Unexpected Blessings
- Book Review,
by Barbara Taylor Bradford
From Publishers Weekly
Emma Harte, the redoubtable heroine of veteran novelist Bradford's 1976 bestseller, A Woman of Substance, has been dead for 30 years, but she's still a player in the continuing family saga. Her pronouncements and unwritten rules are well remembered by all the descendants in the dynasty and business empire she founded. This installment begins where Emma's Secret (2004) left off, with Evan Hughes, the young visitor from the U.S., obtaining a dream job in fashion at the renowned London department store, Harte's, and beginning a romance with Gideon Harte, heir apparent to the family newspaper enterprise. In the previous volume, Evan learned that her own father was the illegitimate child of another Harte scion (making Evan and Gideon cousins a few times removed), and now she wonders whether she should divulge this secret to her father, who is soon to arrive in London. A true crisis distracts her, however: the disappearance of three-year-old Adele, adored daughter of store manager Tessa, one of Emma's great-grandchildren. Linnet, Tessa's half-sister and sometimes business rival, comes to the rescue and Adele soon reappears, but tensions between the sisters persist. Meanwhile, Linnet's cousin India has fallen in love with a painter from a working-class background, and India must battle her family's disapproval. The exploits and adventures of Bradford's indomitable heroines continue to make for lusty escapist fiction in this robust fifth novel in the series. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Bradford continues the saga of the descendants of Emma Harte, the heroine of A Woman of Substance (1979), in this follow-up to Emma's Secret (2004), which saw American Evan Hughes travel to England to work for Harte's department stores, only to learn she herself is actually related to the legendary matriarch. Evan has to tell her father, who is wary of the upper-class Hartes and everything they represent, about her engagement to Gideon Harte, one of Emma's descendants. Evan's cousin, Tessa, is contending with problems of her own: her young daughter was snatched from the grounds of her home. Her soon-to-be ex-husband, Mark, who is playing hardball in the divorce proceedings, is the one who took her and is dead-set on joint custody, something Tessa opposes. Another cousin, India, learns that her boyfriend, sexy artist Dusty, has a few secrets of his own when his ex-girlfriend bursts into his apartment and stabs him. And, before the novel ends, another secret about the past is discovered. Fans of Bradford's long-running Harte saga will no doubt be happy with this lively new chapter in the lives of the clan. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
“I grew up in England with the radio. television hadn’t really come to us, So the radio was a great friend. hearing an audiobook is in a sense going back to my childhood and listening. Since I'm writing all the time and using glasses and staring at words on paper, it's nice to close my eyes and just get carried away.... The experience is enhanced by a good voice to listen to.”—Barbara Taylor Bradford on audiobooks
Praise for Barbara Taylor Bradford and Emma’s Secret:
“Kate Burton’s pleasing voice and impeccable diction precisely capture the mood, convincing accents, and personalities of the ultra-rich and famous. She handles sibling rivalries and romantic intrigues with finesse.” —AudioFile on Emma’s Secret (Abridged)
“The grandiose saga of power, passion, friendship, and haute couture continues the story of Emma Harte, first introduced in A Woman of Substance (1994). Narrator kate Reading deftly uses a variety of British and American accents to represent numerous characters from a variety of economic social strata.”—Booklist on Emma’s Secret (Unabridged)
“Readers who loved A Woman of Substance will enjoy Emma’s Secret.”—Denver Post
“Promises to tantalize, mesmerize, and titillate readers of all ages. It has all the Bradford touches: strong and swift plot, hints of secrets about to be revealed...spellbinding...destined to fly off bookseller’s racks and be passed around many book clubs. It is a darn good read.”—Roanoke Times
“It will be...appreciated by those with an irresistible desire to follow the further adventures of the Harte clan.”—Publishers Weekly
“You’re certain these are living, breathing people.”—USA Weekend
“An extravagant, absorbing novel of love, courage, ambition, war, death, and passion.”—The New York Times on A Woman of Substance
“Barbara Taylor Bradford is the storyteller of substance.”—The Times (London)
Book Description
From New York Times bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford comes a blockbuster novel featuring a new generation of remarkable women in the Harte family
Linnet, Tessa, India and Evan: four remarkable women. Three generations of Hartes. One indomitable family whose loyalty binds them together and whose enemies want to tear them apart. In Emma’s Secret, American Evan Hughes came to London and discovered that she’s a part of the Harte family. Now, in UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS, Evan faces a difficult choice: should she tell her father the truth of their heritage? By keeping secrets, does she jeopardize her newfound love? Sensible Linnet is always ready to give advice, while attempting to become heiress apparent. Her half-sister Tessa has been her rival all their lives. As conflict and danger swirl around the Harte women, someone is pulling the strings to make sure none of them find happiness. Who among them will rise to the challenges as only a true Harte can do? UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS is Barbara Taylor Bradford at her storytelling best, a novel of family secrets, dangerous promises, and the unshakable bonds among sisters
About the Author
BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD is the bestselling author of eighteen original novels and is in the Writer’s Hall of Fame. She’s a native of Yorkshire, England and lives in New York City.
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