The Bitter Sea
Coming of Age in a China Before Mao
In the tradition of THE KILLING CLUB, CHARM! is the fantastically entertaining novel written by the popular ALL MY CHILDREN (AMC) main character Kendall Hart, Erica Kane's daughter, and will be integrated into the show as Kendall’s character ‘writes’ and ‘publishes’ this book.Harley Wilkins is in her prime: 30-years-old, living in Manhattan, and working tirelessly to make her cosmetics company, Flair, a success. As she works to introduce her first perfume, multitudes of complications begin to infiltrate Harley’s life. Trying to get things done at work, she constantly has to play babysitter to her partner Parker, who is little more than a partying socialite who used her nepotism to get undeserved equal-footing with Harley at the top of the company. She relies on the comic relief and smart perspective of her delightfully flamboyant friend, confidante, and co-worker Justin who helps Harley keep her head on straight amidst the drama that is her life. After being informed by a gleeful Parker of her boyfriend Marcus’ infidelity, Harley meets the intriguing and successful Brad—but her hope for pleasurable preoccupation is extinguished when she is confronted with a startling truth about the woman she had always believed to be her mother. Torn between reconciling with a cheating boyfriend or taking a chance on new love, trying to make sense of the new developments regarding her family, and all the while toiling endlessly to make her perfume launch a triumph, Harley’s open heart and ability to trust is tried and tested as she is incessantly betrayed. A chaotic chain of events ensues—brimming with scandal, back-stabbing, and even a kidnapping—all the scintillating components necessary to make this immensely engaging story the ultimate soap opera tale!
