Eternity: The Dream Unfolds / Father of the Bride

by Barbara Delinsky

The Dream Unfolds

Gideon Lowe is more than some macho construction worker, and the Crosslyn Rise building contract will prove it. The last thing he needs is Christine Gillette tromping onto his work site, disturbing his equilibrium. Christine is appalled that the rough-hewn—but frankly gorgeous—Gideon holds the deciding vote on whether or not her interior designs will be used on The Rise. She's not going to let any he-man bully her around…or sweet-talk her into submission.

Father of the Bride

Cynthia Bauer dreads seeing Russ Shaw after their scandalous divorce years earlier. Yet Russ is returning to town for the first time in twenty-five years, determined to give his only daughter away at her wedding. There's no way they'll be able to avoid each other, but it soon becomes clear that staying away from one another is the last thing either of them wants.

Genres: Romance

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 20, 2012

About the author

I was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two skills that have served me better than all of my other high school courses combined). I earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. The motivation behind the M.A. was sheer greed. My husband was just starting law school. We needed the money.

Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.

I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.

My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.

My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013.  Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015.  Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.

2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky

Reviews

[Jolene Knighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

first time reading one of her books; light romance literature

[Julie Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

2 beautifully written love stories. The second one touched home because it was written about St. Louis where I am from and live. Getting a second chance at love in both stories was very well written. The characters pull at your heart strings.

[Olivia Gould · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the stories..but too short.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

two fast books in one. the second one took place in St. Louis. a lot of the places mentioned were real. it was pretty neat to read..

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book! It was sweet and had the right amount of romance! It was truly a great read from beginning to end!