A Family Affair: Spring is a story of betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption, all wrapped up in the lives of the people we love to love, and even a few we love to hate. Harry Blacksworth is rich, handsome, the ultimate playboy with a killer smile and a clever wit. He's fought it, denied it, ignored it, but the damn truth won't go away: He's fallen in love. And just when he's accepted that fact, Greta Servensen, the only woman he's ever trusted, breaks his heart.Christine Blacksworth and Nate Desantro beat the odds when they fell in love and married. But staying married is threatened when the foundation behind every good relationship--trust--is challenged. Gloria Blacksworth descends upon Magdalena in all of her designer-clad arrogance, determined to make Christine change her course and return to Chicago and her old life. It may take a well-planted lie or two, but Gloria doesn't plan to fail. When she finally confronts Miriam Desantro, the "other woman", Gloria discovers more than she ever wanted to know... or admit. Angelo "Pop" Benito is The Godfather of Magdalena. Nothing happens in that town without his knowledge or approval. And Pop doesn't do anything without a long sit-down with his dead wife, Lucy, and a half dozen pizzelles by his side. He'll need a lot of lung power and a tray of his favorite treat to help Nate and Christine out of a real mess. And he may need the help of his checkers buddy and Magdalena's shining star, Lily Desantro. Truth In Lies SeriesA Family Affair, Book OneA Family Affair: Spring, Book TwoA Family Affair: Summer, Book Three A Family Affair: Fall, Book Four (Fall 2014) A Family Affair: Winter (TBA)From the AuthorI never intended to write a sequel to A Family Affair, let alone a series. For me, the story was done and I moved on to my next book. Readers had a different idea. I began to receive emails, Facebook comments, and blog posts, asking to know more about these characters. Did Nate and Christine marry? What about Harry and Greta? And heavens, did Gloria Blacksworth ever get her comeuppance? The correspondence from readers requesting more was heartfelt and humbling, and yet, turning a book into a series that was never intended to be one is a huge and daunting task. I wasn't going to do it unless I could feel the passion for the continuation of that story. It was a struggle, yet it remained in the back of my mind as I wrote one book after another. I do some of my best thinking when I'm walking my dog and during a particularly cool morning walk, I started playing around with scenarios and characters. I let my imagination go and didn't try to shut anything down. I did the same thing the next day, and soon Lily, Nate, Christine, Harry, Gloria, Greta--the whole crew-- had taken residence in my head. They wouldn't go away and that's when I knew I had to write about them and gave the series what I think is an appropriate name: Truth in Lies. I have absolutely loved every part of this process and the characters have entertained me as well as broken my heart a time or two. Long before I wrote "The End", I'd already decided what the storyline would be for A Family Affair: Summer. If you guessed Cash Casherdon and Tess Carrick, you are exactly correct. I hope you've enjoyed this journey and before long, we'll take another into A Family Affair: Summer. Thank you to all the dear readers who wrote to tell me they wanted a continuation of A Family Affair. I have indeed heard you!From the Inside FlapThe most valuable lesson Gloria learned from her father-in-law, Randolph Blacksworth, was to employ the element of surprise whenever possible. It worked in battles fought on the field, in the boardroom, and in life. For this reason, Gloria did not announce her impending arrival in Magdalena. Rather, on a sunny Tuesday in early June, she drove her black Mercedes sedan through the streets of the small town and straight to ND Manufacturing. She didn't expect to find Christine there. She did, however, expect to locate her target: Nathan Desantro, Christine's husband. If Gloria had any say in the matter or could manipulate the situation to her satisfaction, the man would not possess that title much longer. Gloria parked her car in the truck-filled lot and entered the low, squat building. She'd never been inside a factory, and while there was no distinct odor to the place, she wrinkled her nose. What would Charles have said if she'd made the trip while he was alive? Would he have begged her to leave, promising to end his relationship with Magdalena and everyone associated with it? Or would he have stood beside that woman and their child and told Gloria he wanted a divorce? She couldn't say, even now after his death, and that was why she'd never entered Magdalena while Charles was alive. But now he was dead and Christine had married the mistress's son and practically disowned her mother. It had to stop, no matter what methods need be employed, and Gloria was quite good at inventing ways to get what she wanted. It was ultimately for Christine's own good. Mothers always knew what was best for their children, and it was a mother's duty to steer the child back onto the right track, especially if said child had gone astray--which Christine had.
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