Twist of Fate

by Jayne Ann Krentz

Cloistered as a faculty member at a small college, beautiful Hannah Jessett can almost forget her family heritage. Few know she’s the niece of Elizabeth Nord, the legendary anthropologist who stunned the world with her revolutionary work—until her aunt dies, leaving Hannah in sole possession of her priceless unpublished journals.

But Hannah has other matters to contend with. Her brother’s company is about to be destroyed by Gideon Cage, a wealthy entrepreneur with a notorious reputation in the boardroom . . . and the bedroom.

When she confronts Gideon, all she sees is a powerful man with a fast smile and soft eyes. Yet before she can catch her breath and really understand this puzzle of a man, her whole world is suddenly threatened: her brother, her aunt’s legacy, her heart—and her life!

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery

396 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1986

About the author

The author of over 50 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.

She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.

Reviews

[Naksed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing burned more fiercely than the white hot fire of revenge.

That statement is illustrated again and again in Jayne Ann Krentz's romance thriller Twist of Fate. The fire of revenge for the various players in this story is so consuming that it destroys everything in its path, including innocent by-standers. True revenge does not leave room for anything else.

This is precisely why Hannah Jessett is so weary of involving herself with Gideon Cage, who has been locked in a battle of revenge for nine obsessive years, and is now himself the target of it. Hannah does not want to end up a victim of this cross-fire but little does she know that she is being targeted herself for entirely different reasons by someone just as bloodthirsty for revenge against her.

I found parts of Twist of Fate immensely enjoyable. The banter between the protagonists had the kind of dry humor and sexual tension that makes me anticipate the ultimate coming together of the characters. Hannah Jessett is not a wholly likeable character but her spirit, intelligence, and her quirky nerd-girl eccentricities make her a delicious foil for ruthless corporate raider Gideon Cage. As for Cage, the author did a FANTASTIC job with him. Being inside of his mind was my favorite part of the book. She made him a living, breathing, human being with layers and complexities, not just a cardboard cut-out of a cold shark intent on winning at all costs nor did she make the inevitable sob story that makes up his background an emotional ploy for the reader to connect to him.

My problem with Twist of Fate was that the "mystery" part of the book was so transparent, it was easy to guess within the first few pages who was after Hannah and why. It seemed odd that these otherwise brilliant people wouldn't have figured it out before they did. The ending also left me underwhelmed because it consisted of tedious, long dialogues and monologues explaining and dissecting each and every action and motivation for the villains, as well as how the protagonists ultimately got their ending.

Still, overall, a very different kind of romance book, which definitely held my attention to the end, a rare feat these days.

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up wanting mindless romance, and up until the final romantic conflict it was fine. The story was fairly mediocre. Nothing really wrong with it - not great - not horrible - not going to read it again. But then Hannah started dithering about whether she wanted to become an Amazon like other females in her family and write a book - be alone the rest of her life and successful and happy. Or she could follow Gideon and her heart and be happy. Gideon wasn't even pressuring her into choosing. This was something she made up in her head all on her own. What a bunch of crap. Her big epiphany was that she could have both - REALLY?!??! I could have tolerated this in an historical romance sure but this is set in modern times. What a bunch of crap.

[Hal Evergreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twist of Fate was a good novel, but it could have been a great one. As I progressed through the book, I began to think Jayne Ann Krentz had departed from her usual mild romantic suspense formula and had created a set of complex circumstances with no black-and-white answers and no clear villains. Then, just when I was beginning to believe that this was the most nuanced novel Krentz had ever written, she abruptly wrapped up the plot and tied it neatly with a bow. The villains revealed themselves and outlined their evil schemes in one of those highly-convenient, tell-all monologues that I've come to expect in Krentz's books. Then the heroine discovered, after spending most of the novel agonizing over an important choice, that she could, in fact, have it all.

On one level, it was reasonably satisfying to see the bad guys get their just desserts and to see the hero and heroine get their happily ever after. However, the ending seemed uninspired for a novel which had bravely explored themes such as gender issues, ethical questions regarding academics and business, and the heavy cost of revenge. I wanted a little more depth. I wanted the happily ever after to be tempered by a dose of reality. I wanted to learn something.

Twist of Fate is one of Krentz's better contemporary romances. That said, it's still just classic Krentz: entertaining, comfortable, and not particularly profound.

[Tobe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off as a fun, light read. By the end, it was just dull. Needed some good editing. Most of the elements were boring and overdone (her safari look, the necklace, what do I choose!), and by the end the dialogue was coming out in paragraphs, basically rehashing the entire plot. The last chapters were a painful read.

