Pearl Moon
Contemporary Hong Kong is the exotic backdrop for Stone's (Happy Endings) romantic story of two sisters separated by fate but reunited in the construction of a sumptuous hotel. As Maylene Kwan lavishes her architectural skills on the Jade Palace's design, she skirmishes with its builder, an arrogant chauvinist who has more than a business interest in Maylene. Elsewhere, photographer Allison Whitaker is handed a golden opportunity to escape her smothering Texas family-an assignment to decorate a new Asian hotel with her murals. (That the hotel is the Jade Palace, and that Allison and Maylene are the long-separated siblings, will hardly surprise readers.) While Maylene struggles with her conflicted past and romantic present, Allison is falling for the hotel's developer, who is still consumed with thoughts of his dead wife (the Jade Palace will be a monument to her memory). Lurking in the shadows, meanwhile, is a madman set on destroying the Jade Palace and all who stand in his way. Stone's vivid narrative and glamorous settings energize this melodramatic tale, though her somewhat superficial characters seldom strike any real sparks. 100,000 first printing.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.