Over the years, Danielle Steel novels have been a "hit or miss" for me. "Blessing in Disguise" was definitely more hit than miss. I felt that the characters of Isabelle and her three daughters Theo, Xela and Oona were well thought out. The plot was engaging and kept my attention throughout the novel. The reason that I did not give this novel 5 stars, was due to the fact that throughout the novel, Ms. Steele kept repeating the same material throughout. I can understand repeating information once, but numerous times became frustrating. Another area that I didn't care for, was Xela's quick change in character and personality due to a 2 hour attendance at a seminar(??!!). Lastly, I didn't care for the ending. However, others I'm sure might feel differently. ( )

A delightful story of love, forgiveness and family bonds. ( )

I enjoyed this book a lot. Don't read many Danielle Steele books, but I read this one because I had read a couple heavy books and thought this book would be a good change of pace. I was right! I just kept turning pages and the book just got better and better. I highly recommend it. ( )

3.5 Stars for this family drama/romance. I haven’t read a DS novel for quite some time, so this was a nice reprieve from historical fiction or heavier drama I usually enjoy. Great read for beach or a lounging weekend.

The story follows Isabelle from her early 20s to her 60s. Her life, loves, and children. In true DS fashion, a lot of turmoil but always a satisfactory ending.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is my own. ( )

Danielle Steel is an author I know I can rely on for several things. One, a happy ending. Two, a story that won’t demand every brain cell I own. Three, a story that will be entertaining. So when I’m really busy, I like to read her books to escape into someone else’s world.

Blessing in Disguise is a great story, full of emotion and drama. The only thing I would caution against is reading too much of the back cover blurb if you like to be surprised as it tells you about half the plot! Like many of Danielle’s other stories, the central character is a strong woman. Isabelle hasn’t had the easiest of lives but she has three wonderful daughters who are completely different from each other. That’s probably not too surprising as each have different fathers. But before you get your own ideas about Isabelle, the story takes you back in time to her early twenties to where it all began. A wealthy and reclusive businessman, a young woman in Paris and a chemistry that can’t be denied. From that moment on, Isabelle’s life is full of highs and dramatic lows. (Danielle Steel certainly knows how to kill her darlings and later resurrect them from the ashes). It doesn’t end as the girls grow up, with her daughters having their own dramas and Isabelle experiencing a change of events that has the potential to destroy her livelihood. But there is one more secret that she has to reveal…

That description all sounds rather cryptic, but Danielle Steel is a master in taking her characters to the extremes of feelings. When you think that she couldn’t possibly go there, she does. The characters are all redeemable despite their mistakes – as the title says, it could have been a blessing in disguise. It would have been easy to write Isabelle off as a woman who made the same mistake too many times, but each of her experiences with the father of her daughters was unique, heartfelt and full of meaning. Sometimes things don’t turn out as you expect and for poor Isabelle, that happened a number of times. Yet she persevered and built a successful career and happy life. The overall theme of the book is that there is a silver lining in all clouds and never to write off a character! (Who knows when circumstances may give them the chance to redeem themselves).

Dramatic but ultimately happy is how I would describe Blessing in Disguise. It’s a light read, and surprisingly it contains next to none references to Downton Abbey (I get the feeling this is Danielle Steel’s favourite show)! It’s a comforting and familiar which is one of the reasons why she endears herself to so many readers.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )