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 Another Man's Wife by Shonda Cheekes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
After I read a book I have a habit of going back to read reviews and comments to see if the average reader shared my overall thoughts. I’ve found for the most part that I am usually in sync with the average review. However, Another Man’s Wife found me in stark conflict with most of those who reviewed this book; similar to my experience with Jezebel by Jacquelin Thomas. I have surmised that the thing that is separating us is my lack of appreciation for contemporary romance type fiction. It’s just too much fantasy going on for my realist nature.
Another Man’s Wife has a good premise. A seemingly happy couple with careers, nice house, nice cars, 2 kids, and a dog, one day discovers that they aren’t as happy as they thought. In this case, the husband disappears without a trace; the wife waits for several years before declaring him dead; and just when she meets and falls in love with someone new, the husband resurfaces.
Two things worked against this book for me. One is the romance aspect. When things are just too unbelievable my interest wanes. For example, you have Alex, the Prince Charming of the book, who is rich and successful beyond measure (typical romance), breaks up with his gold-digging girlfriend before leaving for vacation in Florida. He meets Yani, the abandoned wife, and after a few days of courtship he returns home but can’t forget about her. Yani, on the other hand is infatuated with Alex but really doesn’t know much about him, like his last name, what he does for a living, etc. Alex is tired of pining over Yani and decides he has to spend the rest of his life with her. They marry 6 months after meeting and she uproots her and her children’s lives and moves from Florida to New York.
The second negative was the side story of Asia, Yani’s sister. The book was 371 pages, and half of that was dedicated to Asia and her love interest Hayden. I kept waiting for Cheekes to tie the stories together but it never happened, which took me back to the romance aspect. Was she trying to contrast Yani’s whirlwind romance with Alex to Asia’s dysfunctional one with Hayden? I really don’t know, or perhaps it was just filler.
To Cheekes credit, the book wasn’t so bad that I wanted to shelve it. There was enough interest for me to keep reading and stay engaged to see what happened when the husband returned. Unfortunately, that was the final disappointment. He doesn’t make his appearance into the book until page 239. Cheekes could have done so much at that point but once again the romanticizing took over and the opportunity was lost.
Had this book been on the Romance shelf it never would have caught my attention, but since I picked it up and enjoyed the synopsis I took it home. Romance lovers will undoubtedly enjoy the book, but if you are not into fairy tales, you may want to bypass this one.
Much Love,
Tracy
Tracy L. Darity is the author of He Loves Me He Loves Me Not! and Love…Like Snow In Florida On A Hot Summer Day. For more information visit: www.TracyLDarity.com.
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