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Devils and Dames #2
Imagine
After years in prison for a murder he never committed, escaped convict Hank Wyatt knew how to survive. But he didn't know if he could last an hour marooned on a deserted tropical island with a beautiful blonde and three orphaned children. Now, looking out for number one doesn't seem to be enough ...
San Francisco attorney Maggie Smith felt like having a good cry. Thoroughly modern, wealthy, and bright, she's suddenly been cast in the role of mother and forced to battle wits and hearts with the most arrogant man she's ever met! Fate has thrown this makeshift family Robinson together and kismet tossed in a touch of magic ... the chance for a love more powerful than they could ever imagine ... only a wish away!
San Francisco attorney Maggie Smith felt like having a good cry. Thoroughly modern, wealthy, and bright, she's suddenly been cast in the role of mother and forced to battle wits and hearts with the most arrogant man she's ever met! Fate has thrown this makeshift family Robinson together and kismet tossed in a touch of magic ... the chance for a love more powerful than they could ever imagine ... only a wish away!
342 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1995
678 people are currently reading
967 people want to read
About the author
Jill Barnett
46 books544 followersNew York Times Bestselling Author Jill Barnett is master storyteller known for her beautifully-written love stories rich with humor, emotion, and poignancy. She is the winner of Lifetime Achievement Awards for Love and Laughter and Historical Romance and is a six-time Romance Writers of America RITA nominee and winner of both a Persie Award for Literature and a Waldenbooks Award. Her books have been named Best of the Year by Dallas Morning News, Detroit Free Press, and Kirkus Review and she was the first historical romance author to ever receive a starred review from Publishers Weekly. She stands alongside Judith McNaught as one of only two authors to ever receive a six-star review from Affaire de Coeur Magazine and her work has been published in 23 languages and appeared on numerous bestseller lists. She lives in the PNW with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
April 9, 2019
Heroine Margaret Smith (who is 32) and hero Hank Wyatt (40) are both on an ocean steamer that sinks. Hank rescues Margaret and the three young children she has with her, who were on their way to an orphanage. They eventually end up on a uninhabited, secluded island...
Hank was wrongly condemned for a crime he didn't commit and has spent the last four years in a penal colony on Dolphin Island. He escaped and made his way to the steamer dressed as a priest. He was hiding in a lifeboat when the ship started to burn and go down. At first I didn't care much for Hank, he seemed crude and pigheaded and could have been more considerate to Margaret and the children. But eventually I started to really like him and I found some situations he got himself into very funny.
I liked Margaret. She was an attorney. Her mom died when she was seven and she was very close to her father, who was a judge, so she knew a lot about law. She didn't know much about children, but she learned how to deal with them on the island.
This was such a heartwarming and fun tropical romance! I really enjoyed the fantasy element with the genie in a bottle. Muddy (the genie) was quite a character. I also liked the humor in the story, and the lovely island setting. A wonderful read by Jill Barnett.
Hank was wrongly condemned for a crime he didn't commit and has spent the last four years in a penal colony on Dolphin Island. He escaped and made his way to the steamer dressed as a priest. He was hiding in a lifeboat when the ship started to burn and go down. At first I didn't care much for Hank, he seemed crude and pigheaded and could have been more considerate to Margaret and the children. But eventually I started to really like him and I found some situations he got himself into very funny.
I liked Margaret. She was an attorney. Her mom died when she was seven and she was very close to her father, who was a judge, so she knew a lot about law. She didn't know much about children, but she learned how to deal with them on the island.
This was such a heartwarming and fun tropical romance! I really enjoyed the fantasy element with the genie in a bottle. Muddy (the genie) was quite a character. I also liked the humor in the story, and the lovely island setting. A wonderful read by Jill Barnett.
August 23, 2015
A feel-good read with some angsty parts. Set in 1896, a wealthy female attorney (Margaret) takes a vacation to the South Seas. When her ship sinks, she tries to keep three children afloat: Lydia (age 9), Theodore (age 5) and Annabelle (almost 2).
Meanwhile, Hank "Hardheaded" Wyatt, who has just escaped from a French prison, rescues the whole lot of them, along with a goat. They live on a deserted island, slowly becoming a family, learning to trust and love, celebrating Christmas and playing baseball, until finally they escape, with help from (hence the PNR tag). But despite the rescue their troubles aren't over yet.
An enjoyable story with the perfect ending. The HEA came none too easily. Some trials to overcome. Some tough choices to make.
Decent dialogue. Decent setting. Decent writing. Some chuckles here and there. Quite steamy sex, but not until the relationship is solid.
I quickly grew to love Hank and was rooting for him all the way. His life thus far has been tough. The kids were well drawn. I liked Maggie, the attorney, too. Strong, smart, and spunky. The goat? Meh. She should stop ramming into Hank (I don't care for slapstick humor) and give the poor baby some milk.
Content: explicit sex (two scenes), swearing, profanity, minimal violence.
Meanwhile, Hank "Hardheaded" Wyatt, who has just escaped from a French prison, rescues the whole lot of them, along with a goat. They live on a deserted island, slowly becoming a family, learning to trust and love, celebrating Christmas and playing baseball, until finally they escape, with help from (hence the PNR tag). But despite the rescue their troubles aren't over yet.
An enjoyable story with the perfect ending. The HEA came none too easily. Some trials to overcome. Some tough choices to make.
Decent dialogue. Decent setting. Decent writing. Some chuckles here and there. Quite steamy sex, but not until the relationship is solid.
I quickly grew to love Hank and was rooting for him all the way. His life thus far has been tough. The kids were well drawn. I liked Maggie, the attorney, too. Strong, smart, and spunky. The goat? Meh. She should stop ramming into Hank (I don't care for slapstick humor) and give the poor baby some milk.
Content: explicit sex (two scenes), swearing, profanity, minimal violence.
October 24, 2015
If you enjoy a touch of whimsy, some silliness, an adventure and a genie, welcome to IMAGINE. This is Jill Barnett's take on the shipwrecked and deserted island themes and is a frolic feel-good fantasy with a dollop of romance. The setting is somewhere in the Pacific. It is 1896 and the end of Victorian times, when women were still innocent and yet starting to enter man-dominated professions. A time when they were thrown a learning curve in many respects. The book is an undertaking into a hodge-podge of genres and I loved it.
