The legendary Emma Harte, heroine of A Woman of Substance , returns in Emma's Secret , a novel that showcases the storytelling power of Barbara Taylor Bradford. Paula O'Neill, beloved granddaughter of Emma Harte and the guardian of her vast business empire, believes that everything Emma left to the family is secure. However, beneath the surface, sibling rivalry and discontent flare. Linnet and Tessa, her daughters, are as different as two women can be. One of them wants desperately for the empire to be hers but has a devastating secret that may put her very life in danger. Into this volatile mix walks Evan Hughes, a young American fashion designer who is looking for Emma Harte. But Emma has been dead for thirty years. And Evan bears an uncanny resemblance to Paula O'Neill. Troubled by Evan's presence, Paula turns to her grandmother's recently discovered wartime diaries to find the truth, and Emma comes vividly back to life¿. The decades fall away. It is London in 1940: the Blitz. Emma, working hard under war-time conditions, is also holding her family together as bombs drop, sirens wail, and her sons go off to war. While she struggles with grief, her indomitability, willpower, and strength come to the fore. As the pages unfurl, Paula discovers the secret Emma took to the grave to protect others, a secret whose repercussions inevitably change lives and may shake a dynasty to its very foundations. Emma's Secret is vintage Barbara Taylor Bradford. Emotion, drama, suspense, intrigue, and passion fill the pages in a spellbinding novel that only she could write. Emma Harte, the heroine of Bradford's novel A Woman of Substance (1979), has been dead for more than 30 years when Emma's Secret opens, but her past factors heavily into the events of the novel. At the bequest of her dying grandmother, young American Evan Hughes arrives at Emma's magnificent English clothing store, Hartes, only to find out that Emma has long since died. She is soon hired as a store assistant to Linnet O'Neill, Emma's great-granddaughter, who can't help but notice the American's resemblance to her own mother, Paula. Evan and Gideon Harte, Paula's cousin, fall in love amid whispers that Evan might be the descendant of one of Emma's husbands. The truth lies in Emma's diary, but Paula is reluctant to read it. Curiosity finally gets the better of her, and the journal takes Paula to Emma's life during World War II, and at least partially answers the family's questions about Evan's heritage. It is up to Paula to figure out the rest. Readers new to the series might have a hard time getting a handle on the large cast of characters and their relationships to each other, but those familiar with Emma Harte and her large family will feel right at home. Kristine Huntley Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "Emma Harte is one of those characters whom we never want to leave behind, and thank goodness Bradford has brought her back to us with a story worthy of this truly remarkable woman." -- RT Book Reviews   "Barbara Taylor Bradford has woven yet another enchanting episode in the continuing saga of the Harte family .... It is no surprise that Barbara Taylor Bradford's books have sold more than 70 million copies in over ninety countries and forty different languages." -- Bookreporter.com Praise for Barbara Taylor Bradford and Her Novels: "Barbara Taylor Bradford is the storyteller of substance."-- The Times (London) "An extravagant, absorbing novel of love, courage, ambition, war, death and passion." -- The New York Times on A Woman of Substance "Pure gold." -- Cosmopolitan on Act of Will "Legions of readers will be satisfied by the romantic fortunes of the cultured, wealthy, and powerful people she evokes." -- Publishers Weekly on The Women in His Life "Few novelists are as consummate as Barbara Taylor Bradford at keeping the reader turning the page. She is one of the world's best at spinning yarns." -- The Guardian (UK) on Dangerous to Know Barbara Taylor Bradford was born in Leeds, England, and by the age of twenty was an editor and a columnist on Fleet Street. Her first novel, A Woman of Substance , became an enduring bestseller and was followed by eighteen others, including Emma's Secret . Her books have sold more than 70 million copies worldwide in more than ninety countries and forty languages. She lives in New York City with her husband, producer Robert Bradford.