The Butler is another great read by Danielle Steel. I fell in love with Joachim and Olivia. Highly recommend! I just reviewed The Butler by Danielle Steel. #TheButler #NetGalley

I've read most of Danielle Steel's books over the year, and yet this again was a great book. There is deceitfulness, lies, love, and loss. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Ever had that feeling where you just read a book and felt like absolutely nothing happened? That was my experience with this book. Normally with Danielle Steel books it seems like a million crazy things happen just in the first chapter. This one just seemed to slowly drag along where you kept waiting for something exciting to happen but then if didn’t. So many missed opportunities here. Despite my feelings, thank you to publisher for granting my wish for an ARC in exchange for honest review.

Enjoyable. Enlightening. Energetic. Past mixes with present. A whirlwind of relationships. This read is a new idea with crafty turns. Steel weaves a remarkable web of characters and events. A definite page turner. An unstoppable pace. Quick beginning that grabs the reader. Shocking scenes near the end. Tender. Romantic. Unending entertainment. Steel is truly a mistress of master plotting with tangible dialogue and tender outcomes. One of America's leading ladies of literal talent. Be Love her books. Particularly The Butler.

The Butler is a lovely tale of two people from vastly different backgrounds finding a way to make a connection with each other. Ms Steele’s obvious love of Paris seeps into every page. Recommended.

Joachim has been raised in Argentina and moves to Paris in his late teens. His identical twin stays behind working for criminals. Joachim decides to become a. Butler until he figures out what he wants to do with his life. He works in grand homes for some of England’s richest families. When those opportunities end, he takes a short term job for Olivia as her personal assistant. A few weeks become months and then years. Joachim and Olivia form a friendship. Steel has done a fine job of describing the lifestyles of the rich in Europe. The character development was solid but the plot was a bit lacking.

This was an interesting story, I really liked Joachim and his family, but they had a lot of heartbreak, but it was still fascinating to read about their lives and his road to becoming a butler. Olivia’s entrance to the plot was a little abrupt for me but I did like their relationship and how it grew.

I can always depend on a Danielle Steel book to keep me up reading way past my bedtime! This book starts off a little slow as the story gets set up, but if you stick with it, you will not be disappointed.

Another good Danielle Steel book. I enjoyed the references to some of the history regarding the Germans and the things they did during the war, the daughter trying to make amends for her German father’s atrocities he made during the war, and the references regarding the drug problems with the next generation going on now. The differences in twins even though they were raised the same and how they could and did grow up so different. The butler profession was a good position at one time but was now a dying breed with the changes in society. Enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

Danielle Steele's books have been feeling a bit repetitive as of late, but I loved the new direction she takes this book in. While parts of the book tend to repeat themselves, the story is far from your typically love story normally seen here.

The Butler was a quick read - the plot moved along, and readers get to know the characters, and even escape into their lives as so few of us are able to drop everything to jet off to France for a month or get hired to decorate a mansion with an unlimited budget. Unfortunately I didn't get invested in the first chunk of the novel where Danielle Steel is setting up the history of the families of Joachim and Olivia, but the rest of the book was wonderful and something I'd enjoy rereading. Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview #TheButler by Danielle Steel.

First of all I have to say that I have been a fan of Danielle Steel for many years. I am always amazed at the new storylines in her books. Twist and turns have kept me up for many a night reading when I should have gone to sleep.. Love the male main character in this book. He has quite a life story to tell, one that has made him into the amazing man that he is. Thanks for many hours of interesting reading, can't wait until the next!

Danielle Steel books will always take you on an adventure and this book was no letdown! With a male protagonist, this book was filled with family drama, work drama, love drama, and all kinds of drama. It keeps the reader flipping pages and wanting more.

I received this book from netgalley it came out on Tuesday. .I loved this book I can't wait to read more of her books.

Joachim and his twin brother Javier grew up in Buenos Aires with their mother Liese after their father died shortly after their birth. While their mother struggled to raise them, they were well-fed and cared for. Joachim is a calm, happy boy but Javier is angry and rails at not being rich. Joachim was a good student and even spoke four languages. As they finished school, Liese who worked as an art curator at the National Museum of Fine Arts of Argentina, met and married Francois Legrand who worked at the Louvre in Paris. Joachim was happy to move to Paris but Javier insisted on staying in Buenos Aires. They tried to get him to visit but after several years, they lost touch with him. They feared he had gotten in with a bad group. Losing his brother was hard for Joachim as he was a part of him.

In Paris, Joachim thought he wanted to attend the Sorbonne, but found an ad for a Butler School in London and decided he wanted to study there. Surprisingly, he loved the school and the challenge. After graduation he worked for the aristocracy for 17 years until the Marquess died. He took a brief trip to Buenos Aires for look for his brother only to learn that he was involved in a drug cartel. Back in Paris with his mother, he contemplated the next step in his life.

Olivia White’s mother had long been a lover to a well-known author. She put her life on hold to wait for the few times they could be together. Learning this after her mother’s death, Olivia is angry that she wasted her life this way. Coupled with that, the fact that Olivia’s magazine that she devoted her life to for 10 years has folded and she knows she needs to go to Paris for awhile to regroup.

When Olivia needed someone to help her redo her apartment in Paris and help with general things, Joachim applied and got the job. The two of them worked well together and took on yet another project. But both refused to seek love.

This is a really good book and I admire Danielle Steel for her incredible imagination in being able to write stories like she does. I especially love her books about Paris as it was my home for many years. I’ve also loved historical romance novels and the thought of role of the Butler no longer being needed and the grand houses of yesterday going away, is sad. But, do enjoy this book. It’s great.

