The Harte family saga began in 1979 with the publication of A Woman Of Substance. This "rags to riches" novel tells the tale of an impoverished maid servant, Emma Harte, and her incredible journey: first of survival, then of unimaginable achievement as the founder of one of the world's most successful department store chains. A Woman of Substance has gone on to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide. It has been called "an enduring classic."

Due to the immense popularity of A Woman of Substance, Hold the Dream was written as a continuation of the saga. This popular sequel resumed with Emma's beloved granddaughter, Paula McGill Fairly, at the helm of the family empire. Paula remained at the head of the family business in To Be The Best, the third book in the series.

After an 18 year break, the series resumed in 2004 with Emma's Secret. This book began a new, modern Harte trilogy, with the next generation of family members including Linnet O'Neill, Paula's daughter and heir to the family empire. This was followed by Unexpected Blessings and later Just Rewards, featuring the recurring series villain, Jonathan Ainsley.

All six books have been worldwide bestsellers and can be found in paperback everywhere that books are sold.

One of Barbara's loyal readers was kind enough to compile an extensive family tree, showing all the major characters and how they are connected in the series. The full family tree follows below.