Synopsis (from Amazon.com): She barely has time to attend a wedding, let alone plan one, but Chloe has just caught the bouquet. So has her married mother… and her widowed grandmother. With three generations set to walk down the aisle, each “I do” sounds more improbable than the last.
On top of grad school, clinical hours, and part-time work, Chloe is surprised to find a ring on her finger. Sharing the news about the engagement is easy, except with her best friend. Their relationship has always been platonic...so why is Chloe so afraid he is going to object?
Kristine is successful at running her travel bookstore, but her twenty-five year marriage is on the rocks. When her husband suggests a vow renewal ceremony, she agrees to say I Do...until a tempting employee makes her wonder whether or not she wants to be married at all.
June knows what’s best for her and everyone around her. Given a second chance at love, she’s delighted to plan the family wedding of her dreams. But when June gets a little carried away in her enthusiasm, she risks losing more than the love of her life... she risks losing her family.
In Cynthia Ellingsen’s heartwarming and hilarious novel of first loves, second chances, and unexpected twists, three generations of brides-to-be discover that love is always better as a family affair.
Guest Post from Author, Cynthia Ellingsen: Cynthia is an author and screenwriter. She graciously accept my offer to write a guest post for Seaside Book Nook.
"My first novel, The Whole Package, is a hilarious romp
about three best friends who decide it’s a great
idea to open a restaurant staffed by scantily clad men. Of course, hilarity
ensues.
I was delighted when women started asking me to sign extra copies
to send to their best friends from college and high school. So, when I started
to put together an idea for my second book, I wanted a story that women could share
with their mother and grandmother. Marriage Matters was born.
Marriage Matters is about a mother, daughter and
granddaughter who all get engaged at the same time and decide to share a
wedding. As if being a bride isn’t stressful enough, can you imagine doing this
with your mother and grandmother? I
had such a fun time imagining everything that could go wrong.
Although the wedding theme is the hook of the book, you
really don’t see anything wedding related until Part Two. The heart of the
novel is the relationship between the three women and their relationships with
each other and the men. My favorite scenes are, of course, the ones where the
mother, daughter and granddaughter are together, causing trouble.
The book is a fun, heartwarming romp of a novel. Romantic
Times has proclaimed, “At times, this
novel is so overwhelmingly romantic that it will bring genuine tears to
readers' eyes, while numerous other parts will have them chuckling out loud…
Readers will enjoy every minute of their time with this very memorable and
sweet novel.”
I hope you fall in
love with Marriage Matters, too!
Purchase It: You can purchase Marriage Matters online at Amazon for $16.99 (Kindle version $9.99)
Excerpt from Marriage
Matters:
Chloe, the granddaughter, has not heard from her grandmother
in three days. Concerned that June has had a heart attack or fallen, Chloe
enlists the assistance of her fiancé, Geoff, to search her grandmother’s house.
Geoff searched the entire house
from top to bottom. Nothing. In the kitchen, he walked over to the counter and
eyed an apple on the cutting board. “This seems . . .” A note of
hope crept into his voice. “Decently fresh.” He held it up. The apple was cut
in half and only slightly brown at the edges.
Chloe’s heart pounded with
relief. There might still be time to save her.
Geoff’s eyes darted to the
window. “I think I just saw something move outside.”
Of course! June would have been
working in her garden. Maybe she’d fallen out there. Chloe rushed for the back
door. It was dark outside and she couldn’t see a thing, but she could hear the
faintest muffle of laughter. “Grandma?” she called.
Abruptly, the laughter stopped.
There was the sound of shuffling and nervous whispers. Chloe squinted. Through
the dark night, she could swear she saw Charley Montgomery dart across the
lawn. But he wasn’t wearing a shirt. And his hands were crossed in front of
his . . .
Chloe froze. Her eyes fell on
the wrought-iron table where her grandmother typically ate her breakfast. A
checkered gardening shirt was neatly draped across it like a napkin. A few feet
away, something white was suspended over a rosebush. Chloe put her hands over
her mouth.
It was a brassiere.
She gasped in horror. No. This couldn’t be . . .
Geoff rushed into the yard, the
beam of a flashlight bobbing in front of him. “Did you find her?”
With one hand, Chloe shielded
her eyes. “Yes,” she whispered. “But something terrible is happening. Please
turn off the . . .”
“Chloe?” June called, her voice
high pitched and nervous. “Is that you?”
Geoff shined the light in the
general direction. June was peeking out from behind a tree, a branch pulled
over her form. Even though the tree was covering her, it was perfectly obvious
that she was naked.
Chloe dove for the flashlight,
turning it off. “Oh, no.” She clutched it in her fist, maintaining eye contact
with Geoff, afraid of what else she’d see if she dared to look away. “Oh, no.”
“Chloe?” June called again. The
leaves on the tree rustled.
“Don’t,” Chloe shrieked. “You
stay right there!”
Geoff’s eyes widened as he, too,
finally figured out what was happening. “Oh, no.”
Chloe closed her eyes, shaking
her head. “Apparently,” she said, “my grandmother is not dead. Not even close.”
There was silence. Out in the
garden, both June and Charley chuckled.
“Sorry,” June sang. “Didn’t mean
to scare you. We just . . . um . . .”
“Got attacked by fire ants,”
Charley said. “Had to wash the clothes out. But I think everyone’s okay now.”
“Yup.” June’s voice was
cheerful. “Doing just fine.”
A small smirk settled at the
corner of Geoff’s mouth. Raising his eyebrows, he said, “Fire ants. Is that
what the kids are calling it these days?”
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