Secrets of a happy marriage

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The Sunday Times Number 3 Bestseller

'Wise, warm, compassionate and full of characters I loved ... it's like having a great gossip with your best friends' Marian Keyes

A family gathering, a moment of celebration, a time to come together - and fall apart...

Recently married Bess should be blissfully happy, but as she plans a party for her husband, the cracks are beginning to show.

Jojo, Bess's stepdaughter, has a point to make: Bess has swept into her father's life but she won't ever replace Jojo's late beloved mother.

Cousin Cari is a strong career-woman who isn't unnerved by anything - apart from facing the man who left her at the altar - and he's on the guest list.

As the party brings them all together, can the Brannigans discover the secrets of a happy marriage before it is too late?

Everyone loves Cathy Kelly:

'This top-notch storyteller once again cuts to the quick of modern women's lives and their relationships' Woman & Home

' Entertaining , moving and as vivid as a screenplay' Irish Independent

'A heart-warming story about family, love and loss' The Lady

'Love, laughter, tears and understanding are the perfect ingredients for a fabulous read ' Sun

'An involving , heart-warming read about family, friends, love and disappointment' Fanny Blake, Sunday Express Magazine

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Late in life, Bess has unexpectedly fallen in love with Edward, a widower with two adult children. She couldn't be happier with her new husband and is looking forward to celebrating Edward's 70th birthday with a huge party for all of the extended family. Yet as the invites go out, Bess soon realizes she may be in over her head with this clan. Edward's daughter, Jojo, hates Bess and desperately misses her mother. Niece Cari is upset that her cousin Traci is also invited since Cari's fiancé left her at the altar for Traci. At the same time, Bess has a thorny relationship with her adult daughter Amy. Adding to the challenging dynamics, editor Cari is dealing with losing her star author to another editor, Jojo is going through unsuccessful infertility treatments, and Amy is having an affair with a married man, while Edward's siblings have their own secrets. It all comes to a head at Lisowen Castle in Ireland as the family gathers and lets loose. Verdict Internationally best-selling author Kelly (Between Sisters) offers up an engrossing intergenerational story of love and family that will hold lots of appeal for fans of Nancy Thayer. [See Prepub Alert, 1/29/18.]-Melissa DeWild, Spring Lake Dist. Lib., MI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Best-selling Irish author Kelly returns with another multigenerational tale of love and family. Edward Brannigan's impending seventieth birthday party is proving more stressful than celebratory. His daughter, JoJo, is still grieving after losing her mother and despises Edward's second wife, Bess. While Jojo and her husband are struggling with infertility and the weight of keeping it a secret, Bess is struggling to make a place for herself in Edward's family while trying to break out of the spiky protective shell she has maintained for years. Bess' daughter, Amy, has finally found the confidence to ignore her mother's domineering advice and become her own woman. Edward's niece, Cari, has pulled together her life after being left at the altar, but she is wary of falling in love again. Given all this, Edward's birthday party stirs up emotions and gives rise to confrontations that change each of these women's lives. Kelly's trademark warmth and empathy and her strong women characters shine in her latest novel.--Aleksandra Walker Copyright 2018 Booklist