This is the story of three generations of women and how secrets can destroy a family or bring it together. Rachel Henderson's husband has recently passed away, and her daughter Emma is preparing to go away to school. Rachel is feeling lost and alone, even though she lives at the Lighthouse Inn B&B with her mother. Her younger sister Anna is married to the local pastor and Rachel thinks she has it all, until Anna's husband announces to his congregation that he is getting divorced because his wife as been having an affair. Rachel finds friendship with local restaurant owner, Adam, which brings down the ire of the local gossips. From the perfect family to one that is being ridiculed and scorned, can these women find their way in this town once again? Can they heal the rifts that have grown between them as well?

This is a story about love, family, honesty, forgiveness and healing. All of these women are flawed as we all are. They make mistakes trying to protect one another. All these women are realistic and some are more likable than others. Rachel tends to be rather righteous and judgmental. She thinks her sister has the perfect marriage and when she finds out what she has done is angry with her. She finds it hard to understand her feelings and actions. Anna is jealous of Rachel's happy marriage and her daughter and Wendy, perfect Wendy, has kept a secret for years that causes Anna to explode. They have to find a way back to one another and keep Emma in the fold as well. Emma is dealing with grief and sympathy at the same time. Can she leave her mother and attend college on the other coast? What about her blossoming romance? Will it last if she goes away? She has a lot of decisions to make and in all honesty, she is the one character that I liked the most. I didn't like some of the actions these women took, but it is easy to judge when it is not your life. This is a story of forgiveness and honesty. One that rips a family apart before bringing them back together again. The title is a bit deceiving as none of these women really have a happy marriage. If you enjoy stories of family and their drama and relationships, then this is a story for you.

Wendy, a mother, and her two daughters, Rachel and Anna, all go through the perils of life and ups and downs of relationships, love and loss. Intertwined are Rachel's teenager Emma and a new friend that she (Rachel) meets, a local diner owner named Adam. Rachel is a widow, Anna's marriage is in shambles and their mother Wendy has secrets that are beginning to unravel. The Lighthouse Inn is a B&B and the girls have come home to help their mother run it.
This story was just OK for me. It wasn't terrible, yet nothing about it really wow-ed me either. It jumped all over the place at times and it felt like a lot to keep straight - lots of characters and details to keep up with. 2.5 Stars,
Thanks to Maisey Yates, Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC.

I wasn’t a big fan of this one either… It was fine. I felt like nothing really happened. It wasn’t memorable, it didn’t stay with me. It was just meh.

Thanks to @NetGalley and Harlequin for my ARC!

Although this author is new to me, she has written many novels in the romance/women’s fiction area. In this title, she tells the story of three women. They are the family members who together run a B and B. Rachel is a widow who is the parent of a teen, while Anna has a decision to make about her marriage. The mother of these characters knows that life is not easy, yet she wishes that she could protect her children. What is this mom’s secret and what will the impact of it be?

Fans of this author and those new to her may both enjoy this novel. At its heart is the importance of family.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.
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First impression was what an inane title. Especially when hit with the beginning of a story with a remarkably sad start. Beautifully haunting scenic description. Equally haunting picture of what this family was living through. Past and present and candidly for the future. An unkind portrait of a family in a moment of grief that seemed to have no end in sight. Odd that they lived in a lighthouse refurbished into a bed and breakfast where there is a 360 degree vision of misty water almost as if they have lived for most of their lives surrounded by fog. What a brilliant illustration. That’s what separates Maisey Yates from her peers. Her vision. How she creates art for her readers. SECRETS FROM A HAPPY MARRIAGE is a piece of art. Seen thru the eyes of Wendy, her daughters Rachel and Anna, and granddaughter Emma. In SECRETS FROM A HAPPY MARRIAGE Maisey Yates invites us to watch the fog roll out.
We all have demons – challenges. Even with all the tragedy surrounding this family right now they are so lucky. They wouldn’t say that but watching their family unit work together and live together it feels lucky.
They have such an enormous support group – the four women of this family. Matriarch pulled herself up by her bootstraps and invented a career for herself to support her family. Her two daughters grew up surrounded by love and the righteous strength of their mother. The granddaughter who had to grow up pretty fast herself. All four amazing and strong even if at this particular moment they don’t feel that way.
The mother’s husband walked away from his family. As a solo parent she did quite well for herself. The lighthouse B&B is successful. Rachel married her true love and had daughter Emma before the world slowly dropped beneath her feet. Rachel and Jacob had a loving marriage that should have lasted for decades but that wasn’t in the cards. Rachel is trying hard to regain her footing without becoming the source of pity. Dignity along with the sense of belonging. Rachel has her mother, sister and daughter but with the loss of her heart Jacob she is suffers from being alone. And Emma is looking for a solution that would allow her to follow her dreams without distancing herself from her mom who needs her.
They are looking to care for each other. Family at its best.
SECRETS FROM A HAPPY MARRIAGE is a story told via a multitude of characters voices, some over a century ago through to those of the present. The inn itself is decorated with vintage items and photos of the many tiers of people and changes that have occurred over so many years. We learn so much about the history of this lighthouse from the words of the past inhabitants. Then we move on to the family that now calls it home. From the early 1900’s to the present there have been many changes on the island. And now in SECRETS FROM A HAPPY MARRIAGE we are witnessing many changes in this small female family. Some of their making, others not so, just life changing lanes I guess. Maisey Yates out did her creative ingenuity in developing the relationships of all the folks that live in and by this historic lighthouse. SECRETS FROM A HAPPY MARRIAGE is a book to be shared and read and enlighted by. Big shoes to fill but amply done by Maisey Yates.

