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Bel Air
Bel-Air--where even the rich and famous are impressed by the wealth that surrounds them. Set in the hills above Hollywood, this is the world of Allison, Winter and Emily. Three beautiful, talented women who couldn't be more different. Three women who find they want more than appearances and glitter. Three women searching for the courage to trust, to love... and to dream.
ALLISON-- A terrible accident taught her that life is too precious to waste. So when she meets renowned movie director Peter Dalton, she surrenders wholeheartedly to passion, ignoring the secrets and warnings that shine in his eyes.
WINTER-- When Dr. Mark Stephens came her way, the brilliant actress knew she could finally stop pretending
EMILY--To the bewilderment of her friends, she is drawn to men who offer nothing but pain and heartache. Only her photography gives her a sense of self-worth... until she learns to accept the love that will finally free her from her past.
So many hopes, so many betrayals, so many broken hearts. As Allison, Winter and Emily fight for their dreams in glamorous, treacherous Bel-Air
ALLISON-- A terrible accident taught her that life is too precious to waste. So when she meets renowned movie director Peter Dalton, she surrenders wholeheartedly to passion, ignoring the secrets and warnings that shine in his eyes.
WINTER-- When Dr. Mark Stephens came her way, the brilliant actress knew she could finally stop pretending
EMILY--To the bewilderment of her friends, she is drawn to men who offer nothing but pain and heartache. Only her photography gives her a sense of self-worth... until she learns to accept the love that will finally free her from her past.
So many hopes, so many betrayals, so many broken hearts. As Allison, Winter and Emily fight for their dreams in glamorous, treacherous Bel-Air
446 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
12 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Stone
73 books115 followersKatherine Stone is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels, including her new Christmas novel, SLEIGH BELLS RING.
Katherine's books have been translated into twenty languages and are sold worldwide. A physician who now writes full-time, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, physician and novelist Jack Chase (Fatal Analysis, Mortality Rate, The Magruder Transplant.
Katherine's website is www.katherinestone.com.
Jack's website is www.medicalthriller.com.
Katherine's books have been translated into twenty languages and are sold worldwide. A physician who now writes full-time, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, physician and novelist Jack Chase (Fatal Analysis, Mortality Rate, The Magruder Transplant.
Katherine's website is www.katherinestone.com.
Jack's website is www.medicalthriller.com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 4, 2011
A sweet beach read with a far-fetched but lovable plot, impossibly adorable characters and excessive use of italics. I'm really quite torn about this because I should despise this clichéd trope, but I don't. I just lose myself in the story and suspend all disbelief. Seriously the only things that took me out of the reading trance was the aforementioned italics (i.e. Peter:"Is this too late to call?" Allison: "No" No time is too late, ever. Peter: "Would you--?" Allison: "Yes" Yes to anything. Me: throwing up), as well as the fact that they use each others names in dialogue far, far more often than anyone does in real life. Except possibly rich people in the '80s. I have no way of knowing as I wasn't there. ("Peter, I love you." "Peter, I wouldn't know what to say." "Winter, I am very much in love with Peter."
June 30, 2013
30th book read in 2013.
Number 73 out of 321 on my all time book list.
Follow the link below to see my video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PDDFM...
Number 73 out of 321 on my all time book list.
Follow the link below to see my video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PDDFM...
March 22, 2012
Bel Air by Katherine Stone
Release Date: June 28th, 2011
Publisher: CreateSpace (originally issued by Zebra in 1990)
Page Count: 372
Source: Directly from author for review
All that glitters is not gold...
Sometimes it is love.
Bel Air, California, where even the rich and famous marvel at the splendor of their surroundings. It is here, in the lush, sun-bright hills of Hollywood, that Allison, Winter, and Emily search for the courage to dream, to trust, to love.
But there are dark secrets and hidden betrayals that must first be overcome.
A terrible accident has stolen Allison Fitzgerald's dreams, and it has taught her that life is too precious and too fragile to waste. So when she meets a man who evokes a passion in her that she has never known before, she surrenders to his love without questioning his secretive past.
