It's a beautiful day for a wedding. White roses scent the air and the summer sunlight streams in. A spoon chimes against a champagne flute and the room falls silent. And there he is - my husband - getting to his feet to propose a toast. He's still handsome. His new wife is next to him, gazing upwards, oblivious. I'm not supposed to be here. All these years in the same town and I had no idea until I saw his name on the seating plan. He lived with me, once. Loved me. Small-town memories are long, but the people in this room don't want to remember. They say the healing is in letting go, but after what he did, he needs to know we haven't gone away just because he's shut his eyes. So I take Daisy by the hand and step forward from the shadows. He notices us and his eyes widen. The champagne glass falls from his hand and smashes. Then he sags forward, making a terrible sound - a sort of strangled scream... A powerfully emotional novel with a dark secret at its heart. This family drama will keep you hooked until the very last page. Perfect for fans of The Silent Wife, Kate Hewitt and Jodi Picoult. What readers are saying about His Secret Family 'Absolutely fantastic, had me gripped!!! Loved it! Can't wait for more from this author. Storyline was great, characters were easy to connect with.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars 'Wow, this novel packed a lot more "feels" that I expected!... A quick read for me because I HAD to see how this emotional read would end... There was great character development... twists and turns that took me by surprise! I am looking forward to reading more from Ali Mercer in the future!' Steph and Chris's Book Review 'A book that grabs you on the first page and doesn't let go. It is well written and full of emotions. This is a "Must Read"!' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars 'Absolutely brilliant and had me gripped from cover to cover! I found the writing style to be very captivating and the characters to be immaculately developed... Would highly recommend!' NetGalley Reviewer 'Compelling. Heart-breaking. The character development was superb. It was an emotional read... an evocative story that left its imprint. I highly recommend this book.' NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars 'Ali Mercer writes with heart and soul... well written, true-to-life... Each character is lovingly developed and all-so-human. Secrets abound and the reader won't know them all until the end. A definite for your TBR list!' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars 'This is a powerful family domestic drama filled with emotion and secrets. The story is well developed with lovable "real" characters that you find yourself very invested in. A captivating story that kept me hooked until the end.' NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars

‘Each time my mother laid a finger on me... it was another step into the jaws of hell. Her abuse, more so than any other, destroyed me. It was the ultimate betrayal.’

Extraordinary photography and fascinating text observe what goes on in our minds and bodies through a day of ordinary activities. Full color throughout.

Secrets come in all shapes and sizes. And for families as well as individuals, they are built on a complex web of shifting motives and emotions. But today, when personal revelations are posted on the Internet or sensationalized on afternoon talk shows, we risk losing touch with how important secrets are--how they are used and abused, their power to harm and heal. In this important work, Evan Imber-Black explores the nature of secrets, helping us understand: The distinction between healthy privacy and toxic secrecy What to tell--and not to tell--young children How to safely confront a family "zone of silence" Why adolescents need to have some secrets--and where to draw the line The effect of "official" secrets, like sealed adoption records and medical testing What to consider before revealing an important secret And much more Filled with moving first-person stories, The Secret Life of Families provides perspective on some of today's most sensitive personal and social issues. Giving voice to our deepest fears and to our power to overcome them, this is a book that will be talked about for years to come.

In The Secrets of Happy Families, New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler has drawn up a blueprint for modern families — a new approach to family dynamics, inspired by cutting-edge techniques gathered from experts in the disciplines of science, business, sports, and the military. Don't worry about family dinner. Let your kids pick their punishments. Ditch the sex talk. Cancel date night. These are just a few of the surprising innovations in this bold first-of-its-kind playbook for today's families. Bestselling author and New York Times family columnist Bruce Feiler found himself squeezed between caring for aging parents and raising his children. So he set out on a three-year journey to find the smartest solutions and the most cutting-edge research about families. Instead of the usual family "experts," he sought out the most creative minds—from Silicon Valley to the set of Modern Family, from the country's top negotiators to the Green Berets—and asked them what team-building exercises and problem-solving techniques they use with their families. Feiler then tested these ideas with his wife and kids. The result is a fun, original look at how families can draw closer together, complete with 200 never-before-seen best practices. Feiler's life-changing discoveries include a radical plan to reshape your family in twenty minutes a week, Warren Buffett's guide for setting an allowance, and the Harvard handbook for resolving conflict. The Secrets of Happy Families is a timely, counterintuitive book that answers the questions countless parents are asking: How do we manage the chaos of our lives? How do we teach our kids values? How do we make our family happier? Written in a charming, accessible style, The Secrets of Happy Families is smart, funny, and fresh, and will forever change how your family lives every day.

Roles. They define our rights, obligations, responsibilities, beliefs, and even who we are. How well do we each understand our respective roles? How do we teach our children about proper roles? How would the problems children and parents face change if they better understood roles? Aren't parents - whether aggressive, passive or assertive - always defining roles anyway? How do roles affect business relationships? Why do we see the roles in today's world wrapped around so much confusion and debate when it's impossible to escape roles? This book makes roles easier to understand, and it shows how to strengthen roles and empower ourselves and those we live and work with to reach our full potential.

“Nobody’s messing with my baby.” When Nick wakes up in a hospital room with a case of amnesia – and a beautiful woman at his bedside, he can only remember being held captive for five gruelling years. Surely he wouldn’t forget someone as easy on the eyes as Laura. But Laura assures him that she and their son are very real.

A beautifully tangled story of friendship, fairy tales, and family secrets. For those who loved Pax and The War That Saved My Life. A Kirkus Best Middle Grade Book of 2017 An Amazon Best Book of 2017 A 2018 Bank Street College Best Book of the Year A Telegraph Top 50 Book of the Year Everyone is too busy to pay attention to Henrietta and the things she sees -- or thinks she sees -- in the shadows of their new home, Hope House. Mama is ill. Father has taken a job abroad. Nanny Jane is busy taking care of her younger sister. All alone, with only stories for company, Henry discovers that Hope House is full of strange secrets: a forgotten attic, ghostly figures, mysterious firelight that flickers in the trees beyond the garden. One night she ventures into the darkness of Nightingale Wood. What she finds there will change her whole world...

The new No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller from the master storyteller, Josephine Cox.