Blackberry House Series by Sharon Gerlach

Vacations, especially when you’re pregnant, are supposed to be relaxing. When her least favorite brother-in-law and his wife crash Sarah and Gus Haldemann’s peaceful vacation, Sarah struggles to find patience. Maggie seeks artistic validation at the expense of her marriage, and Dietrich just wants to understand how and why his wife jumped on board the crazy train... moreVacations, especially when you’re pregnant, are supposed to be relaxing. When her least favorite brother-in-law and his wife crash Sarah and Gus Haldemann’s peaceful vacation, Sarah struggles to find patience. Maggie seeks artistic validation at the expense of her marriage, and Dietrich just wants to understand how and why his wife jumped on board the crazy train. The unexpected presence of Sarah’s parents and sister after nearly six years of silence puts unwelcome pressure on her to garner their approval. In the face of her mother’s cold disdain, Sarah finds herself slipping back into submissive behaviors that aggra-vate and shame her. Then Gus’s ex-lover Gretchen arrives, also without invitation and bringing with her a mother-daughter feud with her firstborn, Luci, amping up the tension to a nearly unbearable level. Luci is searching for a way to break free of her mother’s chaotic life. The only place she feels she truly belonged was with Gus, and she would do anything – including abandon her sisters to her mother’s dubious care – to reclaim her happy childhood home. In Luci, Sarah sees shades of herself as a child. As they forge a bond, Luci’s relationship with Gretchen further deteriorates and Irene Quinn’s disapproval escalates. As the “perfect storm” descends on her home, Sarah struggles to find grace, forgiveness, and a modicum of tolerance – as well as a little bit of privacy – in a house packed to the rafters and teeming with angst. (Follow-up novel to The Secret Dreams of Sarah-Jane Quinn) less

There are three things Haldemanns never do: they don’t cheat, they don’t get divorced, and they don’t break promises. When Markus Haldemann leaves his girlfriend Luci, he has no worries that her best friend – his very own cousin, Simon – will take his place. Simon said he wouldn’t, and Haldemanns never break promises. But Luci Clark has her own ideas about Simon’s role in her life... moreThere are three things Haldemanns never do: they don’t cheat, they don’t get divorced, and they don’t break promises. When Markus Haldemann leaves his girlfriend Luci, he has no worries that her best friend – his very own cousin, Simon – will take his place. Simon said he wouldn’t, and Haldemanns never break promises. But Luci Clark has her own ideas about Simon’s role in her life. He’s more than her best friend: he’s her anchor, her lifeline, the voice of peace and reason who can be relied upon to always have her back and never judge her. And unexpectedly, she’s realized he’s a very desirable man. As Luci struggles to come to terms with a life-changing event, Markus ends his self-imposed exile in San Diego and comes home to Blackberry House . . . with a wife. Despite his new marriage, he is determined to hold Simon to his word. To Simon Haldemann, Luci is everything. But are the rewards of loving her worth the risk of compromising his own integrity? less