Grand Passion [Hardcover]

Krentz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1994

Cleopatra Robbins is certain that something is wrong when her Mr. Right turns out to be Max Fortune, the force behind the giant Curzon Hotel Chain and a guest at the Robbins' Next Inn. 175,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her first hardcover under her own name (she published Deception under the Amanda Quick name last year), bestselling romancer Krentz spins a glib, breezy tale about dashing art collector Max Fortune and earnest, fey innkeeper Cleopatra Robbins, secret author of an erotic book. Max comes to the Robbins' Nest Inn searching for five valuable paintings his dying employer claimed to have left there for him. Confused and charmed by open, nurturing Cleo, who denies any knowledge of the artworks, Max decides to stay and investigate further. He is soon part of the inn's eccentric family--cooks from a nearby women's commune, a lonely, fatherless little boy, a young couple struggling with an unplanned pregnancy--and he begins to act out with Cleo the fantasies in her book. When someone makes a death threat against the love-smitten innkeeper, Max hires a detective friend to find the culprit. After a dramatic crisis and pursuit of the villain, the expected romance ending arrives. Much of the humor here seems arch or forced, but overall this frothy fare will please Krentz's readers. Literary Guild alternate; Doubleday Book Club main selection.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Max Fortune is an angry young man. Hurt by family and friends, he lives in a sparse house with the only things he can count on: books and works of art. When his benefactor and mentor dies, he leaves Max a cryptic message: "The most precious things I leave you, you'll find at the Robbins' Nest Inn." Max at first thinks the "precious things" are paintings, but the legacy is much more than that. He meets the inn's owner, Cleopatra Robbins, and helps her deal with her past and a person who wants to ruin her future. Krentz tells a wonderful story that is full of romance and suspense. Listeners will keep guessing right up until the program's conclusion. Actress Susan Gibney does a fine job of bringing this story to life. For all romance collections.
--- Danna C. Bell-Russel, District of Columbia P.L.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Atria; First Edition edition (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671778706
• ISBN-13: 978-0671778705
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,448,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The author of over 50 New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 35 million copies of her books in print.

Building on the success of her DREAMLIGHT TRILOGY in 2010, Jayne is now focused on writing the LOOKING GLASS TRILOGY. This series will follow the Quicksilver Mirror (a paranormal artifact) through all three of Jayne's worlds covering a time span of several hundred years.

The first LOOKING GLASS book, IN TOO DEEP, will feature Fallon Jones, a recurring character from Jayne's contemporary ARCANE SOCIETY series of novels.

When she's not writing, Jayne can be found at her favorite social networking site posting messages to her fans.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, September 15, 2004

By 

Amanda Carrell "Erotic Romance Author" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Grand Passion (Mass Market Paperback)

Jayne Ann Krentz has done it again with this delightful, charming book. As always, the characters in this book are stunning! They are very dynamic and true-to-life and they are people you'd want to know. Cleo is a down-to-Earth woman with an underlying sensuality that she is desperate to bring forth. Max is successful in everything he tries, everything that is, except relationships. He is searching for a place he fits in. He finds that place in a remote inn known as the Robbins' Nest Inn. Robbins' Nest is peopled with a group of characters who call themselves 'the family' and are funny, warm and complex. These delightful denizens are headed up by the Inn owner, Cleo Robbins.

Here, among these people, Max finds the love and acceptance he has been searching for all his life. Cleo and 'the family' take him in and add him to the bunch almost instantly. With their help he learns that being part of a family isn't about when you mess up, it's about being there. Watching Max break out of his shell and flourish under Cleo's love and the love of 'the family' is heartwarming.

There is a mystery that plays throughout the book and unlike usual, I had half of it figured out almost instantly. The other part of the mystery, nevertheless, kept me guessing until the end.

However, the mystery is not the driving force of this book as is most times the case. The tone of this story is definitely self-discovery. Watching Cleo and Max discover each other and learn things about themselves is wonderful.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The humor, the passion, and the love were touching and kept me interested right from the first. One of the best by Ms. Krentz in any of her many incarnations. I am always pleasantly surprised by the high quality and wonderful characters in Ms. Krentz's books. Buy this book now -- you won't be disappointed!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Quick" -- Read Krentz!, August 18, 2000

By 

"goldcoastreviews" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grand Passion (Mass Market Paperback)

Award winning authoress Jayne Ann Krentz, who also is known by Amanda Quick for her historical romance novels, gives us exactly what this title indicates--grand passion. Flavoring her settings with descriptive tones of wealth and art add to Cleopatra Robbins (the central character)sensual and suspenseful predicament with handsome yet snobbish Max Fortune.

I especially enjoyed scenes involving "The Mirror"--a book which Cleo is writing that unmasks her hidden desires of erotica. And, you just know Max will buy into that, along with attempting to discover hidden art treasures.

A fun, well written book which even authoress Sandra Brown commented, "Grand Passion is Krentz at her best...with the snappy dialouge that has become her trademark and a cast of characters you want to know personally."

Thanks for your interest & comment votes--CDS

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!, December 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Grand Passion (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book! I fell in love with Cleo, Max and "the family". This book had everything- romance, seduction, true love, humor, action, and suspense. It was so good that I read it twice. Krentz definitely lived up to her reputation of creating the best. You'll love this book!