Tag Archives: Danielle Steel

Child’s Play by Danielle Steel – a Review

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Child’s Play by Danielle Steel – a Review

 

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Description:
A senior partner at a prestigious New York law firm, Kate Morgan couldn’t be prouder of her three grown children. Tamara, Anthony, and Claire all went to great schools, chose wonderful career paths, and would have made their father proud. A single mother for years after the death of her husband, Kate keeps a tight rein on her family, her career, and even her own emotions, never once asking herself if she truly knows her children . . . or if her hopes for them are the right ones, and what they want. She is about to find out.

During one hectic summer in Manhattan, Kate’s world turns upside down. One child has been keeping an astonishing secret while another confesses to an equally shocking truth. A wonderful match and picture-book wedding are traded for a relationship that shakes her to her core. A totally inappropriate love affair and an out-of-wedlock baby complete the chaos. Challenged as a mother and as a successful independent woman herself, Kate struggles to keep up with a dizzying and escalating chain of events, and begins to realize that she has a part to play in the chaos. Because Kate too has kept secrets from her children.

Sometimes the surprising choices our children make are the right ones . . . better than what we wanted for them. More often than not, parenting is about letting go of our dreams and embracing theirs.

 

 

Review:

Child’s Play by Danielle Steel is another one of her wonderful heartwarming standalone novel revolving around a family.  Child’s Play has some romance, but it is mostly about a family, children, life changing situations that had a bit of everything.

Kate Morgan is a successful senior partner in a law firm, who is in her mid-50’s, widowed and has three grown up children.  She is content and very happy; adores and is very proud of her wonderful successful children (Tammy, Anthony and Claire).  Kate is in the midst of a difficult and stressful case, but always keeps abreast of her children’s lives; but soon her perfect children will pull the rug from under her, making her look differently at her own life, as well as theirs.

First, her youngest daughter Claire, tells her mother that she is pregnant, loves her rich successful boyfriend, but refuses to marry him, as she does not believe in marriage. This disturbs Kate, as she tries to convince Claire that it is not in her best interest to have a child out of wedlock, especially since the father wants to marry her.

Her son Anthony, creates successful games, and is currently engaged, with a wedding upcoming in a few months, and Kate thinks he has the perfect fiancée. Soon Anthony will meet at the gym a model, who he begins to have an affair with, and knows that his feelings for the model is much more then with his spoiled fiancée.  Hence, he breaks his engagement and Kate now has to learn to deal with this.  The final daughter, Tammy, has kept a secret from her mother for 7 years; she is gay and in a relationship with someone during those years.  She finally tells her mother.  

At first Kate is in a state of shock, but she quickly learns to accept her children’s life changing surprises, even with Claire, who becomes difficult to deal with.  Kate will also have her own life changing experience, as she unexpectedly meets someone whom she never expected to find love with.

Child’s Play was a wonderful, heartwarming story that brings the family together, and we get to see each of them have their own happy endings.  Very well written by Danielle Steel. I thoroughly enjoyed Child’s Play.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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The Dark Side by Danielle Steel – a Review

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The Dark Side by Danielle Steel – a Review

 

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Description:
Zoe Morgan’s childhood was marked by her younger sister’s tragic illness, watching as her parents dedicated themselves completely to her final days and then divorced. As a young woman driven by these painful memories, Zoe sets the bar high for herself, studying hard and pursuing a career in the nonprofit world, where her deep compassion for disadvantaged children finds a focus.

When Zoe falls in love and has her own child, she is determined to be a perfect mother as well. But before long, old scars long dormant begin to pull Zoe to the edge of an abyss too terrifying to contemplate.

As Zoe is haunted by the ghosts of the past, her story will become a race against time and a tale of psychological suspense that no reader will soon forget.

 

 

Review:

The Dark Side by Danielle Steel is a different type of story that I have become used to by this author.   The Dark Side is exactly what the book is, a dark and somewhat depressing tale of an illness that threatens the life of a child.  I will say that The Dark Side was excellently written by Steel, as she starts off with a heroine we sympathized with and was likable, and totally turns it around in the last third of the book, taking us by surprise.  This was a suspense thriller all the way, but it was also a hard book to read.

Zoe Morgan is our heroine, and we meet her as a child, when she grieves over the loss of her younger sister to leukemia and watches her family fall apart after her death.  Years later, Zoe becomes successful in her career of taking care of abused children.  She meets and falls in love with Austin, our hero, and they get married.  A short time later, Zoe gives birth to Jaime and is determined to be a great mom.  Over time, Jaime is a very rambunctious child, and Zoe and Austin are happy.  The only problem, is poor Jaime tends to have accidents, or sickness, making many visits to the hospital.  It is Austin’s mom, who shows her concern that Jaimie’s constant ailments might be something different; she feels that perhaps Zoe is suffering from Munchausen.  Austin will begin to research this, even if he does not want to face this possibility.  He will confide in Jaime’s doctor, who happens to be a good friend to Zoe.

Just for those who may not know what Munchausen is: Munchausen relatively rare behavioral disorder that is a psychological, marked by attention-seeking behavior by a caregiver through those who are in their care. The deliberate actions of the mother or caretaker can often make the symptoms worse putting the child’s life in danger.

What follows is an intense, dark and tragic adventure to save Jaime, and prove that Zoe does indeed have this horrific illness.  At this point, when investigators, Austin and the doctor delve deeper the suspicion is confirmed and the story becomes more twisted and chilling. To tell too much more would be spoilers, as this is a book that needs to be read in the fullest. The Dark Side was a shocking and different read for me, but also though depressing, it was very well written and informative.

Reviewed by Barb

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Lost and Found by Danielle Steel – a Review

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Lost and Found by Danielle Steel – a Review

 

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Description:
What might have been? That tantalizing question propels a woman on a cross-country adventure to reunite with the men she loved and let go, in Danielle Steel’s exhilarating new novel.

It all starts with a fall from a ladder, in a firehouse in New York City. The firehouse has been converted into a unique Manhattan home and studio where renowned photographer Madison Allen works and lives after raising three children on her own. But the accident, which happens while Maddie is sorting through long-forgotten personal mementos and photos, results in more than a broken ankle. It changes her life.

Spurred by old memories, the forced pause in her demanding schedule, and an argument with her daughter that leads to a rare crisis of confidence, Maddie embarks on a road trip. She hopes to answer questions about the men she loved and might have married—but didn’t—in the years after she was left alone with three young children. Wearing a cast and driving a rented SUV, she sets off to reconnect with three very different men—one in Boston, one in Chicago, and another in Wyoming—to know once and for all if the decisions she made long ago were the right ones. Before moving forward into the future, she is compelled to confront the past.

As the miles and days pass, and with each new encounter, Maddie’s life comes into clearer focus and a new future takes shape.

 

 

Review:

Lost and Found by Danielle Steel is another wonderful story about families that grow distant over time. 

Madison Allen, our heroine, is a 58 year old woman, who has a successful career as a famous photographer; lives alone in a firehouse in New York City that was made into a glorious house and studio.  Madison has three grown children, whom she rarely sees, as they all have their own lives. One evening, Madison decides to look through some old letters, and falls from the ladder, thereby breaking her ankle.  Madison’s daughter, who comes across as a coldhearted b*tch, tells her she should move to an assistant living home, that she might be becoming senile, etc.   This will lead Madison to take a couple of weeks off, and go on a trip down memory lane, to visit some old flames along the way.  Her trek will take her to Boston, Chicago and Wyoming, and in the first two stops she meets the men whom she had a relationship, and knows she made the right choice in leaving.  When she gets to Wyoming, she goes to meet the one man she still thinks about, but learns that he died a couple of months ago.  Madison enjoyed her visit with the rancher’s family, and how he never forgot her. 

Since Madison is not far from California, where her son lives, she decides to visit him.  I did like her son, who was determined to pay more attention to his mother, as well as telling off his sister, who was so negative and nasty to their mom.  I also enjoyed when Madison visited her younger daughter, who is a loner and a writer. It was really nice to see the change in her daughter and her surprise boyfriend.

Prior to visiting her son, she meets a man at the Big Sur, who is a writer from England.  They both enjoy each other’s company, and she meets him after the visit with her son; the attraction between them is strong, and Madison needs to decide if she really wants to get into any relationship.

What follows is a heartwarming story, as Madison builds her confidence and rekindles her relationships with her son and younger daughter, as well as standing up to her older daughter.  Over a short period of time, Madison opens to love again, but a tragic accident overseas on a photoshoot, will bring her family and boyfriend together in a sweet wonderful ending.  Lost and Found was another great story by Danielle Steel.

Reviewed by Barb

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Blessing in Disguise by Danielle Steel-Review

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Blessing in Disguise by Danielle Steel-Review

 

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Description:
As a young intern at an art gallery in Paris, Isabelle McAvoy meets Putnam Armstrong, wealthy, gentle, older, and secluded from the world. Isabelle’s relationship with Putnam, and her time at his château on the Normandy coast, are the stuff of dreams. But it turns real when she becomes pregnant, for she knows that marriage is out of the question.

When Isabelle returns to New York, she enters a new relationship that she hopes will be more stable and traditional. But she soon realizes she has made a terrible mistake and again finds herself a single mother.

With two young daughters and no husband, Isabelle finally and unexpectedly finds happiness and a love that gives her a third child, a baby as happy as her beloved father. And yet, once again, life brings dramatic changes.

The three girls grow up to be very different women and Isabelle’s relationship with each of them is unique. While raising her girls alone, Isabelle also begins building a career as a successful art consultant. Then one final turn of fate brings a past secret to light, bonds mother and daughters closer, and turns a challenge into a blessing.

 

 

Review:

Blessing in Disguise by Danielle Steel is a wonderful heartwarming standalone novel that I read in one day, as I could not put the book down.  This is a story revolving around an independent woman, building a successful career in the art world, who has three daughters with different fathers, and the relationship over time with their lives.

We meet our heroine, Isabelle McAvoy, when she is spending the summer in Paris, working as an intern in an art gallery.  When she is assigned to deliver various paintings, she meets a wealthy recluse, Putnam Armstrong, who is an art connoisseur.  In a short time, Isabelle will fall in love with the older, Putnam and spend many weeks visiting him, as they succumb to their feelings for each other.  Isabelle knows there is no future for her with Putnam, as he is used to his ways as a loner, and cannot handle any kind of permanent relationship.   When she returns home to New York, she realizes that she is pregnant, and decides to keep the child, though her father warns her how difficult it will be for her, with no real income.   Isabelle manages to get a job at an art gallery, where she will work her way up, and Putnam is determined to help support Isabelle for whatever she needs.

The friendship between Putnam and Isabelle was an important part of the story early on, as she and her daughter Theo, travelled to France every year to spend the month of August with Putnam.  Though one month was all he could handle each year, he was very supportive, loyal and loving to Theo, as well as convincing Isabelle to find someone to love and marry.

Isabelle will eventually meet and marry another man, whom turns out to be a mistake, as he was a con man. When she realizes he was using her, she files for divorce, and is now also pregnant.  She has another daughter, Xela, and then becomes pregnant again a few years later, when she falls in love with a wonderful man, who gets killed before they marry, and again she is pregnant with a third daughter (Oona).  What follows is following Isabelle throughout her life of trials and tribulations, success, and dealing with her daughters as they grow up to lead their own lives.

I will not tell too much more, as you need to read this story for yourself.  I fully enjoyed reading about Isabelle, who made a fantastic heroine, as we watch her lead an interesting life, and also see how life changes for each of her daughters.  Blessing in Disguise was very well written by Danielle Steel.  I wholly recommend that you read this wonderful insightful story.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Silent Night by Danielle Steel – a Review

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Silent Night by Danielle Steel – a Review

 

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Description:
Paige Watts is the ultimate stage mother. The daughter of Hollywood royalty, Paige channels her acting dreams into making her own daughter, Emma, a star. By the age of nine, Emma is playing a central role in a hit TV show. Then everything is shattered by unforeseeable tragedy.

Now Emma is living with her aunt Whitney, who had chosen a very different path from her sister’s. Whitney was always the studious older sister, hating the cult of celebrity that enveloped their childhood. Instead, she is a psychiatrist who lives for her work and enjoys a no-strings-attached love affair with a wealthy venture capitalist. But at a moment’s notice, Whitney drops everything to help her niece.

Once famous, outgoing, and charismatic, Emma is now a shadow of her former self–without speech, without memory, lost and terrified. But with her aunt Whitney’s help, along with a team of caregivers and doctors, Emma begins to find her way, starting her young life all over again–and changing the lives of everyone around her.

Emotionally gripping and richly involving, Silent Night explores how the heart has mysterious healing powers of its own, and blessings happen when we think all is lost.

 

 

Review:

Silent Night by Danielle Steel is a standalone novel that is a bit different then her usual trademark romantic stories.  Yes it has a little of romance, but it is the story of family, tragedy, love and life changing events.  Silent Night was a wonderful and very emotional story.

Paige and Whitney Watts are sisters, and very much different, as their mother was a famous actress.  Paige loves the spotlight, and since she could not get her own career started, she lives through her daughter, Emma, who has become a popular young actress on a television show; she has become the ultimate stage mother.  Whitney is the opposite, as she is a psychiatrist, who loves her work, and enjoys life with her wealthy boyfriend, but frowns on how Paige pushes Emma to the spotlight. 

