The Girls of Mischief Bay

January 15, 2015
Three friends support each other as life throws some unexpected curves their way.Nicole's Mischief Bay Pilates studio is growing every year, and it's a good thing, since her husband just up and quit his secure computer job to write a screenplay. Since he's barely around for their 5-year-old son, hardly helps out in the house and is living off her income, Nicole has discovered that two clients-turned-friends are suddenly emotional rocks she's depending on more than she should but is still very grateful to have. Shannon is the successful professional who's sacrificed a romantic life for her career, while Pam is the happily married yet slightly restless homemaker who's trying to bring a little zing back to her marriage. Suddenly, without planning it, all three women are at crossroads. Shannon has just met a new man who may tempt her to change her workaholic ways; Nicole's husband may actually be on the brink of life-changing success; and Pam will face tragedy that her solid marriage can't help her through. So for each woman, this new set of friends becomes a lifeline as she navigates unexpected terrain on her life journey. Romance superstar Mallery begins a new women's fiction series with a novel that is both heart-wrenching and warmhearted, and readers will likely find the trials and tribulations of Nicole, Shannon and Pam accessible and thought-provoking. A discerning, affecting look at three women facing surprising change and the powerful and uplifting impact of friends.

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March 1, 2015

In the coastal town of Mischief Bay, three friends share life's triumphs and troubles despite their varied ages and backgrounds. As a young mother and business owner, Nicole is not averse to hard work. But when her husband announces that he has quit his job to write screenplays, leaving her with all the financial, home, and child-rearing responsibilities, her patience is tested. Sharon, a highly paid chief financial officer for a tech firm, has yet to meet someone and start a family. She is starting to feel that time crunch as she nears 40. Pam, the oldest of the three, seemingly has it all. Her husband owns a successful construction company and her children are all grown, but she feels her life has become too mundane. Her worries about aging come to an abrupt halt when tragedy strikes and she must learn a new way of life. VERDICT New York Times best-selling author Mallery (Evening Stars; Three Sisters) starts a new series that once again creates an absorbing world in which the challenges of life are made easier with the support of true friends.--Joy Gunn, Paseo Verde Lib., Henderson, NV

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2015
Shannon is the CFO of her company so busy with her career that she's resorted to online dating. Empty-nester Pam has been married more than 30 years, and she feels that she's in more of a rut than a groove. Nichole is the owner of the Pilates studio where the three women met a few years earlier. Her husband quit his job to write what he believes will be a best-selling screenplay, and he shows almost no interest in her or their young son. Financially, they are barely afloat, and Nichole resents the 60-plus hours a week she works so he can write something he won't even let her see. Mallery skillfully depicts three very different women in different stages of their romantic relationships who enter into unbreakable friendships. Her likable heroines are well-rounded, and the reader goes on an emotional journey with each one of them, thanks to Mallery's acute observations. This first book in the Mischief Bay series will appeal to fans of women's fiction, especially such friendship books as Karen Joy Fowler's The Jane Austen Book Club (2004).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)