Magnolia [Mass Market Paperback]

Diana Palmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 1996

A love as sweet and seductive as the magnolias and peachtrees

of Georgia . . .



Atlanta in 1900 was a city of contrasts: a bustling place where commerce and high society flourished amid the languid rhythms of the sultry South. Claire Lang loved her life there, but one man's presence unsettled her very soul. John Hawthorn's dark eyes and lean, handsome face captivated Claire more than she wanted to admit. And when tragedy struck, Claire found herself desperate enough to marry him--a man who didn't love her . . . a man she loved passionately.



As the fragrant scent of the magnolia wafted on warm breezes, Claire aroused fierce, unexpected desires in her elusive husband. And once she had tasted his kisses and savored his lovemaking, she dared to fight for him as a sizzling scandal threatened to engulf them and the love she began to believe could be theirs. . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

When Claire accepted John Hawthorn's proposal of marriage, she thought they would both benefit. John would no longer be jeopardizing his reputation or that of the beautiful wife of the bank president (and his ex-fiancee). For Claire...well, it would just solve many of her problems. After her uncle died, she had no one to turn to and no income of which to speak. Not to mention the fact that there was not even a roof over her head after the bank took over everything she had. Claire took few things with her into this marriage -- an automobile she affectionately called Chester, her talent for sewing, and her love for the man she was marrying. Unfortunately, it looked like John was still tied by the heartstrings to his dear Diane Culverson, and tongues in society were wagging. At every turn it seemed that John was hanging on Diane's every word, clinging to her arms, and touching ever so casually. It was more than any woman could take. It takes just one night of passion and one morning of cruelty to turn Claire from John. Fearing that she is only a vessel for his lust, Claire flees John, wanting only to think of a solution to her predicament. However, when a scandal erupts at the bank and John is jailed, Claire rushes back to his side, knowing she cannot let this happen to the man she loves. She can not and will not allow him to be destroyed! Diana Palmer's strength lies in the aggressiveness of her characters. At first, you may find yourself wishing that John would give in to Claire's gentle nature. You may ask yourself why Claire allows herself to go on being a victim for so long. Diana lets these characters grow to know each other as the story progresses. As you turn each page, you will watch them learning more, revealing hidden secrets, and uncovering false faces. Their discovery of their true feelings is as vital as the real world. Run a true gauntlet of emotions....These characters never let up! Diana Palmer is wonderful! A beautifully chaotic romance! A story that brings out emotions that are so real -- anger, grief, remorse, passion. It's all there!Karen Ellington -- Copyright © 1994-97 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times

From the Inside Flap

A love as sweet and seductive as the magnolias and peachtrees

of Georgia . . .



Atlanta in 1900 was a city of contrasts: a bustling place where commerce and high society flourished amid the languid rhythms of the sultry South. Claire Lang loved her life there, but one man's presence unsettled her very soul. John Hawthorn's dark eyes and lean, handsome face captivated Claire more than she wanted to admit. And when tragedy struck, Claire found herself desperate enough to marry him--a man who didn't love her . . . a man she loved passionately.



As the fragrant scent of the magnolia wafted on warm breezes, Claire aroused fierce, unexpected desires in her elusive husband. And once she had tasted his kisses and savored his lovemaking, she dared to fight for him as a sizzling scandal threatened to engulf them and the love she began to believe could be theirs. . . .

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Ivy Books; First Edition edition (November 27, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804112827
• ISBN-13: 978-0804112826
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,002,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Did we all read the same book?, August 11, 2009

By 

D. Elder "Faira" (Albany, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magnolia (Mass Market Paperback)

I didn't see any communication or joy in each others company with John and Claire. He was gone 15 hours of each day and she was busy with the things that would make her look the perfect wife to him and others. But how he was suppose to know this, I don't know, because she never told him. I didn't see how he eventually even fell in love with Claire at all, because aside from him hardly ever being at home with her... where they actually got to know each other... was nil!

When they were together she was shrewish with jealousy and he was jealously controlling of her while in love with another woman. And, John while thinking to himself later in the book that he was coming to love Claire, he would tell her he still loved the other woman. What? Why?

It was also hard for me to believe among all of Claire's other endeavors she was able to design and sew all those elaborate dresses in so short a period of time. They had beads and elaborate embroidery and so forth on them. I sew a lot and she would have to have been super human to do all that designing and sewing, even if she hadn't been doing everything else she was doing. And Macy's finding her because of dresses she made in her town; WOW, like being struck by lightening for the lottery. And where did she come by all these design and sewing skills, she lived with an Uncle that spent all his money on an Automobile that she was also obsessed with (she was a little grease monkey). They were very poor, so where did Claire come by all these skills and time with designing and sewing with 'expensive' fabrics and such? Beats me! It was an okay story, but not realistic.

When Claire left him and he felt the lose of her in his life, I had to laugh because Claire had never really been in his life, they were never together often enough to communicate or actually even enjoy each others company as I have said before. Bed was the only place they seemed to come together as a whole. Get this book at your library.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read. Everthing I like in one book., January 15, 1999

By 

janel taueg - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magnolia (Mass Market Paperback)

John and Clarie are perfect for one another (although it takes John a little while to realize this fact). The emotional aspects in this book were wonderful and increasingly hard to find in more recent romances. I liked the fact that the conflict was in the characters' relationship as well as outside of it. I highly recommend.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, January 4, 2011

By 

E. Beaton "Book Nut" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magnolia (Paperback)

I frequently read romance novels and picked up this one because the story seemed intriguing. Unfortunately, the high points of this book(the discussion of her dresses and the three sex scenes), did not make up for the lack of continuity in character development and plot. It seemed as though Palmer contradicted herself on nearly every other page which made the book both confusing and annoying to read. In addition, the male lead spent nearly the entire book in love with another woman and was not likable in the least. I skimmed the last 100 pages because I simply couldn't take the shoddy writing. What a waste of $14.