Finding Ian (Hardcover)

by Kensington (Producer)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Thirteen years ago, Byron Frazer had faced the toughest decision a parent could ever face. When his young wife, Lori, died in childbirth, Byron chose to put his newborn son, Ian, up for adoption. Recovering from the grief of both losses, Byron turned his energies to finishing school and building his career. Now, years later, Byron has become a nationally known family therapist, and Ian needs a father.

Though Byron had followed Ian's life, he had never felt the need to step in before. When Ian's adoptive parents die and he is sent to live with relatives in Cornwall, England, Byron knows he must go and see that Ian is all right. Finding Ian is fairly straightforward, but finding the right thing to do is much more difficult.

Stella Cameron's novel carefully describes a wide spectrum of family relationships, with painfully accurate depictions of the worst ones. Pride and loyalty are the strongest emotions in the Cornwall community, but there are more complex layers of emotions below that. Though the language, actions, and dilemmas can be exhaustingly over the top, the down-to-earth character of Ian helps balance things out, and makes Finding Ian a satisfying read. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien

From Publishers Weekly
A beautiful lady housepainter, a handsome television psychologist and a sad, 13-year-old boy find love and redemption in a small village near Cornwall in Cameron's (Glass Houses, Key West) latest romantic novel. Dr. Byron Frazer is America's leading expert on family therapy. His San Francisco-based TV program has garnered the 34-year-old bachelor critical success and fame. But Frazer is hiding a secret from his overbearing agent and his fans: 13 years ago, after his young wife died in childbirth, he gave up their son for adoption. Frazer has had a private detective watching over the boy, named Ian Spring by his adoptive parents in Minnesota. When Frazer learns that the couple has died and the boy has been sent to live with his adoptive mother's sister, Muriel Cawden, in the tiny village of Boddinick, near Cornwall, England, he travels to Boddinick under the pretense of renting a house for the summer. He soon meets Jade Perron, 32, a housepainter, interior decorator and mother of five-year-old Rose. Perron and Frazer become romantically involved, but Jade has her own problems. Her father is encouraging her to return to her abusive ex-husband and to stop trying to prove she is "as good as any man." When Frazer decides to publicly stake his claim to Ian, whom he believes is being neglected by codgerish Aunt Muriel, it seems the entire village is pitted against him. Cameron's love scenes induce blushes not for their eroticism, but for their hackneyed ardor. Her myriad plot twists may keep readers turning pages, however. (Jan. 4)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 293 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575667134
• ISBN-13: 978-1575667133
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,629,937 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spirit Wrenching -- Heart Warming -- Great Read, January 12, 2001

By	Sara Reyes "Fresh Fiction" (Plano, TX USA) - See all my reviews

FINDING IAN is different from the contemporary mysteries, the romantic suspense novels and the historicals that Stella Cameron has written in the past years. And different is NOT bad! In fact, it is very very good!

FINDING IAN is a book of the heart. At 21 years of age Byron had it all - an adoring wife, a newborn son - until one was taken by death and the other rejected as Byron launched himself into a downward spiral of grief and pain. Byron believed he made the right decision; in the arms of another couple, his son would find contentment that Byron felt he could not provide. However, fate had a different idea. Thirteen years later, Byron learns his son's adoptive parents have died and the boy has been sent to Cornwall, England to live with unknown relatives. Impulsively, Byron decides to go find his son, Ian, to make certain all is well. It is in this strange land -- at least to Byron and Ian, across an ocean from all that is familiar -- his home, his career, his life -- that Byron finally confronts the decision he made years before, the love he has denied and the pain he suffered.

In Cornwall, Byron finds not only Ian, but a true love with Jade. Spirited and part of a different culture, Jade fights her own past to protect Ian, yet build a new relationship that embraces both her family and her newfound love with Byron. It is the ultimate love story, one that many of us hope to have.

I think that people who are fans of Stella's work will be gifted with a real treat with FINDING IAN, and people who have never read Stella will put 'Stella Cameron' on their auto buy list. Of course, that is just my opinion. But I base it on decades of reading hundreds of books each year.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent drama. This author is a great storyteller, December 22, 2000

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Thirteen years ago, when he was twenty-one, Byron Frazier watched his beloved wife Lori die while giving birth to their child. Unable to cope with a newborn, Byron gives his son up for adoption. However, feeling guilty, he hires a private detective to keep tabs on the lad.

The adopted parents of Byron's son recently die. The lad, Ian Spring, has left America to live with his spinster Aunt Muriel in a remote Cornish village. Byron, now a famous family psychiatrist, worries about his son's happiness and decides to see him.. He travels to Fowry and meets his son. He also meets Ian's older cousin Jade Perron, who returns the life that Byron lost when Lori died. As Byron and Jade fall in love, he does not know what to do to help Ian in spite of the media dubbing him as the world's greatest authority on family and children.

Stella Cameron is renowned for her taut romantic suspense novels (see GLASS HOUSE). However, the best-selling author has successfully switched gears, providing her audience with a family relationship drama that will shake the core of the audience. The story line works because the reader will feel Byron's pain and grief as well as his resurrection through Ian and Jade. FINDING IAN proves that Ms. Cameron is a multi-talented author as fans of contemporary relationship drama will testify after reading this powerful book.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding Ian, January 13, 2001

By	Barb Hicks (Warren, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

Byron Frazer made the difficult decision to give his infant son up for adoption after the death of his young wife. Thirteen years later, he finds out through the detective he hired to keep tabs on his son that his sons' adoptive parents have died and is living with relatives. Byron decides to go to Cornwall, England and see if his son is ok and rents a cottage for the summer. While there he meets Jade a woman with a step- daughter she obviously adores and her lovable dog Dog and begins to find love again. I really liked this book alot, you will laugh, cry and feel better after reading Finding Ian. If you havent read Finding Ian yet, get to the bookstore or library and do yourself a favor and read it, you will be glad you did.