Loved this one.

Can't believe how many bad things happen to this family! The ending really left unfinished business, so I imagine certain people will return in the book or two.

Not as good as the first one. Actually, a bit boring.

Great ending, slow start

As a continuation of the Harte family story thus one was somewhat slow to start. Sometimes the author gets too lost in details as she did in the first book. It dies ramp up and get much more interesting in the second half leaving me still interested in the saga.

3rd in series, read because book club was reading the 4th book

Reread coz it’s one of those series which is so full of details and drama that it’s a “phone read”.

A sprawling generational tale about business empires, passionate love, equally passionate enemity, of family fights and beautiful clothes and enormous wealth. Not the most well written and sketched out book, very formulaic in many instances but I just read it for juicy detail kicks!

Have enjoyed this series. Bradford does a masterful job of describing the interior decorating of the rich and famous. Sometimes a little too much, but over all I've looked forward to continuing to follow her characters.

This was a great storyline. It stands alone even though it is part of a series. Looking forward to reading more of them.

This was the 1st book of her's that I have read. It was the last book of a trilogy. I felt like I hadn't missed anything. Well written, well laid out with the characters. Lots of foreshadowing, but lots of unexpected surprises with the characters. I loved it.

Forse l'ultimo buon libro della troppo abusata saga di Emma Harte.

Amazing continuation ....

Not as good as the others, didn't contain much story until after 50%. Not sure whether to bother with next book

Final book of the year! I finished this one tonight, just squeaking it into the 2014 totals. I'm pretty sure I Mooched my copy, as it is a used book, and about the only place I get my used books is from BookMooch, so...

I was reading this book while staying with my family over Christmas, and I was trying to describe what it was about to my sister, and it was actually really hard. It's a family saga about a woman who created a department store chain. And that makes it sound so boring, but it's really a great series of books. This book, like Hold the Dream, focuses on Paula O'Neill, Emma Harte's granddaughter and the current head of the Harte's Department Stores chain (and its attendant businesses). The book begins several years after the last one ended. Paula and Shane are married and have two children of their own. Things continue to go well for the Hartes, O'Neills, and Kallinskys. Until an old enemy rears his ugly head. Will Paula continue the tradition of excellence initiated by the great Emma Harte, or will she make a misstep and cost herself the company? Is a hostile takeover in the future for the Harte chain?

This one wasn't my favorite of all the books. I still think the first book was the best. In To Be the Best, there is a more disjointed focus on some of the minor players that kind of took me out of the main storyline. I do understand why those people were introduced, and they played important parts in the later chapters of the book, but it wasn't done very organically, so it felt jarring to me.

Overall, though, the book was a good, solid entry in the Harte saga. Four out of five Whatevers. Recommended for folks who are already into this series, for those who enjoy sweeping family sagas, and for those who like stories of corporate intrigue that smack of the 1980's.