Margaret Huntington Smith, 'Smitty', is both an accomplished attorney and a sweetheart who manages to find good in others. She was raised by a loving father and several doting uncles to develop a mind of her own, in a good way. She's never been married, doesn't cook and has no idea what to do with children. She is patient to a fault.
Hank Wyatt is best described as an anti-hero. An escaped convict with impatience and a foul mouth, he initially poses as a priest when he first meets Margaret. He is on the run and claims his innocence. He also is obnoxious and crude but I loved his character. Here is a man who is the epitome of annoyance. Set in his ways, he views women and children the same as prison. There is a purpose for each of these but not in his life. IMAGINE, in some ways, reminded me of the movie FATHER GOOSE with Cary Grant and Leslie Caron.
The children in this story have lost their parents and are on their way to an orphanage. Lydia, the oldest, is quiet and serious. Her best friend is a goat. Theodore, at five, takes everything at face value. He follows Hank like glue on paper. The youngest is Annabelle, a little one. If you have ever been around a toddler you know this young child can be a handful.
Lastly, there is Muddy, the genie. I told you this story had elements of a fantasy. Mix all of these characters and you have a funny adventure with a bite of romance. Quirky yet delicious, this book is a keeper. Read the story for its oddball humor. Read it for the unforeseen developments between the characters. Read it for the off-the-wall romance but just read it. You will be glad you did.
Margaret Huntington Smith, 'Smitty', is both an accomplished attorney and a sweetheart who manages to find good in others. She was raised by a loving father and several doting uncles to develop a mind of her own, in a good way. She's never been married, doesn't cook and has no idea what to do with children. She is patient to a fault.
Hank Wyatt is best described as an anti-hero. An escaped convict with impatience and a foul mouth, he initially poses as a priest when he first meets Margaret. He is on the run and claims his innocence. He also is obnoxious and crude but I loved his character. Here is a man who is the epitome of annoyance. Set in his ways, he views women and children the same as prison. There is a purpose for each of these but not in his life. IMAGINE, in some ways, reminded me of the movie FATHER GOOSE with Cary Grant and Leslie Caron.
The children in this story have lost their parents and are on their way to an orphanage. Lydia, the oldest, is quiet and serious. Her best friend is a goat. Theodore, at five, takes everything at face value. He follows Hank like glue on paper. The youngest is Annabelle, a little one. If you have ever been around a toddler you know this young child can be a handful.
Lastly, there is Muddy, the genie. I told you this story had elements of a fantasy. Mix all of these characters and you have a funny adventure with a bite of romance. Quirky yet delicious, this book is a keeper. Read the story for its oddball humor. Read it for the unforeseen developments between the characters. Read it for the off-the-wall romance but just read it. You will be glad you did.
February 17, 2020
A completely hilarious take on the Robinson Crusoe storyline with a pinch of romance and twists for some of the commonplace elements. The author grabbed my attention first by having the main characters be a female lawyer and an escaped convict, who saves her and three orphaned children (and their nanny goat, named Rebuttal) from a shipwreck somewhere in the middle of the South Seas. Their vicissitudes on the small island they end up in is sprinkled with humour that comes mostly from the woman's inability to do the basic housekeeping chores because of her wealthy background that didn't prepare her for that, the children's resourceful wanderings over the island, and the funny banter, plus a sprinkle of the magical.
The genie that appears is the detail I consider the most unnecessary, because it doesn't do much for the plot and shoves this otherwise purely historical novel into magical genres. Though I do appreciate that the author didn't go the Deus ex Machina route by having the genie take them out of the island immediately, but that at the same time also made its inclusion the odder and least necessary. The language also sounds modern to my ears, which had me often forgetting this isn't a modern setting. On the whole, however, the hilarity of this ludicrously mismatched American Family Robinson is a great read for the enjoyment.
The genie that appears is the detail I consider the most unnecessary, because it doesn't do much for the plot and shoves this otherwise purely historical novel into magical genres. Though I do appreciate that the author didn't go the Deus ex Machina route by having the genie take them out of the island immediately, but that at the same time also made its inclusion the odder and least necessary. The language also sounds modern to my ears, which had me often forgetting this isn't a modern setting. On the whole, however, the hilarity of this ludicrously mismatched American Family Robinson is a great read for the enjoyment.
May 3, 2019
I really liked this survival romance where the hero/heroine and three orphans are shipwrecked and along the way learn of love, acceptance and family. The hero is a hard man who has had a hard life. The heroine has devoted her life to being good at her job. Then, there are three siblings hurting at the loss of their parents and an uncertain future. Seeing all of them struggle and grow was great. The book left me with a smile. I will definitely check out more by this author.
February 7, 2017
I completed book two days ago but I didn't want to write a review before I decided how I will score it.
According to my liking, it is 3 stars. It is that way because I have been pricky recently and it's really all about me, not the book kind of thing.
On the other hand, it was a good book with an intriguing plot and appropriate story development. It fits perfectly for a Christmas times, although most of the events happened on a tropic island.
I usually like children involved stories and this one is not an exception. It is nice to see that children end up with a family life, particularly those in need.
However, it includes a genie, it just added some enjoyment and some minor miracles to story. It was not based on paranormal events. In my opinion, it was a good point.
Overall, it was a nice reading with full of hopeful emotions and happy endings.
According to my liking, it is 3 stars. It is that way because I have been pricky recently and it's really all about me, not the book kind of thing.
On the other hand, it was a good book with an intriguing plot and appropriate story development. It fits perfectly for a Christmas times, although most of the events happened on a tropic island.
I usually like children involved stories and this one is not an exception. It is nice to see that children end up with a family life, particularly those in need.
However, it includes a genie, it just added some enjoyment and some minor miracles to story. It was not based on paranormal events. In my opinion, it was a good point.
Overall, it was a nice reading with full of hopeful emotions and happy endings.
July 15, 2020
C+/3.5 stars
Read for the July 2020 TBR Challenge prompt "Family Ties".
Many romance series feature siblings, but for the Family Ties prompt, I decided to go for a ‘found family’ story, and Jill Barnett’s Imagine (originally published in 1995 and reissued in 2017) fit that bill perfectly.
It’s 1896, and in San Francisco, successful, hard-working attorney Margaret Huntington Smith has been urged by her father, a judge, to take a well-deserved vacation. Knowing she won’t go unless given a push (in the best way) he’s brought her a first class ticket for a cruise to “French Oceania – Tahiti, the Cook Islands and more – A little taste of paradise for a daughter who works too hard.”
In the penal colony of Leper’s Gate on Dolphin Island, Hank Wyatt (imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit) has spent four years doing hard labour and enduring horrific cruelty, and when he sees a chance for escape he takes it. Disguised as a priest, he makes his way to Port Helene on the other side of the island where he stows away aboard a steamship.
But Hank’s luck has run out. That night, there’s a terrible storm and the ship goes down; Hank and the woman and three young orphans he rescues are the only survivors.
So what we’ve got is what the book blurb describes as “a makeshift family Robinson” consisting of a rough-and-ready ex-convict, a very proper female attorney and three children (two girls and a boy) aged two, five and eleven. (Oh, and an obstreperous goat they later name Rebuttal – because she keeps butting Hank in the butt.)
There’s a sort of African Queen Bogey/Hepburn vibe between Hank and Margaret (whom he nicknames Smitty) - although I don’t remember Bogart’s Charlie being quite so deliberately rude to Hepburn’s Rosie – and the pair are frequently at loggerheads, usually over Hank’s insistence that he knows best and Margaret should just worry about cooking meals and looking after the children.
Fortunately, and in spite of his attitude – in which, let’s face it, he’s very much a man of his time – the author succeeds in making Hank a likeable character. Hidden deep inside behind the dismissiveness and crass behaviour is a caring man who has been battered about by life and learned early on that aspiration only leads to disappointment. But he proves himself to be kind, capable of laughing at himself, and also – to his own surprise as much as anyone else’s – to be good with the children. He needs some prodding to do the right thing at times, but he steps up when needed, teaching five-year-old Theodore to swim and to fish and becoming a father-figure to a boy who desperately wants a Dad. Something Hank never had.
Margaret’s mother died when she was young, so she was brought up by her father, who taught her to believe in herself and that she could do anything she wanted if she worked hard enough. She’s whip-smart and determined, likes to think things through and to find logical solutions to problems… although as she quickly discovers, none of those things really work all that well when confronted with an energetic toddler and a troubled eleven-year-old for whom she can’t seem to do anything right.
The author does a good job of pulling this unexpected family gradually together, in creating the chemistry between Hank and Margaret, and showing Margaret’s confusion at how she can possibly be attracted to a man she doesn’t particularly like. Much of the comedy comes from Margaret’s ineptitude at those supposedly feminine tasks of looking after the children and cooking; she’s hopeless at the latter and burns everything – even after several weeks when I’d have thought a woman of her intelligence would have worked out how NOT to burn the fish Hank and Theodore caught. Which begs the question – what did they actually eat? Apart from bananas and coconuts, and later in the book, some oysters, there’s not much attention devoted to that.
Anyway. I liked a lot about this story; the verbal sparring between Hank and Margaret is fun, the children are nicely developed as individuals rather than plot-moppets, and there are some really touching scenes as both Hank and Margaret start to bond with them. The romance is nicely done, too; Margaret and Hank are like chalk and cheese, and what starts out as a physical attraction is given time to grow into a friendship and then more. So why haven’t I given the book a higher grade?
Put simply – the genie.
Even though he appears in the prologue, I’d completely forgotten about him. I became caught up in the story of Hank’s escape – which is quite a feat of ingenuity – and the drama of the shipwreck and rescue, their journey to the island and their first days trying to get used to their situation and each other, then – poof! – Muddy appears in a puff of purple smoke, and the whole thing went downhill. Okay, so credit to the author for not having the first wish – or second – be ‘get us off this island’ – but it was obvious that he was going to end up playing Deus ex Machina at some point. Apart from that function, I honestly couldn’t see the point of including him in the story.
Had it not been for that, I’d have given the book a higher grade, but it just didn’t work for me. I read paranormal and fantasy romances, so the idea of magical beings isn’t the issue; it’s the dropping in of one into an otherwise non-magical setting for no apparent reason (other than to get them off the island when the author was ready).
Imagine was an entertaining read that had a lot going for it, but I can’t deny I was disappointed overall, especially as it had such a strong start. But YMMV – there are plenty of 4 and 5 star reviews around for this one. so obviously it will work better for some readers than others.
Read for the July 2020 TBR Challenge prompt "Family Ties".
Many romance series feature siblings, but for the Family Ties prompt, I decided to go for a ‘found family’ story, and Jill Barnett’s Imagine (originally published in 1995 and reissued in 2017) fit that bill perfectly.
It’s 1896, and in San Francisco, successful, hard-working attorney Margaret Huntington Smith has been urged by her father, a judge, to take a well-deserved vacation. Knowing she won’t go unless given a push (in the best way) he’s brought her a first class ticket for a cruise to “French Oceania – Tahiti, the Cook Islands and more – A little taste of paradise for a daughter who works too hard.”
In the penal colony of Leper’s Gate on Dolphin Island, Hank Wyatt (imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit) has spent four years doing hard labour and enduring horrific cruelty, and when he sees a chance for escape he takes it. Disguised as a priest, he makes his way to Port Helene on the other side of the island where he stows away aboard a steamship.
But Hank’s luck has run out. That night, there’s a terrible storm and the ship goes down; Hank and the woman and three young orphans he rescues are the only survivors.
So what we’ve got is what the book blurb describes as “a makeshift family Robinson” consisting of a rough-and-ready ex-convict, a very proper female attorney and three children (two girls and a boy) aged two, five and eleven. (Oh, and an obstreperous goat they later name Rebuttal – because she keeps butting Hank in the butt.)
There’s a sort of African Queen Bogey/Hepburn vibe between Hank and Margaret (whom he nicknames Smitty) - although I don’t remember Bogart’s Charlie being quite so deliberately rude to Hepburn’s Rosie – and the pair are frequently at loggerheads, usually over Hank’s insistence that he knows best and Margaret should just worry about cooking meals and looking after the children.
