Barbara Taylor Bradford, Being Elizabeth

Being Elizabeth

Barbara Taylor Bradford

St. Martin's, Sep 2008, $27.95

ISBN: 0312354630

With the death of Mary Turner, her estranged daughter Elizabeth inherits Deravenel's due to her late father's will. However, the Board has issues with Elizabeth being in her twenties and with the poor stewardship of her mother. Mary has left the company in financial trouble having removed profits needed for capital reinvestments to assist her husband, Philip Alvarez instead.

However, her influential childhood friend Robert Dunley throws his support to Elizabeth, who he believes is more than capable of turning the company around. As they work together to save Deravenel's, they initially try to ignore their attraction to one another. However, that proves more difficult than dealing with the Board of Directors as love is more complicated than business relationships.

The latest Deravanel's family drama continues the saga (see 'The Ravenscar Dynasty and The Heir) with a fabulous cute twist taken from sixteenth century England and brought to contemporary times. The storyline is character driven, as always is the case of a Barbara Taylor Bradford's sweeping epic. Fans of the author will fully appreciate this fine contemporary in the boardrooms and bedrooms as 'Being Elizabeth' is a novel of substance.

Harriet Klausner