Title: Complication
Author: Danielle Steel
Publisher: Ballantine
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Complications" by Danielle Steel

My Opinion:

'Complications' was just what this story was all about...the reopening of the infamous Louis XVI hotel. Will anything ever be the same for this Paris hotel, Louis XVI, after being renovated and under the new management, Olivier Bateau, and Yvonne Philippe, who is running it? What will happen after the guest starts checking into the hotel and the problems and drama occur? We have an American art consultant Gabrielle Gates, a divorcee; Alaistair, an internist with health problems; a man who suffers a heart attack; and a politician running for President whose lover is blackmailing. How will all of this come about...an emergency [heart attack], and a suspicious death that will take place, bomb scare, romantic love, destruction by rock stars, suicide, planned divorce and recovery from a divorce...that will throw management into quite a tailspin along with the hotel's Louis XVI's reputation? One thing is for sure...the reader will be drawn into the world of this 'Parisian Hotel' as the secrets with all of its drama start coming out. So be prepared for 'love, friendships, loss of life, overcoming trauma, and drama.' To get it all, you will have to pick up "Complications' to see how well this author will bring it all out to the reader giving them one heck of a good read. Paris, London, and even New York were extensively detailed, including well-defined characters with an intriguing storyline.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley.

Complications by Danielle Steel is a standalone novel. Complications revolves around a luxury hotel in Paris, Hotel Louis XVI, that has been around for decades, which has recently undergone renovations over a four-year period. The story begins with opening night, as the new manager and assistant welcome the guests. The new manager, Oliver, is a nervous wreck, but his assistant Yvonne, who is much younger, seems to have things under control, always able to fix anything that should happen.

Of course, opening night starts off with a bang, with a number of incidents. Gabrielle Gates, a famous New York art consultant, decides to return to the Hotel Louis XVI, to try to get over her bitter divorce (her husband of 20 years cheated on her with a young girl). A happy couple in love, both coming off divorces, looking forward to enjoying Paris, takes a tragic turn, when her boyfriend has a heart attack. A British doctor, Alaistair Whyte-Jones, who is staying on the same floor, performs CPR on the stricken man, and plays a big part in saving his life, which will require major surgery.

Alaistair and Gabrielle, start spending time together, as they try to help the girl, and visit at the hospital; a friendship begins. We learn more about Alaistair, as he has come to this hotel knowing he is dying, with a short few months to live; he is prepared to end his life when things get bad. The relationship between Gabrielle and Alaistair heats up, as they begin to have feelings for each other, and she learns about his cancer. It is Gabrielle who will convince Alaistair to take the treatments, instead of not doing anything at all. The story revolving around Gabrielle and Alaistair is the main storyline, as we see them fall in love, and her support for him during his severe treatments. I really liked the two of them together, as they made a great couple.

Another story line revolves around a powerful French politician, who is also planning to stay at the hotel. Patrick Martin, is plans to run for President, but he has a secret. He leads a double life, having an affair with another man, who is blackmailing him. When things get out of hand, the other man falls, hitting his head, and dies. Patrick decides to leave the hotel, and go home, preparing to tell the police a false story. His life will implode, with everything falling apart, including his family.

What follows is a number of interesting stories, revolving around three different groups, as well as management of the Hotel. It was nice to see the various cities that played major parts of the background; Paris, London, New York. I thought the new manager really was not fit for his job, though the assistant, Yvonne was great. Alaistair and Gabrielle was a wonderful story all the way through. Complications was very well written by Danielle Steel, which was a quick read and entertaining.

The reopening of a very luxurious hotel in Paris, 5 guests who spend time at the hotel at the same time. Their lives interconnect and we read about their lives after their stay. I always love Danielle Steel and marvel at her ability to write such different novels. This is a cute, summer read, love the characters. I always look to a Danielle Steel book to re-energize my interest in reading. It's like coming home and feeling all the feels of familiarity and comfort.

As always, Danielle Steel does not disappoint. She tells a story as only she can tell it. I can always count on her books to get me out of the occasional reading slump. This was a very quick read and I found myself getting lost in the pages.

Complications, Danielle Steel's latest novel, is about the relationships between a mother and her daughter and also love at a later stage of your life. Due to unfaithful husband, a woman decides to move on with her life.t00aking a trip to Paris to buy art for her clients. Staying at her favorite hotel she meets a doctor who helps saves the life of a man who is staying at the hotel. Deep relations develop between the people who are staying at the famous hotel. The hotel has a mystery with a murder which complicates the reopening of the hotel. Thank you net galley for allowing me to read this novel prior to publication.

I find that I can always go to Danielle Steel when I am looking for a good escapist read. Complications takes readers to a hotel reopening in Paris with guests who have a meaningful night - for various reasons. Then, we follow those guests (some more than others) over the course of the next year as they deal with the ramifications of that night.

This book is perhaps a bit more uneven than some of Steel's other novels, but if you are looking for a book to whisk you away for a few hours, this one will certainly fit the bill.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I will always read Danielle Steel books, they are great for escaping from reality for awhile. This one was no different. Five guests stay at an exclusive Paris hotel, Louis XVI just after its reopening, all having different experiences during their stay. The story follows each of them through the conclusion of each of their stories throughout the year. It's a little confusing at times because it jumps from guest to guest to continue their story, but it's pretty easy to continue on with the story line. I think my favorite guest has to be Gabrielle, a strong woman who is dealing with a cheating husband who is now her ex. I love stories where the woman are strong and stand up for themselves. All in all a great summer read!

