Following a terrifying encounter in the quiet English countryside, a young woman flees to New York in search of a new life. Adopting the initial M as her name, and reinventing herself, she embarks on a journey that will lead her to the catwalks of Paris, where she becomes the muse and star model to France's iconic designer Jean-Louis Tremont. When M meets the charming and handsome actor, Larry Vaughan in New York they fall instantly in love and marry. Soon, they become the most desired couple on the international scene, appearing on the cover of every celebrity magazine, adored by millions. With a successful career and a happy marriage, M believes she has truly put the demons of her past behind her. But M's fortunes are about to take another dramatic twist. A series of bizarre events turn out not to be accidents at all, but assaults on M and her family. The dark figure from M's past, a psychopath with deadly intent, has made a vow: to shatter M's world forever. But M also makes a vow: she will do everything to keep them all safe. When those you love are threatened and at risk, there's nothing you won't do to protect them… you'll even resort to breaking the rules! Moving from New York to the chic fashion capitals of London and Paris, to the exotic locations of Istanbul and Hong Kong, this new tale from a renowned storyteller is a genuine pageturner
Download and start listening now!
"I was glad when all the characters' identities were finally revealed in the last half of the book. Of course, I'm glad Jonathan was finally killed, but what about Angharad? Is there going to be, or is there another book??"
— Anne (5 out of 5 stars)
“A marvelous spin-off with all the drama, glamour and romance readers expect…This nonstop read has it all.”
— RT Book Reviews (4½ stars, Top Pick!)“The plot ... satisfies on the fashion-and-passion front, and ... at the heart of the action stands a determined heroine scrambling up the ladder of success supported by minor characters, each with a complicated backstory.
— Publishers WeeklyMarvelous ... with all the drama, glamour and romance readers expect. With a 21st-century woman of substance and characters from the Harte series, this nonstop read has it all.
— RT Book ReviewsFans of the saga will relish the thirtieth anniversary of A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE updated for the new millennium.
— Genre Go Round" Loved this entire series! First rate all the way. "
— Janis, 2/19/2014" This book was just a bit too schmaltzy for me. Possibly because I listened to it on CD and the reader's voice was sort of over the top. "
— Sue, 2/18/2014" Mystery.... "
— Lila, 2/8/2014" I would have given this particular BTB's book a 3.75; not quite a 4. There were some very interesting aspects of the book. On the other hand, certain scenes were, to be honest, a bit unlikeable if not unrealistic. For instance, the way M and her to be husband initially met was a little over the top for me. Overall, I would not re-read this book. Would I recommend it? Hmmmm, depends on whether or not I had another option for the person. BTB is a good, interesting author. However, this was not one of my favorite books of hers. I found the ending unfinished. "
— Sheila, 2/2/2014" Boring,unbelievable, some profanity "
— Penni, 1/25/2014" I was sadly disappointed in this book. I had such a hard time reading it and found the story disjointed and meandering. I am not certain if I will attempt to read another book by this author. "
— Natasha, 1/24/2014" I've always loved the writings by Barbara Taylor Bradford. There are times when you do feel connected with her work. "
— Tina, 1/22/2014" waste of time and money, i thought it will be "breaking rules" in there, clearly nothing but a dull novel. "
— Geek_on_heels, 1/18/2014" it was a very good book from start to finish . "
— Pauline, 1/16/2014" I'm currently enjoying this on audio. The characters are interesting and it is keeping my interest. I'm traveling less, so the only time I can listen is during my workouts. "
— Wendy, 1/5/2014" It was a lovely book. "
— Ewuradjoa, 1/4/2014" light read.... one can sit and read through a weekend. "
— Snigdha, 12/31/2013" I really didn't like this book and can't figure out why I kept reading it. The dialogue was stilted, the characters were one dimensional and yet I continued to read. "
— Fran, 12/29/2013" I can't believe I read this! It was all kinds of awful. Such a shame, as "A Woman of Substance" was actually a good book . . . "
— Heather, 12/26/2013" I totally forgot I read this before! "
— Emily, 12/20/2013" How soon can we have the next book? Please? "
