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Otherwise Engaged

by Susan Mallery Publisher: MIRA

Mothers, daughters, and the lives shaped by secrets

Regular price $24.93 USD
Regular price $41.55 USD Sale price $24.93 USD
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Hardcover New English

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Awards & Recognition

  • Author recognition

    By a #1 New York Times bestselling author

    The metadata identifies Susan Mallery as a #1 New York Times bestselling author; this is an author-level recogni...

AlbakiReads Editorial

Mothers, daughters, and the lives shaped by secrets

Two mother-daughter pairs meet through a wedding, where a long-kept adoption secret links their families in unexpected ways. Shannon is trying to keep her engagement separate from her mother Cindy’s plans, while stuntwoman Victoria’s return home gives Ava another chance to reach her. The revelation reaches back to Cindy’s decision, as a teenager, to choose Ava to adopt her baby before changing her mind. From there, the novel brings questions of family connection and identity into focus: how do choices made by one generation shape the next, and how might life have differed if those choices had gone another way?

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • For readers interested in family-centered fiction about mothers and daughters.
  • For readers drawn to stories about adoption, family secrets, and questions of identity.
  • For readers who enjoy novels involving intersecting family relationships and wedding plans.

Themes

Mother-daughter relationshipsAdoption and family secretsIdentity and life choicesIntergenerational connection

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A twisty, tender and wise look at how secrets can transform the powerful--and sometimes problematic--bond between mothers and daughters, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery.

When Shannon gets engaged, her beloved mom, Cindy, is the first person she wants to tell--and the last. Cindy's engaged, too, and has already hinted at a double wedding. The image of a synchronized bouquet toss with her mom fills Shannon with horror. She'll keep her engagement a secret until Cindy's I-dos are done.

Victoria has never been proper enough for her mother, Ava, so she stopped trying. She lives on her own terms and amuses herself by pushing Ava's buttons. Ava loves but doesn't understand her stuntwoman daughter. When a movie-set mishap brings Victoria home, Ava longs to finally connect.

Chance brings the four women together at a wedding venue, where a shocking secret comes tumbling out. Twenty-four years ago, desperate teenager Cindy chose wealthy Ava to adopt her baby--then changed her mind at the very last second. The loss rocked Ava's world, leaving her unable to open her heart to the daughter she did adopt, Victoria. As Shannon and Victoria deal with the fallout from the decisions their mothers made, they wrestle with whether who they are is different than who they might have become.
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Customer reviews

M
AlbakiReads
Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

T
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Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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Olivia

Smooth.