Hyphenated Relations
Sam Daly is leading a life of quiet isolation following the death of her husband, Mike. She is content to merely put in her eight hours at work each day before heading home to lose herself in a book, only to restart that cycle the following morning. But Sam’s self-imposed cocoon is threatened after her eccentric father-in-law Harold stumbles back into her world to announce that he is getting remarried to the mysterious Marcie Porter, who is burdened by her own complex family history.
The last thing Sam wants is to get involved with Harold’s new endeavor. But after getting wind that Marcie’s four children intend to sabotage the wedding, Sam is reluctantly drawn into a new family drama and all that comes with it, whether it be the development of unexpected alliances or butting heads with ruthless enemies. While navigating these landmines, Sam finds herself struggling to come to terms with the painful past she had been holding away at arm’s length for so long.
Through these trials and tribulations, Sam is also forced to confront the one question that she had sought to avoid since her husband’s passing—whether she is done with the notion of “family” after all.
Engaging, entertaining and thought provoking....
“After completing my reading of this brilliant portrayal of hyphenated family connections, I feel such appreciation for the emotional impact it has had on me. The author, Daniel Maunz, has taken this reader through a beautiful family story with twists and turns which kept me at peak interest and not wanting to put his book down. In fact, I read Hyphenated Relations in only two sittings, not because I am an avid reader, but because my interest in the characters and storyline kept me constantly involved as I kept turning the pages well past bedtime to see what would happen next.
The characters were very relatable with their various complicated personalities which impacted all their close relationships, and made for very interesting actions and reactions in the storyline. I feel that the author was unique in how he handled the choices the characters made, and then for me it was engaging and entertaining to follow the ensuing results of all their decisions. Not wanting to give away the ending, this compelling story of human relationships left me with deeper insights into many of the relationships I’ve had throughout my own life. I now feel much more forgiveness and acceptance in my basic understanding of how very human we all are, and how we can bring about more light and goodness into this world through some simple choices that are available but not always considered when responding in a given situation. I am very grateful for the insights and increased perceptions that I have acquired from reading this absorbing and captivating story, as well as an overall feeling of contentment and joy in the hopeful messages the story has brought to me.”
– Amazon Customer
A Wonderful Story about Love and Families
“I have been a fan of Daniel Maunz since his first book “Questions of Perspective” and have been anxiously awaiting his next book. “Hyphenated Relations” was well worth the wait. It is the story of a young woman, Sam, whose husband died two years previously while taking his mother out for a Mother’s Day dinner. Her Mother-In-Law also died in the car accident. Sam had withdrawn from society, keeping herself busy with her job and blogging books. One day she came home from work to find her former father-in law, Harold, in her house. He announced that he was getting remarried and invited Sam, his only family, to a party to announce the marriage and to meet his future wife and her four adult children from four different husbands. Sam decides not to go, but when one of Marcie’s (the new wife to be) children stalks Sam at her job in NYC and tries to talk her out of going to the party, Sam realizes that something is wrong and Harold just might need some family on his side.
The characters are believeable and very well written. They are either lovable or awful. There are many funny moments and a few sad ones. I don’t care for books that have too many characters to keep track of. Hyphenated Relations has just the right amount and each one is unique. I loved this book and I am sure I will be rereading it before too long. Highly recommended.”
– Barbara L
A Tough Book to Put Down
“Having come from a dysfunctional family myself, I was intrigued after reading the back cover and purchased this book. I must say I got through it much faster and sooner that I thought I would, despite the fact that I am not an avid reader of fiction. It was a great read for many reasons. The characters are very well written to the point that you really empathize with those that you like, and have utter disdain and contempt for the unsavory, hateful characters. This book has a very good mix of humor and twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. It was very well constructed book and has earned the honor of being the fastest time that I ever read through a book. It is very hard to believe that this is only the author’s second book. Mr. Maunz seems to have developed a talent as a great writer very early on. Again, I am not an avid reader of fiction, but this was a tough book to put down….it was very compelling with great (likable and unlikable) characters. Highly recommended.”
– Pete D
Daniel Maunz Delivers a Much-Needed Read
“Much like Maunz’s first novel, Questions of Perspective, his writing in Hyphenated Relations is superb. He provides vivid descriptions and sharp dialogue, which bring his characters to life. Maunz is also an expert at pacing plot. He has an uncanny ability to keep the reader turning pages. Having completed his first two novels, I now know that Maunz is the type of author who will keep you guessing until the end of his story. I cannot wait for his next installment.”
– Joe F
Surprising Gem
“I won Hyphenated Relations from Goodreads. I entered to win this book because the synopsis made it sound interesting- definitely something I might like. What I didn’t expect was to love this book. I like said in my headline, I found this to be a surprising gem. I found the characters in this book to be believable and likable, and in some cases unlikable. (I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but if you read this book, you’ll know who the unlikable character is. I’ll just tell you it’s a ‘she’!) The message of losing people who have touched our lives or we have loved never really being gone is obvious in this book. This is something the characters of Sam, Harold, and Marcie all realize, even though it may not always be easy to see.
I’m glad I got to read Hyphenated Relations and recommend it.”
– Patricia O