All That Glitters

by Susan Kyle, Diana Palmer

When Ivory Keene landed a job at a prestigious fashion house in New York, she could never have anticipated the challenges and excitement her new position provided. Chief among them is her exasperatingly sexy boss, Curry Kells.

The older, experienced executive can’t help but be drawn to Ivory by a desire neither can resist. He only sees a talented young woman whose fresh, exciting designs might just make them both millions. But he soon discovers that Ivory is keeping secrets.

Now, just as Ivory’s wildest dreams are within her grasp, she’s tempted by the intimacies of a forbidden affair. But is achieving fame and wealth worth sacrificing Curry's love?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Adult Fiction

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

Susan Kyle writes under the pseudonyms Diana Blayne, Katy Currie and Diana Palmer.

Susan Spaeth Kyle was born in 1946 in Randolph County, Georgia. She attended school in Atlanta and graduated in 1964 from Chamblee High School in Chamblee, Georgia.

In 1991, at the age of 44, she went back to college and graduated summa cum laude. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, with minors in anthropology and Spanish, from Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia. She has two years work on her master’s degree. She belongs to the honor society, Alpha Chi.

She has been married since 1972 to James Kyle. They have a son, Blayne Edward and two grandchildren.

Her hobbies are blues piano, classical guitar, researching the Tudor period of Great Britain. She enjoys reading science journals and anything pertaining to the field of theoretical physics. She is also an astronomy buff, and she owns a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. But her main hobby and obsession is online gaming. She plays World of Warcraft daily on the pc. She also plays Oblivion: Elder Scrolls 4 and Halo: 3 on Xbox Live on her Xbox 360. She and husband James are both players, along with her sister, Dannis, and niece, Maggie, and at least one of her readers.

Susan lives in Habersham County, Georgia, with husband James and a houseful of assorted animals.

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivory grew up extremely poor with a horrible, gold digger, abusive mother. She gets a scholarship to a design school and then wins a design contest and gets an internship with a prestigious fashion house. The company's owner, Curry is impressed with her designs. He and Ivory fall in love but Ivory lies to him about her background. She pretends she is a wealthy high society girl but when her cruel mother shows up and reveals the truth about her origins everything falls apart.

Nice angst and interesting characters. Sweet virginal heroine and alpha hero. I’m a huge Diana Palmer fan and she never disappoints me.

[Melanie♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this years ago and remembered liking it so I did a reread. As with most DP books I liked it better the first time around. I almost always lower my ratings when I reread.

[StMargarets]

DNF

Life's too short to read about a lying heroine. I couldn't stand her. Diana Palmer's poverty porn was the cherry on top of this very unsatisfying story.

[Aou · Rating 3 out of 5]

She forgave very easily. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[Chantal ❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say I loved this Diana Palmer- Susan Kyle book. I was very disappointed with the absent of passion and the sex was controlled. The whole book felt weird. First of all she is dishonest. That was a major no no for me for no reason that I found valid. The whole I wanted to be something else? Who cares?! She was very selfish and self centred and I disliked her. He was just bizarre, what I mean is that he was giving her gifts and sleeping with her but he was not enjoying it. It just felt weird. I can't say why it was a lot of things. The formula was the same she was a virgin he was dominating and insulting but like I said she was dishonest and self centred. I will keep it because I have all of DP work but I will not read it again. She can do so much better then this. However I gave it 3 because at least there was no stupid gaming references. I really wished she would get back to passion and forget the stupid WOW references I have teens if I wanted to hear about this I would just listen to them talking!!!! I read to escape into fantasy not to get a lecture about elves and magical mystical creature in cyber space!!!

