Another fantastic read by Danielle Steel. Worthy Opponents follows a young girl through her transition from granddaughter to CEO of the family business. As always with Steel, her novels are well-done with developed characters. Loved this one.

Worthy Opponents by Danielle Steel is the story of Spencer Brooke, the heiress to Brooke’s, an affluent department store in New York City.

Brooke’s was successful under her grandfather’s tutelage, then fell on hard times once Spencer’s father took over. She takes the reigns amid many professional challenges, including financial hardships and a location that has become crime-ridden. On the home front, she experiences a divorce and must raise her twins alone.

Determined to preserve her grandfather’s legacy, Spencer initially is against investors as she doesn’t want to give up the reigns. Enter Mike Weston, a successful investor who sees Spencer’s department store as an opportunity.

Mike invites the Spencer to a gala after she refuses to meet with him. It is at the gala that he takes an interest in not only her company, but her. He attempts to persuade her to let him invest in her company, only to be repeatedly turned down by Spencer.

It is only after Brooke’s is met with disaster that Spencer considers a professional alliance with Mike.

This is a Danielle Steel book, so there is romance between the two lead characters.

Worthy Opponents is a story of keeping a legacy alive, resilience, and love. Readers will enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press for the ARC. #NetGalley #WorthyOpponents

Danielle Steel's books are pretty predictable comfort reads for me. Though I know the format of each book and how it will be written, the stories are typically uniquely different in their plot. In Worthy Opponents, though the formula was the same, it was a storyline I enjoyed a lot more than usual.

My biggest complaints with this book is the same with all her other books. The first chapter or two are so unbearable long and it's always an information dump to get to know the characters and the story. Though I think this information is needed, I'm sure there's a better way to weave some of this throughout the story. Also, I wish she would add more dialogue into the story. So much of this book is just third person writing tell us what is happening, but I think I would be better engaged with the story with more dialogue and events happening throughout.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Like the cover of this book, the story felt like a different take on her usual books. In this story, we follow Spencer Brooke who runs a luxury department store started by her grandfather many years before. There are a lot of different family dynamics that we see in this story, between Spencer and her parents, her husband, and other characters. While Danielle Steel usually writes a strong female character, I found Spencer's story to be more interesting to me.

There was romance and some suspense throughout this story, and though it takes Spencer to get to where she ends up, I fully enjoyed following her journey!

Spencer, a divorcee with young twin sons inherited a business and a love for the upscale market she runs. Her department store, in a run-down part of the city, thrives. Times, however, are changing and a series of events put her store and her inherited livelihood in jeopardy. Meanwhile, she meets Mike Weston an investor in large-scale projects who makes her a deal, but she can't accept it. He and his investors would eventually own her business. Can they reconcile their differences and get what they both want? You will have to read the latest in Daniel Steele's fascinating romances to find out. This is one of her best written in her own distinguished style it is full of beautiful people, romantic intrigue, and high fashion. Loved this latest of hers. Thanks to #NetGalley#WorthyOpponents for the opportunity to read and review this entertaining book.

Another typical but easy, heartwarming and strong Female protagonist read from Danielle.
A story of a strong family legacy, determination and romance. I'm a loyal Danielle fan from the very beginning and her books are a guilty pleasure and this one certainly was a pleasure to read.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Ballantine Deacorte Press and the Author Danielle Steel for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is one of my favorite Danielle Steel novels! It is amazing! I love how Spenser learned about fashion and running the store from her grandfather. She never compromises her dream and knows what she wants. She cares about others and helps people. Amazing character. Mike is another well developed character and I love that we get the backstory of both characters. They are truly worthy opponents. The book could not have had a better title! Thanks #Netgalley for an amazing ARC! Five stars is not enough!

This is a great book for die hard Danielle Steel fans. I enjoyed the strong female character and her convictions, work ethic and how she always stayed true to her beliefs in what she wanted from life. The story had a nice romance thread, good drama and an interesting plot.
This book is a solid read and I enjoyed the plot. I always look forward to reading books by Danielle Steel.

Worthy Opponents is another intriguing story written by a master storyteller. Danielle Steel never disappoints. This is a quick, enjoyable read.

Spencer Brooke spent a lot of time with her grandfather at the store he owned, Brooke's. She has lots of wonderful memories, and knew she was going to carry on her grandfather's legacy, just the way he did. It wasn't easy, and there were times she had to fight for what she wanted.
When her father passed away, she became the CEO, and she started putting back the things her grandfather had, which her father had discarded. Brooke's was a special store and Spencer walked the floors every day, being a big part of what made it so special.
Mike Weston is known for making big profits by taking small businesses and making them bigger and more successful. Brooke's caught his eye and, Spencer was adamant that, she would never accept his offer. But, the day came when so many things were going wrong that the business wasn't going to survive if she didn't do something.
She did consider Mike's offer, but she was having a hard time, letting go of her grandfather's store, and there had to be a better way. Sometimes things happen so that other things can fall into place and make it better than they could imagine. She had the courage and the strength to see it to the end to see how it was meant to be.
I received an ARC from Delacorte Press through NetGalley.

