What do you think?
Rate this book
Bittersweet
India Taylor lived in a world of manicured lawns and neatly-maintained calendars. With four wonderful children, India believed in commitment and sacrifice, just as she believed in Doug, the man she had married seventeen years before. She had chosen this life, not the award-winning career as a photojournalist she once had, and it was a choice she had never regretted - until she began to regret it with all her heart.
India couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when the price of the sacrifices she she'd made began to seem high. But when she met Paul Ward, a Wall Street tycoon married to a bestselling author, India could share her dreams with him, and offer comfort when he suffered a heartbreak of his own. India hadn't planned to become Paul's friend, and anything more was unthinkable.
When Paul urged India to reclaim her career, Doug was adamantly against it, determined to keep her tied to the home. But with Paul's encouragement India slowly, painfully, began to break free and find herself again.
India couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when the price of the sacrifices she she'd made began to seem high. But when she met Paul Ward, a Wall Street tycoon married to a bestselling author, India could share her dreams with him, and offer comfort when he suffered a heartbreak of his own. India hadn't planned to become Paul's friend, and anything more was unthinkable.
When Paul urged India to reclaim her career, Doug was adamantly against it, determined to keep her tied to the home. But with Paul's encouragement India slowly, painfully, began to break free and find herself again.
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
942 people are currently reading
2694 people want to read
About the author
Danielle Steel
911 books16.7k followersDanielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's bestselling authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include All That Glitters, Royal, Daddy's Girls, The Wedding Dress, The Numbers Game, Moral Compass, Spy, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Expect a Miracle, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children's books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.
Facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial
Instagram: @officialdaniellesteel
Facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial
Instagram: @officialdaniellesteel
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 239 reviews
February 19, 2011
Hadn't read a Danielle Steel in awhile, and this was typical of her writing style. Hated the main character's husband and it took half the book to get rid of him. By the time she got rid of him, I didn't like her much either!
February 18, 2019
#PopSugar2019 , punto 6. libro que contenga dulce, amargo o sexy en el título.
#laBiblioteca2019 Planta 4
Me gustó mucho esta historia. Danielle steel nos habla aquí de las metas personales de vida, en lo importante que resulta que nosotros como personas tengamos algo que nos apasione, y no sólo seguir un estándar o molde social que te impone cierto rol que debes adoptar, como el de ser ama de casa, esposa y madre. Nos habla del machismo por no querer que la mujer trabaje y realice sus metas propias, replantea el sentido del amor en el matrimonio, en la amistad que surge entre dos personas que aparentemente tienen toda su vida en orden, cuando un golpe de la vida los hace tambalearse y resquebrajarse internamente. India, por un lado, con su deseo de volver a ser periodista gráficay mantener su matrimonio junto con sus 4 hijos, mientras que Paul howard parece tener todo en orden con una esposa escritora que lo quiere... sin embargo, como es costumbre en Danielle y por lo que me encantan todos sus libros, la va dejando llevar poco a poco, haciendo que sus sentimientos maduren. Inclusive hay un punto de la historia
como siempre, no defrauda. me gusta la forma como me voy dosificando los libros de ella para que no se me terminen tan pronto. si yo quisiera podría leérmelos ya todos de una los que falten, pero quiero seguir de a poco. recomendable mucho esta historia.
#laBiblioteca2019 Planta 4
Me gustó mucho esta historia. Danielle steel nos habla aquí de las metas personales de vida, en lo importante que resulta que nosotros como personas tengamos algo que nos apasione, y no sólo seguir un estándar o molde social que te impone cierto rol que debes adoptar, como el de ser ama de casa, esposa y madre. Nos habla del machismo por no querer que la mujer trabaje y realice sus metas propias, replantea el sentido del amor en el matrimonio, en la amistad que surge entre dos personas que aparentemente tienen toda su vida en orden, cuando un golpe de la vida los hace tambalearse y resquebrajarse internamente. India, por un lado, con su deseo de volver a ser periodista gráficay mantener su matrimonio junto con sus 4 hijos, mientras que Paul howard parece tener todo en orden con una esposa escritora que lo quiere... sin embargo, como es costumbre en Danielle y por lo que me encantan todos sus libros, la va dejando llevar poco a poco, haciendo que sus sentimientos maduren. Inclusive hay un punto de la historia
como siempre, no defrauda. me gusta la forma como me voy dosificando los libros de ella para que no se me terminen tan pronto. si yo quisiera podría leérmelos ya todos de una los que falten, pero quiero seguir de a poco. recomendable mucho esta historia.
August 12, 2015
Steel just goes on and on about India wanting to photograph and spending all her time with her kids and seeing Doug for dinner. She wants to feel the excitement and the adrenaline rush once again, but nothing happens for a very long time. The divorce sets her free. She finds a man who supports and undersatnds her.
Overall impression - nothing happens for too long. As a reader i got bored until the divorce occured.
Overall impression - nothing happens for too long. As a reader i got bored until the divorce occured.
July 14, 2012
So India (the main character) was a very famous photographer 17 years ago and she wants to get back to work... but the "big" trouble is that, the jackass she calls husband, Doug, dont let her.
This is the first book of Danielle Steel that i read and i have to said that im a little bit dissapointed.
When I first started reading, I read one review that said India was the bravest heroin that she ever read before... hell no.
So i started reading the book ... and are fifty pages for her to ask for permission from her husband to return to work. FIFTY PAGES. Seriously. When he says "No"she just shut and let it pass.
On page 217 she asks again if she can back to work part time. And he gets angry and leaves her.
So she ends up begging him. Really?
That's not the end but... well basically that's it.
This is the first book of Danielle Steel that i read and i have to said that im a little bit dissapointed.
When I first started reading, I read one review that said India was the bravest heroin that she ever read before... hell no.
So i started reading the book ... and are fifty pages for her to ask for permission from her husband to return to work. FIFTY PAGES. Seriously. When he says "No"she just shut and let it pass.
On page 217 she asks again if she can back to work part time. And he gets angry and leaves her.
So she ends up begging him. Really?
That's not the end but... well basically that's it.
January 4, 2014
Danielle Steel is my favourite author, however the more books i read from her the more i found that she repeats herself a lot and that gets on my nerves! She keeps coming back to the same thoughts and feelings over and over again - I don't know weather it's to make sure we get how the character is feeling (no need to drive it home so often in my opinion)or that's just how she writes?
