About the Author

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world’s most popular authors, with over 650 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include Country, Prodigal Son, Pegasus, A Perfect Life, Power Play, Winners, First Sight, Until the End of Time, The Sins of the Mother, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children’s book Pretty Minnie in Paris.

Reviews

Praise for Danielle Steel

“Steel is one of the best!”—Los Angeles Times

“Few modern writers convey the pathos of family and material life with such heartfelt empathy.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Steel pulls out all the emotional stops. . . . She delivers!”—Publishers Weekly

“What counts for the reader is the ring of authenticity.”—San Francisco Chronicle

Sasha de Suvery Boardman, the 48-year-old heroine of Steel's latest romance, knew she had it all-perfect marriage, two terrific grown kids, prestigious art galleries in Paris and New York, three luxury homes-until her husband's fatal heart attack. Now brokenhearted, but still beautiful and chic, she buries herself in her gallery work, until son Xavier introduces her to bad-boy painter Liam Allison, a gorgeous, "wacky" 39-year-old who instantly "[brings] out the mother in her." So she offers him a gallery contract, thus igniting a "torrid affair" punctuated by endless arguments about their nine-year age difference, his severe allergy to all forms of authority and their incompatible "lifestyles and appearances" (including his strong aversion to wearing socks). Despite Steel's repeated assurances that Liam is actually "innocent and likable," his petulance and impulsiveness are seriously off-putting, and the tortured romance has an icky, near-incestuous quality that may make some readers cringe. Others may just be bored by the sketchy, meandering plot, the skimpy characterizations and the hyperbolic, often stunningly repetitious style ("He was just a young man who liked to have fun and still acted like a boy at times, full of mischief and fun"). Even hardcore Steel addicts may not make it all the way through this one, her 63rd. (Mar. 1) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Praise for Danielle Steel

"Steel is one of the best!"-Los Angeles Times

"Few modern writers convey the pathos of family and material life with such heartfelt empathy."-The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Steel pulls out all the emotional stops. . . . She delivers!"-Publishers Weekly

"What counts for the reader is the ring of authenticity."-San Francisco Chronicle