TITLE: The Friends We Keep
SERIES #: Mischief Bay #2
CHARACTERS: Gabby, Hayley & Nicole
AUTHOR: Susan Mallery
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/23/16
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In this insightful and compelling story from book club favorite Susan Mallery, three close friends test the boundaries of how much a woman can give before she has nothing left
After five years as a stay-at-home mom, Gabby Schaefer can’t wait to return to work. Oh, to use the bathroom in peace! No twins clamoring at the door, no husband barging in, no stepdaughter throwing a tantrum. But when her plans are derailed by some shocking news and her husband’s crushing expectations, Gabby must fight for the right to have a life of her own.
Getting pregnant is easy for Hayley Batchelor. Staying pregnant is the hard part. Her husband is worried about the expensive fertility treatments and frantic about the threat to her health. But to Hayley, a woman who was born to be a mom should risk everything to fulfill her destiny—no matter how high the cost.
Nicole Lord is still shell-shocked by a divorce that wasn’t as painful as it should’ve been. Other than the son they share, her ex-husband left barely a ripple in her life. A great new guy tempts her to believe maybe the second time’s the charm…but how can she trust herself to recognize true love?
As their bonds of friendship deepen against the beautiful backdrop of Mischief Bay, Gabby, Hayley and Nicole will rely on good food, good wine and especially each other to navigate life’s toughest changes.
REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts This is the second in the Mischief Bay but you do not need to read that one first to read this. I love Mallery’s work. The Fool’s Gold series is one of my favorite series of all time. But every year Mallery throws in one book from another series and while I enjoy them they just aren’t the same as the FG series.
These books are not as light hearted and easy as the FG series. There is more to these. There is a moral to these stories for lack of a better word. There is more life to these stories… More reality. The characters from Mischief Bay have a lot going on. First there is Gabby. Gabby is just ready to go back to work after her twins start school. Heck she is just ready to go to the bathroom alone without interruption which any mom understands. But her husband, step-daughter and his ex just seem to add so much drama in her life that I have to say I wondered why she wanted to be there. Her hubby is wrong for the way she is treated versus the way the daughter is treated and I really just wanted to slap him.
Then there is Nicole. Really I didn’t like her at first. She had a preconceived notion of her son’s favorite author and I was just bored with this part of the story. Yes we end up with HEA of course but it is pretty predictable.
And finally there is Hayley. This was a hard part of the story for me. Having gone through fertility treatments I got it. I understand her want of a child but to risk her life for one was just idiotic and I wanted to slap her as well. Again it works out. Hayley hits rock bottom and starts to rise again with a new lease on life but in the meantime she was so desperate that I had a hard time.
Now after all of this I want to say I enjoyed the story. I love anything that Mallery writes but I am glad to get back to Fool’s Gold and visit with the town I love.
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
4 Hearts
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