Fortunately, and in spite of his attitude – in which, let’s face it, he’s very much a man of his time – the author succeeds in making Hank a likeable character. Hidden deep inside behind the dismissiveness and crass behaviour is a caring man who has been battered about by life and learned early on that aspiration only leads to disappointment. But he proves himself to be kind, capable of laughing at himself, and also – to his own surprise as much as anyone else’s – to be good with the children. He needs some prodding to do the right thing at times, but he steps up when needed, teaching five-year-old Theodore to swim and to fish and becoming a father-figure to a boy who desperately wants a Dad. Something Hank never had.
Margaret’s mother died when she was young, so she was brought up by her father, who taught her to believe in herself and that she could do anything she wanted if she worked hard enough. She’s whip-smart and determined, likes to think things through and to find logical solutions to problems… although as she quickly discovers, none of those things really work all that well when confronted with an energetic toddler and a troubled eleven-year-old for whom she can’t seem to do anything right.
The author does a good job of pulling this unexpected family gradually together, in creating the chemistry between Hank and Margaret, and showing Margaret’s confusion at how she can possibly be attracted to a man she doesn’t particularly like. Much of the comedy comes from Margaret’s ineptitude at those supposedly feminine tasks of looking after the children and cooking; she’s hopeless at the latter and burns everything – even after several weeks when I’d have thought a woman of her intelligence would have worked out how NOT to burn the fish Hank and Theodore caught. Which begs the question – what did they actually eat? Apart from bananas and coconuts, and later in the book, some oysters, there’s not much attention devoted to that.
Anyway. I liked a lot about this story; the verbal sparring between Hank and Margaret is fun, the children are nicely developed as individuals rather than plot-moppets, and there are some really touching scenes as both Hank and Margaret start to bond with them. The romance is nicely done, too; Margaret and Hank are like chalk and cheese, and what starts out as a physical attraction is given time to grow into a friendship and then more. So why haven’t I given the book a higher grade?
Put simply – the genie.
Even though he appears in the prologue, I’d completely forgotten about him. I became caught up in the story of Hank’s escape – which is quite a feat of ingenuity – and the drama of the shipwreck and rescue, their journey to the island and their first days trying to get used to their situation and each other, then – poof! – Muddy appears in a puff of purple smoke, and the whole thing went downhill. Okay, so credit to the author for not having the first wish – or second – be ‘get us off this island’ – but it was obvious that he was going to end up playing Deus ex Machina at some point. Apart from that function, I honestly couldn’t see the point of including him in the story.
Had it not been for that, I’d have given the book a higher grade, but it just didn’t work for me. I read paranormal and fantasy romances, so the idea of magical beings isn’t the issue; it’s the dropping in of one into an otherwise non-magical setting for no apparent reason (other than to get them off the island when the author was ready).
Imagine was an entertaining read that had a lot going for it, but I can’t deny I was disappointed overall, especially as it had such a strong start. But YMMV – there are plenty of 4 and 5 star reviews around for this one. so obviously it will work better for some readers than others.
October 18, 2010
Whatever you do don't miss this one, you'll regret it! It's charming, heartwarming and left me feeling sooo good. It's the story of Margaret (Smitty), an attorney, and Hank an escaped convict who was wrongly accused of murder. She's an independent woman who can't cook, he's a beat 'em over the head and drag 'em by the hair kinda guy that thinks woman are good for only one thing, until he gets stranded on a desert island with Smitty and three small orphans. There's also a delightful Genie with three wishes who needs to find a true believer to fulfill his destiny.
The verbal sparring between this odd couple is hilarious, Muddy, the Genie, adds a touch of magic and humor to the story & also makes a convenient baby sitter :), the kids are darling and the scenes where Hank warms up to them are really touching. It was so much fun to see Hank's attitude about women and children change after being stuck with them day in and day out with no escape. The last few chapters had me teary eyed. I recommend this one for anyone looking for a feel good romance with a happy ending and lots of sexual tension! This book is the ultimate fantasy.
The verbal sparring between this odd couple is hilarious, Muddy, the Genie, adds a touch of magic and humor to the story & also makes a convenient baby sitter :), the kids are darling and the scenes where Hank warms up to them are really touching. It was so much fun to see Hank's attitude about women and children change after being stuck with them day in and day out with no escape. The last few chapters had me teary eyed. I recommend this one for anyone looking for a feel good romance with a happy ending and lots of sexual tension! This book is the ultimate fantasy.
March 22, 2019
3/22/19 I read this when it was first released (paperback/1995), so I'm not sure how it holds up today, but the ebook is currently FREE via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07857YR1S/...
October 29, 2015
This was ok - good, but I was angry at the end due to an unanswered question.
The book’s cover says a man, a woman, and three orphaned children are stranded on an island... with a “touch of magic.” Due to magic I’d call this a fantasy romance. What made me angry is described in spoiler below.
DATA:
Copyright: 1995. Swearing language: moderate to strong including religious swear words but not often used. One sex scene, mild language. Author error: She put hymen in the wrong place.
The book’s cover says a man, a woman, and three orphaned children are stranded on an island... with a “touch of magic.” Due to magic I’d call this a fantasy romance. What made me angry is described in spoiler below.
DATA:
Copyright: 1995. Swearing language: moderate to strong including religious swear words but not often used. One sex scene, mild language. Author error: She put hymen in the wrong place.
September 1, 2013
A highly enjoyable, funny, and romantic read. It was rather long, but I zipped right through it because I just got completely lost in it.
This is not normally the type of romance I would go for, but it worked for me in this case. Margaret Huntington Smith, a lawyer and feminist in 1896 San Francisco goes on a vacation to the South Seas. When her ship is wrecked, she and three orphans are rescued by escaped convict Hank Wyatt. Soon, the five of them, along with a goat, find themselves stranded on a beautiful island paradise. Hank starts out as very chauvinistic, which make for some truly hilarious conversations between him and Margaret (who he has dubbed Smitty... because he knows it bugs her).
As the troop deals with weather, building shelters, finding food, and the crazy emotional highs and lows, they begin to forge a very beautiful family-like relationship. And soon the vitriol between Smitty and Hank turns into grudging respect, which grows into honest admiration, and then into passionate love.
Oh, and I must also mention that there is a Genie involved in this story - yes, a real, honest-to-goodness genie. Now one might say that makes the story too silly... but it actually made it even better! Obviously, you've got to suspend reality a bit for that one. It added a bit of whimsy and humor to the story, and offsets some of the serious topics dealt with by the central characters.
