Imagine Love [Hardcover]

Katherine Stone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 1996

Imagine moonlight and roses. And London and Paris. And the intoxicating magic of a Louisiana bayou. Then journey with master storyteller Katherine Stone on this breathtaking voyage of danger, courage, and love.
They met beside the brilliant blue bayou. She was an innocent girl, and he was a reckless and angry boy. Claire Chamberlain believed in dreams, and Cole Taylor believed in nothing at all. Cole had no reason to believe--until her. They pledged their love beneath the silver winter moon. But the hopes of Cole and Claire were destined to be drowned in blood.
Now, twelve years later, Cole has returned to Harlanville. He has found fame as a singer of love songs. And Claire? Her life has changed, irrevocably, yet she has found a private peace--such a fragile one that Cole's very presence shatters her precarious serenity. And now Cole is asking her to do the impossible, to come away with him, to London. Claire knows he will break her heart again. But she will be with him, she has to be, for as long as she can bear the pain.
Claire's is not the only endangered heart in London. A murderer has sent Lady Sarah Pembroke an engraved Valentine invitation--to her own death. And is Claire's girlhood friend afraid of the knife-wielding monster? Hardly. The Global News's star correspondent, the woman who feels oddly sane amid the madness of war, has her own private demons, memories far more fearsome than a murderer who chooses the most romantic day of the year to inflict his lethal terror.
But neither Sarah's past nor the killer stalking her are as terrifying as Jack Dalton, the FBI consultant determined to save Sarah's life. Jack needs Sarah's help in his exhaustive, careful search for clues. But remarkably, and infuriatingly, Sarah resists. Sarah will not tell Jack the intimate information he needs to know. She cannot. And yet it is as if he already knows her anguished secrets, cares for her more than he should, and wants more from Lady Sarah Pembroke than she can ever give.
Imagine Love is an enthralling read, a beautifully crafted tapestry of suspense and love, of surprises you won't imagine, and of men and women you will never forget.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In one of those odd publishing confluences, Stone's (Pearl Moon) new novel is the second of early 1996 to feature a serial killer who slays on Valentine's Day (the other being Tom Savage's Valentine, Forecasts, Jan. 8). It's the first, however, in which a heroine professes expertise in recognizing killers' eyes: "sometimes glistening, sometimes shimmering with lust, sometimes flat, unseeing and dead." Thus she can determine that one fellow isn't a homicidal maniac, for though his eyes "glinted with the unrelenting intensity, there was gentleness as well." If this sort of writing makes readers want to close their own eyes, they'd better pass on this tale of love lost and found, the plot of which is as overheated as the prose. The story features two ladies in distress. One is the blind Claire Chamberlain, who's in London at the invitation of her long-lost great love, Cole Taylor, now a famous singer. The early part of the novel limns the genesis of their relationship, and of the day Cole, years before that, gave away his little brother to save him from their father's beatings. The other woman in trouble is Claire's (also) long-lost pen pal, Lady Sarah Pembroke, eye-expert and news correspondent, who is targeted by the Valentine's Day murderer. Also on tap are FBI consultant Jack Dalton, who falls in love with Sarah; gifted sculptor Lucas Cain, who harbors a secret involving one of the women; and Lucas's wife, Emma, who doubts his love. What connects everyone to the murderer? If one of them isn't the killer, who is? Does Cole find his brother? Can these hapless souls solve their problems and find happiness? Readers will decide whether the answers are important.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Stone's last romance, Pearl Moon (LJ 2/1/95), sold more than 75,000 hardcover copies. In Imagine Love, three women confront their pasts in order to find love.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 425 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (April 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449908305
• ISBN-13: 978-0449908303
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 1.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,153,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bestselling Seattle-born author Katherine Stone set about plotting her life's journey at a very young age. At age five she knew she hoped to become a doctor. Then, after writing her first short story at age 11, she realized that she'd love to be a writer, too.

In pursuit of that youthful dream, Katherine attended Stanford University, where she completed her premed requirements while majoring in English. She received her M.D. from the University of Washington. Following her internal medicine residency in San Francisco, she accepted a fellowship in infectious diseases in Los Angeles.

What remains one of the world's largest outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease coincided with her fellowship, which gave her the opportunity to write and lecture on this mysterious new disease. But it was not all work and no play. There was also romance in L.A. It was there (during a spinal tap!) that she met her future husband, physician and novelist Jack Chase.

While she had accomplished the first half of her young-life goals, Katherine never really got around to the second part--being a writer--until Jack bought her a word processor and urged her to "Just do it." The result? Bestselling books in the distinctive Katherine Stone style: a marriage of lyrical prose, evocative emotion and, above all, romance.

"There's nothing wrong with incurable romanticism," the physician asserts. "I love writing about nice people, who are giving life their best shot despite the sometimes monumental obstacles I place in their paths and who discover, despite those obstacles, the splendor and power of love."

Although Katherine has hung up her stethoscope for the moment and is writing full-time at her home near Seattle, her medical background is often evident in her books. "I very much enjoy sharing my passion for medicine--its drama, its emotion and yes, its science--with my readers."

The author of 21 novels, including Twins, Bel Air, Love Songs, and Pearl Moon, Katherine's books have been translated into 20 languages and sold worldwide. She is in the midst of converting all her novels into e-book formats (and thinking about her next book!)

Please visit her website at www.katherinestone.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, except main character was a bore..., August 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Imagine Love (Hardcover)

This story was well written and held my interest throughout. However, I did not like the main hero, Cole Taylor. I don't know, he seemed so lifeless, so impersonal, so NOT appealing. I liked Claire, it was unfortunate someone so sweet had such heartache in her life.
Lady Sara and Jack Dalton were lively, and seemed to make a wonderful couple, although we'll never know since their story wasn't fully explored here.
Lucas Cain and his wife, Emma were a sweet couple. Despite doubts, they were very much in love. Even their story could have developed a little more, but what we got was better than nothing. The author's compassionate, romantic and sensitive side really came through in this couple.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT Read, January 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Imagine Love (G K Hall Large Print Book Series) (Hardcover)

This is one of Katherine Stone's best novels. The story line is complex and surprising. Of course, we know their is a happy ending for all, but I certainly didn't expect some of the twists and turns along the way.

I especially liked the love story between Emma and Lucas. But all of the interweaved story lines touched my heart.

I also highly recommend Stone's Pearl Moon, my other favorite.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I have ever read., January 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Imagine Love (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was totally magnificent. From beginning to end, it was good, very interesting. I couldn't put it down. It was one of the best books I have ever read. Most books aren't good from beginning to end. I mean it was really good, even from the beginning.