BUNGALOW 2 – Danielle Steel
Dell Books
ISBN: 978-0-440-24206-2
June 2008
Contemporary Fiction

Ross, Marin County and Hollywood, California – Present Day

Tanya Harris feels she is blessed with the perfect life. At forty-two, she can still turn heads, but she is devoted to her children and her husband Peter, who is a litigation attorney. Jason, her eldest, is at college, and the twins, Megan and Molly, are about to enter their senior year of high school. Tanya loves being a stay-at-home mom and works as a freelance writer. Her dream has always been to do a screenplay, but the work she does can stand on its own merit. With the children getting older, Tanya is ready for a change, but when that change happens, will she be prepared for the dire consequences?

Walter Miller, Tanya’s agent, calls at the perfect moment. Tanya is presented with an enticing offer that is the answer to her dreams. She is offered the job of writing a screenplay for a major motion picture. Peter, Molly, and Jason are excited for Tanya and feel it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Megan, however, gets upset and runs to longtime neighbor, Alice, to cry on her shoulder. Alice is a widow and Tanya’s closest friend. When Alice hears Tanya’s news, she is excited for her friend, and assures Tanya she will be there to help Peter with the children. With a feeling of apprehension, Tanya accepts the offer and heads for Hollywood.

The beautiful Beverly Hills Hotel, Bungalow 2, is what Tanya will call home for the next nine months. The bungalow is unbelievable, and she has a limo at her service. But still, it’s not home. The long grueling hours don’t faze her, and Tanya is ecstatic to be working with A-list actors, and Douglas Wayne, who is not only a Hollywood legend, an Oscar winner, but he is also the producer. Things couldn’t be better, but coming home on the weekends is beginning to be a problem, and in a very short time Tanya sees her personal life unravel. How can this be happening? Peter has decided he cannot compete with Hollywood and Tanya will not want to come home. Is this what he uses to justify his affair with Tanya’s former best friend? Tanya is devastated when her two worlds collide. Will she come out the loser, or can she have it all?

BUNGALOW 2 grabs the reader’s heart as Tanya sees her lifelong dream come true and her personal world shattered by Peter’s affair. Peter comes across as extremely shallow, and Alice is an opportunist who latches onto Peter. Tanya shows grace, not weakness, as she is forced to acknowledge the betrayal of what she thought was a strong relationship. This reviewer cannot help but wonder would this have been such a perfect marriage if Peter ever had to pitch in and contribute to the household chores or taking care of the children? But life isn’t over for Tanya, and the best is yet to come.

BUNGALOW 2 is an entertaining tale, and a sure-fire winner for fans of Danielle Steel.

Deborah C Jackson