DS writes another great story with a strong formidable female character! I really enjoyed this story, the charming store with so much history reminded me of one from my childhood. Spencer fights hard to carry on her grandparents legacy and hopes to save it for her children as she runs into many obstacles, some dangerous.. This story is worth reading! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Danielle Steel is an author I always turn to when I need an easy read that will help me escape from the real world for a bit. This book provided exactly what I needed. An emotional journey of Spencer growing up and taking over the family business without any supporters. She faces many obstacles in life and business as she tries to keep her grandfathers legacy alive.

Worthy Opponents by Danielle Steel is an emotional story about a woman trying to hold on to her legacy and one man who is trying to take it away.

In true Danielle Steel form, she wove a story full of emotion and high stakes. Spencer is determined to keep her grandfather’s legacy, a department store in New York City running and profitable. However, when she is approached by Mike for a takeover, she knows she can’t sell and let the management of the store fall to someone outside of the family. But, circumstances force her to consider his offer.

I enjoyed this slow-burn romance, Spencer and Mike are a sweet couple and they complement each other. There is also plenty of action in the story that kept me turning the pages until everything was solved.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Another bestseller from a beloved legend!!!!!!!!!!! Each novel from this amazing author is a new joy to read and devour.

Spencer grows up being groomed by her beloved grandfather to be ceo and take over and run the department store her family has run for generations. After her grandfather's and her father's deaths she fights to maintain control from those that think she should sell out. Can she maintain control, raise her sons and not give up ownership? As usual Danielle Steele has written a great story.

I can always count on Danielle Steel to give me a book I will lose myself in, with strong pacing and characters. This book was no exception.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I liked the premise of the story and am a big fan of Ms. Steel’s but struggled with this book. The characters were okay and the plot was well paced.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

4 1/2 STARS

Addictive and heartfelt! You can always count on Danielle Steel to produce a concise, solid read filled with emotional journeys, dramatic characters and rich happily ever afters. WORTHY OPPONENTS keeps this tradition alive beautifully. There is a whole lot of back story in the first couple of chapters, so be prepared to set the scene slowly with several additional characters laying the groundwork, but then the story pace picks up as interaction with Spencer begins. I enjoyed her story very much.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a human interest story with tradition and family playing a key part in the wholesomeness of the main character. Strong on the women's fiction realm with hints of romance throughout.

Once in a while I request a book from NetGalley from the prolific Danielle Steel. Why? I enjoy her books occasionally as a break from heavier reading like nonfiction or thrillers. And I enjoy reading about how the other 1% live, with their money and mansions and successful careers, yet they have every-day problems, too, most often in the personal department.

The first two chapters are very long, as the first focuses on Spencer, the woman, and the second focuses on Mike, the man, and all their backstory is dumped into those chapters.

Spencer is a highly successful woman whose parents expected and wanted a boy so much that they didn’t bother coming up with a girl’s name when she was born. Her parents didn’t really care about her because of her sex, but her grandparents, and especially her grandfather, nurtured her and taught her everything she needed to know about running the family’s high-end department store. When her grandfather dies, her father takes over, who never loved the store the way Spencer does, and makes several disastrous decisions in his four-year tenure before he, too, dies. Now Spencer has control of the department store.

She marries, has twins, and her husband expects her to sell the store, which was not the tune he told her when they were dating. Before the twins are even a year old, they are divorced, and the next 6 years, Spencer runs Brooke’s Department Store well. But a series of incidents leads Spencer strapped for cash for the store, and the fact that the store is in a seedy area of town, surrounded by homeless people, leads her CFO to suggest that they consider investors.

That’s where Mike Weston comes in. He’s a businessman who is known for taking businesses and making them bigger by investing money in them and eventually taking them over. That’s not something Spencer wants; she wants to preserve the store and its legacy for her twin sons. However, Weston is the only person interested in the specialty store. She refuses to meet him but accepts an invitation to a dinner at the Met, where it turns out Mike was the one who sent the tickets. He promises not to talk business and the two have an amiable chat, until Spencer is called away because the store is on fire.

This book is a romance, but there’s hardly any romance in it. It’s the ultimate slow burn, with each person living their lives separately. Spencer still refuses Mike’s help, even when she finds out she’ll have to close the store for a few months to make repairs from the smoke and water damage.

You know that someway somehow Mike will either cave with his demands in the negotiations or figure out another way to help Spencer without having her cede control of the family business. Let’s just say it’s a good thing his parents are still working and have experience with online selling of goods and real estate. It’s all a little too tidy, but that’s to be expected with a Danielle Steel novel.

I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from NetGalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Spencer has always loved Brookes, the high end clothing store founded by her grandfather but times and the neighborhood have changed. She's struggling after a divorce and with issues that are burdening the store financially. Mike Weston, an angel investor, eyes Brookes after her CFO contacts him but she's not interested because he wants more control than she's willing to give. A contrived meeting leads to a friendship, and then more but there's a disaster for Brooke's and she has to make a decision with both her heart and her head. This is a short novel which packs a whiff of You've got Mail, among other stories, but it's got classic Steel characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for her fans.

Excellent story. Spencer was the grandaughter of the man who started Brooke Department Store. It was a store she had always loved and spent alot of time with her grandfather learning. When he died, her father took over but he hated it. When he got sick, she took over and it prospered. It was not in a good section of town, but the quality of the store made up for it. When a shooting happened around and in the store, she realized it was time to change.. She had met Mike, who was an investor and they hit it off. He helped her relocate and keep the store

I loved the characters and all the detail about the store. You could easily visualize it. Lovely story
I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review