Susan Mallery brings us another great read from her new Mischief Bay series with THE FRIENDS WE KEEP. Gabby Schaefer is eager to go back to work after being home with her twin girls for five years. Add her husband Andrew's fifteen year old daughter to the mix, plus a dog and cat, and Gabby is ready for a change. But her much anticipated, neatly planned world is soon shattered, and her marriage may be in danger as well.

We met Nicole Lord in Ms. Mallery's first book in this series, THE GIRLS OF MISCHIEF BAY. Nicole and husband Eric divorced, and Nicole is now raising her son Tyler alone. His dad never seems to have time to see him. When Tyler wins a contest to have his favorite author come to his summer day camp, things begin to heat up in Nicole's life. She and author Jairus Sterenberg get off to a rocky start, but Jairus is persistent. Nicole fears Jairus will leave just like Eric did. She's not sure she can ever get life just right.

Hayley Batchelor desperately wants to have a baby. She's recovering from her fifth miscarriage. Her doctor says no more tries; she needs a hysterectomy. Hayley refuses, and tension builds between her and husband Rob. However, that decision is taken out of Hayley's hands. Will she ever have a child of her own?

THE FRIENDS WE KEEP is contemporary women's fiction at its finest. The lives of these three women intertwine as they work through the crises that life brings their way. Ms. Mallery always gives us well-developed realistic characters, and we can find a little of ourselves in each of these ladies. This is a story about taking the high road, being better rather than bitter. It's a story about truth versus reality. What we believe to be true about ourselves in our own minds may not always line up with what other people see. We get a few more glimpses into the fictional town of Mischief Bay, California where this story takes place. Ms. Mallery brings back characters from her previous book and updates us on their lives. I can't wait for the next installment in the Mischief Bay series.