April 27, 2015
I find this book really boring. I was disappointed, 'cause I expected too much having read Steel's The Promise. But all in all, not that bad. Just that it's not a page-turner.
July 22, 2023
Lemme just start this off by saying no one writes awful husbands quite like Danielle Steel. I thought the husband from Heartbeat was terrible. No, Doug from this novel created a tie. It makes me wonder if they are based on real men and if they are yikes!
India and Paul’s reunion was fantastic and certainly one of the best she’s ever written. I only wish that some parts weren’t dragged out. A solid 3.5 star read and perfect for summertime. One of these days I too would like to laze about on a yacht.
India and Paul’s reunion was fantastic and certainly one of the best she’s ever written. I only wish that some parts weren’t dragged out. A solid 3.5 star read and perfect for summertime. One of these days I too would like to laze about on a yacht.
December 16, 2011
I can see why Danielle Steel has had so much success as an author. This is the first book of hers that I have read and I must say that I was surprised. I have seen a lot of her books at used bookstores and have passed them over. However, I picked up this one by luck. I read the excerpt on the story and I took it home with me. It sat on my bookshelf for about 1 year. I finally picked it up this week and began to read it. A few days later I find myself writing this review.
Let me start off by saying that “Bittersweet” was the most perfect title of this book! The whole story really was bittersweet. It had sadness and happiness mixed in as one. Steel definitely has a great writing skill. There were many elements to the story itself that I really liked. I loved that the story was not predictable. There were several times when I was thinking “ok, this is obvious what is going to happen between these 2” , and I would read along only to find out I was wrong. There were elements of surprise too! Without saying too much on the story itself, I will say that I believed that India and Paul would end up having an affair with each other while they were both married and I was wrong! The character that I really disliked with a passion was Doug!! What an ignorant macho-tistic man he was!! Steel did a great job in creating this character and describing him to where I felt he was right in front of me and I wanted to punch him in the face. I really felt bad for India at the beginning of the story. She was sheltered on her dreams and the way Doug spoke to her about her passion in photography was belittling. He not only had no appreciation for her as a wife, or the mother of his children let alone as a human being. It was no wonder to me why she starting to give up on their marriage. Everybody has a breaking point and I am surprised she didn’t reach hers sooner!
One of the things that really surprised me about the story was that Steel doesn’t do much in describing the setting of Cape Cod and New York where most of the story takes place. She does have a few descriptive paragraphs but not enough to where I could actually visualize the setting in my mind. However, this was not an issue with me because she made up for it by focusing the writing more to the characters and the plot. In the end, this worked out great for me! I was able to get into the story and the drama in it!
Steel really followed through on her great reputation as a writer. No wonder the woman is a Best Selling Author!! I look forward to reading more of her novels!
Let me start off by saying that “Bittersweet” was the most perfect title of this book! The whole story really was bittersweet. It had sadness and happiness mixed in as one. Steel definitely has a great writing skill. There were many elements to the story itself that I really liked. I loved that the story was not predictable. There were several times when I was thinking “ok, this is obvious what is going to happen between these 2” , and I would read along only to find out I was wrong. There were elements of surprise too! Without saying too much on the story itself, I will say that I believed that India and Paul would end up having an affair with each other while they were both married and I was wrong! The character that I really disliked with a passion was Doug!! What an ignorant macho-tistic man he was!! Steel did a great job in creating this character and describing him to where I felt he was right in front of me and I wanted to punch him in the face. I really felt bad for India at the beginning of the story. She was sheltered on her dreams and the way Doug spoke to her about her passion in photography was belittling. He not only had no appreciation for her as a wife, or the mother of his children let alone as a human being. It was no wonder to me why she starting to give up on their marriage. Everybody has a breaking point and I am surprised she didn’t reach hers sooner!
One of the things that really surprised me about the story was that Steel doesn’t do much in describing the setting of Cape Cod and New York where most of the story takes place. She does have a few descriptive paragraphs but not enough to where I could actually visualize the setting in my mind. However, this was not an issue with me because she made up for it by focusing the writing more to the characters and the plot. In the end, this worked out great for me! I was able to get into the story and the drama in it!
Steel really followed through on her great reputation as a writer. No wonder the woman is a Best Selling Author!! I look forward to reading more of her novels!
July 17, 2011
Pleasant enough but a little short on romance.
India is a nice enough heroine, but her husband is such a one-dimensional jerk it's hard to believe she was married to him for fourteen years.
Paul Ward is a nice enough hero, but I wish there was more romance and less angsting about the death of his first wife in a plane crash. Serena was actually a much more interesting character than Paul -- or India either for that matter.
Also given that India sees herself as a wife and mother first and a career woman second, it's annoying how the kids in the family are so generic and artificial. "Tell us, daughter number one, are you old enough to like boys yet?"
India is a nice enough heroine, but her husband is such a one-dimensional jerk it's hard to believe she was married to him for fourteen years.
Paul Ward is a nice enough hero, but I wish there was more romance and less angsting about the death of his first wife in a plane crash. Serena was actually a much more interesting character than Paul -- or India either for that matter.
Also given that India sees herself as a wife and mother first and a career woman second, it's annoying how the kids in the family are so generic and artificial. "Tell us, daughter number one, are you old enough to like boys yet?"
Read
August 9, 2011Very slow moving and repetitively frustrating at times, but Steel shows her knowledge of real-life situations. It was tragic and beautiful. Expect to be upset and frustrated until the last third of the book. I still enjoyed it immensely despite its speed.
December 20, 2020
Well written, characters were well developed. Classic romance.
HOWEVER! The men in this book have made my blood boil. I was listening this book on my way to work and because of ‘Doug’ I was literally in a foul mood and had to laugh at myself when I realized my anger was because of this character. His constant sense of ownership and the relentless bickering of contracts in the marriage got a little repetitive and tiresome.
And then Paul’s son Shawn had some very primitive outlooks towards parental relationships that really made me think “how OLD is this book” pretty sure it wasn’t written in the 1800’s!!
HOWEVER! The men in this book have made my blood boil. I was listening this book on my way to work and because of ‘Doug’ I was literally in a foul mood and had to laugh at myself when I realized my anger was because of this character. His constant sense of ownership and the relentless bickering of contracts in the marriage got a little repetitive and tiresome.