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope. This didn’t do it for me. I have to kindly disagree with the praise for this book. As much as I love a cheesy romance, this was too far in that direction. Cheesy romance sandwiched between awkward blatant racism, and an insufferable character, made me give this 2 stars.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story - typical Diana Palmer. However, I was disappointed with a couple of things. This story was first published in 1995, but reissued (as a hardcover) at the beginning of 2018. I assume (perhaps incorrectly) that Palmer updated this story in some way. There were two characters mentioned - one is 8-year old Tim who is diagnosed with HIV, who makes an impact early on and then as the story develops, eventually disappears for no rhyme or reason. The other character is Curry's brother - all we learn about him is that he has severe mental disabilities and then later it's mentioned that he has Downs Syndrome, and that's it. I wish that if Palmer cared enough to briefly mention this, she would have followed through and talked more about this young man's special needs. Instead she treated it as if Downs Syndrome is a death sentence, when it's anything but!

If Palmer had only fleshed these characters out more, it would have made the story a richer experience.

I recently reread this, hoping for a better experience. I was just looking for a light read, so this worked, but the above issues still bother me.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This had some of the well known flair of Diana Palmer books, however I did think that it took a while to get to that flair and wished more of that was on display instead of the last third of the book or so. I wanted more of that and less than what I got. And I also had a few problems with this book too that dismissed my joy of this book too.

First of all, I didn’t like the fact that Ivory just outright lied about her background not only to Curry but to the world too. I understood why she felt she had to lie, but it didn’t feel right especially when she got involved with Curry. I think I would have felt better if she just kept her mother a secret, which was totally understood and sympathized with her about, but not the fact that she came from a poor background. And on top of that she pretended that she came from money with a privilege background. Again I understood that she was ashamed about her upbringing, but still it just didn’t set well for me that she lied for a majority of the book. It just turned me off, and kind of put me off of her relationship with Curry especially when he revealed his own pain and vulnerabilities to her. He would have understood more than anyone in her life and would have accepted her.

Secondly I really didn’t like the fact that it took them so long to meet in the book. It was all background, which yes was needed but not to the extent especially so soon in the story. I think they needed to meet earlier. Honestly I skimmed through a lot of it because I just wanted it to get to the romance and emotion of the story. I didn’t need all that commentary going on.

Thirdly there wasn’t a lot of angst in this story like has become synonymous with Diana Palmer. Okay, there was some once the truth was exposed, but it was not enough for my liking. I wanted more that angst and intensity between Curry and Ivory carried throughout the story and not just the end. I wanted more of that drama associated with the angst.

Another thing I didn’t like was the fact that Ivory forgave Curry too quickly after her hurt so badly with not trusting her. Granted she lied to him on a grand scale, but still he did some things full well knowing that he was hurting her. I just think he could have done a bit more groveling for his mistakes and not just by saying a simple “I’m sorry.” I just needed more than that. It just felt really rushed when they got back together again. I needed a little more build up to that moment for me to fully support it.

I wish that there was more focus on their relationship in this book than there actually was. I just felt like there was so much focus on her hiding who she truly was from him and keeping up the lie. Also there was a lot of focus on her wanting to be rich and famous in the determent to everything else, which was a turn off, and sometimes made it hard to root for her. I just wanted the romance to be more of the focus than actually was.

Now there were a few of things that I did like from this story. One being the clear feelings that he had for Curry, which happened very quickly, but it didn’t feel forced or rush. It was natural kind of feeling to it as I saw him getting deeper and deeper and fall more and more in love with her. It was clear that he cared about her, which was what was so devastating when he found out that he been lied to all this time by Ivory. But I really did enjoy his sweet side on display just wish he did a bit more groveling in the end because he definitely had it in him.

I also enjoyed their lovemaking scenes. They were very sensual yet passionate as well as they came together. Their love was clear on display in those moments and just really showed off the tender side of their relationship. Those moments were some of the most special of the entire book. I really enjoyed them being together when they were in the book.

I really appreciated that this wasn’t the typical storyline from Diana Palmer. It was new and different. I was interested about the fashion industry and the fact that it did take place in New York and just all the went along with that type of lifestyle. It was nice to see that side to Diana Palmer even though I wish there were some more of her flair to romance early on in the story. So I was into that.