The sexual tension between Smitty and Hank was simply delicious. It was one of those books where they keep taking slow and painful steps towards each other throughout the story so that when they FINALLY give in to each other the reader is at the edge of her seat, reading furiously.
This was a freebie on Kindle a while back, and I'm glad I picked it up and read it. Would definitely recommend.
This is not normally the type of romance I would go for, but it worked for me in this case. Margaret Huntington Smith, a lawyer and feminist in 1896 San Francisco goes on a vacation to the South Seas. When her ship is wrecked, she and three orphans are rescued by escaped convict Hank Wyatt. Soon, the five of them, along with a goat, find themselves stranded on a beautiful island paradise. Hank starts out as very chauvinistic, which make for some truly hilarious conversations between him and Margaret (who he has dubbed Smitty... because he knows it bugs her).
As the troop deals with weather, building shelters, finding food, and the crazy emotional highs and lows, they begin to forge a very beautiful family-like relationship. And soon the vitriol between Smitty and Hank turns into grudging respect, which grows into honest admiration, and then into passionate love.
Oh, and I must also mention that there is a Genie involved in this story - yes, a real, honest-to-goodness genie. Now one might say that makes the story too silly... but it actually made it even better! Obviously, you've got to suspend reality a bit for that one. It added a bit of whimsy and humor to the story, and offsets some of the serious topics dealt with by the central characters.
The sexual tension between Smitty and Hank was simply delicious. It was one of those books where they keep taking slow and painful steps towards each other throughout the story so that when they FINALLY give in to each other the reader is at the edge of her seat, reading furiously.
This was a freebie on Kindle a while back, and I'm glad I picked it up and read it. Would definitely recommend.
July 16, 2016
Hank Wyatt has spent years in a foreign prison for murder. But Hank is actually innocent. He had a mockery of a trial before being sentenced to life. He manages to escape and stow away on a ship where he meets a beautiful woman.
Margaret Huntington Smith is a hard working attorney. Her supreme court judge father insists she take a vacation and sends her off on a island cruise in the South Seas.
The cruise is doomed though and a fatal shipwreck leaves Hank and Maggie alone on an island with three orphans, Lydia (9), Theodore (5), Annabelle (less than 2), and a goat. Hank and Maggie struggle to survive, care for the children, and just plain get along. Being stuck on the island forms a family that never would have come together otherwise. While on the island they actually find a real live Genie named Muddy just to keep things interesting.
A beautiful tropical island location, wonderful characters, humor, romance, family, and good plot made this a great read.
Margaret Huntington Smith is a hard working attorney. Her supreme court judge father insists she take a vacation and sends her off on a island cruise in the South Seas.
The cruise is doomed though and a fatal shipwreck leaves Hank and Maggie alone on an island with three orphans, Lydia (9), Theodore (5), Annabelle (less than 2), and a goat. Hank and Maggie struggle to survive, care for the children, and just plain get along. Being stuck on the island forms a family that never would have come together otherwise. While on the island they actually find a real live Genie named Muddy just to keep things interesting.
A beautiful tropical island location, wonderful characters, humor, romance, family, and good plot made this a great read.
January 12, 2018
Full of heart warming scenes and adventure! I truly enjoyed the funny scenes and witty banter between hero and heroine~
December 19, 2017
I had to check on some facts before writing this: the date women were allowed to practice law in California and the dates Al Spalding existed. The author did her research. I had never read any of her other stories so wanted to start out on the right note.
There are some events in this book's plot which stretch the imagination. Most romances I read do not include any magic, i.e., the existence of a genie in a bottle (unless you want to say that love is magical - at times). This book could have been written without that inclusion but it added some humor and some insight into motivation(s) for obtaining happiness. Theodore's *SPOILER ALERT* first wish is very unselfish considering his age and situation and then his wish that his parents are alive again wrings at one's heart strings. One would think, in reading the book, that he would then wish to be off the deserted island BUT in reading his reason not to want that wish, one is again brought to realize how this little boy has some wisdom beyond his young age. Somehow I missed the next wish as I was skimming over some of the descriptions of toys, etc. as I wanted to finish this book before going off to bed. The last wish is never revealed although we are left to imagine it has something to do with getting off the island and/or becoming a legal family...as they have already become a family in attachments and affections.
The male lead did annoy me! Male Chauvinist Pig! He kept seeing Margaret aka Smitty only as a sex object and expected only that she cook and watch the children, with totally ignoring any opinion given by her. He kept calling her "Sweetheart" and I saw Humphrey Bogart in my mind saying this. Hank has had a very hard existence from a young age and we don't learn of his baseball experiences until late in the story. He can't stretch his imagination to gather that Smitty can have a profession wherein she uses her brain.
Smitty's life has been one of privilege but also one of loneliness as she has no mother, no siblings, no best friends - only a father and uncles whose entire lives are wrapped up in the practice of law. She is gifted with a South Seas Island cruise/tour by her father who always wanted such for himself but has been too busy to take that trip.
Hank stows away in a life boat after escaping a cruel prison (his escape is quite a feat) and it just happens to be the same ship on which Margaret and a group of three siblings are traveling. The latter are being escorted to an orphanage after losing their parents. A storm at sea leads to this group being stranded on said island. The genie and his bottle are a side story and that doesn't become significant until Theodore finds and opens the bottle. The story of the genie, what is in his bottle and how he interacts with the family is a charming sideline to this adventure.
I probably should go back and read those details more slowly and maybe someday I will do so. I did like this story and the team of nine at the end was laughable…and an appropriate closure.
There are some events in this book's plot which stretch the imagination. Most romances I read do not include any magic, i.e., the existence of a genie in a bottle (unless you want to say that love is magical - at times). This book could have been written without that inclusion but it added some humor and some insight into motivation(s) for obtaining happiness. Theodore's *SPOILER ALERT* first wish is very unselfish considering his age and situation and then his wish that his parents are alive again wrings at one's heart strings. One would think, in reading the book, that he would then wish to be off the deserted island BUT in reading his reason not to want that wish, one is again brought to realize how this little boy has some wisdom beyond his young age. Somehow I missed the next wish as I was skimming over some of the descriptions of toys, etc. as I wanted to finish this book before going off to bed. The last wish is never revealed although we are left to imagine it has something to do with getting off the island and/or becoming a legal family...as they have already become a family in attachments and affections.
