Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery #OtherwiseEngaged

the setup…
Victoria Rogers is a stuntwoman who was recently injured, forcing her to move back into her wealthy parents’ home temporarily. While she has a great relationship with her father Milton, a senior executive for a movie studio, Victoria’s relationship with her socialite mother Ava has always been tense. She’s never seemed to live up to her mother’s expectations and feels her disapproval. Shannon Van Horn has just gotten engaged to Aaron Williams and she couldn’t be happier. However, she isn’t ready to tell her single mother Cindy who is also engaged. They’re very close…closer than Shannon would like them to be and she’s afraid Cindy might want them to have a double wedding. When the women have a chance encounter at a wedding venue, Cindy and Ava confess to their daughters that they once knew each other years ago…when a pregnant Cindy had agreed to allow Ava to adopt her baby. Uh, oh. Victoria comes face to face with the child Ava really wanted.

the heart of the story…
It’s complicated. Victoria has always felt insecure around her mother, knowing she was adopted and looking so different from the elegant Ava. When she sees Shannon who looks much more like her mother, Victoria knows she was the second choice and gets why she’s felt like it all her life. Shannon’s failure to tell Cindy about her engagement (you knew she’d find out) hurt her deeply. No one in this story were their best selves when openness and honesty might have prevented so much pain.

the narration…
Tanya Eby is a wonderful storyteller and she delivered a fine performance, providing distinctive voices for these women.

the bottom line…
Even though these women had lots of issues, they also had lots of admirable qualities. That kept me in the story despite some really bad behavior as they navigated the rough times. I enjoyed it but after so much investment, the abrupt ending left me at sea, somewhat dissatisfied. It needed more.

Book Info

• Release Date: November 4, 2025
• Narrator: Tanya Eby
• Audio Length: 10 hours, 59 minutes
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio

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