A Midlife Marriage

by Cary J. Hansson

The adventure continues!

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2025

About the author

I'm a fifty something mum of three, an ex-dancer, actress, waitress, cleaner, TV presenter, double-glazing sales rep, fax machine operator. You name it and I’ve cleaned it, served it, sent it or sold it.

I write stories about ordinary people, living lives of extraordinary courage and I can promise only two things: no knights in shining armour and no flying cars. My fictional characters save themselves, as in the end we all must do.

A Midlife Holiday is my debut. Here's what people are saying:

“I haven’t devoured a book in one sitting for a long time but I literally could not put this down. It shouldn’t be so rare (or refreshing) to read about the lives of middle-aged women, but it is. Cary J Hansson handles her subject matter with authenticity, providing some seldom heard (yet much-needed) commentary on midlife. The book is compulsively readable ... funny, brutally honest, extremely relatable and a perfect summer read." SouthAsia Magazine

"A fantastic page-turner filled with humor, life lessons, and enlightenment. The book has a beautiful storyline interpreted by well-developed characters. It was also realistic and unpredictable. I am nowhere near fifty, but the midlife crisis is real. The author was also spot-on with friendships. Sustaining friendships isn’t easy, let alone managing them for three decades. " Readers Favorite

Reviews

[Deb]

What a wonderful series, I really do hope there are more as I have enjoyed reading about this group of friends and their lives. In this book Caro is preparing to marry Tomasz and Kay has a choice to make while Helen has a job opportunity. I can’t wait for the next installment.

[Flapper72]

This is a book about three women who’ve been friends since they first met at university. Caro, Helen and Kay. They are all quite different but the strength, time and experiences of their friendship give them a permanence with each other. It doesn’t mean that life is easy or their relationship with one another is, necessarily, easy but, to some extent, they’re one another’s family.
Here the ladies are in their fifties and life is changing. Their situation in life is changing (Helen, for example, has thrown herself into motherhood and her marriage at the exclusion of everything else, Caro’s all about her career and Kay’s a mix of the two) but is life over? Maybe they can be brave, do new things, there is more ahead of them they don’t just have to carry on as they are. Great read. Glad there are more in the series.

[Kimberly]

Good ending

Other than some grammar and proofreading errors, this book was enjoyable.

It picks up where Kay is taking early retirement, Caro is considering marriage, and Helen needs more out of life than her family's responsibilities.

Nice ending to the series.

[Kate Smith]

Another wonderful story from Cary J Hansson.. Enjoyed catching up with Caro, Helen and Kay.

[Karenj]

What a fantastic series

Really loved reading the highs and lows of this group of friends. I couldnt put any of the books down and dived straight into the next one each time !

[Alexandra]

I was quite sad that my journey with Helen, Caro and Kay has come to an end. I think the storylines were all satisfyingly concluded, although I wanted Caro to get the happy ending she thought she wanted.

Helen's daughter nearly did my head in with her selfishness, but pleased to say she finally came around and showed some maturity!

If you're middle aged and value female friendships this series will resonate.

[Rona Nimmo]

A wonderful and exciting journey of three very different middle-aged who’ve been friends since university who are at a crossroads in their very different lives . Many twists and turns and a few thought probing moments-some will make you laugh others may raise a tear. A very enlightened book for many middle-aged woman at their own crossroads. Very enjoyable read from beginning to end and the surprises along the way. I do hope we hear further tales of the onward journeys the ladies take now they have chosen their individual paths.

[Jean]

Its the fourth in the series and needs to be read in order as they are all brilliant.
Three friends from university are now middle aged and are meeting up for one of them to be married, all have gone down different routes in life some are struggling and some are wealthy but friendship survives.
A great book to read.

[Kim Barnes]

Midlife

I'm so glad a trilogy turned into a 4th book! It was wonderful following along in the lives of these 3 woman. The storylines are so real & full of life experiences we can related to. It made me laugh & cry. I cheered each women in the decision they made. I would love a 5th book just to see how their choices turned out for them. This book defiantly made me want more.

[Mary Lena romano]

This is the FOURTH book of the TRILOGY (yes.... LOL) and it is the best one yet. Characters are developed and the various plot lines seem to fit together in a narrative better. I hope that the series continues as I've become invested in the various lives of these three friends.

[MS R S Green]

a perfect addition to the series

Such a good read, this series has gripped me from the first book. The characters are so relatable and the story honest and in some places raw, but you are drawn in as if you are living their lives.

[Julie Cunningham]

Female friendship and midlife crisis are topics I like. These three seemed a little slow in recognizing how to behave and navigate being 50 ish women. Seems like they should have been smarter at their age, but I guess that was the point - they found it quite tricky but figured it out in the end.

[Margaret Tait]

A suitable "ending?"

Helen, Caro and Kay are so believable and relatable to I have read all four books one after the other. Hoping this is not an ending, but rather a pause while Cary decides what the three friends do next

[Barbara]

Satisfying. Bittersweet because that's the way life is more often than not. You could probably read synopses of the previous three books and follow the story, but I recommend reading them all.

[Ellen P. Womack]

Great book about friendships!

Real women experiencing real life. Better together! Long friendships are a blessing not to be taken lightly !
Love this!

[Eloise Burns]

I’ve read this whole series, it’s a bit rogue for me but I’ve grown fond of the characters and enjoyed reading about what was next for them all after the midlife holiday. Likeable middle-aged women, all on their own paths.

[Marilyn]

This has been a great series to read!

[Georgia Taylor]

A great end to a lovely trilogy of books! Without ruining any plots the friendship of three truly all got a happy ending!

[Dianne Kavanagh]

the fourth in the series. very very good with room for a fifth. have now read them all. need to be read in order

[sharon mallows]

Must read

A great book to add to the trilogy on the Midlife Trilogy book saga .The book like the others kept you gripped from beginning to end .

[Amanda76]

I really enjoyed this series, it was so nice to read about women in their 50s, ranging from married, divorced, childless, becoming grandparents. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Rosalie]

The fourth book in this series does not disappoint. I do feel the gaps in the lives of these ladies but, as always, the light tone of these books is nicely balanced with well-articulated truths. Such entertaining reads.

[Bernadyne Tull]

A good read

As a 50-something woman, I thoroughly enjoyed these books. It has humour and drama and kept me interested on what was going to happen next.

[Lavender]

4 stars! Loved it!!

[Amy Wall]

I read myself into a reading slump with this one Zzzz

[Sue Hickling]

Really funny book .

[Beth Pierson-smitn]

Hopefully not the end.

This is the fourth book and I absolutely loved all four.
I feel like I'm catching up with old friends each time I read about these three women.

[Janet Linacre]

The last book of the series, a delightful update on the 3 friends. Easy compelling read.