The male lead did annoy me! Male Chauvinist Pig! He kept seeing Margaret aka Smitty only as a sex object and expected only that she cook and watch the children, with totally ignoring any opinion given by her. He kept calling her "Sweetheart" and I saw Humphrey Bogart in my mind saying this. Hank has had a very hard existence from a young age and we don't learn of his baseball experiences until late in the story. He can't stretch his imagination to gather that Smitty can have a profession wherein she uses her brain.
Smitty's life has been one of privilege but also one of loneliness as she has no mother, no siblings, no best friends - only a father and uncles whose entire lives are wrapped up in the practice of law. She is gifted with a South Seas Island cruise/tour by her father who always wanted such for himself but has been too busy to take that trip.
Hank stows away in a life boat after escaping a cruel prison (his escape is quite a feat) and it just happens to be the same ship on which Margaret and a group of three siblings are traveling. The latter are being escorted to an orphanage after losing their parents. A storm at sea leads to this group being stranded on said island. The genie and his bottle are a side story and that doesn't become significant until Theodore finds and opens the bottle. The story of the genie, what is in his bottle and how he interacts with the family is a charming sideline to this adventure.
I probably should go back and read those details more slowly and maybe someday I will do so. I did like this story and the team of nine at the end was laughable…and an appropriate closure.
September 5, 2015
Coming off of another Jill Barnett book, I was eager to read another. This one did not disappoint, although it took me a long time to warm up to the hero and there were some lulls when I thought it dragged (it does take place on a deserted island after all.) But, despite these down moments there were plenty of laugh out loud scenes as well. What happens when a disreputable ex-convict and an uptight female lawyer are shipwrecked on an island in the South Pacific with three orphaned children? Add in a genie in a bottle who will grant three wishes to one of them and the story becomes more interesting. As this opposites attract story plays out, the first half of the book seemed interminable as they're all getting to know one another and learning to cope with living on an island and actually liking each other. But into the 2nd half it perks up and is lighter in feeling, until one final monkey wrench in the story. Overall it's an amusing romance, but Hank's bad attitude dragged the story down for a good part of the book, thank goodness for the comic relief here and there to lighten it up.
3.5/5
3.5/5
July 9, 2008
IMAGINE - VG
Barnett, Jill
After years in prison for a murder he never committed, escaped convict Hank Wyatt knew how to survive. But he didn't know if he could last an hour marooned on a deserted tropical island with a beautiful blonde and three orphaned children. Now, looking out for number one doesn't seem to be enough...
San Francisco attorney Maggie Smith felt like having a good cry. Thoroughly modern, wealthy, and bright, she's suddenly been cast in the role of mother and forced to battle wits and hearts with the most arrogant man she's ever met! Fate has thrown this makeshift family Robinson together and kismet tossed in a touch of magic ... the chance for a love more powerful than they could ever imagine ... only a wish away!
A lady lawyer, an escaped convict, 3 children, a genie, a shipwreck - very funny.
Barnett, Jill
After years in prison for a murder he never committed, escaped convict Hank Wyatt knew how to survive. But he didn't know if he could last an hour marooned on a deserted tropical island with a beautiful blonde and three orphaned children. Now, looking out for number one doesn't seem to be enough...
San Francisco attorney Maggie Smith felt like having a good cry. Thoroughly modern, wealthy, and bright, she's suddenly been cast in the role of mother and forced to battle wits and hearts with the most arrogant man she's ever met! Fate has thrown this makeshift family Robinson together and kismet tossed in a touch of magic ... the chance for a love more powerful than they could ever imagine ... only a wish away!
A lady lawyer, an escaped convict, 3 children, a genie, a shipwreck - very funny.
September 4, 2012
Cute book. Loved the coming together of the H and h, liked them both. Very sweet.
January 11, 2015
A very sweet story. A romance with a little magic thrown in.
March 24, 2019
Wonderful
What a sweet, lovely story! So funny and yet heartbreaking at moments! Loved the ending! And a genie??!! Who could ask for more! Loved it!
What a sweet, lovely story! So funny and yet heartbreaking at moments! Loved the ending! And a genie??!! Who could ask for more! Loved it!
dropped
December 7, 2021The hero’s obnoxious antics towards the heroine got annoying. I probably would have kept reading but the characteristics of the genie was a little too much for me— Persian isnt the same as Arab nor the same as Muslim— the book is old so I tried to give it leeway but eventually is hit too much on my nerves. I like the kids and the heroine tho! Maybe one day I’ll pick it back up.
February 9, 2023
The heroine is on vacation from job as an attorney in san Francisco. The hero has just escaped a brutal prison convicted of a crime he didn't commit. Their paths cross of the ship in the tropical islands and when the vessel catches fire and sinks, the hero-who was a stowaway on board- rescues the beautiful blonde and the three orphan kids she's found. From the moment they find each other they are like oil and water. She practices the law, he breaks it. She's a woman, he's a chauvinistic man. But they only have each other to survive.
Shipwrecked on an island, they much work together-much to both of their dismay. The heroine starts out ignorant of how to be a 'mother figure'. She doesn't know how to cook and burned everything she attempts. This is something that the hero goads her about constantly and what later turns into teasing and a shared joke began as a way to just irritate the crap out of her. The hero is uncouth, gruff, a drunk and a criminal. Though you can so tell he's a good guy, he really is a pain in the ass. He had this demeanor about him the you'd hate to be stranded on a deserted island with him too. He was sarcastic, dismissive of any ideas but his own and very much the typical greaser you'd meet in a bar. But at the same time, he's capable of saving their lives and if not for him, they would not have been about to even make it to the island let alone survive on it. No matter his gruff exterior shell, is actions spoke of a deeper kindness and a good heart. The way he interacted with the young boy and the fact that he braved swimming with sharks to get the truck with the dress in it for the heroine made me love him. I totally believed their romance. It started out as reluctant companions, then turned to friendship, then evolved into love. This was something that happened for a span of a few months and you could steadily tell the difference in the way they spoke to one another as their true feelings began to sink in. I did however have a problem with the paranormal aspect of the story. It had absolutely no bearing on the story. Okay, so, suddenly there's a Genie??? What the hell? The damn genie didn't even get them off the island, a ship found them! What was the freaking point of having a magical middle eastern genie on a deserted island? Anyway, if you can get past that fact as well as it wasn't anyway near historically correct, this was a decent enough book.
