If you are expecting a formulaic Danielle Steele book, then think again.

Mirror Image is set in a bygone day, but not one that the reader cannot empathise with, and the two characters, twins Victoria and Olivia Henderson, start to differentiate themselves from the opening pages.

We meet Olivia, she is a homebody, happy to clean and help cook, and generally look after their aging father. She has no dreams of equal rights for women, as does Victoria, but she feels that the woman's place is in the home.

Victoria, from the outset, seems to be headstrong, tempestuous and eager to look for trouble. She has no such desire to be tied down, not by her father's expectations, or society's rules.

Sister Olivia is always bailing younger Victoria out, hiding her scrapes from their father, and never appreciating the pains Olivia goes to to keep her sister's reputation and the family name.

Until Victoria has an affair, secretly, and finds herself pregnant, and alone, apart from Olivia.

A marriage is arranged for Victoria, who is not happy with husband or son, and it is Olivia who once again steps into the breach, taking her sister's place in a marriage which only one of them really wants.

Steele's story takes the reader from fine country house to smart cities around the world, the war torn countryside of France, and back, with Olivia's love for a husband who is not actually hers, and Victoria's secret life overseas.

The writing is full of emotion, some humour, and dark moments, but true Steele fans should be satisfied with the depth of this story.