Harte Family Saga (Emma Harte Saga) Books in Order

The Emma Harte Saga (also known as the Harte Family Saga) follows Emma Harte, a poor Yorkshire servant girl who builds a global business empire, and her descendants across three generations in 20th–21st century Britain and America. It began with Bradford's 1979 debut novel A Woman of Substance, which sold over 30 million copies worldwide and was adapted into a 1985 TV miniseries.

Publication order

In the order the books were originally released.

  1. Cover of A Woman of Substance

    A Woman of Substance

    1979 · Barbara Taylor Bradford

    Emma Harte Lowther Ainsley is seventy-eight, one of the richest and most powerful women in the world, self-reliant and ruthless, using money as a…

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  2. Cover of Hold the Dream

    Hold the Dream

    1985 · Barbara Taylor Bradford

    As the sequel to A Woman of Substance, this novel continues Emma Harte's story after the elderly Emma relinquishes control of her vast empire to her…

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  3. Cover of To Be the Best

    To Be the Best

    1988 · Barbara Taylor Bradford

    Paula O'Neill has taken over her grandmother Emma Harte's elegant chain of department stores. Her ambition begins to override all other…

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  4. Cover of Emma's Secret

    Emma's Secret

    2003 · Barbara Taylor Bradford

    In this sequel to A Woman of Substance, Paula O'Neill, granddaughter and guardian of Emma Harte's business empire, faces sibling rivalry as American…

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  5. Cover of Unexpected Blessings

    Unexpected Blessings

    2005 · Barbara Taylor Bradford

    This installment follows the great-granddaughters of Emma Harte: Evan Hughes integrating into the Harte family amid a hovering enemy; Tessa Longden…

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  6. Cover of Just Rewards

    Just Rewards

    2005 · Barbara Taylor Bradford

    Concluding the Harte family saga, Linnet O'Neill battles to save the family business and locks horns with her mother Paula over its future. Evan…

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  7. Cover of Breaking the Rules

    Breaking the Rules

    2009 · Barbara Taylor Bradford

    Thirty years after Emma Harte, a new woman of substance called M flees to New York after a terrifying encounter in the English countryside, becoming…

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  8. A Man of Honour

    2021 · Barbara Taylor Bradford

    A Man of Honour is a 2021 book by Barbara Taylor Bradford. It is book 8 of the series Harte Family Saga (Emma Harte Saga).

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Frequently asked questions

What order should I read the Harte Family Saga (Emma Harte Saga) books in?

Read them in publication order, starting with “A Woman of Substance”. Start with “A Woman of Substance.”

How many books are in the Harte Family Saga (Emma Harte Saga) series?

We list 8 books by Barbara Taylor Bradford , published between 1979–2021.

Where can I buy the Harte Family Saga (Emma Harte Saga) books?

Each title above links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.