And then Paul’s son Shawn had some very primitive outlooks towards parental relationships that really made me think “how OLD is this book” pretty sure it wasn’t written in the 1800’s!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2013
"Bittersweet" is the second Steel book that I read, the first one was 'Irresistible Forces.' So the story starts off by portraying the life of India Taylor, the photographer. Her father was a Pulitzer-winning passionate photo journalist in his days.
India used to be a very famous photographer 17 years ago. However, her husband Doug whose name actually should be spelled 'Dog' had not let her continue on her passion and interestingly enough India had agreed to bury it thinking of her children and her love, her husband.
But her future had a different story to tell and that was when her life had changed upside-down. And then the series of conflicts starts taking place.
Doug starts making fun of India's passion and he becomes so blunt in mocking the profession that he ends up insulting her father's achievements and that his was not a 'real job.' India expects her husband would understand his mistake and come back apologizing, but he does not. She keeps her hopes high for a week or so and nothing seems to change between them.
Worse still, India soon finds out that for 17 years she had been living a dream and compromising with her 'true dream', going out to the world and live a life of a photographer. She finds out her husband does not love her anymore. He thinks love is for young unrealistic people and that their life of romance had long gone for good. He says it was time now to live for the children.
India soon realizes the foolishness of living with a man who does not love her and respect her profession, and it was not simply her profession rather it was part of her being. A part of her died when she left photography and she did it all to keep her promise she made to her husband. And now apparently, Doug is talking as if it does not mean anything to him. She simply wanted him to appreciate her for the sacrifices that she made for the sake of her family.
For one thing, I did not get how in the world does India put up with such a chauvinist of a husband!? And if she really loved and appreciated her late father then she should not have tolerated Doug for a single moment when he said her father did not have a 'real work.'
Moving on, she actually did tolerate Doug and tried to live with a dream she has lived for the last 17 years. But to no avail. Her husband finally gets furious at her and leaves her. Surprisingly, the husband decides to get separated not the wife! This is something I extremely hated. How could a husband expect his wife to be a slave-runner, a cook, a mother, a governess all at the same time? She is doing all these things and in return all she wants from her husband now is a little appreciation for what she did and who she was. And Mr.Husband is 'dog' enough to remain an inconsiderate 'non-printable'.
Speaking of Doug's character, he gives the impression that India is just someone to accompany him and look after his children. Worse yet, he does not even care about her emotions. India, being the simpleton, that she is, keeps hoping someday things will change. Obviously it does not.
India then meets Wall Street tycoon Paul Ward at Cape Cod on a vacation, the one about whom everybody says he is indecently handsome. And as it turns out, they become friends. All of a sudden, Paul's wife, Serena, the best-selling author gets killed on a plane crash and then with a lot of melodrama Paul and India are head over hills in love with each other. To my surprise and shock, the next thing I know is Paul's dilemma into the relationship. At the very beginning of their friendship, Paul says there is none like Serena and he cannot replace her with anyone. India accepts it and is happy to find him as a friend. But the crazy tycoon changes his mind and thinks he is in love with India. He tells her this and in the next scene they are making love on his bed in a hotel room. Two days go by. Paul dreams of Serena and he finds her blaming him for letting her die alone. Paul is confused. He meets India and tells her it's finished and over with. My question to Mr. tycoon is why cant you tell her all this before getting physical with her? Why don't you get confused before that? Anyhow, India still tries to talk him into giving a second thought to no avail.
Given India's sufferings and her age, I would say she still had a right to going out with someone. Or better yet get married. While Paul is an ancient and a grandfather. I still cannot think of a 51 year old going out with a 44 year old mother of three kids, who would be the age of his grandchildren. Worse still, Paul does not get the point himself, his son Sean tells him of the prospect of marrying India.
Paul is a big deal businessman and a supposedly intelligent person. The last thing you would expect from a person his age and stature, is Quixotism. Nevertheless, on other accounts he is always an honest man and when he is breaking up with India he does not give false hopes to her.
On the face of it, the book is not predictable. However, I found this book to be very predictable. Even though I have only read a single Steel novel prior to this. If you follow the progression of the plot you can very easily tell what is going to happen next.
India used to be a very famous photographer 17 years ago. However, her husband Doug whose name actually should be spelled 'Dog' had not let her continue on her passion and interestingly enough India had agreed to bury it thinking of her children and her love, her husband.
But her future had a different story to tell and that was when her life had changed upside-down. And then the series of conflicts starts taking place.
Doug starts making fun of India's passion and he becomes so blunt in mocking the profession that he ends up insulting her father's achievements and that his was not a 'real job.' India expects her husband would understand his mistake and come back apologizing, but he does not. She keeps her hopes high for a week or so and nothing seems to change between them.
Worse still, India soon finds out that for 17 years she had been living a dream and compromising with her 'true dream', going out to the world and live a life of a photographer. She finds out her husband does not love her anymore. He thinks love is for young unrealistic people and that their life of romance had long gone for good. He says it was time now to live for the children.
India soon realizes the foolishness of living with a man who does not love her and respect her profession, and it was not simply her profession rather it was part of her being. A part of her died when she left photography and she did it all to keep her promise she made to her husband. And now apparently, Doug is talking as if it does not mean anything to him. She simply wanted him to appreciate her for the sacrifices that she made for the sake of her family.
For one thing, I did not get how in the world does India put up with such a chauvinist of a husband!? And if she really loved and appreciated her late father then she should not have tolerated Doug for a single moment when he said her father did not have a 'real work.'
Moving on, she actually did tolerate Doug and tried to live with a dream she has lived for the last 17 years. But to no avail. Her husband finally gets furious at her and leaves her. Surprisingly, the husband decides to get separated not the wife! This is something I extremely hated. How could a husband expect his wife to be a slave-runner, a cook, a mother, a governess all at the same time? She is doing all these things and in return all she wants from her husband now is a little appreciation for what she did and who she was. And Mr.Husband is 'dog' enough to remain an inconsiderate 'non-printable'.
Speaking of Doug's character, he gives the impression that India is just someone to accompany him and look after his children. Worse yet, he does not even care about her emotions. India, being the simpleton, that she is, keeps hoping someday things will change. Obviously it does not.
