Customer Reviews

Imagine

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

MIX: 1. escaped convict (GQ material), 2. a lawyer (a gorgeous blond with legs that go on forever) and 3. three orphans (a 2,5 and 11 year old) on a deserted island. RESULT: Sexual innuendos combined with hilarity frothing with romance and bursting with laughter. When the antics of all the characters don't have you laughing until your sides hurt, then your imagination is running wild with all the romantic opportunities. And if that isn't enough add a goat, a genie and some tropical nights.

Whatever you do don't miss this one, you'll regret it! It's charming, heartwarming and left me feeling sooo good. It's the story of Margaret (Smitty), an attorney, and Hank an escaped convict who was wrongly accused of murder. She's an independent woman who can't cook, he's a beat 'em over the head and drag 'em by the hair kinda guy that thinks woman are good for only one thing, until he gets stranded on a desert island with Smitty and three small orphans. There's also a delightful Genie with three wishes who needs to find a true believer to fulfill his destiny.

The verbal sparring between this odd couple is hilarious, Muddy, the Genie, adds a touch of magic and humor to the story & also makes a convenient baby sitter :), the kids are darling and the scenes where Hank warms up to them are really touching. It was so much fun to see Hank's attitude about women and children change after being stuck with them day in and day out with no escape. The last few chapters had me teary eyed. I recommend this one for anyone looking for a feel good romance with a happy ending and lots of sexual tension! This book is the ultimate fantasy.

Margaret Huntington Smith is a 32 year old successful Attorney in San Fransisco. She is sent away on holiday by her father to the Pacific Islands. Hank Wyatt is an escaped convict from a high security prison on one of the Islands. They are travelling on a ship when the boiler blows and the ship capsizes. Hank manages to get to safety on a lifeboat and also saves Margaret and three orphaned children, Lydia (11 years old), Theodore (5 years old) and Anabelle (just under 2 years old). They sail in the lifeboat until they finally reach a deserted island.

When Hank and Margaret meet sparks fly. He is a hardheaded man and will not listen to Margaret's opinions and she is determined woman who will not let any man put her down. Margaret knows nothing about children or cooking and so will ocasionally lose one of the children and more often than not burn the food. Hank is a hard man and has lived a tough life but finds himself softening and becoming a surrogate father to the three children as Margaret does her best at being mother to the children. As time goes by, the little family become closer and Margaret finds herself falling for the man who is her polar opposite.

This was a fun book to read. As always filled with Jill Barnett's trademark humour, witty dialogue and funny situations. The love story was not rushed but built over the entire length of the book. The children also added a lot of humour to the book as well as tenderness. Throw in a genie from a bottle called Muddy and you have a thumping great read. Highly recommended as with all Jill Barnett's books.

Lea Ling Tsang

I bought "Imagine" about eights months ago and I let it sit on my bookshelf until last week. Well, I'm very sorry that I didn't read it earlier. "Imagine" is a great story about finding love that has been waiting for you for your whole life. Ms. Barnett is able to bring out real emotions in her characters and keep the reader wanting more.

Hank Wyatt and Maggie Smith are nearly complete opposites. Hank is an escaped convict who has never known a real family. Maggie grew up with every advantage offered by her prominent family and became a successful attorney even before women were allowed to vote. Hank does what he has to to survive. According to him, intelligent women like Maggie who can't cook are practically useless; however, he CAN think of at least one use for the gorgeous blond woman whose incessant THINKING is driving him nuts....

It is obvious that neither Maggie nor Hank knows the first thing about taking care of the three children shipwrecked with them, including a toddler who needs to be watched constantly. Although this clearly falls into "women's work," Hank is forced by their isolation to assume his share of the responsibility. Gradually (and with the help of a genie whose bottle was plucked from the sea), the exiles find themselves adapting to their situation and becoming a family unit.

But what will happen when they are rescued? As an attorney, Maggie cannot link her life to an escaped felon. But could Hank bear to be sent back to the hellish prison he escaped from? Since a single woman cannot adopt children, will the three orphans end up in the same kind of orphanage Hank grew up in?

Jill Barnett's magic strikes again. A most unlikely pair are forced together through circumstances (fate) until they perceive in each other a kindred spirit beneath the surface. And to discover at last that true love gives them the strength to face an uncertain future....

Jill Barnett has a real gift for combining humor and romance. One finds oneself chuckling all the way through at the hilarious situations and witty dialogue. At the same time, her characters seem to grow and evolve and mature as circumstances force them to reevaluate the direction of their lives.

Ms. Barnett can always be counted on to provide an entertaining and uplifting read!