[Kevin Connery · Rating 3 out of 5]

We understand that the main character is a guidance counselor, but in case we didn’t get the message, it’s repeated pretty much at least once per page. Similarly, once someone knows something, most of their associates reference it, even if there’s no explanation of when they learned it, since they didn’t know about it a few pages earlier. Decent characterization, highly variable dialog (a trend she has maintained even now [this book is from 1986], and somewhat unbelievable “villains”.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful and enjoyable romance novel deals with corporate raiders and a woman choosing between her career and a man.

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.

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

Other Books:
For a listing of my reviews of other Jayne Krentz books, see my 4 star review of "Sizzle and Burn" posted 2/9/08.

[Dallass · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not as enjoyable as some of her other books, this romantic suspense story was fast paced (for the most part), and fun (for the most part). I enjoyed the story, and while I often found the characters to be way too stubborn, annoying, arrogant, and pig-headed - and no, not just Gideon - it worked well and I read it in one sitting. The attempts on Hannah's life after inheriting her great aunts estate was a side note, until the story unfolds and the hunt for the attempted murderer begins. That's when things really kick off, both in the story and in the romance. Gideon is at a crossroads in his life and Hannah comes just at the right moment. He's attracted to her, and after their card game, his interest is really piqued when it seems she wants nothing to do with him (for a reason, as you soon discover). Hannah, on the other hand, has her own issues with pushy colleagues, and the stress of surgery combined with sorting out her great aunts library (which plays a major part). The relationship is rocky, and the attempts on Hanna's life also coincide with an upheaval in not only Gideon's personal life, but his business life too. Who is the killer? You'll have to read it to find out.

3 stars

3 stars

[Jane (PS) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I vacillated between being very interested in the book (enjoying the 'mystery' and H/h interaction) and wondering where it was going (particularly toward the end). I wasn't convinced about Hannah - she had some pretty strange notions and confused ideas about strength and love. Her ponderings from the middle of the book through to the end didn't really add much to the story. One can see this must have been written in the eighties for her idea of self-destiny to be a resolution issue. In the end, it was just OK.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah Jessett is a guidance counsellor at a small college. Her brothers company is about to be taken over by Gideon Cage, and she will not have it.

The bulk of the book is about her famous aunt, a famous anthropologist and her legacy. Oh, and the attempts on her life.

[Pamela(AllHoney) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hannah Jessett travels to Las Vegas to confront Gideon Cage and to try to get him to leave her brother's company alone. They agreed on a wager if she wins, then he will not take over the company. Come to find out, he wasn't going to but he does put Hannah's brother in debt. Meanwhile, Hannah's aunt had died and she has to travel to the island where her aunt lived to box up her belongings. This includes her aunt's research.

First published in the 80's so a bit dated but really didn't feel too dated. The mystery really wasn't too much of a mystery to me. I figured it out pretty quick. Not a bad read but not one of her better books in my opinion.

[Kaitlyn Dunnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this one multiple times before, but not for many years. It holds up well. Of course, it was written before cell phones, home computers, and so on, so one might almost consider it "historical" but the action/adventure angle holds up and so does the heroine's basic dilemma concerning whether or not she can have it all.

[Thuan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise is interesting and the prose is good but I can't find myself to finish the book. I find the plot development and the heroine too pretentious.

The heroine is a guidance counselor and the hero is a successful millionaire with a record of 100% success rate for 9+ years in stock trading. I know this is fiction with some suspension of disbelief but when the author uses the heroine to give advice for curing the millionaire's boring successes by calling it "saving his life" is a little too much bullshit to believe. The whole gist of the heroine's advice is to don't follow a pattern, and to gamble in life so sometimes you can fail (and ultimately lose millions of dollars). Okay, I can suspend that awful advice and read on...But when the heroine states that her advice will save the hero and when the hero acknowledges her attempt as saving his life, I just gave up on the story. C'mon. Stop being so dramatic and silly.

There are other problems with how heroine acts. Instead of coming of as a smart person who gives sound advice as a guidance counselor, she comes off as a judgemental person who fails. I mean, she profiled the hero based on his half-naked appearance rather than his actions.

From the premise, I thought the story would have an interesting development but I'm disappointed with the author's exeuction. Dnf at 30%.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a typical Krentz, this book has a hero, Gideon Cage, who is harder, more power hungry and less susceptible to outside influence than most of her males, although like most Krentz heroes, he knows he wants Hannah but is clueless as to why, and a heroine, Hannah Jessett, who is more independent, stronger, and more ambitious, at least for most of the second half of the book, than her females usually are, although I would have to say she was a bit illogical in her thinking about independence and ambition. For the first part of the book, Hannah comes across as somewhat smug and condescending, which I found irritating, so I was happy when she changed. The theme is revenge, and Ms. Krentz shows its effects in three different ways plus the mystery in the book revolves around it. The plot drags in places, but on the whole, I'd rather have a Krentz that drags a bit than no Krentz at all, so I continue to look forward to re-reading this one periodically.

