Christine Blacksworth lives for success, just like her father. The stock market and her clients take top priority but she's very careful to make sure to put in an appearance at family events her mother deems important. To not do so would incite her mother's wrath and that wouldn't be pleasant for anyone. One such event is the welcome home dinner for her father which signifies his return home from his `getaway' cabin every month. Only one month he doesn't arrive home - and his unexpected death, more than a hundred miles from the cabin triggers questions Christine is determined to have answered.
Nothing about Christine's father's death feels right. Why was he on a road so far from his cabin? Who was the young man who called to deliver the news of his death? And after talking with Charles' attorney and learning that a portion of his bequests goes to a mysterious person named Lily; Christine decides to travel to the cabin her dad visited monthly. Then she makes the trip to meet Lily. Christine's operating under the assumption that her father was having an affair and Lily was his lover, but once she reaches Magdalena, New York, she realizes that her father wasn't just having an affair; he had a whole other life - which included a mistress and a daughter.
Christine's prepared to hate the Desantro family. In fact, what she really wants is physical proof of her father's betrayal, that way her anger is completely justified. What she doesn't expect is to be denied access to Lily by Nate Desantro or the unexpected shock of learning that she has a sister. She certainly didn't anticipate feeling a sense of belonging amongst the Desantro family or a strong attraction to Nate. When it comes right down to it, Christine discovers there's a whole different side to her father that she never knew about - one that liked a simpler life, something her mother avoided at all costs.
Christine and Nate are at odds over almost everything pertaining to her father. She's extremely angry with her dad and Nate just flat out hated Charles. They have serious resentment issues to overcome and if it wasn't for Lily, Christine might not have bothered, but something about her half-sister keeps drawing her back to Magdalena - and helps open her heart to the possibilities of a different life than what she's living now.
A FAMILY AFFAIR takes your traditional family ideals and twists it about so that you can't help but admit that family is determined by more than DNA. Mary Campisi draws the reader into this story by invoking a variety of emotions, everything from fury and disappointment to genuine love and acceptance and incorporating enough suspenseful elements that I read the entire story in one sitting. The tension between Nate and Christine is completely understandable since he's trying to protect his family and Christine is doing the same for hers. One of the things that unite them is Lily and her easy acceptance of them. I really hadn't expected this story to be such an emotional journey and honestly I think a lot of its appeal has to do with Lily and the innocent way she views life and the people around her.
The whole time Christine's trying to come to grips with her father's death and the reality of another family, there's a whole other drama unfolding in her normal life. And I don't say drama lightly because it seems her mother really likes to be theatrical when it comes to manipulating her family. Fortunately Uncle Harry sees right through her and isn't above using a bit of blackmail to keep her in line.
Mary Campisi's A FAMILY AFFAIR is a delightful story that pulls at the heartstrings with its intriguing characters, stunning revelations, and an emotional rollercoaster as the two halves of Charles' life collide in a ferocious upheaval. Of course, he's deceased so isn't there to witness the havoc his decisions have caused.
Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)
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