Carol and Greg Thompson have been happily married for nearly two years and they will soon be celebrating their second wedding anniversary. Carol has been able to put much of her past with violent ex-husband Sean behind her. We meet Greg's mum and dad, who are very much a part of their lives, in a way that Carol never had with her own mum and dad and we also meet Carol's estranged older brother, Steven, who returns for a long-awaited reunion. However, with all of these family members coming into it, the past also has other little tricks up its sleeve, like the return of an old flame for Greg. Carol had no idea of Greg's life before they met and like many other guys, Greg has a past ... and an ex-girlfriend. When Carol and Greg are out shopping one evening, they run into Carly Fletcher, Greg's ex-girlfriend from when he was a teenager. This leads to the beginning of an uncomfortable time for both of them, with Carol concerned that some spark of romance might reignite again between Greg and Carly, despite Greg trying to convince Carol that Carly is in the past. Carly Fletcher however, is a seductive and powerful presence and she is not going away or giving up on her old flame so easily, now with what she sees as a second chance with him. The Thompson Family continues the love story between Carol and Greg Thompson, goes deeper into their family lives and pasts and reveals much about their characters and is the sequel to Another Man's Bed. T A Charnley is the author of Another Man's Bed. The Thompson Family is his second published book.