruby Maxwell has it all: a top-rated show, an image as America's sweetheart, and an adoring lover who wants to marry her. But Ruby has secrets she has kept hidden for almost a decade, secrets that come closer to the surface when a reporter calls claiming Ruby's father referred him. As her carefully constructed veneer begins to crack, Ruby faces difficult choices regarding the family she left behind and erased from her life. With those choices comes a chance to recapture a past love and find the happiness she has denied herself for too long. Annie Garrett is the pseudonym of entertainment journalist Kelli Pryor, whose first novel was Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground (1996). Like Angel, her second novel is a Doubleday Book Club and Literary Guild selection and is highly recommended wherever her first novel proved popular. Melanie Duncan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (June 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312154275
• ISBN-13: 978-0312154271
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,691,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a little too predictable..., November 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Because I Wanted You (Hardcover)

Although i did enjoy the story of the book, i did feel the end to be way too fairytale-ish. but if you are looking for a light, no-strings-attached read, this is a good one. I do love the writing style of Annie Garrett though, and i think that if she would just step out of Fairytale Theatre, she would be superb.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars better than i would have expected, July 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Because I Wanted You (Hardcover)

I was pleasantly surprised. This wasn't nearly as fluffy as I thought it would be. The writer has a lyrical way with words, and I will keep an eye out for her next book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Too Amazing, February 21, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Because I Wanted You (Mass Market Paperback)

This book wasn't bad, but it wasn't one of my favorites either. It was a little predictable, and in fact reminded me of the movie "Sweet Home Alabama". As I started to read the book, it was hard for me to follow who everyone was and how they were all connected. It was one of those books that you don't need to read every word or get really into it, to still understand the basic storyline. Other than that, the main character, Ruby, was appealing to me. She was strong and glamorous, she had her whole life together and depended on her on only her. I love characters like this, they're like role models. The thing about this book that keeps you reading is that the end of every chapter reveals a little bit more about Ruby's past. You can't stop yourself from going on. In a way it was like a love story and a mystery combined. The main thing I didn't like about this book was how it ended. It just seemed like it was all wrapped up so quickly. Of course the girl ended up with her first love, and everyone lived happily ever after but I could have guessed that from just reading the back cover. It was a cute story but nothing incredible. - K.R