Gifted and beautiful actress Winter Carlyle has learned from painful experience that the people she loves always leave her, and that it is far too dangerous to care, and that she is only liked when she is pretending to be someone she is not. Still, she is willing to risk everything for the doctor who sees beyond the pretense... but is he willing to risk everything for her?
Emily Rousseau only feels safe, only feels free, when she is behind the lens of her camera, safe and free from the men who want her, and want to hurt her. The portraits she takes are works of art, and there is one man, unlike any other man she has ever known, who sees not only the talent in her work, but the loveliness in her. But can she accept the love and face that demons that will free her from her past?
What Stephanie Thinks: Bel Air is everything I want and expect in a sweet romance, with lovely and flawed, yet beautiful characters, an exhilarating ambiance, and a twisted (though eventually resolved) storyline. Stone brings each of her protagonists -- both male and female -- to life by portraying and delving deeply into their pain and pasts, of their loves and longings. I think every reader will be able to relate to, on some level, how intricately hurt each of them are in their own way.
More than the characters, is the stylistic ease and flavor Stone writes with. I can tell her words are penned carefully and thoughtfully, stringing together to produce delicate, sensory prose. To me, the plot was so-so and very foreseen, but the author's technique made each sentence an awing and impressive read.
Overall I don't think this is my ideal romance novel. Keep in mind, it was written some-twenty years ago, but it's definitely outdated, lacking the necessary suspense and just that 'hook' modern fiction has. The plot certainly has its strengths -- skirting on topics such as recovering bodies and recovering hearts, bitter reminiscences and bitter ex-flames, betrayal, death, as well as a discovery of abuse, and emotional trauma -- all stuff that could potentially have been considered 'dramatic' and edge-of-your-seat worthy back in the day, but cannot be said any longer. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the book, but I just don't think it was anything phenomenal of a narrative either.
The characters' motives and the outcome of the plot were inevitable, so there was nothing really that made me hang on to the words on the pages (aside from the gorgeous and elaborate fluidity of style). I didn't have to guess anything, so the end of the book really just felt oomph. I feel I didn't necessarily get anything out of it.
I definitely think some of you will enjoy it more than I did, though; it's simply not keen on my tastes. While the typical predictable 'clean' romance is usually not my thing, I can say Bel Air is a beautifully-woven, affectionate novel about love and light to be cherished and reminded of, when the good gets going and the going gets tough.
Stephanie Loves: "'Emily, please don't go.'
'Rob, why not?'
'I'm afraid you won't come back.'
Her obvious surprise reassured him a little.
'With all the collateral you have?'
'What collateral?' he asked. The ring, which you do not want? The flannel nightgown? 'What, Emily? Are you leaving your camera?'
'No,' she said softly. 'I am leaving my heart.'"
Radical Rating: 6 hearts-Satisfying for a first read, but I'm not going back.
Release Date: June 28th, 2011
Publisher: CreateSpace (originally issued by Zebra in 1990)
Page Count: 372
Source: Directly from author for review
All that glitters is not gold...
Sometimes it is love.
Bel Air, California, where even the rich and famous marvel at the splendor of their surroundings. It is here, in the lush, sun-bright hills of Hollywood, that Allison, Winter, and Emily search for the courage to dream, to trust, to love.
But there are dark secrets and hidden betrayals that must first be overcome.
A terrible accident has stolen Allison Fitzgerald's dreams, and it has taught her that life is too precious and too fragile to waste. So when she meets a man who evokes a passion in her that she has never known before, she surrenders to his love without questioning his secretive past.
Gifted and beautiful actress Winter Carlyle has learned from painful experience that the people she loves always leave her, and that it is far too dangerous to care, and that she is only liked when she is pretending to be someone she is not. Still, she is willing to risk everything for the doctor who sees beyond the pretense... but is he willing to risk everything for her?
Emily Rousseau only feels safe, only feels free, when she is behind the lens of her camera, safe and free from the men who want her, and want to hurt her. The portraits she takes are works of art, and there is one man, unlike any other man she has ever known, who sees not only the talent in her work, but the loveliness in her. But can she accept the love and face that demons that will free her from her past?