— Shannon, 12/9/2013" This story spans several years of a woman's life. M is a strong heroine most of the time but it wavers back and forth. I wish there was more depth in some of the characters. M is really to perfect. The story is not very memorable. "
— Jacque, 12/9/2013" I love anything she writes! "
— Charlotte, 8/7/2013" Very good ending to the series of the Harte Family, I loved this whole series. "
— Coralie, 4/2/2013" Ugh. Rubbish chick lit. "
— Emma, 1/3/2013" This is part of a series about the Harte family "
— Nancy, 10/11/2012" Really good book. I loved the suspense and romance, sooo good! :) "
— Elena, 8/10/2012" Wow this was a busy book! It could have been 2 books, the first half was about M & Larry and the second was more of detective type story. The second half you hardly had any M & Larry but lots of different people & their stories which was fine I guess. Like I said it could have been to books. "
— Liz, 12/3/2011" I almost never start a book and then not finish it, but I just can't stomach this one at all. I read about 80 pages, but I refuse to waste any more time. "
— Leah, 11/21/2011" I didn't like it. The writing style got on my nerves. Very repetitive, predictable, and boring. I almost did not finish it. "
— Miki, 7/11/2011" A horribly predictive read. I was shocked to find out that the author is one of the wealthiest women in the UK. Not having read any of her other works, I can't say anything about them. Perhaps you should give those a shot because this novel is not worth the read. "
— Naomi, 4/15/2011" Always waiting for the next Barbara Taylor Bradford book to come out. This one didn't disappoint. "
— Sandy, 3/16/2011" this is the most horrible book i have read in a long time. against my nature, i am going to deep-six it and shelf it indefinitely. "
— Tania, 3/1/2011" I couldn't get into this one, so I stopped about a quarter of the way through. I didn't realize it's number seven in a series, so maybe that's the problem... "
— Marissa, 2/14/2011" Have you ever read a book and at the end wonder why you wasted your time? This was one of them. The character development was horrible. The conversation in the book was forced. And even though there was supposed to be family ties and emotional ties, the book was emotionless. It was a waste. "
— Miranda, 1/29/2011" I enjoyed this book more than i thought i would, interesting characters. "
— Isabel, 1/21/2011" You don't notice at first that its part of the Emma Harte saga. I didn't like that the characters are too perfect, too good, too nice. There is not developement because they started out so good already. Apart from that, the book is entertaining, an easy read. "
— Luisa, 10/12/2010" I've always loved the writings by Barbara Taylor Bradford. There are times when you do feel connected with her work. "
— Tina, 8/26/2010" This book I randomly picked from the 'new' shelf at the library. It was about a rising model and a movie star that fall in love but are haunted by their past. It kept my attention but it wasn't incredibly suspenseful. "
— Ashley, 7/11/2010" started on 26th june 2010 <br/>enjoyed this <br/>part of Harte saga "
— Hazel, 6/24/2010" truely don't remember too much about this particular story - must have only been okay "
— Becky, 5/17/2010" I have read all of the Emma Harte books.....and I've enjoyed them all mostly due to the very strong women characters. But I have to say I did not enjoy this one. I felt the story never developed. It was more of the same thing......The strong woman character was not there. It was disappointing. "
— Lissette, 5/16/2010Barbara Taylor Bradford, bestselling author, was born and raised in England where she started her writing career as a journalist. She has written numerous international bestsellers, and fifteen of her novels have made the New York Times bestsellers list. Ten of her novels have been adapted into television mini-series, starring actors including Sir Anthony Hopkins, Liam Neeson, Deborah Kerr, and Elizabeth Hurley. She has been inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America and in June of 2007 was awarded an Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature.
Katherine Kellgren (1969–2018), narrator and actress, appeared onstage in London, New York, and Frankfurt, including in the role of Laura in a regional production of The Glass Menagerie and appearances on Comedy Central. In recognition of her mastery of audiobook narration, she received many honors, including the prestigious Audie Awards, with four for best female narrator; the Odyssey Award; Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award; dozens of AudioFile magazine Earphones Awards; an AudioFile Golden Voice Award; Booklist Voice of Choice award; and acclaim from press and listener reviews.