Overall there were some things I liked about this book and things that I didn’t. I wanted to have all the feels that were associated with a Diana Palmer read with all the heightened emotion and angst that was gong, but unfortunately it was few and far between. It was more in the last third of the book, which I thought was way too late. It needed to happen sooner so the intensity in their relationship could be throughout as they built to a stronger and brighter further together. I wanted more of that push and pull feeling, but really didn’t get that in this book. I did like their relationship and the caring that went into their relationship, and how they showed it. That was some of the more special moments of the book and just wished there was more of that. It felt like they weren’t together as much as I would have liked especially considering the length of this story. I wanted more focus on their relationship and less of the outside forces. And I hated the lying she did that just didn’t sit right for me, and just made it hard to be a hundred percent for their relationship even though I liked them together. I just wish she came clean about her poor roots earlier on especially to him that would have showed her getting closer and closer to him as she began to trust and fall in love with him. I would have been okay her hiding the mother but not that. That made it really hard to get behind the story a hundred percent.

[Lisa Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a rare one for me because the hero in the story wasn't a jerk and didn't treat the heroine as such.

Ivory Keene is destined for glory. She won a contest to get into design school and leaped at the chance to get away from Harmony, Texas. She grew up dirt poor and her mother was a monster. She makes Cinderella's step mother look halfway decent. With this opportunity she is able to flee her old life. She does well at the design school and wins a contest that lands her her dream job in New York with a design firm. She runs into many challenges none of the least of which is her handsome boss Curry Kells.

Curry Kells isn't looking for love, especially with the 22 year old contest winner. Curry soon learns just how talented Ivory is but she is keeping secrets. As she rises to fame and they become closer her past threatens everything.

This was a story that was hard to put down. I liked both characters and the struggles they went through but are also going through. This wasn't a Winter to Summer romance as things kept getting in the way of them being together especially as Ivory rose to fame. She had some growing up to do as she only wanted fame. They say be careful what you wish for because all that glitters isn't always gold.

[Diana Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this..

[Linda Gamble · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice light read. Very different from my usual.

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soter Sara - per RFS
.
“Ivory sentì il proprio corpo irrigidirsi, lo guardò nell’unico occhio e immaginò di poterlo scrutare fin dentro l’anima. Ti conosco da tutta la vita. Ti conosco fin dall’inizio del tempo e non riesco a capire come e perché sia possibile, pensò.”



