Bess is happy and in love with her new husband Edward, a recent widow. However, when she plans a big celebration for Edward's birthday, this May-December romance goes into a tailspin. She quickly realizes that joining a family isn't going to be as easy as she thought. Especially when it comes to getting along with her step-daughter, Jojo who can't seem to come to terms with her fathers new marriage, all the while battling inner-demons of her own. Jojo relies on her cousin Cari a fierce career-woman who isn't unnerved by anything except for facing the man who left her at the alter--the man who Bess invited to the party.Thanks to laughter, tears and a big surprise, the Brannigans might just discover the secrets of a happy marriage. . . But will they find out before it's too late?
#1 International bestselling author, Cathy Kelly, returns with a heartwarming new novel
Meet the women of Delaney Gardens, a bustling suburban village in the outer reaches of Dublin. There's Cassie, who's spent her married life doing everything right for her children, husband, and mother-in-law, yet feels so exhausted that "wine o'clock" comes a little earlier each afternoon. There's her sister Coco, who runs a vintage dress shop, but has avoided the complications of romantic commitment. Watching over them is their grandmother Pearl, who, despite caring deeply for her family, is contending with a long-buried secret. And then there's Elsa, the polished face of daytime TV, who's triumphed over demons before, but is now facing her toughest battle yet. At every crossroad these women face, readers are taken deeper into the heart of what it means to be a family.
The new novel from #1 international bestselling author Cathy Kelly.
It all started with Paris. At the top of the Eiffel Tower, a young man proposes to his girlfriend. In that second, everything changes, not just for the happy couple, but for the family and friends awaiting their return in Ireland.
Leila's been nursing a broken heart since her husband suddenly left her, but she's determined to put on a brave face for the bride. Vonnie, a widow, has finally dared to let love back into her life, but a curveball arises that puts another's safety at risk. And Grace, a school principal, finds that her son's impending union brings her ex-husband back into her daily life, and starts to ponder past decisions and wonder if her divorce was in fact a mistake.
As these three women gather around the young couple to prepare for the wedding, they'll each have to address their own demons and find a way to move forward, whatever the cost.
To discover the sweetest things in life, you sometimes have to lose your way...It's easy to fall in love with the beautiful town of Redstone - the locals wave and chat to each other, the shops and cafes are full of cheerful hustle and bustle. And amidst all this activity, two women believe they are getting on just fine.Francesca's boundless energy help her to take everything in her stride, including a husband who has lost his job and the unwelcome arrival of the menopause, which has kicked in - full throttle.Peggy has always been a restless spirit. But now, focused and approaching thirty, she has opened her own knitting shop on the town's high street. It's a dream come true, but she still feels adrift.When Australian-raised Lillie finally makes it back home to Ireland, she is drawn right into the heart of Redstone's thriving community. But what she thought would be an ending is actually just a beginning; all of Lillie's hard-earned wisdom will soon be called into play as she helps new friends navigate unchartered territory. . .
Four very different women are drawn together in the warm and engaging new novel by this bestselling author.Good times or bad, friends are always there...In the beautiful town of Dunmore, four women understand what friendship really means. Abby's TV career is taking off, but her marriage to Tom is rocky. Meanwhile, her teenage daughter Jess despairs of ever finding a boyfriend. Lizzie has time for everyone: her grown-up children, her friends, even her ex-husband Myles, but never for herself. And then there's Erin, married and back in Ireland after eight years in Chicago. But can she face up to her past?When tragedy strikes, it rocks the small town. Drawn together in their sadness, the four women realise that life is for living, and they need to grab it with both hands...
The new warm and engaging novel from the bestselling author of Best of Friends.Read by Niamh Cusack.What makes you who you are?Your job? Your kids? Your place in the family?For Carrickwell residents, Mel, Frankie and Cleo, the answer was once clear and their roles were firmly defined.Mel had a career. Frankie was a busy mum with a college-going son. And Cleo was ready to step into the family business once she'd finished her hotel management course. Until the landscape shifted.Now Mel's job comes second to the guilt of being a working mum-of-two. Her marriage isn't even on the page.Frankie has her mothering vocation whipped out from under her feet when her son flies the nest. She's suddenly redundant and her fractitious widowed mother thinks they now have more in common and can start doing things together, dodgy hip notwithstanding.And Cleo has to watch the family business crumble along with her relationship with family.But inspiration on how to go forward comes from the most unlikely source.And the three women find that it's not what you do that ultimately defines you. It's something more...
