Bel Air by Katherine Stone

Bel Air--where even the rich and famous are impressed by the wealth that surrounds them. Set in the hills above Hollywood, this is the world of Allison, Winter and Emily. Three beautiful, talented women who couldn't be more different. Three women who find they want more than appearances and glitter. Three women searching for the courage to trust, to love...and to dream.

Allison--A terrible accident taught her that life is too precious to waste. So when she meets renowned movie director Peter Dalton, she surrenders wholeheartedly to passion, ignoring the secrets and warnings that shine in his eyes.

Winter--When Dr Mark Stephens came her way, the brilliant young actress knew she could finally stop pretending to be happy. But their careers are in a collision course, and soon they are forced to make the terrible choice between ambition and devotion.

Emily--To the bewilderment of her friends, she is drawn to men who offer nothing but pain and heartache. Only her photography gives her a sense of self-worth...until she learns to accept the love that will finally free her from the past.

So many hopes, so many betrayals, so many broken hearts. As Allison, Winter and Emily fight for their dreams in glamorous, treacherous Bel Air.


This book came highly recommended by my sister and so when we last went home and saw each other, we swapped books and swore by them that they were not going to be a waste of each of our time.

Not that I needed to unclog my tear glands (they're always unclogged!) but it felt wonderful to have a good cry while reading this book. It has been a long time since I've read a great contemporary romance without all the thriller/mystery factoring into it. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I did. But this book proved to be a fantastic read that showcased the miracle of trust.

The story of Allison Fitzgerald, an aspiring interior designer, was a lot about finding herself after what she thought was going to be her life got snatched away. It was amazing reading about her survival and making a new life that just might be what she really was meant to have. She was the perfect antidote for the aching soul of Peter Dalton, celebrated playwright. Peter was living in the dark after he lost his one true love but he never expected to fulfill a promise he made to her--to someday find a new love. All they both needed to do was to learn to trust each other, and realize that each of them was shaped--and bettered--by their respective pasts.

Winter Carlyle, a daughter of Hollywood (and my favorite character), lived in the pages in this book in search of courage. She needed courage to finally admit that she, daughter to a renowned actress and an English director, was meant to grace the silver screen. She needed courage to hold on to Mark Stephens and know that not everyone she loved leaves. While Mark, a doctor in the making, needed courage to see that Winter was made of sterner stuff to survive his busy months of medical residency. He needed to risk his heart knowing what the pressure of medicine could do to a family--he himself lived and survived it. Once again, trust was necessary for the one half to know that the other wouldn't leave and for the other half to realize that the other would stay.

Emily Rosseau, a budding big-time photographer, was a dimmed light in a life of darkness. She might have escaped a life of abuse but she continued to live it in its shadows, refusing to forgive herself and accept that she was a total victim to it all. Until magazine editor Rob Adamson showed her not just the light but also that she could be the light. But Rob was also living in the shadows of hatred for someone who he thought was responsible for his tragic past. But when they came together, Emily trusted Rob enough to make her see that she deserved to have something beautiful after everything that was ugly. And Rob trusted her back to show him that life of hatred wasn't a life at all but that a life of forgiveness is.

It's ironic that this book was titled so. I never even paid that much attention to the setting and just continued to plow on with the story. But that was prolly because Ms Stone created so much depth to her characters making them so real you could touch them.

Three different women with the same fortitude. Six lives intertwined forever in the bonds of love, friendship and family (sometimes, the lack of it). Reading about them was an adventure to the strengths of the human spirit and how it survives life everyday. And Ms Stone proved to be a worthy tour guide.

Final verdict: 8/10. Great read.