India then meets Wall Street tycoon Paul Ward at Cape Cod on a vacation, the one about whom everybody says he is indecently handsome. And as it turns out, they become friends. All of a sudden, Paul's wife, Serena, the best-selling author gets killed on a plane crash and then with a lot of melodrama Paul and India are head over hills in love with each other. To my surprise and shock, the next thing I know is Paul's dilemma into the relationship. At the very beginning of their friendship, Paul says there is none like Serena and he cannot replace her with anyone. India accepts it and is happy to find him as a friend. But the crazy tycoon changes his mind and thinks he is in love with India. He tells her this and in the next scene they are making love on his bed in a hotel room. Two days go by. Paul dreams of Serena and he finds her blaming him for letting her die alone. Paul is confused. He meets India and tells her it's finished and over with. My question to Mr. tycoon is why cant you tell her all this before getting physical with her? Why don't you get confused before that? Anyhow, India still tries to talk him into giving a second thought to no avail.
Given India's sufferings and her age, I would say she still had a right to going out with someone. Or better yet get married. While Paul is an ancient and a grandfather. I still cannot think of a 51 year old going out with a 44 year old mother of three kids, who would be the age of his grandchildren. Worse still, Paul does not get the point himself, his son Sean tells him of the prospect of marrying India.
Paul is a big deal businessman and a supposedly intelligent person. The last thing you would expect from a person his age and stature, is Quixotism. Nevertheless, on other accounts he is always an honest man and when he is breaking up with India he does not give false hopes to her.
On the face of it, the book is not predictable. However, I found this book to be very predictable. Even though I have only read a single Steel novel prior to this. If you follow the progression of the plot you can very easily tell what is going to happen next.
August 12, 2013
Half way through the book, I was already feeling daunted by the predictable plot and the hackneyed character development. In a word, it was a yawn. Yet, i still ploughed through the book till the very end.
Bittersweet is a tale about a fortysomething homemaker, India, who is a former award-winning photojournalist, now happily married to her husband, Dough for 17 years, at least she thought they are. They have four happy kids and a regular home life that is admirable to everyone and for 17 years India has led a monotonous life, though she still feels there is always a place in her heart for photography but for the sake of her family, she knows she has to compromise. Instead of bracing her way in the deserted jungles or war zones, she is now taking pictures of her kids' soccer games and doing car pools. A conflict arises when she is tempted to take up an assignment but Dough has been adamant of not letting her do it and he also makes it clear that it is the deal that she made once they got married, ie she was to be a stay-at-home-mum. India feels stabs of pain when Dough says to her point blank that he doenst love her anymore and there is no point in romance after being married for years and her role is to take care of his kids and nothing more. India is torn. This is when Paul Ward, a wall street tycoon, comes into the picture and offers her a good solace she has been wanting to get from her own husband. The camaraderie that they shared over the summer has blossomed into many friendly phone conversations and heart-to-heart talks. Paul is especially against the way Dough treats India and he not only offers her a shoulder to cry on, he is fully supportive of her pursuing her dreams, which only makes India more courageous to stand up to Dough when they have arguments. Though they both have secretly developed feelings for each other, they brush it aside and prefer to do the right thing which is to stay faithfully married to their spouse. Then Serene, Paul's wife, dies in an airplane crash. Paul retreats into his yacht and spends months on sea to mourn for his loss. More phone conversations ensue. India is sure by now that she likes Paul more than she thought and Paul, haunted by nightmares and plagued by survivor guilt, makes it clear to India that he could never be "her light at the end of the tunnel". India, in the midst of a divorce crisis with Dough, feels devastated and knowing that her little fantasy of being with Paul is now shattered has been a double blow to her. They still stay as friends and when Paul decides to come to visit India after months of sailing, the chemistry sparkles once again between them and Paul and India take the plunge into this relationship and are so loved up for A WEEK when Paul, suddenly freaks out and thought it is a mistake to start the relationship with India. He is constantly gnawed by his conscience for surviving Serena and the haunting dreams he has make him feel like a betrayer. At the same time, the prospect of rising four potential juvenile delinquents puts him off too. So he leaves India and tells her not to call him anymore. This time round, India is completely crushed, even more so from her previous marriage to Dough.
India, now divorced with four kids, with her ex-husband in the midst of marrying his new girlfriend, Paul's leaving is an insult added to the wound. All the emotional torments she has undergone have toughened her up especially after she survives a car crash. She becomes a renewed person and she channels her energy into taking care of her kids and taking up assignments. By happenstance, she meets Paul again during her assignment in Rwanda, they both agree to rekindle their friendship. From the conversations they have, it is evident that India has grown up more mature and she talks about how her right guy would be the one coming though the hurricane for her. Paul, obviously still very much in love with her, is in self-denial again saying his perfect woman is his late wife, Serena, while battling within himself to say it is her, India. After the assignment is done, both go back to their separate lives until one day Hurricane Barbara threatens to hit her place and Paul comes through the storm to find her. The story ends in both embracing each other, standing in the storm. Pretty predictable, no?
I give it three stars even when I think the plot is cliched and it is so predictable. Having said that, there was some surprise thrown in here and there for good measure and it makes reading this book a good experience though I have to say it is definitely not a page-turner. I love the portrayal of India in Bittersweet by DS in the later part of the novel when she has come to her senses. All the while, she is the one doing all the giving and loving but in return she gets a broken heart. Now she is more assured of herself and knows she deserves better, which makes her even more dazzling to Paul. India is one strong character that many career-women-turned-homemakers would be able to relate to. I am not at all warmed up to Paul's character in as I think he is indecisive for a man of great achievement and living in self-denial has made him look weak.
Overall, it is an okay but not a compelling read.
