As I said above I have enjoyed this series from book one – A Woman of Substance. Emma Harte has become an idol of mine and I wish I could only be as strong of a woman as she was. Not only was she a strong woman she was a good mother who passed on a good values and work ethic to her children. She had two great friends in her life that eventually became family thru marriage of the three “clans” children. This only made each family have a stronger connection and bond with each other. To be a part of their family would have been an honor. In this book there were a lot of trials for the three clans (Hartes, Oneills, and Kallinskis). Each of these trials and tragedies brought the family closer except for one the infamous Jonathan Ainsley. He is still out to ruin the family. In this book we are introduced to a new family the Hughes. We find out about a deep secret that Robin kept hidden for many years. This secret will bring out good and bad. One of the best things this secret brought out was Evan. She was one of my favorite characters and I enjoyed learning about her and her talents. She fits right in with the Harte clan. One of the bad things brought out was Anghared, Evan’s adopted sister. She is a female version of Jonathan. I think we will hear more about her in the next book in the series and she is going to be trouble with a capital T. There were many ups and downs. We had many marriages and a few babies and some good changes in the family. But we also saw the death of some loved ones and some tragedies with some of the family. These only pulled the family closer together. There is a little cliff hanger at the end of the book that makes you want to pick up the next one right away to see what is going to happen.I am looking forward to reading the last book in the near future (I have a few others I need to get to first, lol) but I will also be saddened as that is the last book in the series and I will miss reading about the family I have come to love. If you have not read any of this series, I would suggest running out and getting A Woman of Substance as it was a can’t put down book and each book in the series just added to the story this one included. I wish Harte’s store was a real store that you could travel to England to see as it sounds wonderful. I give this book 4 stars.
I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with this book. Although I really enjoyed the previous Harte’s saga books, this one was a bit weak. The description of characters in general was good, and BTB certainly knows how to put you in the scene with her descriptions of rooms and dresses. However, I feel that a lot of points were left flying. Characters as Angharad were barely described, and I think it had a lot of villain potential. Also, JA…I like him as a villain, in the other books, he was depicted pretty well, and his plans were explained carefully, as you would expect him to do if he was real…this time, all his moves seemed out of the blue, with no background, but hate. And then his “end” seemed to me like someone had no idea how to close that door, and just did it in a hurry. Once again, BTB makes a book easy to read, enjoyable in average as it carries you into England swiftly and I can only praise de way the scenario is done. But I am sad to think that a lot was said, but not much happened.
What do You think about Just Rewards (2006)?
My four-year-old picked this out for me at the library. She did a good job with the last book she picked for me; unfortunately, this one wasn't good. I got over a hundred pages into it, but finally decided that it wasn't worth finishing. It was a massive soap opera, with lots of characters, all intertwined. I couldn't keep some of the characters straight, and the story just wasn't moving along fast enough to keep me interested (just like a soap opera--you can turn it on years later and still be in the same story).
—Andrea
I've gotten to know the characters in each of the past six books in the Woman of Substance series. I have really enjoyed each of these books and I recently received my Woman of Substance Trilogy DVD in the mail...can't wait to watch the movies!! There really should be movies of ALL the books. Now, I know that at the end of this book, Jonathan is not dead, but will that storyline ever be resolved? Starting to read Breaking the Rules, but so far any characters related to Emma Harte are being kept "secret."
—Anne Marie
So I've finally reached the end of the published books in the Emma Harte saga. I Mooched this copy of the final book in the series (although the ending definitely left it open for a further continuation...but I'm not sure any more books have been published since this one in 2006 or so...okay, I just checked Bradford's website, and it seems that there is another book - which I do have but didn't realize was one of this series). This book was just as good as the others. The first will always be my favorite, but this book focuses on Evan Harte and the other members of the new generation of Hartes, Kallinskis, and O'Neills. In this book, the family is preparing for Evan's wedding to Gideon, but the family's enemy, Jonathan Ainsley, is once again rearing his ugly head. The book also features India Standish and her relationship with famed painter Dusty Rhodes, which is threatened by the escape of Dusty's ex, Melinda Crawford, from the detox facility where she has been residing. Can a many-months-pregnant Evan wed her love without interference from Jonathan Ainsley? Or will he wreak his vengeance on the Harte family? Will India and Dusty's relationship survive the death of his young daughter's caretaker and the re-emergence on the scene of the dangerous Melinda? Four out of five Whatevers. Life has been in somewhat of an upheaval recently: I was fired from my job in April, spent about six weeks miserably unemployed, then started a new job at the beginning of June, and moved to a new residence just a week ago. Between starting the new job and the packing and moving, I needed something light that was easy to get into and out of without difficulty. And something that was able to capture and keep my attention. Of course one of Bradford's books was just the thing. Recommended for anyone who has been faithfully reading the series, like I have.
—Lexi
