To Be the Best
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4.3 • 43 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Emma Harte’s legacy lives on in a “lushly detailed” novel following A Woman of Substance and Hold the Dream from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author (Rave Reviews).
The heiress to Emma Harte’s international retail empire, Paula McGill O’Neill has grown to fill her legendary grandmother’s shoes and become the woman she has always wanted to be. Coming into her own, she now keeps her grandmother’s vision alive with firm, confident control.
But unbeknownst to her, Paula faces threats from every side. Two families watch her carefully, each hoping for their own chance at the reins of power, and an old enemy lurks in the shadows, alert to any sign of weakness. When Paula’s unscrupulous cousin Jonathan returns, even more determined than ever to wrest away everything Paula has fought for, she must marshal all her strength and fortitude to defend her fortune and her family.
“A compulsive read.” —Daily Mail
“Will keep you up till all hours reading just one more chapter before you can bear to turn out the bedside light.” —Prima
“A host of dramatic subplots continues the amorous, sorrowful and shady doings of the O’Neills and the Kallinskis, two families whose fortunes are entwined with the Hartes.” —Publishers Weekly
“Readers will happily re-acquaint themselves with the sprawling Harte clan . . . A more than satisfactory sequel to the previous segments of this generational tale, with an ending that promises still more to come.” —Library Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bradford's trilogy on ``merchant prince'' Emma Harte and her many heirs began with the runaway bestsellers A Woman of Substance and Hold the Dream. This final book picks up the story a decade after Emma's death, when the third generation has the thriving businesses she started well in hand. Heading up the family is Paula McGill O'Neill, who runs the luxurious department stores that anchor the Harte empire. Super-wife and mother Paula brings a whirlwind of energy to that exacting job; as a result of her near-perfect efficiency, the first half of the book seems rather saccharine. But Jonathan Ainsley, an unscrupulous cousin she had banished from the fold, is waiting to move in for the kill when Paula indulges her desire to carve out a fiefdom of her own, risking everything by overextending her resources. Although this lengthy battle for supremacy is the focal point, a host of dramatic subplots continues the amorous, sorrowful and shady doings of the O'Neills and the Kallinskis, two families whose fortunes are entwined with the Hartes. Despite constant jet-setting between glamorous watering places, these wealthy lifestyles are beginning to be awfully repetitious. Fans will welcome this new installment, but it's impossible not to agree with many of the characters who sigh about the drive and vigor lost along with that elegant pirate Emma Harte. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club dual main selections.
