Jane Elizabeth Varley Livres

Nina, Susan and Richard - three siblings who, like so many brothers and sisters, don't particularly like or trust each other. Richard is the spoiled baby of the family, still jealously guarding his position as his mother's favourite. Susan has never been indulged - or so she believes - and she bitterly resents it. She has always felt that she deserved more than she got and is envious of Nina who appears to have it all. Nina has been married to workaholic Alex long enough to decide that it's time for a child, but for him the moment is never right. There's always another property to buy, another deal to be struck. Or is there something else that's keeping him late so often at the office, something readily on offer that he cannot refuse? Nina has spent her life as the peacemaker of the family - the dutiful daughter, sister and wife. Her reward has been a seemingly perfect life. But as the secrets of those closest to her are shockingly revealed, suddenly everything is under threat - her marriage, her home and her future happiness.

Victoria Stratford's birthday party for her ambitious husband David shows off their beautiful Wimbledon house, their wonderful children, their perfect lives. But while Victoria welcomes her guests, the only person missing is David himself. Victoria's sister Clara and her husband Tom are at the party. Unworldly and idealistic, Tom scorns David's quest for wealth. While Clara is content with her job as a university lecturer, she yearns for a change in her life. In the garden, the youngest sister Annie talks to her husband Hugo. Very happy together, the only blight on their lives is Hugo's mother, whose jealousy and possessiveness have turned into a poisonous hatred of Annie. So begins a train of events that will lead each sister down a different path - towards love, sex, grief, betrayal and happiness.

Set in contemporary England and America, Husbands and Lovers unfolds through the eyes of two women who have married two brothers from a respectable English family. When the women are challenged by an unwelcome newcomer in their lives, each is forced to fight for her home, family, and husband. Only one will succeed.

Sally has just moved into a Victorian house in London. She's a woman with an outwardly enviable life . Yet beneath an apparently happy exterior, Sally struggles with the legacy of Edward's past: his ex-wife Pia, a successful and high-profile writer, his resentful step-daughter Hope - and Edward's mixed feelings about the family he left behind. When Sally discovers the house holds a secret, her need to escape the strains of her marriage, coupled with a desire to use her brain, leads her on a quest to discover the truth. But can she solve the challenges of the present as well as the past? While Sally struggles, Anna moves into the downstairs flat. A driven workaholic and a highly successful television producer, ironically her new project is a reality show called 'Marriage Menders'. Digging beneath the surface of other people's relationships leads her to ask questions she has so far managed to avoid, about the importance of love, family and the ties of blood.