Be Careful What You Wish For (Book #4 of The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer

 

Synopsis :

When Ross Burchanan is forced to resign as chairman of the Barrington Shopping Company, Emma Clifton wants to replace him. But Don Pedro Martinez intends to install his puppet, the devious Major Alex Fisher in order to destroy the Barrington family firm just as the company plans to build its new luxury liner, the MV Buckingham.

Meanwhile, in London, Harry and Emma's adopted daughter wins a scholarship to the Slade Academy of Art where she falls in love with a fellow student, Clive Bingham, who ask her to marry him. Both families are delighted until Priscilla Bingham, Jessica's future mother-in-law, has a visit from an old friend, Lady Virginia Fenwick, who drops her particular brand of poison into the wedding chalice.

Then, without warning, Cedric Hardcastle, a bluff Yorkshireman who no one has come across before, takes his place on the board of Barrington's. This event will change the lives of every member of the Clifton and Barrington families, as they march forward into the sixties, in this epic tale of love, revenge, ambition and betrayal.

This is what I say :

Actually, the above synopsis taken from the back cover of the book makes the particular title sounds much intrigue and exciting. Unfortunately, while book 4 of The Clifton Chronicles is still captivating, it wasn't as intriguing as what the synopsis stated.

Having investing over 4 books in the Chronicles, I really pretty invested in some of the characters but I still feel that characters development is rather poor in this series. Some characters have such potential but I guess they just play second fiddle in the whole scheme of thing in the lives of the Clifton and Barrington or to be exact, in the lives of Emma, Harry, Giles and Sabastian.  The author just doesn't have time for the others.

Be Careful What You Wish For is the mid point in this series.  It started with Only Time Will Tell, The Sins of The Father and Best Kept Secret.

Best Kept Secret (Book #3 of The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer

 

Synopsis :

1945. The vote in the House of Lords as to who should inherit the Barrington family fortune has ended in a tie.  The Lord Chancellor's deciding vote will cast a long shadow in the lives of Harry Clifton and Giles Barrington.

Harry returns to America to promote his latest novel, while his beloved Emma goes in search of the little girl who was found abandoned in her father's office on the night he was killed.

When the General Election is called Giles Barrington has to defend his seat in the House of Commons and is horrified to discover who the Conservatives select to stand against him. But it is Sabastian Clifton, Harry and Emma's son, who ultimately influences his uncle's fate.

in 1957, Sebastian wins a scholarship to Cambridge, and a new generation of the Clifton family march onto the page.  After Sabastian is expelled from school, he unwittingly becomes caught up in a case of international art fraud involving a Rodin statue that is worth far more than the sum it raises at auction. 

This is what I say :

Best Kept Secret is the third book of The Clifton Chronicles right after the first title Only Time will Tell and book two The Sins of the Father.

I feel there's too many things happening the the third title. It felt very rushed and also rather breathless to read as things are happening all at once to everyone that the characters become rather two dimension and dont really developed well.

I feel the author just wanted to pack a lot of things to move to story along to a particular future and such everything felt rush.  Having said that, it's still entertaining book and I remember I brought this title with me on a trip to the capital city around this time last year.

Once you are done with Best Kept Secret, you will need to then move to the forth title in the series which is Be Careful What You Wish For which will be my next post.

The Sins of the Father (Book #2 of The Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer

 

Synopsis :

On the heels of the international bestseller Only Time Will Tell, Jeffrey Archer picks up the sweeping story of the Clifton Chronicles.

Only days before Britain declares war on Germany, Harry Clifton, hoping to escape the consequences of long-buried family secrets, and forced to accept that his desire to marry Emma Barrington will never be fulfilled, has joined the Merchant Navy.
But his ship is sunk in the Atlantic by a German U-boat, drowning almost the entire crew.  An American cruise liner, the SS Kansas Star, rescues a handful of sailors, among them Harry and the third officer, an American named Tom Bradshaw.  When Bradshaw dies in the night, Harry seizes on the chance to escape his tangled past and assumes his identity.

But on landing in America, he quickly learns the mistake he has made, when he discovers what is awaiting Bradshaw in New York.  Without any way of proving his true identity, Harry Clifton is now chained to a past that could be far worse than the one he had hoped to escape.

This is what I say :

The Sins of the Father is second title in the Clifton Chronicles Series.  It continues and follows the story of Harry Clifton right after he arrives in America.

If you are interested in the Clifton Chronicles, you will need to start with the first book Only Time Will Tell and you will need to read the titles in the book order.  Only then will you be able to appreciate and follow the storyline.

The Sins of The Father is as captivating as the first book. It not only tells the story of Harry Clifton but also the story of the love of his life, Emma Barrington and what she went through to get reunited with Harry.

Right after this would be book no. 3, Best Kept Secret.