Bittersweet is a tale about a fortysomething homemaker, India, who is a former award-winning photojournalist, now happily married to her husband, Dough for 17 years, at least she thought they are. They have four happy kids and a regular home life that is admirable to everyone and for 17 years India has led a monotonous life, though she still feels there is always a place in her heart for photography but for the sake of her family, she knows she has to compromise. Instead of bracing her way in the deserted jungles or war zones, she is now taking pictures of her kids' soccer games and doing car pools. A conflict arises when she is tempted to take up an assignment but Dough has been adamant of not letting her do it and he also makes it clear that it is the deal that she made once they got married, ie she was to be a stay-at-home-mum. India feels stabs of pain when Dough says to her point blank that he doenst love her anymore and there is no point in romance after being married for years and her role is to take care of his kids and nothing more. India is torn. This is when Paul Ward, a wall street tycoon, comes into the picture and offers her a good solace she has been wanting to get from her own husband. The camaraderie that they shared over the summer has blossomed into many friendly phone conversations and heart-to-heart talks. Paul is especially against the way Dough treats India and he not only offers her a shoulder to cry on, he is fully supportive of her pursuing her dreams, which only makes India more courageous to stand up to Dough when they have arguments. Though they both have secretly developed feelings for each other, they brush it aside and prefer to do the right thing which is to stay faithfully married to their spouse. Then Serene, Paul's wife, dies in an airplane crash. Paul retreats into his yacht and spends months on sea to mourn for his loss. More phone conversations ensue. India is sure by now that she likes Paul more than she thought and Paul, haunted by nightmares and plagued by survivor guilt, makes it clear to India that he could never be "her light at the end of the tunnel". India, in the midst of a divorce crisis with Dough, feels devastated and knowing that her little fantasy of being with Paul is now shattered has been a double blow to her. They still stay as friends and when Paul decides to come to visit India after months of sailing, the chemistry sparkles once again between them and Paul and India take the plunge into this relationship and are so loved up for A WEEK when Paul, suddenly freaks out and thought it is a mistake to start the relationship with India. He is constantly gnawed by his conscience for surviving Serena and the haunting dreams he has make him feel like a betrayer. At the same time, the prospect of rising four potential juvenile delinquents puts him off too. So he leaves India and tells her not to call him anymore. This time round, India is completely crushed, even more so from her previous marriage to Dough.
India, now divorced with four kids, with her ex-husband in the midst of marrying his new girlfriend, Paul's leaving is an insult added to the wound. All the emotional torments she has undergone have toughened her up especially after she survives a car crash. She becomes a renewed person and she channels her energy into taking care of her kids and taking up assignments. By happenstance, she meets Paul again during her assignment in Rwanda, they both agree to rekindle their friendship. From the conversations they have, it is evident that India has grown up more mature and she talks about how her right guy would be the one coming though the hurricane for her. Paul, obviously still very much in love with her, is in self-denial again saying his perfect woman is his late wife, Serena, while battling within himself to say it is her, India. After the assignment is done, both go back to their separate lives until one day Hurricane Barbara threatens to hit her place and Paul comes through the storm to find her. The story ends in both embracing each other, standing in the storm. Pretty predictable, no?
I give it three stars even when I think the plot is cliched and it is so predictable. Having said that, there was some surprise thrown in here and there for good measure and it makes reading this book a good experience though I have to say it is definitely not a page-turner. I love the portrayal of India in Bittersweet by DS in the later part of the novel when she has come to her senses. All the while, she is the one doing all the giving and loving but in return she gets a broken heart. Now she is more assured of herself and knows she deserves better, which makes her even more dazzling to Paul. India is one strong character that many career-women-turned-homemakers would be able to relate to. I am not at all warmed up to Paul's character in as I think he is indecisive for a man of great achievement and living in self-denial has made him look weak.
Overall, it is an okay but not a compelling read.
April 26, 2024
This book was such a great read. I didn’t want it to end. This is one of the best I’ve read by Danielle Steel. It was definitely a breath of fresh air, And a great distraction from some of the other books I’ve been reading. Looking forward to reading more by her.
November 3, 2025
Story good but a little dragged out.
May 12, 2025
the story started off OK, but I felt it was just dragged out , I think it could have been condensed down to half the pages .
May 20, 2025
This was an oldie of DS's books, one I'd missed. It was somewhat dated but still a good story about a weak female lead who stayed with a POS husband too long. Then she hooks up with an older very rich hot man and has the time of her life, but he dumps her because his son, who he wasn't even close to, tells him he didn't need to marry a woman with 4 kids. I just knew they'd get back together, but nope (and I was glad, I didn't much like him). I think it is the first book of hers I've ever read that ended with woman being OK with no man.
February 22, 2021
I did see quite a few reviews saying that the female protagonist, India Taylor seems spineless sometimes and they hated her husband (who happens to be this irritating caveman who thinks women cannot have a career and kids both - and lays down the rule as such) and had to wait until almost half the book for her to get rid of him. I'd say that it was realistically written. When you're married for so long and have 4 kids nonetheless, it makes everything complicated. Not like packing up and leaving just because you got sick and tired of your current boyfriend/girlfriend. There's quite a lot to think of and see how it's going to affect everyone involved. It's all written in and shows how a woman struggles to manage her career and family. It also shows how important a family's support is for anyone's career - a man or a woman.
The reason I've given 3 stars though is because I did feel bored in quite a few places. Even after understanding India's plight.
The reason I've given 3 stars though is because I did feel bored in quite a few places. Even after understanding India's plight.
October 16, 2015
Bittersweet was the first book I had read from Danielle Steel and was something I really enjoyed. It was easy to read and very interesting. The characters were amazing, each brought an emotion out of me ranging from love to hatred. The story flowed nicely and not once was I bored. Very well-written, I have to say that this was a great book to start on when new to her stories. I enjoyed every bit of it and can only hope I'll feel the same way about her other stories.
January 25, 2016
Certainly not one of her better books, far too much discussion about their feelings and the same
things said over and over. It was nice that the main character wasn't a lawyer as Danielle tends to use the same occupations and locations repeatedly.
How is it that the female characters can survive on just a coffee?
things said over and over. It was nice that the main character wasn't a lawyer as Danielle tends to use the same occupations and locations repeatedly.
How is it that the female characters can survive on just a coffee?
February 1, 2017
Interesting tale of India, a suburban Mom, and her family. She was the daughter of a famous photographer who lost his life on a film shoot. She followed his path until she gave it all up for marriage. This novel revolves around the collapse of her marriage and the path she chooses. Interesting tale.
February 7, 2016
No, no, no. I did not like this book AT ALL. It was just, very, lame. I didn't buy any of the events that happened. Waste of time. I feel bad because I have never been critical with a book before....oh well...
May 7, 2008
Just finished this book. This one was great. Wish Hurricane's came more often!
July 9, 2015
Just remembered why I stopped reading Danielle Steele 20 years ago...
January 29, 2016
This book was okay. Just okay. It seemed to drag on and on as India and Doug fought chapter after chapter about her wanting to work again. The ending was really nice though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2016
I laughed , Smiled and wept with India!!. One of the most beautiful Story I have ever read!!
June 27, 2022
Figured the ending out early. But was a sweet story
Read
October 12, 2016India Taylor had worked in the Peace Corps and met Doug, her husband, in Costa Rica. The Peace Corps had been in her blood where for Doug it was something exciting to do before 'real life' began. She had remained in Central and South America after Doug went back to the States. She had accepted assignments in Asia and Africa too. She was a photojournalist as her father had been. Her father was killed when India was 15. He had been on assignment in Da Nang a year after he had won a Pulitzer Prize for his work.
India married Doug when she was 26 and she worked for the New York Times for 2 years. She quit when she had her first child, Jessica. Jessica was now 14, Jason 12, Aimee 11 and Sam was 9. She spent a lot of time taking pictures of her children and their activities.
She was at Sam's soccer game when she met up with her best friend, Gail Jones. She didn't understand the fact that Gail had given up her job as an attorney and now had affairs with other men. She didn't judge but thought that maybe if Gail was still working, she wouldn't have the affairs. Gail spoke to her about missing the life she had before she married. It got India to thinking...
India had taken a job in Harlem since she had children but it was not far from home and she could make it home every night.
Doug spoke to India about what he thought about both her and her father's job. He told India that if her father would have had a 'real job' that she wouldn't have gone to Europe when she was a child. It wouldn't have been something that she wanted to do that Gail was doing. Gail had mentioned to India that she, her husband and son were taking a trip to Europe over the summer. Doug said that India's father was 'lucky' to have taken the pictures he did. He also mentioned that India's picture taking had given her a good excuse to stay out and play, probably longer than she should have. India was furious and Doug didn't seem to notice. She told him that he was belittling her work and he told her that her photojournalism didn't require the self-discipline and judgement of running a business. India expected him to apologize but that never happened. He made it worse the next day when they were at dinner and she told him about her agent calling. They talked about India going back to work and Doug said that she was trying to show-off and being selfish in thinking of returning to work. He then told her that he didn't think anyone could be in love after being together for as long as they had been. He didn't expect any more in a marriage than companionship, respect and someone to look after the kids. India began to question her relationship with him after the discussions. She was very disappointed in him.
India basically ignored Doug for most of the next 3 weeks. He didn't seem to notice anything was wrong. She was quieter that usual and only Jessica noticed and questioned her about it. India was relieved to be going to Cape Cod for their annual summer vacation while Doug remained at home to work.
In Cape Cod, she ran into Jenny and Dick Parker and she mentioned Doug not allowing her to go back to work. Jenny and Dick both thought Doug was wrong in not allowing her to use her talent. She also met Paul Ward who had been married for 11 years to author and screen writer, Serena Smith. Serena was in LA while Paul had sailed in on his 170 ft. sailboat to visit Jenny & Dick. Paul was intrigued by India and they talked quite a bit when she was invited to lunch on board. Paul mentioned that Doug needed to be drug into the twentieth century after she told him that she was not planning on going back to work. Paul and Serena had no children and Paul took a serious liking to Sam and his knowledge of sailboats. Serena hadn't wanted children because she was too busy with her career. He was completely taken in by Sam and enjoyed spending time with him. He was inquisitive and already knew a lot about sailing. Paul and Sam shared an avid interest in sailing. Paul was intrigued by India and they developed a quick friendship because they both felt like they had been friends for a very long time and they could tell each other anything.
Serena came to visit and she asked India to take some pictures of her for the jacket of a new book she had coming out. India agreed and met with her. She got to know Serena well after spending an entire day with her while Paul and her son, Sam, were out sailing. India sent her the pictures and refused to take payment for them. She didn't really want credit for them in fear of her husband finding out that she had taken them.
Doug came to stay for a couple of weeks and he and India's relationship had taken a toll. They didn't talk much to each other. India mentioned wanting to go back to work and he blamed Gail and then accused her of having an affair with Dick Parker. India told him that he was just looking for someone to blame other than himself for their strained relationship. He told India that if she went back to work that she would suffer serious consequences.
Serena died and the bombing of a plane. India went to the funeral to see Paul. Doug accused her of going just to see what celebrities she could rub elbows with. India was furious that he would think that of her. She went and saw Paul visibly upset and crying.
She was surprised to get a call from him later thanking her for coming and talked to her about how much he missed Serena. It was obvious that he had loved her. Paul told India that he would never love anyone again. India told him that he needed time to mourn her. She told Paul about her strained relationship with Doug and about him still not wanting her to work. Doug had told her that he would leave her if she went back to work and India decided that her marriage was worth more so she didn't go back to work. Paul encouraged her to return to work and let Doug see that the family would survive for a short time of her being gone. With his encouragement, India accepted a job in London. She was to take pictures of a royal wedding. She was also to spend part of the week taking pictures of a child prostitution ring that the police were going to make arrests for.
She prepared Thanksgiving dinner the night before and left on Thursday morning for London. She took pictures of the wedding and then of the exposed child prostitition outfit. She spoke to Paul every day about what she was doing. She returned home and told the children all about the wedding. They were impressed with what she had done. Doug barely spoke to her. She hadn't told Doug about the child prostitution pictures and he arrived home at the end of the week with the article. He was furious and told her that there was something wrong with her to want to take pictures like that. She then picked up the article and felt like it might be the best work she had ever done. He told her he was leaving. He packed up his things and left nine days before Christmas. She talked him into coming home for Christmas and then he got their phone bill. He accused India of having an affair with Paul and told her that he was leaving for good and filing for a divorce. She told the kids and Jessica was mad at her, accusing her of choosing to work rather than stay married. Doug told Sam that India was having an affair with Paul and she had to explain to Sam that it wasn't true. She told Doug to stop using the kids and blaming others for their problems.
Paul and India stayed in contact. He was a huge supporter of her and her work. He told her when she got down that Doug leaving her was the best thing that ever happened to her. He didn't love her if he could treat her the way he did. He was a bully at best and didn't deserve her. Doug had let her stay in the house and one month after their split, he was already dating someone else.
Six months after Serena had died, Paul called India and told her that he was returning to land and coming off his sailboat. He asked to see her while he was in New York and she agreed to come see him. They spent most of the next few weeks together, day and night. Paul met with his son who always had negative things to say about his girlfriends. He didn't like Serena and it took him years to warm up to her. He told Paul that he didn't need a girlfriend and that India was much too young for him. She was young enough to have more children and he was sure that Paul couldn't handle that being 13 years older than India. It scared Paul and he thought about what he said and ended up breaking it off with India. Paul told India that he wasn't ready for a relationship because he was still too much in love with Serena. India was broken up worse than when her husband left. Paul had told her that he loved her and she believed him and told him that she loved him back. She knew it was true.
