Customer Reviews

The First Wife (Harlequin Super Romance)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up on of this author's books during a shopping trip. It sounded interesting so I purchased it. It intrigued me to the point that I wanted to continue the series. I enjoyed all 4 of this authors stories with many of the same characters.

I was actually pretty disappointed in this book. I actually found myself advancing through pages. There is no romance at all between Jane and Brad. Even during the one time they are together that results in Jane's pregnancy. Best friends all the way, although after their "incident", they can barely talk to each other. It bothered me that Brad was actually dating another woman and considering going to bed with her until almost the end of the book!! In the last few pages they finally admit they love each other, but I almost feel like they are just stuck together. It would have been nice to maybe have an epilogue, just to get a little more info on their life together. I wish I could get my money back on this one.

In Chandler, Ohio, the police arrest two time bigamist James Todd for murdering his second wife Lee Ann Todd. His third wife Marla Anderson is paying for his defense. The Ford County prosecutor Sheila Grant asks a local clinical psychologist Dr. Kelly Chapman to interview the first wife Jane Hamilton.

Jane has come a long way since her accident-prone marriage to James. She runs the Twenty-Something magazine that targets strong women. However, Jane is taken aback when asked to testify at her former husband's murder trial as she has no idea what she can bring to the proceedings.

Her best friend attorney Brad Manchester and Kelly get Jane to open her eyes to the truth that her ex spouse was abusive towards her; an adversarial relationship; of which she did comprehend back then as such, but suppressed. Looking back, Jane begins to believe James could turn to murder if his desires are thwarted.

This is an excellent psychological thriller with a romantic subplot between Brad and Jane supporting the prime story line of whether James was abusive to his first wife. Character driven, readers will appreciate this powerful tale as Jane realizes her activities at the magazine and as a volunteer since the divorce are motivated by her relationship with James. This is fabulous contemporary thriller.

Harriet Klausner