Memories of "Woman of Substance" led me to pick this one up from my mum's bookshelf, but after 50 pages I gave up. None of the characters had engaged me by then, and the plot didn't either. The lengthy and seemingly pointless detail about clothing and decor was still there though.

I enjoyed the first book about Emma Harte, but this one doesn't live up to her legacy unfortunately. I don't like writing negative reviews but in this case, I'm not worrying that my humble opinion will damage BTB's sales one iota!

This is a continuation of the Emma Harte saga. Emma Harte was the matriarch of a large family
and she amassed a huge fortune with many companies including several upscale department
stores. When she passed away she gave her many grandchildren the companies she thought they
could manage. This book covers many of the grandchildren but is predominately about her granddaughter Paula who inherited the Harte Department stores and took the place of her grandmother as overseer of Emma's empire. Its a story of love, greed, tragedy, family loyalty and
success. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it.

Very slow to start with and very clunky style - but perhaps now there are so many characters it really is necessary to explain their relationship to each other all the time. I still love the glamour and drama of the business family though, and enjoyed reading about the extended dynasty with Philip and Jonathon's marriages.

F Brad