Copy provided by the NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

General story about girl meets unlikely boy, they have nothing in common or so they thought. As they get to know each other and learn about their past histories and back stories it seems they have more parallels and similarities in their lives than either of them would have thought.
Nice easy uncomplicated read.
Thank you you to Netgalley, Random House Delacorte Press and the Author, Danielle Steel for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Butler by Daniel Steel may be my favorite DS release this year. Unusual with a male main character but a close supporting role of a female main character. Joachim is a finally trained formal Butler who finds himself in between jobs when his long time elderly employees pass away. Taking a break while he reevaluates and weighs his options, he makes a trip to Argentina where he was raised with his identical twin brother Javier & then to Paris where he spends time with his elderly mother. The mirror image identical twins are a bit like Cain and Abel and brought up the nature vs nurture question for me. Neither Joachim nor his mother have seen Javier in 25 years. On a whim, Olivia takes refuge in Paris After her mother's death and the the folding of her magazine. Unsure of where she is going or what her future holds, she begins to set up her Paris apartment With the help of Joachim who was sent to her through a temp agency. As they each battle to overcome the demons of their past they grow into friendship. But could there be more? As Javier's dangerous criminal life impacts Joachim sedate lifestyle, changes must be made. This book holds a little bit more suspenseful intrigue than some of her previous books and I loved Olivia's story And the HGTVesq sideline story. As usual, Steels characters lead charmed lives touched by tragedy, more money than most of us will ever know, & then overcome all to live happily ever after.

Another great read by Danielle Steele. She always pulls you right in. Loved the Paris descriptions and enjoyed characters along with the story.

The Butler by Danielle Steel is typical Danielle and that's what makes it a good read. Joachim has led a complicated life and when he reaches manhood, he is at loose ends. After puttering for five years, he sees an ad in the newspaper for a school for butlers and decides to give it a try. It seems he had found his niche and for the next 16 years acted as butler and house manager for an aging Marquess and Marchioness. The, of course, as happens to the aged, they both died fairly close together. Their children had no desire for their parents' traditional lifestyle and planned to sell both homes. With no new position looming, he decided to visit the place of his birth, Argentina, and then his mother in Paris. Olivia White was an American magazine editor. Unfortunately the time for magazines had passed, just as her mother lay dying. At about the same time, she discovered that her mother's late friend, had indeed been her father. She remembered her mother's life as mistress to this great, married man and vowed she would never give over her life to a man. After he mother's passing, she decided to go to Europe, Paris, to live for however long the spirit moved her, possibly finding a new line of work. There is so much more to their lives than this. They meet in Paris; Joachim goes to work for Olivia, although not as a traditional butler. Life moves on.

Steel gives her characters the most amazing back-stories and this book is a shining example of this skill. The story itself is somewhat ordinary and predictable; it is the earlier lives of the two that makes it amazing. The detail about being a proper English butler was interesting. Who knew they had school for it? And, the story is not about beautiful twenty-somethings, but about people over 40, in the primes of their loves. As usual, it was a totally feel-good story with a happy ending, for at least the protagonists. I love Steel's books. She always provides an interesting break from my more serious books.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Butler by Delacorte Press, through Net galley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #delacortepress #thebutler #daniellesteel

Great story. This book is the perfect example of what happens when secrets and truths are withheld from people.

Joachim von Hartmann was born and raised in Buenos Aires by his single mother, along with his identical twin, Javier. Joachim's mother, Liese, was born in Germany and left at the age of 5 with only her father. They were very wealthy and lived a very good life. Liese married the son of a prominent family and after trying for children for 10 years, she finally gets pregnant at 39. Four months after her twins were born she lost both her husband and father. She was left alone, with no money at all. Liese began working at the art museum which recovered lost pieces the Nazis stole during the war and returns them to their rightful owners.

When Joachim is 17 years old he moves to Paris with his mother who is getting married, but Javier refuses to come. He wants to finish high school in Argentina. Truth is, he's in a bad crowd running drugs. This is the first time Joachim will be separated from his twin. Lost at first, Joachim doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. He sees an ad for a Butler school in London, and decides to give it a try. It turns out he loves working in big homes and running them. His job became his life, no romances, no attachments; means not getting hurt.

Olivia White was also raised by a single mother. Only her father was the same married man that showed up to their apartment pretending to be a good friend to Olivia. Her parents were afraid to tell her the truth about who her father. really was. Margaret met George Lawrence, a famous author, at the publishing house she worked for when she was just 24 years old. He was twice her age. Margaret's patents walked away from their daughter when she became pregnant. Olivia saw Margaret stop her life and wait for George to show up for a visit. Every holiday he went away with his family, Margaret stayed in bed until he came home. Which made Olivia hate being home for the holidays. After George died of cancer, Margaret turned to drinking, then her dementia took over. Olivia became like Joachim, too afraid to love someone enough to get hurt.

After her mom's death, Olivia decided to move to Paris temporarily and start over. She leased an apartment and needed help putting it together. Joachim had just finished a 16 year job, his employers died. Now back home in Paris again he starts looking for work. When he interviews with Olivia, he takes the job thinking it will only be a few weeks, a temporary job. It will allow him to reconnect with his mother who is now in her 80's and still going strong with her job at the museum. The job turns into months and they form a mutual respect for each other.

In fact, it's Liese that realizes that her son is in love with Olivia before he does. But when Javier and his enemies show up in Paris, Joachim decides that both Olivia and his mom are better off without Joachim around, because Javier made some bad choices.

Can these two lonely souls find their way back to each other after all?

A must read.