By Invitation Only

The Lowcountry of South Carolina, at a barbecue engagement party thrown by Diane English Stiftel, her brother Floyd, and her parents to celebrate her son’s engagement, is where By Invitation Only begins. On this magical night, the bride’s father, Alejandro Cambria, a wealthy power broker and one of Chicago’s celebrated elite, discovers the limits and possibilities of cell phone range. Meanwhile, the mother of the bride, Susan Kennedy Cambria, who believes herself deserving of every square inch of her multimillion-dollar penthouse, learns about moonshine and dangerous liaisons.In Chicago, Diane is the antithesis of the super-sophisticated guests attending her son Fred’s second engagement party. Why a second party?  Maybe it had been assumed that the first one wouldn’t be up to snuff? Fred is marrying Shelby Cambria. The Cambrias’ dearest wish is for their daughter to be happy. If Shelby wants to marry Fred, they will not stand in her way—although Susan hopes her friends won’t think her daughter is marrying more than a few degrees beneath her socially. At the same time, Diane worries that her son will be lost to her forever.By Invitation Only is a funny, sharp, and deeply empathetic novel of two very different worlds filled with a cast of characters who have something to hide and a lot to learn. Are they living the life they want, what regrets do they hold, and how would they remake their lives if they were given the invitation to do so?