What Stephanie Thinks: Bel Air is everything I want and expect in a sweet romance, with lovely and flawed, yet beautiful characters, an exhilarating ambiance, and a twisted (though eventually resolved) storyline. Stone brings each of her protagonists -- both male and female -- to life by portraying and delving deeply into their pain and pasts, of their loves and longings. I think every reader will be able to relate to, on some level, how intricately hurt each of them are in their own way.
More than the characters, is the stylistic ease and flavor Stone writes with. I can tell her words are penned carefully and thoughtfully, stringing together to produce delicate, sensory prose. To me, the plot was so-so and very foreseen, but the author's technique made each sentence an awing and impressive read.
Overall I don't think this is my ideal romance novel. Keep in mind, it was written some-twenty years ago, but it's definitely outdated, lacking the necessary suspense and just that 'hook' modern fiction has. The plot certainly has its strengths -- skirting on topics such as recovering bodies and recovering hearts, bitter reminiscences and bitter ex-flames, betrayal, death, as well as a discovery of abuse, and emotional trauma -- all stuff that could potentially have been considered 'dramatic' and edge-of-your-seat worthy back in the day, but cannot be said any longer. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the book, but I just don't think it was anything phenomenal of a narrative either.
The characters' motives and the outcome of the plot were inevitable, so there was nothing really that made me hang on to the words on the pages (aside from the gorgeous and elaborate fluidity of style). I didn't have to guess anything, so the end of the book really just felt oomph. I feel I didn't necessarily get anything out of it.
I definitely think some of you will enjoy it more than I did, though; it's simply not keen on my tastes. While the typical predictable 'clean' romance is usually not my thing, I can say Bel Air is a beautifully-woven, affectionate novel about love and light to be cherished and reminded of, when the good gets going and the going gets tough.
Stephanie Loves: "'Emily, please don't go.'
'Rob, why not?'
'I'm afraid you won't come back.'
Her obvious surprise reassured him a little.
'With all the collateral you have?'
'What collateral?' he asked. The ring, which you do not want? The flannel nightgown? 'What, Emily? Are you leaving your camera?'
'No,' she said softly. 'I am leaving my heart.'"
Radical Rating: 6 hearts-Satisfying for a first read, but I'm not going back.
February 1, 2015
Read the full review on Bookabulary.
This book came highly recommended by my sister and so when we last went home and saw each other, we swapped books and swore by them that they were not going to be a waste of each of our time.
Not that I needed to unclog my tear glands (they're always unclogged!) but it felt wonderful to have a good cry while reading this book. It has been a long time since I've read a great contemporary romance without all the thriller/mystery factoring into it. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I did. But this book proved to be a fantastic read that showcased the miracle of trust.
This book came highly recommended by my sister and so when we last went home and saw each other, we swapped books and swore by them that they were not going to be a waste of each of our time.
Not that I needed to unclog my tear glands (they're always unclogged!) but it felt wonderful to have a good cry while reading this book. It has been a long time since I've read a great contemporary romance without all the thriller/mystery factoring into it. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I did. But this book proved to be a fantastic read that showcased the miracle of trust.
March 26, 2008
I have no idea where I got this book, who gave it to me, etc. All i know is it revolves around 3 women whose lives are severely affected by the secrets they keep. They are all talented, beautiful, etc. The language was a bit odd, too. The dialogue was not natural and everybody used the names of the people they were talking to too much. Does that make sense?
July 3, 2014
Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, this romance book is one of my favorites of all time. It's just that it is a simple honest read with really sweet romance between the characters. I love Emily's story the most and at the time when the world was young and feminism and women's lib were just whispers, Katherine Stone already created 3 strong women characters that are lovable, smart and successful
December 6, 2008
Good book for a plane ride. Fun and very romantic!
April 3, 2013
3 ladies with a different love story, trials and a happy ending :) another story that a reader must love :)
April 1, 2013
3 ladies with a different love story, trials and a happy ending :) another story that a reader must love :)
December 27, 2015
.'☆ All that glitters is not gold . . . Sometimes it is love ☆'.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews