Customer Reviews

Twist Of Fate

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although she is still recuperating from a serious auto injury, college guidance counselor Hannah Jessett travels to Las Vegas to try to save her brother's company from businessman Gideon Cage. Cage has been at the top of his game for years and doesn't have much time or use for leisure and frivolity, but he periodically goes to Las Vegas for a few days of gambling to unwind. Hannah offers Cage the opportunity to decide the fate of her brother's company on the draw of the cards. If he wins, she hands over her stocks, easing his way to a takeover. If she wins, he backs off entirely. Hannah thinks she has a trick up her sleeve. What she doesn't know is that Cage does, too, and he's playing a different game altogether.

Hannah (seemingly) wins the game and returns home to have more surgery on her injured leg. Cage returns to his business pursuits, but is distracted by Hannah, as well as the efforts of the vengeful son of an old mentor and rival to ruin him. Before long, Hannah finds herself involved in the situation between Cage and Hugh Ballantine (the deceased rival's son). She's also dealing with the estate of her aunt, the renowned anthropologist Elizabeth Nord (a sort of Margaret Meade character). Hannah just wants to decamp to her aunt's island home to recuperate, but Cage follows her, intent on furthering his relationship with her.

Even as things start to heat up between Hannah and Cage, the business situation between Cage and Ballantine continues to escalate to a potentially devastating conclusion. Additionally, Hannah herself has some strange and threatening experiences that lead her to think there may have been more to her auto accident and that her life may be in danger.

TWIST OF FATE is pretty standard JAK fare for this early period in her career; however, it does have some interesting characters and some interesting subplots, including the story of Elizabeth Nord and the choices women face in trying to have both fulfilling personal lives and careers. This book was initially published in 1986, but, sadly, many of JAK's points are on this topic are still relevant today.

The character of Cage is a little more the product of that era. Although he's not as scary as some of her early "heroes" with their controlling attitudes, he is too overbearing at times. Hannah also fits into a standard JAK mold--blithely optimistic and excessively perky. At one point, Cage tells her, "Christ, lady, you're an idiot. But an amusing idiot." Personally, I thought that Hannah was the weakest element in the book and quickly found her more annoying than amusing. Readers were reminded over and over and over that she was, in fact, a guidance counselor, which apparently gave her permission/authority to lecture other people about their lives and choices. (And I got really sick of hearing descriptions of her ugly Banana Republic, safari-style outfits.)

While TWIST OF FATE isn't a terrible book, it's not a good one, either. For most JAK fans, the interest will lie in experiencing something from her backlist to compare to her later works. For my part, I'm glad I can check it off my list, but I won't be revisiting it. I'm giving this book a scant 3 stars just because I like JAK so much, but it honestly should be closer to 2 ½ stars.

Rich corporate raider Gideon gets no joy from his work. Guidance counselor Hannah surprises him by sensing this and gives him unsolicited advice. Hannah first meets Gideon when she visits him to ask him to stop his takeover attempts of her brother's technology firm. I enjoyed seeing the development of their relationship. He follows her to a vacation island. He visits her in Seattle. A fellow corporate raider who hates Gideon learns of this relationship and he too visits Hannah in Seattle. Her interaction with the two of them was odd, different and fun to watch. She wanted no part of the war between them.

A second story is about Hannah's ancestors. There were several independent, successful and never married women in her past, a mathematician, an artist and more recently her aunt Elizabeth who was a famous anthropologist. Elizabeth dies and leaves her research papers and journals to Hannah. Hannah is considering writing a book from these sources. She is tempted to live a life devoted to career success, which would exclude marriage for her. Gideon wants her in his life, but she feels she cannot have career success if she is with him. Her evaluation and ultimate decisions are thoughtful and interesting.

Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: three. Setting: current day Las Vegas, Santa Inez Island, Seattle and Tucson. Copyright: 1986. Genre: contemporary romance.

For a list of my reviews of other books by this author, see my 4 star review of "Sizzle and Burn" posted 2-09-08.

An old story that still rings true...predictable JAK plot and characterization which means a good read for JAK fans.

Though she needs a cane to walk since the recent car accident and will require surgery, Seattle guidance counselor Hannah Jessett comes to Vegas to try to persuade ruthless business shark Gideon Cage from taking over her brother's firm Accelerated Design. She offers the predator a game of chance, high card; if he wins she hands over her shares of stock while if she wins he backs off. He agrees and she draws the higher card.

Gideon cannot get Hannah out of his mind as she brought to him is first refreshing event since he was betrayed by his mentor years ago. Though he must contend with his late teacher's offspring Hugh Ballantine, Gideon decides to go after Hannah. She, in turn, is looking at the journals her late Aunt Elizabeth Nord; a renowned but controversial anthropologist took when she visited Revelation Island. The shy counselor steps out of character for the second time in a short period to follow up on her aunt's revolutionary work. Gideon joins her.

TWIST OF FATE is a delightful lighthearted contemporary romance with some suspense elements mostly late. The tale stars a likable seemingly naive heroine and an apparent business predator; readers will quickly decide that perceptions and images can be deceiving. The support cast enhances the fun story line starting when Hannah pulls out her deck of cards and Gideon keeps them as a souvenir and never slows down until the final confrontation with Aunt Elizabeth's legacy.

Harriet Klausner

This was a far better novel than Gambler's woman. I enjoyed this novel mainly because of the suspense and the ending wasn't typical. But basically it is the same formula.

I don't know how she does it, but Jayne Ann never manages to get out of the same old rhythm: girl meets boy (usually in business). Girl likes boy, finds out about ulterior motive, tries to change boy. Fight, make up, and are threatened by someone out of one of their pasts. Usually the recent past. I find Jayne Ann getting flatter and flatter as she writes, get the older books, because their stories are better and more realistic. Reissues are the way to go, ignore the new ones.