Dopo pochi mesi, che a me son parsi secoli, torna nelle edicole la mia amata Diana Palmer, con un inedito che porta il suo inconfondibile stile! Infatti, sono presenti tutti gli elementi che caratterizzano le sue opere: una grande differenza di età tra la coppia; una protagonista innocente e dolce, con un passato traumatico, una storia familiare difficile e un rapporto con l’altro sesso inesistente, a causa di adolescenziali esperienze violente; un protagonista ricco e cinico, con un passato oscuro che gli ha lasciato cicatrici dentro e fuori, oltre a una sfiducia reiterata nei confronti del gentil sesso. Tuttavia, ho notato, soprattutto nella prima metà del romanzo, una ventata di novità, una deviazione rispetto al classico schema dell’autrice: infatti Ivory mi è parsa più determinata e in un certo senso sfacciata delle solite protagoniste. La sua infanzia è stata segnata da povertà, umiliazioni e dall’ingombrante presenza di una madre alcolizzata, egoista e prevaricatrice; per fuggire e riscattarsi Ivory ha potuto contare solo sulla sua intelligenza e determinazione, che l’hanno portata a conquistare prima una borsa di studio, poi il lavoro dei suoi sogni nel campo della moda. Nonostante i tanti ostacoli e le avversità, ha mantenuto un cuore generoso e gentile, e sarà proprio un gesto di gentilezza a farle incontrare per la prima volta un solitario Curry sui gradini di una chiesa. Anche Curry è un protagonista più “soft” rispetto ai soliti uomini della Palmer, più gentile e rispettoso nei confronti di Ivory, dei suoi sogni e delle sue ambizioni, e in generale meno prepotente e prevaricatore. Nonostante la differenza di età, ceto e posizione lavorativa, l’intesa tra i due è immediata, e il rapporto si evolve velocemente con tanto di scene passionali e commoventi dichiarazioni d’amore… e tutto ciò solo nella prima metà! Questo mi ha fatto piacere (a nessuno piace il brodo allungato) ma mi ha anche preoccupato, perché c’era ancora metà libro: con cosa l’avrebbe riempito l’autrice? Beh, presto detto, perché Ivory per coronare i suoi sogni d’amore e lavorativi ha cercato di seppellire il passato sotto una montagna di bugie… ma il passato ben presto torna a chiedere il conto, mettendo a dura prova il neonato rapporto tra Curry e Ivory! Nella seconda parte i protagonisti infatti rientrano nello schema caro all’autrice, dove il nostro lui di turno si lascia prendere dal cinismo e diventa freddo e spietato, mentre la nostra lei si scioglie in lacrime, invece di dargli un bel calcio più che meritato! Piccola nota di merito all’autrice per aver introdotto il difficile tema dell’AIDS e i pregiudizi che ancora girano su questa malattia, peccato abbia appena sfiorato quello della disabilità: sono dell’idea che se non puoi sprecarci almeno due parole, sia meglio non nominarlo proprio, soprattutto con un’accezione così negativa. Avrei inoltre voluto vedere la cattiva di turno ricevere la giusta fine, ma non si può avere tutto. Riusciranno i nostri protagonisti, tra momenti di sfiducia, lutti, ricatti e importanti lezioni sul perdono, ad arrivare al loro lieto fine? Non vi resta che leggere questa dolce e romantica storia!

[Floriana Amoruso · Rating 5 out of 5]

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Letto e recensito da Iaia
Ivory Keene ha lasciato il suo paese natio per andare a Houston a studiare per diventare stilista. Alla fine del corso vince un concorso e si trasferisce a New York dove farà carriera presso un'azienda di moda. Conoscerà il suo capo Curry Kells, e se, all'inizio, le cose sembrano andare bene tanto da innamorarsi profondamente, poi le vicende precipitano e vengono a galla i tanti segreti che la protagonista ha lasciato alle spalle. Tutto si spiegherà e finalmente Ivory e Curry potranno essere felici.

A differenza dei tanti libri scritti dalla Palmer, la cui ambientazione è a Jacobsville, questo romanzo si discosta dagli altri. Non troviamo il "lui" arrogante al massimo, ma un uomo il cui successo non lo ha cambiato e che non ha dimenticato le sue origini povere. E la "lei" di turno non è tanto remissiva, ma una donna dal grande talento nel disegnare abiti e che ha avuto la fortuna di spuntarla in un ambiente molto difficile. C'è una cosa che accomuna questo romanzo agli altri libri dell'autrice: la differenza di età tra i due personaggi principali.

Io sono una fan della Palmer, quindi appena c'è un suo libro in vendita mi precipito ad acquistarlo e lo leggo subito mollando tutti gli altri che sono in attesa di essere sfogliati anche da un bel po' di tempo. Anche questa volta la scrittrice mi ha soddisfatta. E' una bella storia e vale la pena leggerla. Unico neo è che è stato nominato un personaggio secondario, il fratello di Curry, ma poi è stato "abbandonato". Tanto valeva non inserirlo, perché non ha inciso per niente in tutto il libro.

[Margo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has been re-released after 25 years due to Palmer's well-earned popularity. However, couldn't someone read through these books and take out the most obviously racist parts? (I'm referring to when the heroine complained bitterly that her mother's rich lover put her to work "with the blacks and Mexicans who slaved in the fields." Yes, she had a Mexican surrogate family she loved very much, but the bottom line is that for some reason, the race of the people she worked alongside with is part of her complaint.) Would removing little mentions like this really harm these re-released books?