She wasn't paying much attention driving home and was involved in a car accident. She had 14 stitches in her head, a broken arm, a concussion, and whiplash. She didn't call Paul as she wanted to because he told her not to call him anymore and he wouldn't be calling her anymore either. She called Gail to pick her up from the hospital. Her car had been totaled. She then told Gail about her relationship with Paul. She had been keeping most of their relationship close and not sharing much with anyone. He had come to dinner and met India's children during his time in NY. They had made plans for Easter break and Paul had backed out of them. Gail's sister had committed suicide and she asked India if that had been her intention. She was scared for India. India admitted that maybe she didn't want to live anymore and that was why the accident had happened.
India spent the next month recuperating. It was another month later that Raoul called and asked her if she could go take pictures of some work at a hospital in Africa where missionaries from a variety of countries were taking care of some orphans. India called Doug and asked if he could watch the children while she was gone. He agreed to come stay at the house if he could bring his girlfriend, Tanya, with him. The kids weren't too thrilled because Doug had started to do more things with her children than he did with them.
India went to Africa and found out that Paul was one of the pilots who were flying in to drop off supplies. They thought they could avoid each other but soon found out that was impossible. Everyone there worked closely together. They started talking again and Paul asked about the scar on India's face and she told him about the wreck. Paul could tell by being with her again how much he had hurt her and how much he still cared. They talked about moving on and he stated again that he wanted Serena back. She was sorry but knew there was no use in telling him that he would get over the guilt of not dying with her in time. He asked her what she was looking for and she told him that she wanted a man who would cross heaven and earth because he cared for her...come through a hurricane if necessary. She wanted someone who loved her, not halfway, not maybe and not second to someone else, not someone because he'd made a deal with her-like Doug. She wanted someone that she could love with all her heart and that would love her back. Paul knew that Doug hadn't put her first but she was mostly talking about him. Paul had wanted her for a week but was scared off by her age, her having four children and his own son's comments that at his age he didn't need anyone else in his life.
India received a message from Doug about one of the children breaking something and she asked Paul to drive her to where she could call him back. She had figured out that it was Sam. It was a 3 hour drive to the Red Cross office and another 3 hours back to find out that Sam had broken his wrist in a baseball game. India told him that he could take care of the situation and she was glad it wasn't more serious. Doug started to gripe her out for not being there and telling him that Tanya was an angel because she had taken care of Sam and he wasn't even her child. India was angry that she and Paul had gone so far out of their way for something that she felt wasn't an emergency situation and she let Doug know that.
She finished her three weeks in Rwanda and went back home. The kids were happy to see her and Doug told her that he and Tanya were getting married after their divorce became final in December. The kids had learned not to hate Tanya so much after spending time with her and her two kids.
They packed up their things and went to Cape Cod as they usually did during the summer months. India was spending the first half with the kids and Doug and Tanya were ending the summer with the kids. The last week India was there, the weather turned bad. It rained for a couple of days and they were told a hurricane was headed their direction. It turned at the last minute and they were hit with a severe storm. Sam was outside watching the seas during the storm and he started waving at India. She went outside and Sam told her that it looked like the SEA STAR, Paul's sailboat, was riding in through the storm. India was surprised and ran through the storm to the yacht club to meet Paul. He came off the boat and told India that it wasn't a hurricane but asked if the storm was enough to prove that he was ready to give all of himself to her. She knew he had come home to her at last and then he kissed her.
India married Doug when she was 26 and she worked for the New York Times for 2 years. She quit when she had her first child, Jessica. Jessica was now 14, Jason 12, Aimee 11 and Sam was 9. She spent a lot of time taking pictures of her children and their activities.
She was at Sam's soccer game when she met up with her best friend, Gail Jones. She didn't understand the fact that Gail had given up her job as an attorney and now had affairs with other men. She didn't judge but thought that maybe if Gail was still working, she wouldn't have the affairs. Gail spoke to her about missing the life she had before she married. It got India to thinking...
India had taken a job in Harlem since she had children but it was not far from home and she could make it home every night.
Doug spoke to India about what he thought about both her and her father's job. He told India that if her father would have had a 'real job' that she wouldn't have gone to Europe when she was a child. It wouldn't have been something that she wanted to do that Gail was doing. Gail had mentioned to India that she, her husband and son were taking a trip to Europe over the summer. Doug said that India's father was 'lucky' to have taken the pictures he did. He also mentioned that India's picture taking had given her a good excuse to stay out and play, probably longer than she should have. India was furious and Doug didn't seem to notice. She told him that he was belittling her work and he told her that her photojournalism didn't require the self-discipline and judgement of running a business. India expected him to apologize but that never happened. He made it worse the next day when they were at dinner and she told him about her agent calling. They talked about India going back to work and Doug said that she was trying to show-off and being selfish in thinking of returning to work. He then told her that he didn't think anyone could be in love after being together for as long as they had been. He didn't expect any more in a marriage than companionship, respect and someone to look after the kids. India began to question her relationship with him after the discussions. She was very disappointed in him.
India basically ignored Doug for most of the next 3 weeks. He didn't seem to notice anything was wrong. She was quieter that usual and only Jessica noticed and questioned her about it. India was relieved to be going to Cape Cod for their annual summer vacation while Doug remained at home to work.
In Cape Cod, she ran into Jenny and Dick Parker and she mentioned Doug not allowing her to go back to work. Jenny and Dick both thought Doug was wrong in not allowing her to use her talent. She also met Paul Ward who had been married for 11 years to author and screen writer, Serena Smith. Serena was in LA while Paul had sailed in on his 170 ft. sailboat to visit Jenny & Dick. Paul was intrigued by India and they talked quite a bit when she was invited to lunch on board. Paul mentioned that Doug needed to be drug into the twentieth century after she told him that she was not planning on going back to work. Paul and Serena had no children and Paul took a serious liking to Sam and his knowledge of sailboats. Serena hadn't wanted children because she was too busy with her career. He was completely taken in by Sam and enjoyed spending time with him. He was inquisitive and already knew a lot about sailing. Paul and Sam shared an avid interest in sailing. Paul was intrigued by India and they developed a quick friendship because they both felt like they had been friends for a very long time and they could tell each other anything.
Serena came to visit and she asked India to take some pictures of her for the jacket of a new book she had coming out. India agreed and met with her. She got to know Serena well after spending an entire day with her while Paul and her son, Sam, were out sailing. India sent her the pictures and refused to take payment for them. She didn't really want credit for them in fear of her husband finding out that she had taken them.