One night everything changes when a tragic accident kills Paige, and severely injures Emma.  Being the next of kin, Whitney is contacted while on vacation in Italy, and drops everything to rush home to be with her niece.  What she finds at the hospital is that Emma has serious brain damage in the frontal lobe, and is in a semi coma.  Whitney will change her life to take care of Emma, and help her recover from the serious damage she had to her brain.  Emma at 9 years old, will come out of the coma, unable to remember, or talk (she talks gibberish) and has a hard time overall with understanding and mobility. This is very emotional story, as we watch Whitney and Emma struggle through life and the determination to rise above the terrible effects and pain surrounding them now.   I really loved Whitney, as she loved her niece and was willing to change her life to become the caregiver for Emma.  It was sad to watch Emma, unable to cope with her inability to talk, and the ensuing violence, when her anger took control.  Whitney persevered and brought in specialists to work with Emma.  There is a slow built romance between Whitney and Dr. Bailey (he was one of her doctors), as they spent a lot of time together during their struggle to help Emma.   

I really enjoyed Silent Night, which was an emotional and heartbreaking story line.  Both Whitney and Emma were wonderful characters that had us emotionally pulled into their lives.  I do not want to give spoilers, but I will say that Silent Night was a different type of read for me from Danielle Steel; but it was a great story.Once again Danielle Steele blows it out of the park. I wholly suggest you read Silent Night.

Reviewed by Barb

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Beauchamp Hall by Danielle Steel – a Review

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Beauchamp Hall by Danielle Steel – a Review

 

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Description:
Winona Farmington once dreamed of graduating from college, moving to New York City, and pursuing a career in publishing. Then real life got in the way when she left college and returned to her small Michigan hometown to care for her sick mother.

Years later, stuck in a dead-end job and an unsatisfying relationship, Winnie has concluded that dreams were meant for others. She consoles herself with binge-watching the British television series that she loves, Beauchamp Hall, enthralled by the sumptuous period drama set on a great Norfolk estate in the 1920s. The rich upstairs-downstairs world brilliantly brought to life by superb actors is the ultimate in escapism.

On the day Winnie is passed over for a long-overdue promotion, she is also betrayed by her boyfriend and her best friend. Heartbroken, she makes the first impulsive decision of her conventional life—which changes everything.

She packs her bags and flies to England to see the town where Beauchamp Hall is filmed. The quaint B & B where she stays feels like home. The brother and sister who live in the castle where the show is filmed, rich in titles but poor in cash, are more like long-lost friends than British nobility. And the show itself, with its colorful company and behind-the-scenes affairs, is a drama all its own. Winnie’s world comes alive on the set of the show.

What happens next is the stuff of dreams, as Winnie takes the boldest leap of all. Beauchamp Hall reminds us to follow our dreams. . . . You never know what magic will happen!

 

 

Review:

Beauchamp Hall by Danielle Steele is another one of her trademark romantic stories with wonderful characters and life changing events.

Winona (Winnie) Farmington, our heroine, has given up her dreams to take care of her dying mother, and now lives in her Michigan home, with a boyfriend and a job that is going nowhere.   When her boss passes her over for a promotion, and Winnie finds her boyfriend in bed with her best friend, she decides it’s time to change things in her docile life, and does the unexpected.  Winnie had recently discovered the famous UK TV show, Beauchamp Hall (similar to Downton Abbey) and after obsessively watching all the episodes, she makes a rash decision; she quits her job, takes out some of her savings to fly to England and visit the town and the castle where Beauchamp Hall is filmed.  Winnie rents a room at a B&B near the castle, and in a short time falls in love with the surrounding  village, the people, and manages to get hired for a part time job as an extra for the filming at the Castle.

Winnie finds herself enjoying meeting the cast and crew, as well as the owners (brother and sister) of the castle. Even in the extra job as a gofer, her organizational ability shows, and she eventually gets a full time job working for the female star, as an assistant.  She is happy, making friends and has no intention of going home.  The pay has improved as an assistant, and just when things are looking up, the show decides not to renew after this current season, as they lost a number of stars to other shows. 

Winnie is a wonderful heroine, and I really enjoyed how she began to explore more options using her own talents; and this would lead to a sweet fairy tale ending.  It was fun to see Winnie befriend the brother and sister, and work with them to help them keep the Castle afloat with her ideas.  It was such a sweet satisfying conclusion as Winnie will fulfill her dreams and find her happy ever after.  I really enjoyed Beauchamp Hall, with a wonderful heroine, great secondary characters and the fun to be able to see that dreams can really come true.  Once again Danielle Steele gives us an enjoyable read, which I suggest you read.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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