A Glimpse Of Heaven [Mass Market Paperback]

Barbara Dawson Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1995

He can see into her past...
He can see into her secrets...
He can see into the deepest desires of her heart...

Only in his dreams has Burke Grisham, the once dissolute Earl of Thornwald, seen a lady as exquisite as Catherine Snow. Now, standing before him at last is the mysterious beauty whose life he has glimpsed in strange visions-whose voice called him back from death and the shimmering radiance beyond, on the bloody field of Waterloo. But she is also the widow of the friend he destroyed: the one woman who scorns him; the one woman he must possess.

Catherine detests Lord Thornwald as the handsome daredevil who led her estranged husband into a decadent life and a reckless death in battle. Yet now, even as she resists his strange connection to her mind, she years for him to conquer her heart. But does this infamous rake think her his next plaything? Or is Burke truly sent, as he vows, to save Catherine from a danger only he can see-and sweep her up in a love born of eternal light?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Burke Grisham, Earl of Thornwald, is the cad who organized a party overlooking the droll battle of Waterloo. Finally deciding to help, Burke drives his carriage toward the battlefield, his friend Alfred at his side. Alfred is mortally wounded and begs Burke to take care of his wife, Catherine. After Burke himself is mortally wounded and, as is to be expected, goes toward the light. He is drawn back to earth, however, by the entreaties of a woman who begs him to help her. During the year in which Burke recuperates, he continues to envision the same woman. Imagine Burke's surprise when he finally gets around to visiting Alfred's wife, who turns out to be the woman in his visions. Far from being an ethereal angel, Catherine Snow is being made a drudge of by Alfred's selfish mother and sisters. She already resents Burke for having engineered Alfred's downfall years ago, but she thinks him mad when she hears the account of his visions. Burke extends his visit in order to understand his visions while much to Catherine's chagrin and Alfred's mother's delight as she furiously tries to negotiate a match between Burke and one of her daughters. This downtrodden heroine could easily have been a caricature but Dawson Smith (Fire at Midnight) has given her the depth to match her well-plotted story.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Superb reading!"--Romantic Times

"An excellent reading experience from a master writer. A triumphant and extraordinary success!"--Affaire de Coeur

"Barbara Dawson Smit's talents soar to new heights with this intense, romantic and engrossing tale."--Romantic Times, Exceptional Rating

"Fascinating storytelling!"--Atlanta Journal & Constitution

"Highly recommended!"--Gothic Journal

"Breathtaking! Barbara Dawson Smith once again proves why she is one of America' s best-loved authors of historical romantic fiction."--RomEx Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 346 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (December 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312957149
• ISBN-13: 978-0312957148
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,549,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful and touching read!!, March 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Glimpse Of Heaven (Mass Market Paperback)

I just couldn't put it down once I started. Barbara Dawson Smith is an outstanding author. I love her books. Burke is a wonderful hero, as is with all rakes, of course. But he is trying to change his ways. The fascinatind part of the story is Burkes near death experience and the strange visions he gets of Catherine, visions that soon show themselves as Alfred, Catherines dead husband's. Does he have Alfred's memory? Its a truly touching story of redemption and everlasting love. Read it, you won't be disappointed!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!, December 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Glimpse Of Heaven (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a really fascinating story about a man who has a near death experience at the Battle of Waterloo, and afterward sees visions about a woman he's never met. It's full of twists and turns and lots of great romance. I loved it!

3.0 out of 5 stars Average historical romance, July 27, 2007

By 

Gemma "bookworm" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Glimpse Of Heaven (Mass Market Paperback)

From the back cover:

He can see into her past...
He can see into her secrets...
He can see into the deepest desires of her heart...

Only in his dreams has Burke Grisham, the once-dissolute Earl of Thornwald, seen a lady as exquisite as Catherine Snow. Now, standing before him at last is the mysterious beauty whose life he has glimpsed in strange visions--whose voice called him back from death and the shimmering radiance beyond, on the bloody field of Waterloo. But she is also the widow of the friend he destroyed: the one woman who scorns him; the one woman he must possess.

Catherine detests Lord Thornwald as the handsome daredevil who led her estranged husband into a decadent life and a reckless death in battle. Yet now, even as she resists his strange connection to her mind, she yearns for him to conquer her heart. But does this infamous rake think her his next plaything? Or is Burke truly sent, as he vows, to save Catherine from a danger only he can see--and sweep her up in a love born of eternal light?

And my review:

I enjoy the novels of Barbara Dawson Smith. While I don't find them to be "can't put it down" or "blow your socks off" reads, her books are enjoyable diversions to pass a few hours. A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN is not one of her best works, but still a pleasant read.

I really liked the paranormal touch she put into this one, about how Burke could see flashes of memories from Catherine's late husband, Alfred. I thought it was a really interesting concept. I felt that the characters were pretty well-rounded as well.

However, I didn't feel the spark between them as much as I would have liked. When the author said that they were in love, I just didn't feel it. A minor complaint, but it is the reason this book wasn't a keeper for me.

The author wanted to show how the hero was redeemed from a drunken, wenching, gambling blackguard into a man worth marrying. But the part where (in the past), he gives a prostitute to his married friend (Alfred, Catherine's last husband) as a wedding gift almost made me stop reading the book. So if something like that is going to be a big stumbling block for you, I'd suggest you skip this one.

I think that this author has done it better. My personal favorites of hers are Once Upon A Scandal (Once Upon Scandal) and The Wedding Night (A Kenyon Family Novel). Those ones were keepers, and I would recommend them over and above A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN. Buy this book if you're a big fan of the author, otherwise, I'd suggest trying to find it at the library.