Shipwrecked on an island, they much work together-much to both of their dismay. The heroine starts out ignorant of how to be a 'mother figure'. She doesn't know how to cook and burned everything she attempts. This is something that the hero goads her about constantly and what later turns into teasing and a shared joke began as a way to just irritate the crap out of her. The hero is uncouth, gruff, a drunk and a criminal. Though you can so tell he's a good guy, he really is a pain in the ass. He had this demeanor about him the you'd hate to be stranded on a deserted island with him too. He was sarcastic, dismissive of any ideas but his own and very much the typical greaser you'd meet in a bar. But at the same time, he's capable of saving their lives and if not for him, they would not have been about to even make it to the island let alone survive on it. No matter his gruff exterior shell, is actions spoke of a deeper kindness and a good heart. The way he interacted with the young boy and the fact that he braved swimming with sharks to get the truck with the dress in it for the heroine made me love him. I totally believed their romance. It started out as reluctant companions, then turned to friendship, then evolved into love. This was something that happened for a span of a few months and you could steadily tell the difference in the way they spoke to one another as their true feelings began to sink in. I did however have a problem with the paranormal aspect of the story. It had absolutely no bearing on the story. Okay, so, suddenly there's a Genie??? What the hell? The damn genie didn't even get them off the island, a ship found them! What was the freaking point of having a magical middle eastern genie on a deserted island? Anyway, if you can get past that fact as well as it wasn't anyway near historically correct, this was a decent enough book.
January 19, 2015
I wasn't sure about this book when it started off with a genie in a bottle floating in the ocean, but I really enjoyed the book. Margaret Smith is sent on a cruise by her father who feels she needs some time off from her work as an attorney. Hank has been wrongly imprisoned at Leper's Gate on a French owned island. He is able to escape and ends up on the same ship. Only a day, if that, after leaving the island an engine blows and the ship sinks. Hank, who has stowed away in a life boat is able to get off the ship immediately. He sees Margaret and saves her and three orphaned children she has with her. They float in the ocean for someone before they find an island. At first there is a lot of disagreements between Hank and Smitty, as Hank likes to call Margaret, but they finally begin to work together and the five become a family. The genie's bottle is found by Theodore, so he becomes the genie's master. At first the adults try to talk him into leaving the island, but he gets upset so nothing else is said. Although anytime he thoughtlessly says I wish, they clap a hand over his mouth to stop him. As I said, they become a family; they celebrate Christmas on the island. Hank and Smitty argue over going back and being able to all stay together due to his past. Theodore overhears and goes to the genie with his final wish. He never tells anyone what his wish is, but the next day a ship shows up. They are of course rescued. Margaret and Smitty marry, but the story isn't over. They still have to fight Hank's imprisonment. (book with magic for 2015 reading challenge)
September 10, 2015
I would have enjoyed this book a vast amount more...without the 'magic' part of it.
The relationships between the characters were interesting on their own, without adding in that fantastical element - up to the point where the 'magic' was introduced into the book I was reading this book very intently, was invested in the characters and their personalities and how they interacted...and then was completely and utterly turned off of it when the genie showed up.
Without the genie I most likely would have rated the book with a 3 or 4.
With it?
I wish I could do fractions, because this would be lucky to get half a point.
The relationships between the characters were interesting on their own, without adding in that fantastical element - up to the point where the 'magic' was introduced into the book I was reading this book very intently, was invested in the characters and their personalities and how they interacted...and then was completely and utterly turned off of it when the genie showed up.
Without the genie I most likely would have rated the book with a 3 or 4.
With it?
I wish I could do fractions, because this would be lucky to get half a point.
February 1, 2015
Romance. An emotionally satisfying tale of romance after being shipwrecked and stranded on a tropical island. Lots of humor thrown in for good measure.
October 13, 2014
I liked it, to my surprise - it has a genie in it, for pete's sake!
August 17, 2020
This could have been great, but personally the romance was off to a slow start and when the magical genie appeared...it just totally ruined it for me. I thought this was contemporary.
March 30, 2019
This book was not just some romance book. It was a fairy tale! The story was so beautifully told, from the very first page to the last. It was perfect in every way.
Hank and Smitty were two strangers with absolutely nothing in common, yet thrust into a situation where they had to coexist and work together. They were polar opposites that fate had humoursly tried to screw by bringing them together to a place where they couldn’t escape.
The author then threw in 3 children, also strangers to both Hank and Smitty into the story, along with what must be the world’s sassiest goat and a purple eccentric genie who wore too many bangles. With these as the main cast, we were sure in for a wild ride.
And a wild ride it was. There was not a single dull moment. There were no scenes that were just there as fillers. Everything that happened in the book actually mattered, and it propelled the story forward. Every word, every sentence, mattered.
The author has a way of making us fall head over heels with this accidental family. The characters were just the sweetest and the most genuine. You couldn’t help but root for them. And the kids? You cared for them as if they were yours. You felt what the characters felt, and to me that’s special. There aren’t many authors capable of captivating the audience as Ms Jill Barnett did with this book.
As for Hank’s masochist behaviour in the beginning of the book, it was all understandable given his background and the fact that he did just escape prison in the most gruesome way possible. He had no role model growing up, and the only woman he know gave him up to an orphanage when he was only five. He said some awful stuff at the start but as the story progressed we came to learn that he had much bigger heart than he dared showing. Hank touched my heart like not many other book heroes do. And Smitty was just the smartest, kick ass woman who was not afraid to let her thought heard, yet her heart was as gentle as a baby’s cheek. I completely adored her.
I could not recommend this book enough.
Hank and Smitty were two strangers with absolutely nothing in common, yet thrust into a situation where they had to coexist and work together. They were polar opposites that fate had humoursly tried to screw by bringing them together to a place where they couldn’t escape.
The author then threw in 3 children, also strangers to both Hank and Smitty into the story, along with what must be the world’s sassiest goat and a purple eccentric genie who wore too many bangles. With these as the main cast, we were sure in for a wild ride.
And a wild ride it was. There was not a single dull moment. There were no scenes that were just there as fillers. Everything that happened in the book actually mattered, and it propelled the story forward. Every word, every sentence, mattered.
