I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I had not read a Danielle Steel novel in over twenty years after reading several in a row that I did not enjoy. This one was in a bag of books from a family member that I trade books with and I decided to give it a try. I'm glad that I did! I enjoyed the friendship between the three main characters, and I really liked two of them, Charlie Harrington and Gray Hawk. I didn't find Adam Weiss quite as likeable through most of the book, although he did have some very good points. Charlie, Adam, and Grey are single men who have been the best of friends for over ten years. Each summer, they spend a month together on Charlie's yacht. This is always the best time of the year for each of them. Charlie and Gray have never been married. Charlie wanted marriage and children but believes the right woman has never come along. Gray had an unhappy childhood and doesn't want marriage or children. Adam was married and has two children, but his ex-wife's unfaithfulness has left him extremely bitter and unwilling to have a serious relationship. When the men meet for their yearly month of fun, they meet new people and have their usual grand time. As they return home, each of them experiences a change in lifestyle in the form of a new, unexpected relationship with a strong, loving woman. Charlie, Gray, and Adam all encounter some sort of difficulty in their new relationship that causes each of them to evaluate what they have believed they wanted out of life. Through the happy and difficult times of their new relationships, they are there for one another and help each other to discover what will really make each of them feel fulfilled.This book was enjoyable to read. I liked the dynamics between the male characters. Charlie and Gray were both great characters although Gray's stubborness over one aspect of his life was frustrating. Adam was generous and sometimes caring, but his behavior toward women was often callous. I hated the way that he treated the woman he was involved with during one part of their relationship. He did pretty well with redeeming himself later, but I didn't feel nearly as sympathetic toward him as I did the other two male characters. All three of the main female characters were well developed and likeable. I enjoyed this book enough that I will give Danielle Steel a try again soon.
In Toxic Bachelors, Danielle Steel told us another tale from a different POV for her main character--men's. For Charlie, Gray and Adam, they were three commitment-phobic confirmed bachelors and best friends for life. Charlie, a handsome philanthropist, wanted a special someone with high expectations for Mrs. Right; Adam, a 40-year-old celebrity lawyer, preferred his women young and for short-term, while Gray, a gifted artist, couldn't imagine having a family with the woman he with. When one summer they were on Charlie's cruise during their summer holiday vacation. When summer ended for them, the fall season would bring them a hard dose of reality, when they fall hard in love. We watched how their love lives unraveled during the fall and how they couldn't complain about who they fell for. When another holiday season came along, it was up to them to face their fears first and tackle the most intriguing adventure of them all--love.
What do You think about Toxic Bachelors (2005)?
This is a story about 3 bachelors, one who was left very wealthy by the loss of his parents at an early age and his only sister at 21, the second who was also very wealthy, an entertainment lawyer who grew up in a very dysfunctional family and the third a starving artist who also came from a very dysfunctional family. The 3 are the best of friends who all have very distraught views of relationships and marriage. This is a story of friendship, growth and finding true love. Is an easy read and delightfully entertaining.
—Kristi Vu
This was my first Danielle Steele book and it was pretty good. These guys were definitely "toxic" bachelors. Charlie was extremely likeable, and I felt sorry for Grey and felt Adam was a total jerk. I know each of these guys became who there were because of extenuating circumstances, but I'm glad they had each other all those years to confide in. It's funny that they all thought they'd never get married either for the first time or ever again and then they all fall head-over-heels in love, after fighting it pretty hard. Carol, Sylvia and Maggie made these guy's heads spin....kinda funny. The story started out slow for me but by the end, I was drawn to the guys and wanted to know where they would end up. I fantasized about being able to jump on Charlie's yacht and travel with them in August.
—Mary Honeycutt
I hadn't read a Danielle Steel novel since I was in my twenties and now I remember why...I also remember why I picked them up in the first place. It was predictable and repetitive; the characters were caricatures of people, walking cliches. I knew how it would end before I was part way through the novel but there was one moment I was brought to tears, (which isn't hard to do), and a few moments that made me chuckle. If you want a light read this is the novel for you, if you want something that makes you think avoid this novel like the plague.
—Thea