This book started out slow for me, and I had trouble staying interested.

Rachel loses her husband Jacob at a young age. She knew she was going to be widowed due to his cancer, however she has to learn to live without him. Her daughter Emma is going off to college.

Emma is mourning her father and trying to figure out how life moves on without him.

Anna is Rachel's sister. Her marriage looks perfect from the outside, but inside her marriage is falling apart. She has to endue gossip about her due to her marriage.

Wendy is trying to bring her daughters together while she is battling her own secrets.

Loss in the family is affecting everyone differently, and they muse learn to work together to move on and continue to live their life without him.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend this book and author to all!

This is a story of relationships. Mother and daughters and sister to sister. Rachel is now a widow and her sister Anna's marriage is falling apart. Mother Wendy has secrets that are beginning to unravel. I like Maisey Yates books but this was not my favorite. The Lighthouse Inn is a B&B and the girls are home to help their mother run it. Third generation Emma, Rachel's daughter is also an important part of the story. Multi generational stories are my favorite. A good beach read. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A great book about the relationships between mothers and daughters. Very enjoyable read.
Many thanks to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was a bit hard to get into/didnt really keep my attention throughout the whole thing.
The story is about generations of women in a family on the oregon coast who are trying to figure out what love is and where it will take them, all four of the women overcome some hard times with a death in the family while still trying to run the family business.

I tried on multiple occasions to get into this book but it never fully grabbed be. I did enjoy the multigenerational aspect of the women and their varying places in life, but that's about it. I found the portion of the novel I read to be heavy in tone, overly wordy and stagnant. Therefore, I"m pulling the plug at 25%.

This was a great story about the relationships between mothers and daughters and sisters with their sisters. This is an enjoyable piece of chick lit, as the subject matter isn't too heavy and it is relationship driven. I enjoyed it, as it was a welcome relief to read something light with everything that is going on right now.

-- This review, and others, are also available on my blog www.hookedbythatbook.com –

Rachel has to bury her husband and figure out who she is without him, Emma is mourning her father and trying to find her own place in the world, Anna’s marriage is ending and she has to endure the censure of the townspeople, and Wendy is trying to bring her daughters closer together while hiding her own terrible secret.

This is a very emotional walk through these four women’s lives. Each one is dealing with her own insecurities, and feelings of guilt and regret form an ongoing theme for all of them.

I liked Anna and her journey of growth the most. I liked Wendy as a character, and wouldn’t wish her away at all, but it felt a bit too much to add her issues on top of everything else. Between Rachel, Emma, and Anna things were already very tense and emotional.

The story does make you think about your own relationships, and how you might react if big change should come knocking.

I can definitely recommend it if you like novels focused on character growth and relationship building.

Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hauntingly beautiful Maisey Yates knows how to tell a story that will weave its way into your heart and linger there. Wonderful characters that you will empathize with and a flawlessly written plot will have you happily turning the pages. This is a must read. Happy reading!

Know that this does start out as somewhat of a downer. Rachel and Emma are mourning the untimely death of their husband and father. Emma desperately wanted to go to college in Boston to study marine biology but doesn't feel she can leave her mom. Anna made a bad decision which her husband, a pastor, chose to throw in her face during a service at his church. All three of them are now back at the lighthouse B&B their mother Wendy runs. Wendy left a bad marriage with little but the girls and made a life for herself in this small Oregon town. But, as readers of this genre know (and the publisher's blurb tells you), she has secrets. This is very much about a family of women healing one another. Yes, there's romance (and the men are good men) but you'll enjoy this for the female characters. They're believable and relatable and you'll root for all for all of the to get not only what they need but also what they want. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Made me smile.