[Patricia Solla · Rating 4 out of 5]

First let me say the book pictured is the correct book and the correct author is displayed on the book cover. I am used to cowboy stories from Diana Palmer but this is definitely not a cowboy story. The story is about a young woman, Ivory, who left her Texas hometown and her selfish mother behind and is living and working in New York City. Ivory wants to become rich and famous in fashion design. Ivory has won a paid internship with an old New York fashion design house which has been taken over by a new owner. Ivory is being treated like a glorified 'gofer' by her supervisor. The design is sticking to it's tried and true old fashioned designs and Ivory's innovative designs are being overlooked. A chance meeting with the new owner sets in motion a ton of changes and Ivory's designs are being touted as wonderful. There's a spark of romance between Ivory and Curry Kells the new owner of the company. But things go wrong when Curry, who has been burnt by a lying girlfriend, finds out that there are things he doesn't know about Ivory. This book is a nice easy read and will hold the reader's interest from beginning to end.

[Kate Vale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Take one young woman badly parented and mistreated by her mother. She takes advantage of a scholarship to escape her home and ends up being selection for design work at a NYC fashion house. Add a boss who recognizes Ivory's talent and something else. He, too, has come from poor origins, but his mother is the opposite of Ivory's mom, who is intent on blackmailing Ivory into sending her money every month. Curry finds himself attracted to Ivory, but he fears any woman who might want to get rich because he can make it happen.

Ivory does well and is falling in love with Curry, and then her mother injects herself into the NY scene, changing Curry's view of Ivory. The quickness with which he assumes Ivory's mother is right and her daughter is wrong and has misled him made me question the man's intelligence. But without such doubt, would there be a story? Maybe, maybe not. Fortunately, all's well that ends well, and how it gets there makes for a few more entertaining scenes.

[Becky Tatar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different than Palmer's Western stories, this takes place in New York City, in the fashion industry. Ivory, from a poverty stricken background in Texas, wins a fashion design contest and a position at a fashion house in NYC. However, her shame in her background leads her to make up stories about her background, which come back to haunt her. She draws the attention of Curry Kells, the company's owner, who has his own background to overcome, as well as caring for his dying mother.

A reprint from 1995, what's a little unusual in this is that there is premarital sex, which usually isn't the case so much in Palmer's Western titles. In those, the couple might be together once, but then they almost immediately plan a wedding.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet read.

I have been wanting to read this book forever. It was hard to find in paperback in a used bookstore, so happy for digital books! I really enjoy DP's writing, she creates such compelling characters full of human flaws and goodness(even if you have to dig deep to find it). Ivory and Cully meet and feel compelled to keep meeting each other, and slowly become friends. Ivory has built her new life on a make believe fantasy family life that she never had. Cully doesn't like to be deceived because of his past. He really goes to the extreme in not trusting Ivory or even letting her explain. Life gets tough and to get her life back she realizes the truth needs to come out. But will getting proof and confessing all give them their HEA? Yes!

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diana wrote a wonderful story about love and heartache with love winning out in the end. Ivory wants to get as far away from her mother as she can. She receives a scholarship to a design school and then a position at top design company. She finds she’s held back by a designer stuck in the 60’s. She wears a dress she designed to the company Christmas party and is given new title of junior designer. She lies to everyone about her background and falls in love with her boss. Her mother is the thief and liar arrives in town and convinces everyone that Ivory abuses her mother but it’s the other way around.

[Angie Fournier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all of her previous books I've read, once I started, I couldn't stop! I literally read it cover to cover the day I received it in the mail from Amazon. She has a way of sucking you into the story, that you either feel as though you are the characters, or shadowing them. I would recommend this book and any book I've ever read by this author. I only buy her books in print format because I have quite a collection, many are no longer available. I consider myself well versed in her work. She is, in my opinion, a very talented and prolific author and this reader can't wait to read what she writes next.