Doug came to stay for a couple of weeks and he and India's relationship had taken a toll. They didn't talk much to each other. India mentioned wanting to go back to work and he blamed Gail and then accused her of having an affair with Dick Parker. India told him that he was just looking for someone to blame other than himself for their strained relationship. He told India that if she went back to work that she would suffer serious consequences.
Serena died and the bombing of a plane. India went to the funeral to see Paul. Doug accused her of going just to see what celebrities she could rub elbows with. India was furious that he would think that of her. She went and saw Paul visibly upset and crying.
She was surprised to get a call from him later thanking her for coming and talked to her about how much he missed Serena. It was obvious that he had loved her. Paul told India that he would never love anyone again. India told him that he needed time to mourn her. She told Paul about her strained relationship with Doug and about him still not wanting her to work. Doug had told her that he would leave her if she went back to work and India decided that her marriage was worth more so she didn't go back to work. Paul encouraged her to return to work and let Doug see that the family would survive for a short time of her being gone. With his encouragement, India accepted a job in London. She was to take pictures of a royal wedding. She was also to spend part of the week taking pictures of a child prostitution ring that the police were going to make arrests for.
She prepared Thanksgiving dinner the night before and left on Thursday morning for London. She took pictures of the wedding and then of the exposed child prostitition outfit. She spoke to Paul every day about what she was doing. She returned home and told the children all about the wedding. They were impressed with what she had done. Doug barely spoke to her. She hadn't told Doug about the child prostitution pictures and he arrived home at the end of the week with the article. He was furious and told her that there was something wrong with her to want to take pictures like that. She then picked up the article and felt like it might be the best work she had ever done. He told her he was leaving. He packed up his things and left nine days before Christmas. She talked him into coming home for Christmas and then he got their phone bill. He accused India of having an affair with Paul and told her that he was leaving for good and filing for a divorce. She told the kids and Jessica was mad at her, accusing her of choosing to work rather than stay married. Doug told Sam that India was having an affair with Paul and she had to explain to Sam that it wasn't true. She told Doug to stop using the kids and blaming others for their problems.
Paul and India stayed in contact. He was a huge supporter of her and her work. He told her when she got down that Doug leaving her was the best thing that ever happened to her. He didn't love her if he could treat her the way he did. He was a bully at best and didn't deserve her. Doug had let her stay in the house and one month after their split, he was already dating someone else.
Six months after Serena had died, Paul called India and told her that he was returning to land and coming off his sailboat. He asked to see her while he was in New York and she agreed to come see him. They spent most of the next few weeks together, day and night. Paul met with his son who always had negative things to say about his girlfriends. He didn't like Serena and it took him years to warm up to her. He told Paul that he didn't need a girlfriend and that India was much too young for him. She was young enough to have more children and he was sure that Paul couldn't handle that being 13 years older than India. It scared Paul and he thought about what he said and ended up breaking it off with India. Paul told India that he wasn't ready for a relationship because he was still too much in love with Serena. India was broken up worse than when her husband left. Paul had told her that he loved her and she believed him and told him that she loved him back. She knew it was true.
She wasn't paying much attention driving home and was involved in a car accident. She had 14 stitches in her head, a broken arm, a concussion, and whiplash. She didn't call Paul as she wanted to because he told her not to call him anymore and he wouldn't be calling her anymore either. She called Gail to pick her up from the hospital. Her car had been totaled. She then told Gail about her relationship with Paul. She had been keeping most of their relationship close and not sharing much with anyone. He had come to dinner and met India's children during his time in NY. They had made plans for Easter break and Paul had backed out of them. Gail's sister had committed suicide and she asked India if that had been her intention. She was scared for India. India admitted that maybe she didn't want to live anymore and that was why the accident had happened.
India spent the next month recuperating. It was another month later that Raoul called and asked her if she could go take pictures of some work at a hospital in Africa where missionaries from a variety of countries were taking care of some orphans. India called Doug and asked if he could watch the children while she was gone. He agreed to come stay at the house if he could bring his girlfriend, Tanya, with him. The kids weren't too thrilled because Doug had started to do more things with her children than he did with them.
India went to Africa and found out that Paul was one of the pilots who were flying in to drop off supplies. They thought they could avoid each other but soon found out that was impossible. Everyone there worked closely together. They started talking again and Paul asked about the scar on India's face and she told him about the wreck. Paul could tell by being with her again how much he had hurt her and how much he still cared. They talked about moving on and he stated again that he wanted Serena back. She was sorry but knew there was no use in telling him that he would get over the guilt of not dying with her in time. He asked her what she was looking for and she told him that she wanted a man who would cross heaven and earth because he cared for her...come through a hurricane if necessary. She wanted someone who loved her, not halfway, not maybe and not second to someone else, not someone because he'd made a deal with her-like Doug. She wanted someone that she could love with all her heart and that would love her back. Paul knew that Doug hadn't put her first but she was mostly talking about him. Paul had wanted her for a week but was scared off by her age, her having four children and his own son's comments that at his age he didn't need anyone else in his life.
India received a message from Doug about one of the children breaking something and she asked Paul to drive her to where she could call him back. She had figured out that it was Sam. It was a 3 hour drive to the Red Cross office and another 3 hours back to find out that Sam had broken his wrist in a baseball game. India told him that he could take care of the situation and she was glad it wasn't more serious. Doug started to gripe her out for not being there and telling him that Tanya was an angel because she had taken care of Sam and he wasn't even her child. India was angry that she and Paul had gone so far out of their way for something that she felt wasn't an emergency situation and she let Doug know that.
She finished her three weeks in Rwanda and went back home. The kids were happy to see her and Doug told her that he and Tanya were getting married after their divorce became final in December. The kids had learned not to hate Tanya so much after spending time with her and her two kids.
They packed up their things and went to Cape Cod as they usually did during the summer months. India was spending the first half with the kids and Doug and Tanya were ending the summer with the kids. The last week India was there, the weather turned bad. It rained for a couple of days and they were told a hurricane was headed their direction. It turned at the last minute and they were hit with a severe storm. Sam was outside watching the seas during the storm and he started waving at India. She went outside and Sam told her that it looked like the SEA STAR, Paul's sailboat, was riding in through the storm. India was surprised and ran through the storm to the yacht club to meet Paul. He came off the boat and told India that it wasn't a hurricane but asked if the storm was enough to prove that he was ready to give all of himself to her. She knew he had come home to her at last and then he kissed her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 239 reviews