The Passions of Chelsea Kane [Hardcover]

Barbara Delinsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2004

After the death of her adoptive mother, thirty-six-year-old Chelsea Kane is consumed by the need to uncover her biological heritage. Taking a break from her successful architecture career, she arrives in the New Hampshire town where she was born, determined to learn the truth, her only clue a tarnished silver key.

One of her first discoveries, however, is something quite unexpected: the irresistibly attractive Judd Street. Buoyed by love and resolution, the determined Chelsea slowly begins to uncover the dark mystery of her past. But as she inches closer to the truth, she realizes that someone is trying to stop her, first by scaring her, then by trying to harm her. The danger escalates until one terrifying night when all secrets are laid bare.

With memorable characters and writing that will stir the hearts and minds of all readers, The Passions of Chelsea Kane is the kind of compelling narrative that has earned Barbara Delinsky an ever-widening readership.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The clues to the identity of the heroine in this contemporary romance can be obvious and heavy-handed, but the variety of characters Delinsky ( A Woman Betrayed) presents provides ample entertainment. Mystery surrounds the birth of Chelsea Kane. Adopted by the Kanes, she knows only that she was born in Norwich Notch, a small New Hampshire town. An architect, Chelsea gains her first uncertain foothold in Norwich Notch by buying into its largest business, a financially troubled granite company. Locals resent Chelsea's intrusive presence, but two who take to her are Hunter Love (in a friendly sort of way) and "stunningly male" Judd Streeter (passionately). Someone who obviously doesn't take to her, however, scares her with late-night telephone calls and torches her barn. Chelsea's efforts to earn a place in the community and in Judd's heart are endangered when she learns she is pregnant. Judd is not the father, and Notch residents disapprove of unwed mothers. In this small-town romance Delinsky refreshingly takes the opportunity to poke fun at social snobbery and moral hypocrisy.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

Barbara Delinsky, a lifelong New Englander, was a sociologist and photographer before she began to write. There are more than 30 million copies of her books in print.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (January 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0066214572
• ISBN-13: 978-0066214573
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,916,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Delinsky, author of ESCAPE (2011), NOT MY DAUGHTER (2010), WHILE MY SISTER SLEEPS (2009), THE SECRET BETWEEN US (2008), and FAMILY TREE (2007), has written more than twenty bestselling novels with over thirty million copies in print. She has been published in twenty languages worldwide. Barbara's fiction centers upon everyday families facing not-so-everyday challenges. She is particularly drawn to exploring themes of motherhood, marriage, sibling rivalry, and friendship in her novels.

A lifelong New Englander, Barbara earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. As a breast cancer survivor who lost her mother to the disease when she was only eight, Barbara compiled the non-fiction book Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors, a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes. She donates her proceeds from the sale of this book to her charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Barbara enjoys knitting, photography, and cats. She also loves to interact with her readers through her website at www.barbaradelinsky.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bdelinsky, and on Twitter as @BarbaraDelinsky.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Romance, conflict and suspense intertwined, March 5, 2002

By 

Heartsong (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Passions of Chelsea Kane (Mass Market Paperback)

The title is a bit misleading in that it is not about sexual/sensual passions per se (although that plays a part in the story). It is more to do with Chelsea's life's passions, mainly her obsession in finding her birth parents. While on her search she encounters many adversities, including being shunned by a reserved New England community that does not condone her free-spirited lifestyle, including a pregnancy without a father in the picture, a love affair with one of the town's available and handsome men, and a business partnership in the town quarry.

As the story unfolds, we learn that Norwich Notch has some hidden secrets and "skeletons" of their own that they don't want uncovered and disclosed, which include illegitimacy and domestic abuse. In other words, they want to give the appearance that they are a quaint, New England community... "appearance" being the definitive word. Thus, it is easier for them to hold Chelsea Kane in judgment rather than admit their own shortcomings.

I gave the book 4 stars because I thought it was a bit too long. I would have left out the lengthy descriptions of the quarry business. Aside from that, it's one of those books that will grab your attention from the beginning and keeps you hooked right up to the end.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Ms. Delinsky's best!, April 19, 2001

By 

Maureen Mullis "Author" (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Passions of Chelsea Kane (Mass Market Paperback)

I have enjoyed reading Barbara Delinksy's books, and this is very much one of her best. She seems to be able to take various subjects and flesh them out with characters who are true to life. While I enjoyed very much reading about Chelsea's search for her birth parents, the subplot about Donna and her situation (spousal abuse) was equally compelling. I agree with the other reviews that the conflict of the family heirloom was left unresolved and should have been dealt with, as well as the relationship between Chelsea and her adoptive (read that "real") father, Kevin. But, in spite of that, Barbara Delinsky has written a book one will not easily forget, with characters you will remember for a long, long time.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, March 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Passions of Chelsea Kane (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book! The twists and turns keep you entrigued. There were plenty of times by jaw dropped. I was disappointed to finish reading. It is definitely a book that keeps you guessing.