Ok I read this authors Bridge to Happiness, and was wowed by that book. So I searched for another, and saw this was so highly reviewed, I thought to try it. Now there is no comparison between the two books, I won't go there. But this book was very disappointing to me, and I know it's an older, dated offering. It just was off the wall, and the lead characters were beyond annoying. I couldn't stand Margaret enough to care, and was vaguely disturbed that a highly educated woman, with money, was so extremely clueless and we were supposed to accept that. I suppose I just do not have the right Imagination to stick with this book, I deleted it before the halfway mark. I wish I had picked something else to try from this author instead!

Maggie Smith, a wealthy San Francisco attorney, is sent on vacation to the South Seas by her father. Hank Wyatt has just escaped from a maximum-security prison, where he has served several years of a life sentence for a murder he didn't commit. Hank stows away aboard the ship Maggie is sailing on, both unaware in a few hours they will be fighting for their very lives. They sail into a raging storm, the ship's boiler blows, and Hank saves the lives of Maggie, three orphaned children, and a goat. Floating in a life raft, they eventually make landfall on a deserted tropical island. Hank, who is arrogant, self-centered and cynical, knows how to survive. And since he's the man, it's his place to think, be in control, and he's undoubtedly always right. So when they set up a temporary life and routine on the island, they disagree on everything. Maggie is delegated responsibility for cooking and childcare, two things she knows nothing about. Consequently she burns the food, and occasionally loses a child.

Hank and Maggie fight their growing attraction for each other, while trying to survive. One of the children stumbles upon an actual genie in the bottle, and is granted the requisite three wishes. Eventually they are rescued, but what will happen when they all return to civilization?

Ms. Barnett never ceases to amaze me with her wonderful stories, and this was no exception. This read was sweet, endearing, and just pure fun! Maggie and Hank couldn't be more polar opposites, but they of course find common ground to fall in love. Maggie was an interesting heroine - strong, independent, and progressive for the late 1800's. In the beginning, Hank was an intriguing hero, but not all that likeable. However, he began to soften and we saw him ultimately change for the better. The kids added an extra dimension to the story making them more of a family, and Muddy the genie was also a cute addition. The humor this author is so talented at adding to her stories was definitely here as well. This is a keeper, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend reading it!

The story of Hank and Smitty is one of the best romances I have read. Their story is truly heartwarming. When you read it, you will find yourself laughing and crying during the entire book. I have read all of Jill Barnett's book and this is my favorite, although I would recommend all of her books to everyone

Hank has just escaped jail and ends up on an the same ship with Margaret Smith, or Smitty, after following her long legs and blond hair on board. Unfortunately the ship goes down and Hank, Smitty and three children end up in a life boat and stranded on a desert island where comedy ensues.

I have to say I really wanted to like this book, I have been looking for a romance set on a desert island for years, but I was not impressed by this one at all. Hank is nothing short of obnoxious for the two-thirds of the book with Smitty being forced to play his straight man. He went on for more than half the book about how women were stupid, useless, and didn't have the higher brain function for more than minding children and cooking. The first time or two it was slightly amusing but it got to be down right obnoxious as it went on and on.

The romance wasn't very well done. It didn't start until there was only a third of the book left when Hank finally manages to take a bath and shave and Smitty realizes he's pretty easy on the eyes. It isn't until there is less than a quarter left that their relationship gets much deeper than that. I can't say I didn't like Hank, but I sure didn't like how he treated Smitty, even after they "fell in love" and I also didn't like how he ALWAYS got the upper hand and "won" all the time, the only time he didn't win was when Smitty didn't play his games.

What I did like about this book was Hank's relationship with the children, especially with Theodore who's an orphan who thinks of Hank as father, friend and sun and moon all in one, and how Hank tries his best to not disappoint him.

If this hadn't ended with Hank and Smitty getting married I might have liked it better but I personally wouldn't want to be with Hank, heck, I don't think I would want to spend an hour with him or share a meal with the man. His mentality was definitely juvenile and that's why he got along so well with the children. He was a very complicated character and he covered up his insecurities by putting other people down, with his main target being Smitty. The problem though is he was so nasty in the beginning and continued to tease her enough towards the end that I couldn't get over his attitude, being I've known too many people like that in my life and didn't have any patience for his antics.

The Genie, Muddy, was really overkill in my book. Why the heck didn't they just wish themselves off the island as soon as they found him like a third of the way through the book? I was also disappointed that the author spend no time talking about their survival, there were causal references to Hank fishing and harvesting fruit but there were no problems, no struggles, nothing. The whole thing could have taken place while they were snowed in in a cabin with almost no changes made. There were several laugh out loud moments in this book but they didn't overshadow Hank's character or the silliness that was Muddy for me.

2 Stars.

I was hooked after the few first chapters... so glad I got this when it was free on Amazon. Ended up staying up late to finish this heartwarming amusing story. Hank's honorable behavior really touched me and I thoroughly enjoyed every character in the book. The dialogue was great and flowed, espcially the banter between Hank and Margaret. 5 stars. just wish her other books interested me as much.