Grand Design
"A whimsical escape. With her characteristic ingenuity, Fox
paints a blend of the fantastic and the mundane, bringing enormous passion to
her canvas in this portrait of love. Favorite secondary characters of this
miniseries seamlessly connect the novel to the other parts of the miniseries, in
addition to introducing two willful, strong-minded main characters. A playful,
lighthearted read, Grand Design is perfect reading for an afternoon.
Recommended."
--Cindy Penn, WordWeaving
 The
historical Chesterfield Hotel once offered visitors the graceful charm of its
sumptuous rooms and the healing waters of its nearby hot springs. In the present
day, as five people unearth the hotel's century-old hope chest, each will be
transported back to a bygone age--and transformed by the timeless power of true
love.
The Perfect Prince Charming
Restoring old paintings for Hope Springs' Historical Society isn't exactly what
frustrated artist Cynda Madison wants from her career, but she has no idea just
how challenging her job will become when she works on the damaged portrait of
devastatingly handsome Prince Dimitri Karakov found in the ruined Chesterfield
Hotel. Moved by the tragic loss of a young, vital man, Cynda begins to
investigate his death. When she finds the painting's tarnished nameplate in the
ruined hotel's hope chest, she is instantly swept back in time to 1887 where she
meets the prince
himself--very much alive and disturbingly attractive. Cynda knows she must
prevent Dimitri's death to get back to her own life--but can she prevent herself
from falling in love?
The Hope Chest Series:
Book 3
Zebra Ballad
August 2001
ISBN 0-8217-6903-0
Order from
Author, Author!
Read the other books in the Hope Chest Series
by The Wyrd Sisters
Book 1 - Enchantment by Pam
McCutcheon
Book 2 - Fire With Fire by
Paula Gill
Book 4 - Stolen Hearts by
Laura Hayden
Book 5 - At Midnight by
Maura McKenzie
For more information, visit
http://www.hopechestseries.com
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Review Quotes for Grand Design
"Grand Design is a wonderful addition to the Hope Chest
series because it presents more conflict than usual in a romance. Dimitri is
caught in the predestined royal obligations mode being an heir. He feels his
life must totally be centered on his inherited duties and love is not something
he expects to experience. But things have a way of working out. Four roses out
of five."
--Denise Fleischer, GWN Online
"The third book in the Hope Chest series is just as good as the
others I have read. There is something for everyone. Historical fans will enjoy
the details of the time period, paranormal fans will find it an exceedingly well
done time travel. There is even a touch of humor, as characters from a prior
novel appear...You will surely enjoy this novel and want to read the rest of the
series."
--Amanda Killgore, Romance Readers Connection
"Grand Design is the third of five Chesterfield Hope Chest time travel
romances. These authors have worked together to build an enjoyable atmosphere
and characters at the Chesterfield Hotel. There is humor in the story of a
modern woman and a Victorian aristocrat learning to accept each other. Ms. Fox
has written an enjoyable love story that can stand alone, but also included a
dinner with chef Corrie Garrett (see Fire With Fire by Paula Gill) that
brought a grin."
--Cy Korte, Book Isle
"This book, a Cinderella in reverse, has a little of everything, time travel,
mystery, and wonderful character development. I thoroughly enjoyed Dimitri's
metamorphoses from an arrogant, royal snob to a man who could use his hands and
heed his heart. Though characters from the other stories appear from time to
time, the book stands alone quite well, but I look forward to acquiring the
other four stories."
--Leslie Tramposch, ParaNormal Romance
"The third of the five Chesterfield Hope Chest time travel romances Grand
Design is a delightful tale. The story line beguiles the audience as a
modern independent woman deals with a Victorian aristocrat and vice versa. Karen
Fox shows her diverse talent with this charming prince of a tale that will send
readers, including this reviewer, seeking her previous novels and the series
other books."
--Harriet Klausner, ParaNormal Romance, BookBrowser
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"Just had to write and tell you. I just finished Grand
Design, I loved it. You write stories that draw you into them. Now if I
can just get my hands on the rest of your books. money is tight so I'm
saving so I can get the rest of them all at once. I look forward to
your next book. P.S. Grand Design will be placed along with Prince of
Charming and the Buttercup Baby on my shelf with all my other favorite
books."
-- Janet J (email)
"I just completed your novel...and I felt compelled to write to
you. What a great read! I've always been enthralled by time travel. I
thoroughly appreciate the transformation you put Dimitri through! I read it in
one day; I just couldn't bring myself to put it down (a true sign of excellent
authorship). I'll be purchasing more of your work."
--Cheryl (email)
"I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your book,
Grand Design. I have been a long time Nora Roberts fan because she has a
wonderful way of drawing the reader into the story, of making us feel as the
characters might. You, too, have that wonderful gift. I look forward to
finding the other books in this series as well as reading more of your work."
-- Mary (email)
"I just finished reading Grand Design and couldn't put
it down until I finished it. I can't wait to read more of your books. Keep up
the good work."
--Joan (email)
"Grand Design is absolutely wonderful."
--Yvonne (email)
"I just finished reading Grand Design and I loved it. Now I
will have to find your older books to read."
--Joan (email)
"I just finished Grand Design. I enjoyed this book very
much and thought I'd let you know."
--Kay (email)
"I just finished Grand Design and had to tell you how much
I enjoyed it. I can't wait to read
more."
--Beverly (email)
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Why Did I Write This Book?
Upon hearing about Zebra's new series line, my critique
group The Wyrd Sisters met and threw around ideas for a series of books
(written on the paper tablecloth at Macaroni Grill), which eventually
mutated into the Hope Chest Series. Originally set with the Harvey Girls
in Las Vegas, NM, we ended up moving it first to the Colorado mountains
where we based our hotel on The Broadmoor, then eventually to the Allegheny
Mountains of Virginia. We designed our hotel after the magnificent Homestead
Hotel located in Warm Springs, Virginia, and set our characters there. The
mysterious Miss Sparrow, who befriends and guides our time travelers,
finally explains why she's pulling our characters through time in the last
book. Though we weren't sure how we'd like writing a series together, it
turned out to be a wonderful experience and we had a blast using each
other's characters in our books. In fact, we're already talking about
another series.
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