Forgive and Forget Books in Order

The Forgive and Forget books centre on one extended Dublin family whose lives keep tangling in new ways as the years pass. At the heart of the trilogy are Connie Adams, a capable nurse and devoted mother; her ex‑husband Barry, now remarried; their only daughter Debbie; and Barry’s glamorous second wife Aimee, along with teenage stepdaughter Melissa and a growing cast of partners, in‑laws and friends.

In Forgive and Forget, Debbie is planning her wedding and wants nothing to do with Barry’s new family. She would rather walk up the aisle alone than have her father, his polished wife and their sulky teenager at the ceremony. Barry is equally determined that they will attend. Caught in the middle, Connie tries to keep the peace as old grievances, jealousy and misunderstandings bubble to the surface in the tense run‑up to the big day.

The wedding itself does not go to script, and its fallout ripples through everyone’s lives. By Happy Ever After, Debbie is newly married and quickly discovering that real life—mortgages, credit card bills and a husband with expensive tastes—is not the fairy tale she expected. Barry and Aimee are dealing with the surprise of a late‑in‑life pregnancy, while Connie, who has always put her family first, is tentatively opening herself up to new love.

Love and Marriage brings the saga to a climax. An unplanned baby, a son‑in‑law who may already be in trouble, and a teenage girl struggling with food and body image place Barry and Aimee’s relationship under huge strain. Connie is pulled between her instinct to rescue everyone and her own need for independence. When Barry’s first wife, Marianna, arrives on the scene determined to cause trouble, the whole fragile balance of the family is threatened.

Across the trilogy, Scanlan shows divorce, remarriage and blended families from every angle: the loyal ex‑wife who keeps smoothing things over, the daughter who feels abandoned, the second wife who is tired of being cast as the villain, and the men who don’t always notice the emotional labour going on around them. Money worries, career pressures and shifting loyalties give the books a contemporary feel, while the focus on forgiveness and fresh starts keeps the tone ultimately hopeful.

Although each novel tells a complete story, they’re best read in order, as the characters grow, stumble and slowly figure out what family, commitment and happiness mean to them.