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I'm very sorry and saddened to say that I was unable to finish this book. I wasn't connecting with any of the characters or getting pulled into the storyline. I've been a Danielle Steel reader for decades and I know her readers will look forward to another story to get lost into. I'm sorry I wasn't able to do that with this book.

#Complications#NetGalley
As the book opens in Paris at the Hotel Louis Sci sets to be reopened after the death of the manager. The new manager arrives who doesn't have the ability to make things run smoothly. His assistant Yvonne is the one who knows how to handle all the problems as they arrive. Will the guests be happy with the changes ? Will the guests lives begin to be connected as a medical emergency happens ? Will strangers become friends ? Will political candidates loose their legacy ? It brings you into the exclusive lives of different strangers through fate. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I rediscovered Danielle Steel about 2 years ago and her books are always a great escape. Complications is set at a posh hotel located in France. It is not her best work and reads more like an episode of the old television show "Hotel". The story centers around five characters whose lives intersect at the hotel. The characters include a troubled French minister, a British doctor, an American woman who is recently divorced and a couple about to get married. In typical Danielle Steel fashion, the character go through trials and tribulations in order to find happiness. Most definitely, a good summer read! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

It has taken me awhile to sit down to write this review. I have read all of Danielle Steel's books and some have been better than other. This one isn't poorly written, but I do have a problem with the way a character was portrayed. Long story short, the story is about a group of strangers brought together to a chic little boutique hotel in Paris. In true Danielle Steel fashion, their lives intersect, some for a brief moment and other, for a longer bit of time.


SPOILER ALERT


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One of the characters is a French politician who cheats on his wife with a member of the opposite sex. Okay, I get that this person holds office in the French government, but the way this affair was written and how the character was written, it puts homosexuality in such a horrible light. Maybe I'm being too sensitive, but it was vulgar and disgusting the way these characters were described. I get that this is probably part of the storyline, but the story takes place in France, which I thought was a little more broadminded than the U.S.

I don't know much about Ms. Steel's background, but many of her books portray characters as acting outside of an archaic, conservative Catholic background. I just don't understand the rigidness regarding Catholicism in the storylines.

This book with such an interesting story
I loved reading Gabrielles and Alastair story. It shows you that love sometimes can conquer all. Then there is a story about Patrick Martin when Gabrielle first saw him she thought he was such a strong and powerful man but very serious looking. what a waste of life they could’ve meant good for so many people
Richard and Judythe have In the story a story that has brought people together.
Three different sets of people staying at the same hotel in their lives good and bad.

I've read just about all of Danielle Steel's books and this one was not one of my favorites. There are 3 main stories that spawn off from people staying at an exclusive hotel. Then there is also a bit of info on the present managers of the hotel. It was an easy read that I finished in 2 days but the story dragged on. There was too much information about Gabrielle's former husband. Who cares what he is doing with his new wife? And there was too much info in the beginning about the exclusive hotel's former manager. To me there are too many mundane details in her books overall but this one seemed to have more than the normal amount. There was some action type events but they didn't really hold my attention. So it was a good easy beach read but it wasn't an amazing story that left me wanting more. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was super cute. I loved all the characters and felt myself rooting for all of them. Though not my favorite Danielle Steel novel, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was a good book. I enjoyed it better than the last few she has released. I would recommend this book.

I love Danielle Steel, so reading this was exciting. Absolutely loved it. Would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Initially, I was going to give this two stars, but in all honesty, it was a total waste of my time. There was just SO much not to like about this book. In the beginning, it appears to be about five different lives - Gabrielle, newly divorced. Alastair, a man with a secret. Patrick, a French politician, and Judythe and Richard, an American couple. Their lives intersect (sort of) one evening in a hotel in Paris. But after that night, it really was just a story about Gabrielle and Alastair, with smatterings of details about the other three characters thrown in randomly. I hated the way Gabrielle's past was scattered throughout the book (she's the only character that got any sort of back history explained about her). I hated that Patrick, Richard and Judythe (stupid way to spell her name) were largely ignored through most of the book; it was a short book - there was plenty of room to develop these characters further. I was indifferent to the characters since I knew so little about any of them . And I'm being petty at this point, but I hated the way the word "complicated" was used over and over (and OVER) again. There was SO much potential here, not only with the 5 main characters but with a few of the minor characters as well. It could have been a decent book with some interesting storylines and characters. But it really just felt like the author had bits and pieces of the book completed, realized that her deadline had come, and threw it all together haphazardly to create a glaringly incomplete book.

Danielle Steel did it again! This book had me hooked in the first chapter. It was a book that I did not want to put down. I found it interesting to the end. The characters seemed so real to me. It was a bock that I highly recommend..

I love Danielle Steel, so reading this was exciting. Absolutely loved it. Would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

What a wonderful story of a group people who happen to be at the same posh hotel at the same time! When faced with a crisis, several of the strangers work together and end up becoming close. This story started out slowly, while Steele is building the background of each character. However, the pace quickly changes as the relationships deepen. Really enjoyed this one!