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a really hard time deciding whether or not to like this book. I did manage to listen to the entire audiobook, but I will admit that I was kind of bored. I didn't really see the passion between Hannah and Gideon. Even the HEA didn't really make me overly excited. I also thought thet the book was a bit out of date, even for 1991. The way Hannah feels that she can't have it all was puzzling to me. Even in 1991, women were doing it all the time.

The mystery wasn't really one. I picked out who was stalking Hannah right away. I thought it was amusing that neither her nor Gideon picked up on what the reading audience would have from the start. It was so obvious. So, while I have liked most of Ms. Krentz's early books, this one was kind of... meh.

[Victoria (nocturnalintimacy) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. God save me from terrible romances. I downloaded this from my library because the cover looked cool. I admit, I judged too early.

The book was dated, from the wardrobe (hello neon leotard) to the lack of cell phones.

I had a hard time relating to the main character. Not only was she passive, but her career (academic guidance counselor) was unrealistic. Every academic advisor I had in college was useless, and her constant need to give advise outside of an academic environment was just ridiculous. If anything, the author should have written her career as a psychologist, at least that would give her opinions some backing.

[Mem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gideon Cage, a jaded corporate raider with an eye for the deal, as well as the ladies.
Hannah Jesset, guidance counselor, a determined young woman surprises him by sensing this and gives him unsolicited advice.
Hannah shakes up his world when she confronts Gideon on his plan to take-over her brother's software company. She points out that he does not need the business and suggests he gamble with her, best of three, for the company.
Along with the story of Hannah's inheritance is the mystery of attempts on Hannah's life.....

[Shawna Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of feisty moments in Twist of Fate. It's fun to follow the story from Vegas all the way to a lush island. Lots of great adventures and fun clues to help us solve the mystery. Plenty of action to keep the reader interested. The romance was OK. I always love JAK's spunky heroines and imperfect heros. Fun & quick read with lots of fun solving a rather devious mystery.

[Jacqueline P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ML was a jerk and the FL was annoying. Everything kept leading back to her being a guidance counselor. I'm glad the author's writing style improved as the years went on because if this was one of the first ones I would have read, I wouldn't have read any others.

[Janet Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Jayne Ann Krentz romantic suspense novels set in the modern era. While it is slightly dated (no cellphone usage), it WAS, after all, published in 1986.
Two strong protagonists spar throughout as they fight their physical attraction to one another. Once they begin an affair, Hannah Jessett and Gideon Cage have very different ideas on how to proceed.
They frequently clash in this great character-driven story. While Hannah seeks to understand why a relative (famous cultural anthropologist Elizabeth Nord) left her estate and controversial journals to the younger relation, Cage struggles on another front.
A ruthless businessman, Gideon Cage thinks everything in life is about power and money. Then he meets Hannah.
But there's much more going on in their lives than a power struggle. Someone is out to kill Hannah.
Once Gideon realizes this, he rushes against time to save her. All thoughts of making money dissolve while on his current mission.
Will the two ever resolve their differences? In Krentz world, one believes they will. Readers should pick up this fascinating book and learn for themselves how things are resolved.
And if you like this author, read her books under other names. As Amanda Quick, we are transported into the past. Most of her Quick stories take place in nineteenth century England.
As Jayne Castle, we are sent off-planet and into the future. It would seem that Krentz has all her bases covered in the world of romantic suspense. There's no need to pick a time or place: read them all.

[M Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Nord was a famous cultural anthropologist whose book “The Amazons of Revelation Island” was considered set reading for anthropology students at universities and colleges even though the book was written in the 1940s. When she passed away, she left her estate to her niece Hannah Jessett, a guidance counselor at a college in Seattle. When Hannah travels down to Santa Inez in the Caribbean to pack up the books and papers at her aunt's seaside cottage, she is surprised to find Gideon Cage tagging along. Hannah had met him previously when she approached him in Las Vegas with a novel business proposition to save her brother's software business and she couldn't help herself from giving him guidance advice as well.
What follows is an entertaining story where Hannah faces confusion, a romantic interlude, attempted murder and gets pulled into the cut throat business dealings between Gideon and his arch nemesis Hugh Ballantine. Another well structured narrative from Jayne Ann Krentz and ideal for holiday reading. l finished it in one day and highly recommend it.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Jayne Ann Krentz's early, early books. The hero and heroine meet when she tracks him down in Las Vegas and talks him into a bet to keep him from taking over her brother's company. She cheats, he doesn't care because he never intended to buy it anyway, but to push up the stock price and make a killing. Pushes her brother into a bad spot, but he's got his business. The hero is fascinated by her. He comes to Seattle and takes her out, then maneuvers himself into going along on her vacation/ family business trip to clear out her aunt's Caribbean island house. The relationship picks up speed, for a while, but the heroine is suspicious of his motives. The plot is a bit twisty, which is a bit unusual for Krentz, but she spends a lot of time on the idea of feminine power, and whether a woman has to abandon emotion and relationships to be successful or if she can "have it all." It reads a little old-fashioned, but it's entertaining and interesting. I liked it.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished Jayne Ann Krentz’s Twist of Fate. This book is pretty fascinating. It was published originally in 1986 and you can tell from the clothes, the character types, the setting... pretty much everything. We start with Hannah, a guidance Counsellor, trying to make a bet in Vegas so Gideon, a ruthless tycoon, won’t ruin her brother. But Hannah is the niece of a famous female anthropologist (Margaret Mead?) and has inherited her invaluable library. Gideon becomes obsessed with Hannah as Hannah becomes obsessed with achieving her aunt’s level of greatness in academia/anthropology. I loved the academia/anthropology talk. The romance felt pretty secondary, but I did enjoy Gideon’s journey back to life.

[Claire A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the anthropology slant to the book, since we never studied anthropology in business school. It created interesting multigenerational backstory and added complexity to the contemporary relationships. The bad guy was pretty obvious from the jump, but I still liked the story. There was a lot of hopping around (Vegas, Seattle, Tucson, Caribbean), some of which didn’t add anything other than making the villain chase after Hannah. All in all, a solid story. I’d read a spin-off story with the character of Hugh Ballantyne if she decided to write it—there aren’t enough ginger redheads in romantic fiction.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love Jayne Ann krentz is writing. She has striking characters and good story lines and gives depth to the story. I was not disappointed in any way the book is great.

Although I am not as happy with this story as I have been others. I get that the main character had her personality and thoughts shift after she put on the necklace but I didn't like reading how snipe she had become - for so long. I started thinking why the heck does this guy even like her? They only had three days of bliss together and even I didn't like her much anymore.

I am still wondering what the "secret" is about the necklace...😊

[Harlow Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been re-reading a lot of Jayne Ann Krentz books lately, I find them soothing when I'm stressed and need something light. Most of her books follow a similar formula which doesn't really bother me, but I found this one to be kind of a mixed bag. There were definitely amusing parts because Krentz usually has a nicely witty dialogue, but it dragged on too long and was wrapped up fairly abruptly. Uncharacteristically for most of her heroines, she made several questionable choices to put herself ignorantly in danger, to the point where if she had fallen and twisted her ankle while running like in a horror movie, I wouldn't have been overly surprised.

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is always interesting reading a book written in 1986 and seeing it through the lens of today. I think it held up pretty well. I actually received a degree in Anthropology in 1969, so the discussions of cultural anthropology were quite interesting and accurate.
I particularly enjoyed the hero, Gideon Cage. Our first glimpse of him climbing out of a pool was not overwhelming, he wasn't a 6 foot something God as many heros seem to be today, but he was smart and cagey. Hannah was a guidance counselor and her instincts were pretty good.
Though much of the historical settings were invented, Krentz made it plausible and interesting, especially from an anthropological point of view.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this was an interesting read for me. It's a wee bit dated but I feel like it stands up pretty well overall. There are always thwarted expectations to deal with so it's kind of an eternal. One thing I noticed was that the copyright says 1986 and while she didn't have her typical "gay couple as surrogate parents" she still did mention a gay couple and it wasn't in a weird way. They were just nice neighbours, neither fetishized nor demonized. In 1986. Nice.

[Elgyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

s. 150 První krabice knih, kterou Hannah poslala (...) přišla ve středu (...) jak zvažuje, jestli se jí podaří vynést obrovské krabice
Tak kolik těch krabic teda bylo?

Pokud „tajemný“ tetin milenec byl uveden jako autor „řady článků“ a hrdinka má k dispozici tetinu knihovnu, nemělo by být těžké zjistit jeho celé jméno. Ale podle autorky vypátrat Roddyho nebude snadné (s. 250).
Nicméně vzápětí jeho jméno najde.

s. 177 něk-teří

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although life got in the way of my reading, I finally fished this book and I absolutely hated putting it down. This book has great characters, I can feel their frustration, their hurt, longing, and the feeling that comes with trying to make the right choice. Both main characters are very stubborn but bring out the best in each other. Sometimes it just takes someone on the outside to open your eyes to what you are going through on the inside. I highly recommend this book.

[Raeleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copyright 1986. Probably a very good book when it was originally released. Thirty-two years later not holding up too well, but I've certainly read worse books with more current release dates. Usually I am very fond of this author, so I'm reading a few of her older works. This one is a bit too dated, but won't stop me from trying a few more of Jayne Ann Krentz's older works.