Marriage Development

Love may be sweeter the second time around, but once the bliss of a newfound relationship wears off a little, the reality of being part of a stepfamily sets in. If you are one of the millions of remarried Americans facing the challenge of blending two existing families into one cohesive whole, you are part of a stepcouple - and you know all too well how hard it can be to make your marriage work in sometimes tough terrain. Susan Wisdom and Jennifer Green provide tips and strategies on dealing with the issues remarried couples face, with a wealth of advice from real-life stepcouples.

From popular Christian voices Lisa Jacobson and Phylicia Masonheimer, The Flirtation Experiment encourages strengthening your marriage by using a fun and lighthearted approach.

Is There Sex After Marriage? is the answer for the millions of Americans trapped in the cycle of low- or no-sex marriages. Contrary to the widespread cultural acceptance, from TV shows to standup comedy, sex doesn't have to end once the honeymoon does. Seasoned sex-pert Carol Botwin brings her decades of relationship experience to bear and teaches couples with no-nonsense candor and plenty of humor how to rekindle the fire they had in their courtship, and how to keep it burning forever.

Before: Jen Waite has met the partner of her dreams. A handsome, loving man who becomes part of her family, evolving into her husband, her best friend, and the father of her infant daughter. After: A disturbing email sparks suspicion, leading to an investigation of who this man really is and what was really happening in their marriage. In alternating before and after chapters, Waite obsessively analyzes her relationship, trying to find a single moment form the past five years that isn't part of the long con of lies and manipulation.

President/CEO of Franklin Entertainment and former Sony Pictures executive DeVon Franklin and award-winning actress Meagan Good have learned sometimes all we can do is wait for "the one" to come into our lives. They spent years crossing paths, but it wasn't until they were thrown together while working on the film Jumping the Broom that their storybook romance began.

Dan Savage’s mother wants him to get married. His boyfriend, Terry, says “no thanks” because he doesn’t want to act like a straight person. Their six-year-old son, D.J., says his two dads aren’t “allowed” to get married but that he’d like to come to the reception and eat cake. Throw into the mix Dan’s straight siblings, whose varied choices form a microcosm of how Americans are approaching marriage these days, and you get a rollicking family memoir that will have everyone - gay or straight, right or left, single or married - howling with laughter.

Experience the blessings of an imperfect marriage. We all - at one time or another - have opportunities to act right when our spouses act wrong. There are no perfect marriages or perfect spouses. We know that having a good marriage requires effort and hard work. Yet we often don't know how to continue to love when we are angry, hurt, scared, or just plain irritated. Nor are we sure what that kind of love is supposed to look like.

While many of us may be better together, some of us can actually become better apart. What if you emerged from your divorce stronger and more resilient than ever before? Better Apart is the first book to apply the life-changing, healing wisdom of meditation and yoga, combined with practical advice, to help anyone going through the painful and seemingly intractable realities of divorce. Gabrielle Hartley and Elena Brower are warm and caring guides who can help you compassionately part from your partner.

Do you want a more loving relationship, to be truly understood by the person you care about most, and to develop a deeper, more meaningful level of intimacy? Would you also like to experience better communication and more trust? Of course you want these things - we all do. If you've found this book, your relationship may be going through a difficult time, or perhaps you're just not as happy as you'd like to be. Don't throw in the towel yet - all relationships experience their ups and downs.

"I've compiled my best tried-and-true advice and I'm going to tell you the things that even your best friend doesn't have the courage to break to you. If you follow my formula, the man of your dreams will appear in your life, and you can be in a committed, monogamous relationship with him in less than a year. Get ready - I'm about to show you how to make all your relationship dreams come true."

During times of betrayal, when we most need support, sometimes the ones we would turn to first are the betrayers. Other times, we’re saddled with shame and fear. But it’s during these times that we need to learn to trust again. This book offers support, comfort, and community to those struggling with feelings associated with betrayal and guides them to healing from painful experiences of it. Listeners will learn about and move through five stages from betrayal to breakthrough and will be lovingly guided with tools and strategies along the way.

In Couples That Work, INSEAD professor Jennifer Petriglieri rejects conventional one-size-fits-all solutions and instead focuses on how dual-career couples can tackle and resolve the challenges they face throughout their lives - together. She identifies three key phases of exploration and personal growth in every couple's work-life journey, showing how partners must navigate these together to strengthen their bond.

A pioneer on the devastating effects of narcissistic abuse, Karyl McBride, PhD, has the answer for anyone desperate for help in overcoming the damage of being raised in a family headed by a narcissistic parent. Divided into three sections, McBride explores the insidious way a narcissistic environment is developed in a family, how a narcissistic parent damages a child’s emotional growth and ability to trust, and finally, how to not only move on but become truly free.

Often in our romantic relationships we long for deep connection, but we don't know how to communicate well, and sometimes even withhold what we're really thinking and feeling. As couples, we don't stop to think how important our conversations are. And we certainly don't understand that what we talk about and how we talk about them determine whether our relationships will thrive, flatline, or fail. In Fierce Love, Susan Scott guides couples through conversations that lead to deep connection and lasting commitment.

Published in 1939, this book contains 12 articles originally published in Good Housekeeping magazine as a guide to young people of the era to achieve a happy marriage. Many of the principles stated are as applicable today as they were 70 years ago, but some of the chapters are best considered only as amusing historical artifacts.

Shaunti Feldhahn helps listeners transform any relationship by making three small changes! In a new approach for Shaunti, this book is a cross between a major research study, a self-help book, and a daily step-by-step habit-building plan. It shows listeners how to apply the surprising relationship insights revealed in her earlier million-copy best sellers, why certain actions matter so much, and a specific 30-day plan on what to do to build a very simple habit that will change any relationship for the better.

We aren’t avoiding each other because of the problems. We have problems because we are avoiding each other. We aren’t separate because of the wars. We have wars because we are separate. The price we will continue to pay both personally and globally in our separate state is staggering and predictable. It is time we learned to care again. When we are not connected, anything goes and usually does. We don’t care about the impact on another, because we do not know who the other is.

In the summer of 1962, 19-year-old Mimi Beardsley arrived by train in Washington, D.C., to begin an internship in the White House press office. The Kennedy Administration had reinvigorated the capital and the country - and Mimi was eager to contribute. For a young woman from a privileged but sheltered upbringing, the job was the chance of a lifetime. Mimi made an impression on Kennedy's inner circle and, after just three days at the White House, she was presented to the President himself....

"Overcome Overthinking and Anxiety in Your Relationship" is your guide to banishing worry and overthinking from your love life. If you're caught in a battle between heart and mind, feeling disconnected, or craving more joy and understanding with your partner, this audiobook is the key to unlocking a happier, healthier relationship.

If you're tired of being told emotional unavailability is a relationship death sentence, then this two-part, easy-to-listen-to audiobook will not only help you to understand and recognize emotional unavailability, it will help you find the solution.