FROM THE PUBLISHER

Paula O'Neil has inherited her grandmother Emma Harte's dream for success-a magnificent business empire in London shared by Paula's daughters, Linnet and Tessa. Yet their future is far less secure than any woman imagines. For beneath the dazzling surface, flares a rivalry and discontent that leave them vulnerable to the dreams of others.

Into the fray arrives enigmatic American fashion designer Evan Hughes seeking employment. But her interest in the Harte dynasty is a personal one. Bearing a striking resemblance to the Harte lineage, Evan's arrival begins to unravel a mystery that hides in the family's shadows, and that waits to be revealed in Emma's long-lost diaries.

Now as the past unfolds, so emerges an extraordinary tale of money and power, passion and revenge, and survival and triumph at any price-one that will irrevocably change the lives and loves of four women and shake an empire to its very foundation.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

It has been nearly 25 years since Bradford made her name with the female rags-to-riches saga A Woman of Substance, the first in a trilogy of novels that concluded with 1988's To Be the Best. Gambling that there is still life to be squeezed out of the story of indomitable super-survivor Emma Harte and her descendants, Bradford returns to the chase with this present-day sequel. The novel opens in 2001 at Pennistone Royal, Emma's magnificent country estate in Yorkshire, now occupied by her granddaughter Paula's family. Paula heads the Knightsbridge store, flagship of the nationwide Harte chain, and her grown daughters, Linnet and Tessa, work there. A young American, Evan Hughes, with an uncanny Harte family resemblance, appears one day seeking a job. She's hired at once, since Linnet needs help with an upcoming fashion spectacular, a retrospective featuring Emma's couture wardrobe. Linnet's cousin Gideon, who works for the Harte newspapers, is smitten with Evan, and soon the mystery of her background is of concern, especially when it's discovered that Evan's grandmother had a close relationship with Emma. The overwhelming amount of descriptive detail clothing, interior decor, food and drink slows down the narrative, but such Victorian props as a decorative locked box, a key taped behind a photograph and long-lost diaries provide mild suspense. The saga was already losing steam with To Be the Best, and this fourth installment is further diluted. Lacking the dynamic impact of the original, it will be best appreciated by those with an irresistible desire to follow the further adventures of the Harte clan. (Jan. 6) Forecast: A substantial 25th-anniversary marketing campaign will help rope in old fans, though some may find the series has lost its luster. True stalwarts, however, will be pleased to hear that another entry is in the works. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Public libraries should expect high demand for this long-awaited fourth installment in Bradford's Emma Harte saga (after A Woman of Substance, Hold the Dream, and To Be the Best), which also celebrates its 25th anniversary. Before American Evan Hughes's grandmother dies, she advises Evan to go to London in search of Emma, who holds the key to her future. Department store founder Emma has actually been dead for many years, but her legacy lives on through granddaughter Paula and competitive great-granddaughters Linnet and Tessa. While Tessa struggles with a shaky marriage, Evan is hired to help Linnet work on an 80-year fashion retrospective that spotlights Emma's couture. Several people are suspicious of Evan, who looks like Paula. Is she related somehow? What does she want? What was Emma's secret? Those who haven't read the previous books will get a crash course on the characters, while series fans will get a refresher. Because there are so many characters to keep straight, the genealogical information that precedes the text is essential. Although plagued by stilted dialog and passages that are sometimes too descriptive and long-winded, this book has plenty of drama, romance, and intrigue to keep readers interested. Bradford is already working on the next installment. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/03.]-Samantha J. Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile

Bradford's novel continues the saga of the Harte family, begun with Emma Harte in A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE. On her deathbed Evan Hughes's grandmother tells her to go to London, where Emma Harte holds the key to her future. But Emma Harte has been dead for 30 years. In London, Evan turns up at a flagship store in Knightsbridge looking for a job. Everyone notices the resemblance between owner Paula O'Neill—Emma Hart's granddaughter—and the young American. When a cousin of Paula's is smitten with Emma, it becomes imperative to find out Evan's lineage. As Bradford lets the story unfold in the present and the past, Kate Reading divulges Emma's family secrets one by one in a soothing, languorous voice and soft accents. Reading performs each scene with practiced aplomb and lets the multifaceted story gradually reveal itself. Love, friendship, and family are the keys to the Hartes, their kin, and the past they guard so zealously. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews