An interesting novel with great characters, but as it's an Everlasting Love novel, it's not quite a romance. It's more of a women's fiction story with an HEA. Still, a great read if you like drama and angst.

Told in first-person from the POV of middle-aged mom Tess Butterfield, it tells the story of her dealing with a sudden change to what she had hitherto understood to be her family. 25 years after meeting her husband Michael, and after 18 years of marriage, she finds out that he had fathered a son during a break in their relationship. The son, now 20, is a complete surprise to Michael, and to Tess as well. He wants to meet Michael and his family, and soon.

The novel is a great exploration of how love changes as it matures. We see their relationship and how it grew told in bits of flashback interspersed with the present action. From their first meeting as obsessive teenagers, to their rocky college years, to the birth of their daughter and finally on to the current crisis, it tells the story of love and how it changes. Born from youthful exuberance, tested by long separation and temptation, made stronger by the shared challenges of parenting it's tested once again by this latest chapter in their lives.

Garvey writes characters with a lot of life to them. She does a fabulous job with their 15 year old daughter. You know you've nailed the teenage vibe when you want to backhand the girl one second and hug her to death the next. As different as this book was from your average SuperRomance, I was nonetheless completely invested in their drama. Once I started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down.

I'd recommend this as a great read for a nice change of pace with an HEA guarantee. ( )