In Danielle Steel's latest novel, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, the queen of "feel good" stories once again brings her legions of fans a wonderful story of hard times, complications, and the brilliant way finding the right love solves it all.
Valerie Wyatt is the reigning diva of gracious living, putting Martha Stewart in a far second place, or at least she thinks so. Not wanting to face the fact that she is turning 60, Valerie pushes herself to maintain her image as a youthful, trend-setting personality who is adored by everyone she meets. But Valerie is a lonely woman in reality and wonders if the big 6-0 is the sign of the beginning of the end for her fast-paced life. What she desires most of all is a good man to love, but are there any left to be scooped up by an aging goddess?
Valerie's daughter, April, isn't exactly following in her mother's footsteps, but she is just as relentless and focused when it comes to her career as a top-chef and her beloved one-of-a-kind restaurant in downtown New York. So on the morning of her 30th birthday (yes, she was born on her mother's birthday!) April is in for the shock of her life when she finds out that her life is about to be turned upside down. She's pregnant, and she knows the father of her unexpected child is not going to be thrilled -- after all he is a food critic who ranked her restaurant with a horrible review. This year should prove to be interesting.
Jack Adams is used to the adulation of his fans, being a Hall-of-Fame football hero and now much-sought after television sports analyst. And he is used to the devotion of the ladies, but when his 50th birthday finds him suffering from the after-effects of a wild night, Jack is definitely feeling his age. There must be something more out there for a football hero, but is he too old to chase after it anymore?
When circumstances and events, some happy, some adventurous, and one downright terrifying moment, begin to bring Valerie, Jack and April together, it seems the fates are determined that these three wonderful, if not a bit manic, people find that life is worth celebrating after all.
Readers will enjoy the interaction in this novel between mother Valerie and daughter April as they both have significant birthdays which bring about a year of surprises for both of them. And as always, who doesn't love a handsome hero or two and a great HEA ending - that's Happy Ever After, you know!
I highly recommend this book as a wonderful summer read, a great birthday present for those who love great romance, and just a nice comfy "feel good" read for anyone who loves great fiction from a brilliant author.
In this beguiling new novel, Danielle Steel tells the
story of three very different people, each of whom, on the
same day, reaches a crucial turning point in lifeβa rite
both bittersweet and full of hope, a time to blow out the
candles, say goodbye to the past, and make a wish for the
future.
Valerie Wyatt is the queen of
gracious living and the arbiter of taste. Since her long-ago
divorce, sheβs worked hard to reach the pinnacle of her
profession and to create a camera-ready life in her Fifth
Avenue penthouse. So why is she so depressed? All the hours
with her personal trainer, the careful work of New Yorkβs
best hairdressers, cosmetic surgeons, and her own God-given
bone structure and great looks canβt fudge the truth or her
lies about it: Valerie is turning sixty.
Valerieβs
daughter, April, has no love life, no rest, and no prospect
of that changing in the foreseeable future. Her popular
one-of-a-kind restaurant in downtown New York, where she is
chef and owner, consumes every ounce of her attention and
energy. Ready or not, though, Aprilβs life is about to
change, in a tumultuous transformation that begins the
morning it hits her: Sheβs thirty. And what does she have to
show for it? A restaurant, no man, no kids.
Jack Adams
once threw a football like a guided missile. Twelve years
after retiring from the NFL, he is the most charismatic
sports analyst on TV, a man who has his pick of the most
desirable twentysomething women. But after a particularly
memorable Halloween party, Jack wakes up on his fiftieth
birthday, his back thrown out of whack, feeling every year
his age.
A terrifying act of violence, an
out-of-the-blue blessing, and two extremely unlikely love
affairs soon turn lives inside out and upside down. In a
novel brimming with warmth and insight, beginning on one
birthday and ending on another, Valerie, April, and Jack
discover that life itself can be a celebrationβand that its
greatest gifts are always a surprise.
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