A great book. Well written characters with strong psychological growth. A real "rising from the ashes" type read. Probably the best Maisey Yates book I have read to date.

4 Revealing Truth Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
Maisey Yates has been a favorite author for me. Most of the books I have read by her have had a western theme. Surprise Surprise, this was so not a western and it took me on a journey that was so engrossing. It took a hard look at the relationships between Mothers and Daughters, Sisters and Sisters, and everything in between. It was done with a sure hand and gave us all that it had intended.

The main focus in the beginning and throughout was everything isn't as it seems, most of the time. There is always some sort of undercurrent and it takes true courage to strip things bare and rise up from that action.

Well done.

Family secrets and the bonds between women across generations are the themes for Maisey Yates’ latest novel; Secrets from a Happy Marriage. And while I didn’t know much about what to expect aside from that, as I’m new to Maisey Yates, I ended up really enjoying this book.

I enjoyed the bond between the four women and how it shows how complex the relationship between mother and daughter or sisters can be, and even when you’re close, there are going to be things you hide, which is especially true for Wendy, who has some major secrets from her past she kept from her daughters. And it’s wonderful to see Wendy, Anna, Rachel, and Emma all overcome their individual hardships and find happiness.

I also love the sense of history interspersed throughout with the epigraphs containing snippets of letters from the past, and while it took a bit to figure out the connection, I loved the way it came together over the course of the book.

I enjoyed this one, and will consider picking up more Maisey Yates books in the future, if they catch my interest. I recommend this to anyone looking for a story about family and the trials the different members face.

They live three different lives, but are constantly drawn to each other for help. Two sisters and their mother. Their mother holds secrets that she soon realizes may be beneficial to her girls if she were to share instead of holding them inside. The girls must learn that their mother is more wise then she seems.

In a tiny little town in Oregon is the Lighthouse Inn. Single-parent Wendy won a contest to fix the place up and turn it into an inn when her daughters were just young. Decades later, they are all still there with their various roles running the inn. Rachel is in her late thirties and preparing to say goodbye to her husband Jacob, who has been sick for years after getting meningitis and then cancer. They’ve been married and in love since Rachel was 18 and they have a daughter Emma, who is getting ready to graduate high school and go away to college.

Emma dreams of attending college across the country at her dream school to major in Marine Biology. But between her father dying and finally meeting her crush, Luke, she’s torn between leaving for Boston or attending a school closer to home.

Rachel’s younger sister, Anna, is also in her thirties and is married to a pastor named Thomas. What seems to be an idyllic marriage from an outsider’s perspective, is actually a sad and impersonal relationship that pushes Anna to a shocking and life-changing decision that affects everyone around her.

There is so much to unpack in this novel, but every single page, every single word – is absolutely incredible. So yes, early on, Rachel’s husband dies and she is learning to navigate life as a widow while trying to maintain a sense of control over her soon-to-be eighteen-year-old daughter. But not only is Emma starting to push every button imaginable Rachel is also wrestling with the decisions Anna has made and is slowly and stubbornly trying to understand the reasons behind her decisions. On top of that, there is her growing friendship with Adam, the owner of the diner in town. Their friendship has always been casual yet comfortable. But when she starts wondering about Adam differently, she faces the dilemma of what is the appropriate time to wait to start dating after losing a spouse?

The plot of the novel not only centers around mistakes and hardships but is about the reassembling of a family. Yates slowly but effectively breaks down the issues that each of the four women are dealing with and beautifully weaves them together demonstrating that no matter your age, we all fight the same battles at some point in our lives. Each of their issues was relatable, relevant, and will strike a chord with the readers. It’s beautiful watching this originally disjointed family come together in the face of their losses, their lies, their mistakes, and finally, their truths.

My only criticism at all about this book is the description of the characters. The entire novel is beautifully written and everything flows like a well-oiled machine. However, I realized at some point in the novel, that except for some red hair in the family, I had absolutely no idea what any of the characters looked like except for Adam. This didn’t change how much I loved the book, but it did occur to me that I couldn’t really “see” the characters.

Having said that, this is still one of my top reads this year. I can easily see this being adapted for the screen because of the variety of characters, the beautiful setting, and the myriad of personal stories that all came together in the end. This book isn’t about marriage, but about love as a whole whether it’s the love for a family member, brand-new, young love, or the love of a place and a dream. Bravo to Maisey Yates for this unique and moving novel. I laughed, I cried, and I was so sad when I realized I had reached the end of the road with these characters.

*Thanks to HQN and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!