The warm and moving new novel from the No. 1 Bestselling author of Always and Forever.Keep a secret too long and it will creep out when you least expect it...Behind the shining windows and rose-bedecked gardens of Summer Street, there are lots of secrets. There's the one that hard-working single mother, Faye, hides from her teenage daughter, Amber. And there's the one that thirty-year-old Maggie hides from herself.When fiery Amber decides to throw away her future for love, and when Maggie ends up back home looking after her sick mother, their secrets begin to bubble over.The only person on Summer Street who appears to know all the answers is their friend Christie. Wise and kind, she can see into other people's hearts to solve their problems. Except that this time, the secrets she's hidden from her beloved husband and grown up sons suddenly reappear. When the past comes alive for Maggie, Faye and Christie, they finally have to face it.
The warm, engrossing new novel from the No. 1 bestseller, Cathy KellyTess used to be happy with her lot: she lives in the idyllic Irish coastal village, Avalon, with her teenage son, Zach and nine-year-old Kitty, and works in the local antiques shop. Her only regret in life is that everything went so horribly wrong with her first love. Then her marriage falls apart and her first love returns to Avalon.Suki, Tess's sister, fled Ireland years ago to marry politician Kyle Richardon, but when Suki discovers that a biographer is planning to tell all, there is only one place she can go to ensure that her secrets stay hidden.Danae is the village post mistress in Avalon and she's worked very hard to make sure nobody knows where she came from or who she is... Her past is her business and that's the way she would like to keep it.In Galway, Mara sits with a smile glued to her face at a wedding; she only wants to ask the groom one thing: why did he tell her he loved her? Needing to put her past behind her, Mara packs up her life and gets ready for a fresh start.Can these four women lay their pasts to rest? Or do they need to look back before they can begin to live for the future?
A festive collection of short stories by No. 1 bestseller, Cathy Kelly, the natural heir to Maeve Binchy.Lose yourself in this warm and wonderful collection of short stories from bestselling Irish storyteller Cathy Kelly.From weddings and summer holidays to Christmas with uninvited family or long-lost friends returning, this anthology captures the hopes, tears, laughter and loves of all kinds of women and their families and friends with Cathy' s inimitable warmth.The holiday season comes but once a year, so curl up by a roaring fire and let the magic reel you in...
The warm and wonderful new novel fromthe natural heir to Maeve Binchy
Eleanor Levine left Ireland seventy years ago with little more than a suitcase and her mother's handwritten recipe book. Now, a lifetime later, she's returning from New York with hard won wisdom and memories of her own. A renowned psychoanalyst, Eleanor knows there's one final journey she has to make...Lovely young actress Megan Bouchier didn't have to chase success - it arrived effortlessly. Fame was what she always wanted until a disastrous affair made her the wrong kind of headlines - now Megan needs a place to hide...Darkly beautiful Rae is a wonderful wife, a loyal friend and a dedicated community carer. From Titania's Tea Rooms she dispenses tea and sympathy to everyone - until a painful secret from her past threatens everything she holds dear.
Big-hearted teacher Connie O'Callaghan has given up on love. She's cheerfully approaching forty and besides, why does no man ever match the heroes in her beloved romantic novels?
As Eleanor re-reads her mother's comforting words and watches life unfold from her window in Dublin's pretty Golden Square, she slowly becomes drawn into the lives of Megan, Rae and Connie. But can treasured wisdom handed down from mother to daughter really be relevant today? And what are the ingredients for a life well lived?
An exclusive short story for World Book Day from one of our bestselling authorsSometimes all we need is a relaxing holiday in the sun.For Anthony and Carole, a week in a lovely Greek hotel has helped them mend the cracks in their marriage. For widowed Jessica, it's the longest she's ever gone without visiting her beloved husband's grave.However when the flight doesn't go according to plan, they are each forced to face up to the very things they have been avoiding for so long.By the time they land, they have learnt important life lessons about themselves and each other which change them forever.
The compelling new novel from the worldwide bestselling author.Kenny's Department Store, with its handsome Edwardian façade, is the jewel in Ardagh town's crown. TV presenter Ingrid Fitzgerald has watched her husband David, Kenny's charismatic owner, pour his heart and soul into the family store, making it the epitome of boutique chic. She's juggled family life and her glittering career admirably. Now, as their children fly the nest, Ingrid discovers a secret that will shake her world to its very foundations. Natalie Flynn shares a flat with Ingrid's daughter, Molly. As love blossoms in her life, motherless Natalie starts to ask questions she has never dared to before. But will they help her make sense of her life and who she really is? Charlie Fallon is a passionate and motivated Kenny's employee who adores her husband and son, but her eccentric mother seems bent on wrecking her life. Now it's time to fight for her own happiness. Free spirit, Star Bluestone, who handcrafts fabulous tapestries for Kenny's, is the woman with the knowledge to help them all. Star knows from experience that the important things in life must be nurtured and treasured. She harbours many secrets and understands that the chance for real joy comes only once in a lifetime... Warm, captivating storytelling from the heart - treat yourself to some Cathy Kelly time.
