Believe [Mass Market Paperback]

Victoria Alexander (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 2009

All she had to do was believe. . .

Tessa St. James thinks that true love is nothing more than a fairy tale, and she is absolutely certain she will never encounter someone worthy of her attention . . . until she meets her knight in shining armor.

His eyes are blue, the set of his chin is defiant, and he carries himself with unquestioned confidence. And when he kisses her, he sends a wicked desire through her body. Tessa, the beautiful skeptic, has no choice but to join forces with this man. Together they begin a quest that might restore her faith in the power of love . . . even if it costs both their lives.

And happily ever after could only be the stuff of fairy tales after all.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Victoria Alexander was an award-winning television reporter until she discovered fiction was much more fun than real life. She turned to writing full time and has never looked back. Victoria grew up traveling the country as an Air Force brat and is now settled in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband, two teenaged children, and a bearded collie named Sam. She firmly believes housework is a four-letter word, there are no calories in anything eaten standing up, procrastination is an art form, and it's never too soon to panic.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon; Original edition (November 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061728837
• ISBN-13: 978-0061728839
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #544,483 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexander was an award winning television reporter until she discovered fiction was much more fun than real life. She turned to writing full time and is still shocked it worked out.

Since the publication of her first book in 1995, she has written twenty-four full length novels and six novellas. The Perfect Wife--originally published in 1996 and reissued in March 2008--hit #1 on the New York Times list. Sixteen of her books are bestsellers hitting the New York Times, USA Today and/or Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. With books translated into a dozen different languages she has readers around the world and has twice been nominated for Romance's Writers of America prestigious RITA award. In 2009 she was given a Career Achievement Award from RT Bookclub and was named Historical Storyteller of the year in 2003. In 2008 she was the keynote speaker for the Romance Writers of American annual conference in San Francisco. Victoria credits much of her writing success to her experiences as a reporter.

Her years as a broadcast journalist were spent in two radically different areas of the country: Nebraska and West Virginia. In West Virginia, she covered both natural and manmade disasters. She was on the scene when a power plant construction accident in a small town left 52 men dead. She once spent the night on a mountain waiting to learn of the fate of coal miners trapped in a mine collapse. Victoria was producing a newscast when her husband (who worked at the same television station) and several other journalists were held hostage by a disturbed Vietnam veteran. In Nebraska, she reported on the farm crisis and watched people lose land that had been in their families for generations. She covered the story that was the basis of the movie BOYS DON'T CRY and once acted as the link between police and a gunman who had barricaded himself in his home. Her investigative work exposed the trucking of New York City garbage to a small town dump in rural Nebraska.

During her journalism career, Victoria covered every president from Ford to Clinton. She knows firsthand what it feels like to be surrounded by rising floodwaters and inside a burning building. She's interviewed movie stars including Kevin Costner, ridden an elephant and flown in a governor's helicopter. She's covered a national political convention and Pope John Paul II's historic visit to Denver as well as small town festivals celebrating everything from walnuts to Glen Miller. Her work was honored by numerous organizations including the Associated Press who called a feature about a firefighter's school "story telling genius". It was the encouragement she needed to turn from news to fiction. She's never looked back.

Victoria is a former president of the Omaha Press Club and in 2009 was named an OPC Face on the Barroom Floor. A caricature portrait of her joined previous faces including presidents, sports figures and politicians in a tradition that began in 1971.

Victoria claims her love of romance and journalism is to due to the influence of her favorite comic book character: Lois Lane, a terrific reporter and a great heroine who pursued Superman with an unwavering determination. And why not? He was extremely well drawn.

Victoria grew up traveling the world as an Air Force brat. Today, she lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband, a son in college and a daughter working in film.

Victoria had two bearded collies, Sam and Louie (named from characters in one of her books). Sam, the best dog in the world for 13 ½ years, passed away in September 2010. Louie has now taken on the position of loyal companion and is doing a fine job even though he doesn't understand that kitchen counter surfing is not allowed!

They live in a house under constant renovation and the accompanying parade of men in tool belts. And never ending chaos. Victoria laughs a great deal--she has to.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty dialogue, wonderful characters, fantastic storytelling, October 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Believe (Heartspell) (Mass Market Paperback)

I had never read a book from Victoria Alexander before, but after this one, I will definately be heading to my local library to find more! Her writing style is one that I've always enjoyed from some of my favorite authors, mainly because the heroine has a razor-sharp intelligence. The witty dialogue between Tessa and all the characters in the book were laugh-out loud funny, and I especially loved her affectionate "pet name" for Galahad -- Big Guy. Being only 5'3" myself, I really love tall guys, and Sir Galahad, like he was supposed to, stole my heart. If you love the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, along with the "Wizard Extraordinaire and Counselor to Kings" Merlin, then this is the book for you.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic - This book could not have been better, December 31, 1999

By 

Hannah M. Hurey (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Believe (Heartspell) (Mass Market Paperback)

I absolutely loved this book. I had to stay up half the night finishing it. The stroy just flowed from one chapter to the next. In fact, I hardly noticed that it was 1:30 a.m. when I finished it. Tessa is such a strong female character and sure gives Galahad a run for his money about his Middle Ages beliefs. You could not ask for a better book to curl up with in front of the fire on a cold winter or rainy night. A truely wonderful book. A must read!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this and you too will BELIEVE!, September 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Believe (Heartspell) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first Victoria Alexander novel I've ever read and I ***adored*** it! It is laugh-out-loud funny - one of those books that you probably don't want to read in a public place - unless of course, you enjoy causing a scene. The dialouge between Tessa and all of the characters was fresh and witty. The minor characters were incredibly well drawn and and the sub-plot between Merlin and Viviane was delightful. And let's not forget the Big Guy himself. It would be very easy to fall in love with Galahad! Great job Victoria!