The Secret Ingredient for a Happy Marriage: a Women's Fiction novel

by Shirley Jump

Nora O'Bannon is called the "umbrella" of the family-- always dependable when the storms roll in. Everyone thinks she has it all--a great husband, three kids, a nice house. But, not is all as it seems. Although she finally found the courage to tell her family about her marital problems, she glossed over the worst of it. In reality, Nora's husband has ruined them financially. Now, with a house in foreclosure, the kids' private school tuition overdue, and her marriage close to over, Nora has no choice but to move back in with her mother.

Feeling overwhelmed by her life, Nora begins to fall apart. And when her mother, Colleen, announces that she's sick, Nora is more stressed than ever. But the O'Bannon women are nothing if not resilient, and when the sisters rally around Nora, she begins to realize that it's okay to not be perfect. Soon the family bakery business is booming and Nora finally begins to find her balance. But, when Nora's husband begs for a second chance, can Nora find it in herself to forgive him?

• ISBN10: 1455572020
• ISBN13: 9781455572021
• Publish Date: 31 May 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Forever
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Lynn]

The Secret Ingredient for A Happy Marriage is the second book in the O'Bannon Sisters series. I've not read the previous one and the author is new to me too. I don't feel I've missed anything by jumping in straight in here as it works as a standalone.

To outsiders, Nora has it all; A fabulous husband, adorable children, comfortable home and a job working in her family's bakery. However, the reality is far different from her distorted portrayal of her perfect marriage and family.

Communication. When it breaks down, it causes bad feeling because each side doesn't understand what the other is doing, leading to presumptive opinions. Nora and Ben are a fine example of how this impacted their relationship and thankfully, they eventually agree to navigate their way through the self-inflicted issues causing the near breakdown of their marriage. I'm glad the author shares both sides of the dispute. As the narrator, Nora's voice is what we here most and I'm so pleased when the conflict comes to a head, we hear how Ben feels too. It's uncomfortable reading but insightful and realistic. It's so easy to take the side of Nora as that's the voice we hear, so it's refreshing when we hear Ben speak too, to understand the concerns from his perspective. His words are equally damning as Nora becomes painfully aware of her personal shortcomings...yet, despite the harsh words, she's praised for trying to keep their family running as clockwork. The result is sobering as we understand fully what contributed to their relationship crisis. Happily and more importantly, there's love and hope for them as a couple,

This is a solid read with likeable and more importantly relatable characters trying to work through their real-life issues as Ms Jump tackles the difficult subject of addiction sympathetically. She effortlessly draws you into the narrative enabling the reader to feel empathy for all the characters. In addition, a couple of sub-plots that I'm guessing will follow through into future instalments are woven into the narrative and I'm particularly interested in following Maggie's story.

This novel differs from what I'm used to reading, but at the beginning of this year I decided to broaden my reading preferences and this title fits the bill nicely. Lastly, I'm drawn to the lovely cover which compliments the novel beautifully.

***arc generously received courtesy of Forever via NetGalley***