[Heather Mood Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

The outdated descriptions of marginalized groups was hard to overlook in this book. The dialogue was also irritating. Curry was egotistical and his relationship with his mom kind of creeped me out, especially when the spoke about his sex life and how invested she was in who he ended up with.

Ivory was a very damsel in distress type of character. She did come from a horrific background and overcame how scared she was of her mother, which was a plus. I didn't care for Ivory and Curry's relationship. There was no chemistry or pining. They fell in love with each other super quick and then didn't spend any time with each other.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivory and Curry

This is definitely one of my favourite books! Amazing read with a intense and emotional story about Ivory. She grew up extremely poor with a terrible and abusive mother. Through hard work and talent she gets a job in a prestigious fashion house. There, she meets Curry, the company owner and start a lovely love affair between them. The problem?! Her mother is in town and her life spiral out of control, losing the love of her life in the process. Fantastic read. Couldn't put it down! Highly recommended

[CANDEN333 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! Totally different style for the author Diana Palmer! It’s sexy, set in fashion design, no mercenaries, no cowboys, no lectures….it’s hot!!!
Everything a romance novel should be! And the love scenes are unbelievably incredible!!! Probably would have been a touch of kink when it was written! But not in a gross sense! Just very sexy and loving! The heroine is smart, intelligent, talented and kind. The hero is suave, flirty, sexy with a heart of gold! Of course true love has a rocky path but they never berate each other when things are tough!
One of Diana’s top 5 books!

[Judith Sherrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

All That Glitters

Dirt poor, uneducated but talented Ivory took a chance on a design contest and won. She left her dirt poor home and resentful Mother in Texas and made a name for herself designing clothes. She invented her background and changed her way of speaking so no one would know where she came from. But her mother found her out and all the kids came undone when her mother showed up at her office and coincidently so did her boss. The man she loves and had lied to.

[Susan Clair Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

All That Glitters

Another great love story by Diana Palmer. Ivory grew up abused and neglected by her mother. She won a contest to go to design school where she excelled and won another contest providing her a job in New York fashion. Curry is her boss and is enamored with her. Ivory and Curry have their ups and downs, especially because of her mother, but they finally are together. Forever.

[Brianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I've read a lot of Diana Palmer books.. they are usually a quick and relaxing read. However, I feel like many of her stories are the same set up...you have a very young innocent girl and an older bad boy but successful guy...often I feel like the male characters are treating their significant other as their child instead of their girlfriend, lover, etc...I'd like to see stronger female characters and maybe ones older than their early 20s...just my own opinion.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love
I can’t even imagine having such a hateful mother. I had one of the best. Love this book so far the BEST!! Thank you Diana Palmer for giving me such good reads with enough spice to make me miss the great sex I had years ago. And now to dream about it. Because I don’t want sex anymore, and I’m remarried. The details are enough to get me aroused, with the man in the book but not with my husband. Sorry not sorry

[Karen Geurts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy Diana Palmer's books. I missed this one when 1st published. I like Ivory's character. She knows what she wants and doesn't want. She had a rough childhood, no love from mother or father. She became a strong and independent woman. Her and Curry make a great team. I am so glad they both got their HEA.

[Gail A Ostrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curry and Ivory

They both needed to learn to trust each other. Ivory's mother was evil incarnate. Curry's mother was a saint. Curry was proud of his past and Ivory ran from hers. Once the truth came out Curry and Ivory were able to build their fashion empire and family together.

[ANGELIA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good, but I don't know whose neck I wanted to wring more, the h's horrible excuse for a mother or the H for being so DUMB that he fell for her baloney and thought the worst of the h!

He needed to do more of a grovel, though he does make up for his stupidity by giving the h some good advice on how to handle "Mommie Dearest".

Flaws and all, I'd recommend this one.