The author has a way of making us fall head over heels with this accidental family. The characters were just the sweetest and the most genuine. You couldn’t help but root for them. And the kids? You cared for them as if they were yours. You felt what the characters felt, and to me that’s special. There aren’t many authors capable of captivating the audience as Ms Jill Barnett did with this book.
As for Hank’s masochist behaviour in the beginning of the book, it was all understandable given his background and the fact that he did just escape prison in the most gruesome way possible. He had no role model growing up, and the only woman he know gave him up to an orphanage when he was only five. He said some awful stuff at the start but as the story progressed we came to learn that he had much bigger heart than he dared showing. Hank touched my heart like not many other book heroes do. And Smitty was just the smartest, kick ass woman who was not afraid to let her thought heard, yet her heart was as gentle as a baby’s cheek. I completely adored her.
I could not recommend this book enough.
November 17, 2020
Imagine - Jill Barnett
*Spoilers*
And a good imagination is precisely what you need to swallow this story...
I bought this book because I love Castaway stories but forget the Castaway element because that's just a joke, an ex convict and a female attorney are marooned on a desert Island with orphaned kids, the majority of the sunken ships cargo and a female goat. There is a fresh water pool with a waterfall and all the bananas, breadfruit and coconuts a lonely castaway could wish for.
There is also a genie in a bottle...
Inevitably and with quite the struggle the two fall in love and the kids get their ready made family. Also she's a stunning, leggy, blonde who's a 32 year old virgin and he has more skills in the bedroom then casanova on viagra because this is an 90's romance and it's what gets women off... Apparently... Right?
Also there's this genie in a bottle who's main function seems to be to act as a babysitter whilst our starring couple go and do what horny convicts and virgins do...
But buried in the middle of this very confused and stereotypical novel are genuine moments where they're burgeoning relationship is believable. Where you're watching two very different people fall in love and its a process of acceptance, respect and trust. Watching the ex convict figure out why he keeps running away from everything that's positive in his life was, gleeful fun.
And then I finally realise in the last couple of pages in the book that this whole story is set in 1896... Mind blown as to how I've read 339 pages and never clocked this fairly important fact because in my mind this novel was set in the 1980's for sure. I mean... She's an attorney...
And did I mention there was this baby sitting Genie...
Damn... It was so bad it was almost good.
*Spoilers*
And a good imagination is precisely what you need to swallow this story...
I bought this book because I love Castaway stories but forget the Castaway element because that's just a joke, an ex convict and a female attorney are marooned on a desert Island with orphaned kids, the majority of the sunken ships cargo and a female goat. There is a fresh water pool with a waterfall and all the bananas, breadfruit and coconuts a lonely castaway could wish for.
There is also a genie in a bottle...
Inevitably and with quite the struggle the two fall in love and the kids get their ready made family. Also she's a stunning, leggy, blonde who's a 32 year old virgin and he has more skills in the bedroom then casanova on viagra because this is an 90's romance and it's what gets women off... Apparently... Right?
Also there's this genie in a bottle who's main function seems to be to act as a babysitter whilst our starring couple go and do what horny convicts and virgins do...
But buried in the middle of this very confused and stereotypical novel are genuine moments where they're burgeoning relationship is believable. Where you're watching two very different people fall in love and its a process of acceptance, respect and trust. Watching the ex convict figure out why he keeps running away from everything that's positive in his life was, gleeful fun.
And then I finally realise in the last couple of pages in the book that this whole story is set in 1896... Mind blown as to how I've read 339 pages and never clocked this fairly important fact because in my mind this novel was set in the 1980's for sure. I mean... She's an attorney...
And did I mention there was this baby sitting Genie...
Damn... It was so bad it was almost good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2023
Perfectly pleasant but not what I wanted to be reading right now; I made it about halfway through. It's very much one of those romance novels where the reader can predict every event before it happens. It's 1896; our hero, an unjustly convicted escaped convict, and our heroine, a thirty-two-year-old spinster lawyer from San Francisco, end up stranded on an idyllic island with a trio of young orphans (sulky preadolescent girl, winsome five-year-old boy, and baby/toddler) who display behavior of varying degrees of realism depending on what the plot demands; the island, luckily, has plenty of bananas and breadfruit, there's a rescued goat to provide milk for baby, and while convict Hank is a little bit salty this extends only to saying "shit" where the children can overhear him. Nobody is starving, nobody gets sunstroke, and nobody has any infected injuries; it's very idyllic and honestly not much Swiss Family Robinsoning is required, which I found kind of disappointing. Then the five-year-old finds a genie, but doesn't want to leave the island because Hank - himself a product of the orphanage system - was a little too honest about how unpleasant orphanages are. However will they convince the child that he doesn't want to stay on the island and instead should wish for them all to be rescued?
If you are assuming at this point that , then rest assured so am I. (I skipped to the end and, what do you know, we were all correct.) All in all perfectly pleasant and perfectly predictable and I just wasn't in the mood.
If you are assuming at this point that , then rest assured so am I. (I skipped to the end and, what do you know, we were all correct.) All in all perfectly pleasant and perfectly predictable and I just wasn't in the mood.
March 9, 2020
Started off promising and intriguing. Set in 1896 Margaret is a lawyer. That alone intrigued me. Her father sends her on a cruise through the seven seas. Unknown to her a prisoner named Hank is planning an escape and when he does he ends up on the same ship as Margaret. A storm brews the ship sinks and Margaret, Hank, a goat and three children, Annabelle, Theodore and Lydia, are the only survivors. As I said it starts promising, even hilarious when toddler Annabelle constantly repeats Hank's vile swear words. Then she brings some random genie into the mix which is where the story lost me. Just why? It was dumb really. I also found it was much the same as her other books. A cranky man, a chatty woman annoys the man, the man gives the woman a nickname of some sort based on nationality, or a version of her name. They eventually fall in love and end up living happily ever after. The kids changed the formula slightly and the odd and unnecessary genie did too. I think the book came out around the same time as the original Aladdin when Robin Williams made genies a big deal, but it falls flat. But I tried and I just couldn't. I like her shorter books better and this one might've been better if it was shorter. Hey they had a genie wish for rescue maybe? Ah well I somehow got through it, might revisit it again later on, but only once I forgot about it.
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