About Three Women

The Block Island Saga #2

by E.D. Hackett

Family Secrets, a Bed-and-Breakfast, and a Wedding Gone Wrong...

Carly Davis was sure getting away from the island would help. Elated after finally freeing herself from running her late family’s inn, her fresh start in Maine fizzles in the aftermath of a failed relationship. And her luck sours further still when an innocent DNA test reveals at least one of her parents had been deceiving her for decades. Furious she gave up the best years of her life to support people she wasn’t even related to, the distraught woman returns home to seek answers about her actual origins.

Joanie Wilson's sister Jackie is getting married and demands a perfect wedding at the inn. Joanie tries her hardest to help secure all of Jackie's wedding dreams, but a timing snafu puts the wedding at risk. Then the DNA test connects Carly to the sister duo, and Joanie and Jackie are thrust into the DNA mystery.

Will Carly find the family she so desperately craves, or will her true heritage only bring new sorrow?

About Three Women is the captivating second book in The Block Island Saga women’s fiction series. If you like conflicted characters, the strength of family, and the search for identity, then you’ll love E.D. Hackett’s tale of courage.

286 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2025

About the author

E.D. Hackett is an only child who always wanted a sister. You'll find themes of sisters and mother-daughter relationships in almost all her novels, where she concocts complex relationships wrapped in forgiveness. Edy lives in New England, where the beaches, lobsters, and quirky cafes are characters of their own.

She has two children (three if you count the dog), and in her spare time, she dreams about living in Ireland.

Edy is an Enneagram Two (The Helper) or maybe a 5 (The Investigator) and is growing a book coaching side hustle (The Story Keeper Book Coach) to help aspiring authors navigate the indie publishing world.

Reviews

[Rachel Rafferty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Story To Get Lost In

Carly and Joanie’s friendship deepens as they support each other through relationship crises and life challenges. When faced with the messiness of family life, the meaningful bonds that the women have forged prove invaluable. Following considerable heartache, Carly endeavours to come to terms with her past.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Eileen Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life is messy and confusing. It’s fascinating to see how different people deal with the crazy things we run into day after day. The other side of the coin is how a small decision can completely turn a life upside down.

This is a great book, well worth the read. Give it a try and you won’t be sorry.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Linda Dominick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This booked deals with relationships between family, friends, significant others, and the secrets that can’t stay hidden forever.
The characters in this book are realistic and deal with very real issues. They are all at a place where they are thinking about marriage or are in committed relationships, where they might not have the best relationships with their families or the people, they believed to be family, and some career decisions are even in the mix.
It was nice to see the perspectives they each had, and how they dealt with their issues. Under all the messy situations and emotions these women had each other. They weren’t family, but they understood each other and were there for each other. Isn’t that what’s important? I am so glad this wasn’t a book about family being everything, because sometimes friends show up for you more than the people that are supposed to love you.
Thanks to the author for writing a story that is relatable and engaging.

[Lia Lorimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicated relationships
A lengthy novel, covering a relatively short period of time, which includes a great deal of angst among Willowside Inn owner Carly, Joanie, manager of the inn and her bridezilla sister, Jackie. It is an interesting and enjoyable book, but the many self-indulgent reactions from seemingly mature women was more relevant to those in their twenties…
The storyline centres around the inn operations and the complications of each woman’s romantic attachments, with the emphasis initially on the preparations for Jackie’s wedding before Carly’s predicament becomes the focal point.
I deemed main character Carly to be ambivalent in her attitude towards her one-time partner, John, and often quite self-centred, intent on her own emotional needs while disregarding those of her friend-group, although this was perhaps understandable considering the DNA shock she received early in the story.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alison Hoeksema · Rating 5 out of 5]

With help from Joanie, supported by Matt, Carly has managed to get away from managing the inn on tiny Block Island, Maine. However, she returns to the inn when her relationship ends, and tries to fit back in. The results of a DNA test are unexpected, and we follow her on the journey to deal with family secrets. Meanwhile Joanie reluctantly becomes involved in her sister's wedding plans, with provides a lot of drama. The way people deal with their issues and the resulting emotions is well written. A lovely read!
I received an ARC from the author via BookSirens, but my review is given voluntarily.

[Heather Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital ARC of this book from Book Sirens. I have enjoyed other books by E.D. Hackett and this one was no different. Carly's world is rocked when she learns that her past was a lie. With both of her parents gone, she has to figure out the mystery on her own. However, the few people who do know the truth, aren't helping due to loyalty to her parents. Will she find out the truth? This book definitely takes you on a roller coaster of emotions, with a dose of what defines family. This is book 2 in the series, and I haven't read book 1 yet, so I don't know how many spoilers it contains.

[Lucille Guarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carly’s life seems to have gone astray; Joanie is tired of being measured by her sister Jackie’s perfect life; and Jackie’s perfectly orchestrated wedding unravels. Following these three women as they made personal choices for their future, I was eager to see where their decisions led. At the outset, About Three Women is about self-discovery and exploring relationships. In the end, it’s about family ties. Ancestry and lineage propelled the narrative, but self-compassion guided it. This is a story about 'found' family, and about the ones who always showed up. An engaging and believable story from start to finish.

[Jacqueline Boulden · Rating 5 out of 5]

About Three Women is filled with a lot of drama and even more love as three women, united by friendship and family, navigate challenges in their relationships. Carly’s reunited with her boyfriend and that’s not going well when she learns the results of a DNA test. Joanie’s planning her sister’s wedding even though she is running a B&B and really doesn’t have the time for it, and her sister, well, let's just say High Maintenance. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable read and it's part of a series, so you don't have to say good-bye to them after you’ve finished reading the book.

[Lonny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carly, Joannie, and Jackie, all women around 40, deal with drastic changes in their lives and families. This is the second in a series, and I had no problem catching on to the dynamics between the characters and was immediately drawn into their lives.

I thought Carly's story was the most compelling - I kept reading late into the night to find out the resolution of it! I know there is one more book planned in the series, and I hope there is more about Sandra, Carly's friend in Portland.

Thank you to BookSirens for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

[Suze82 · Rating 4 out of 5]

torn

Reading this book I was torn: family is the group that is meant to have our back no matter what, but often they are the ones that hurt us the most, so we are lucky if we find the family of our heart, which is often not about blood relations. On the other hand this book encourages us to never give up hoping things will turn out well for us in the end.

[Ginger Price-Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

All is well that ends well.

Follow the bumpy road. Its filled with twists, turns and a pothole or two. It is a ride you'll enjoy. I enjoyed it so much I pre-ordered the 3rd book in the series.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book in this series and another winner. The friendship between Joanie and Carly is one they both lean on, and Jacquie's wedding planning gives everyone more stress.