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C.C. MacDonald Books In Order

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Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Happy Ever After (2020)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Family Friend (2021)Description / Buy at Amazon

C.C MacDonald
C.C. MacDonald is a fiction writer best known for her debut novel Happy Ever After. This psychological thriller shows the author’s writing skills and prowess in weaving a gripping story. MacDonald also doubles as an actor. Currently, this talented author lives in Margate with his wife, children, and his dog Frankie.

Happy Ever After
Happy Ever After tells the story of a family going through a typical crisis, their unfulfilled desires, and the lengths they are willing to go to for their loved ones. It is also about revenge and the desperate attempt to hide the truth. To the outside world, Naomi has everything a woman would ever want. She has a caring husband, a wonderful daughter, and a beautiful home. However, Naomi is everything but satisfied, and as days pass, the once loving couple is drifting apart. The biggest problem is their fertility issues.

Naomi and her husband have been trying to give her daughter Prue a sibling, but her efforts have been unsuccessful. As every month passes, Naomi’s frustration goes a notch higher, and it doesn’t help that her husband seems less concerned about her plight. The couple even has an app that tells them when to try for a baby. Naomi’s efforts to get even the least of support from her husband go unrewarded, and she ends up belittling her husband and lashing out every chance she gets.

Charles is an inventor who spends a good part of his day at work. The father of one also suffers from depression and other mental health issues, plus a few of his bad decisions have put the family finances in jeopardy. In between a busy schedule and the normal daily stresses, he also has to deal with a wife who seems to blame him for everything. Charles doesn’t sympathize with Naomi for many reasons. First, he doesn’t understand what all the pressure is all about. Sure, it has been a while since they started trying for one, but the delay doesn’t mean that they will eventually get their baby. Naomi’s words are also beginning to get to him, and it is getting to a point where he doesn’t care what his wife feels.

Enter Sean; a fellow parent Naomi meets at Prue’s nursery school. For once in a long time, Naomi gets someone willing to listen and offer a shoulder to lean on. Naomi joins Sean for a swimming lesson with the kids, and she cannot help but ogle at this handsome man. Later in the Shower, Naomi makes a mistake she immediately regrets. Unfortunately, the consequences are dire, and it is clear that they will haunt her for the rest of her life. To make things even more complex, Sean simply vanishes from her life. What would make a man just up and leave after what happened between them? Was he genuine about this friendship, or was he just a jerk preying on a vulnerable woman?

Naomi has barely recovered from the events of that fateful day when she discovers that someone else knows her secret. As her life spirals out of control, Naomi will have to face a deranged stalker who is out to ruin her life and ensure that her husband knows her secret. Can the young woman save her marriage and keep her family safe? How does she overcome the strange and terrifying events that are happening more frequently than she can recover? Will Charles understand if Naomi explains the circumstances that led her to Sean’s arms?

All the characters in this story have something they are struggling with, which makes them more relatable. Naomi is obsessed with getting pregnant, and while her husband wants a baby just as bad, he gets blamed for their failure to conceive. The young mother comes off as judgmental and controlling, especially where her husband is concerned. Fortunately, she cares a lot about Prue, which explains why she is so desperate to give her a sibling.

Charles is not any different. First of all, he is keeping secrets that no man should be keeping from his wife. He also has a hard time expressing his feelings, so most of his actions go against a reasonable person acting in a similar situation. It is apparent that he also places more importance on appearances and things, which makes him sound shallow.

Sean also turns out to be a bigger disappointment. While Naomi initially thinks that Sean is everything her husband is not, it doesn’t take long for him to show his true colors. Sean is a wrecking ball, and once Naomi learns the truth about him, he turns into a shadow from her past that is determined to curtail her happiness.
After the first few chapters, this book gets addictive. The fact that the characters are not perfect doesn’t matter. This book is filled with twists and turns, secrets and lies, and loads of descriptions on daily life. The author has taken time to do his research making this read like a true story. Follow Naomi’s search for the truth and her ups and downs as she tries to figure out what is happening in her life. The final twist will catch you by surprise. Just when you think that you have everything figured out, the story will take an entirely different route. The narrative is interrupted by text messages and emails from various characters, which helps a great deal in plot development.

Happy Ever After is a psychological drama on love, betrayal, and, consequently, revenge. While most of these characters are unlikeable, they are well developed and real. The story is more of drama, but the psychological elements are hard to miss. For a debut novel, the author has done a great job of maintaining a steady pace, keeping the narration flowing, and introducing a storyline that is far from ordinary. If you love psychological thriller based on family and everyday life, you will love this book. You may not think highly about the characters but you will understand where most of them are coming from.

Book Series In Order » Authors » C.C. MacDonald

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