Chances Are

From Publishers Weekly
In Bretton's fine follow-up to Shore Lights, firefighter and bar owner Aidan O'Malley and radio-show host Maddy (DiFalco) Bainbridge prepare for their upcoming nuptials in Paradise Point, N.J. Their pre-wedding jitters are magnified when PBS films a documentary on Jersey Shore towns and focuses on the O'Malley and DiFalco families, who settled Paradise Point and are now being joined in marriage. Maddy and Aidan are salt-of-the-earth characters, grounded in the realism of past disappointments and tragedy. Aidan raised his teenage daughter, Kelly, on his own, his young wife having died when Kelly was an infant. Maddy in turn lost her previous love when he broke off their relationship after she became pregnant with their young daughter, Hannah. The well-observed interactions between friends and family add depth. Claire, part owner of O'Malley's bar and widow of Aidan's philandering brother, Billy, must come to terms with her deceased husband's infidelity, especially when she remembers Billy's affair with Gina, Maddy's colorful cousin, who has secrets of her own. Kelly, however, may be keeping the biggest secret of all, and it could tear Maddy and Aidan apart. Alternately poignant and humorous, this contemporary romance gracefully illuminates life's highs and lows. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Maddy Bainbridge is finally marrying Aidan O'Malley, culminating the courtship featured in Shore Lights (2003). Too many relatives are involved in the wedding preparations, and everyone's looking forward to the upcoming nuptials--everyone, that is, except Claire O'Malley, the widow of Aidan's brother, Billy. Claire has a deep, dark secret and hidden fears, both of which have paralyzed her ability to feel the joy of the occasion. However, secrets and fears are hard to keep to oneself when a crew from PBS is taping a documentary about one's family and town. This novel is filled with an almost bewildering number of aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews, but Bretton skillfully intertwines their stories with threads of emotions ranging from gentle humor to palpable angst. Chances Are can stand alone, but it makes more sense if Shore Lights is read first. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
Maddy Bainbridge is thrilled about marrying Aidan O'Malley--but she wasn't prepared for the ordeal of planning a wedding. Now the O'Malley clan is about to get a big shock when Aidan's teenage daughter reveals a secret that could tear apart the entire family--and put a stop to one very special wedding.


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In Bretton's fine follow-up to Shore Lights, firefighter and bar owner Aidan O'Malley and radio-show host Maddy (DiFalco) Bainbridge prepare for their upcoming nuptials in Paradise Point, N.J. Their pre-wedding jitters are magnified when PBS films a documentary on Jersey Shore towns and focuses on the O'Malley and DiFalco families, who settled Paradise Point and are now being joined in marriage. Maddy and Aidan are salt-of-the-earth characters, grounded in the realism of past disappointments and tragedy. Aidan raised his teenage daughter, Kelly, on his own, his young wife having died when Kelly was an infant. Maddy in turn lost her previous love when he broke off their relationship after she became pregnant with their young daughter, Hannah. The well-observed interactions between friends and family add depth. Claire, part owner of O'Malley's bar and widow of Aidan's philandering brother, Billy, must come to terms with her deceased husband's infidelity, especially when she remembers Billy's affair with Gina, Maddy's colorful cousin, who has secrets of her own. Kelly, however, may be keeping the biggest secret of all, and it could tear Maddy and Aidan apart. Alternately poignant and humorous, this contemporary romance gracefully illuminates life's highs and lows. Agent, Steve Axelrod. (Sept. 7) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.


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