HUSBANDS AND LOVERS (Park Avenue Series, Book #2) [Kindle Edition]

Ruth Harris (Author)

Book Description

For every woman who ever wondered if she was pretty enough.

Husbands And Lovers, Book #2 in the Park Avenue Series, is a million-copy NYT bestseller and voted "best contemporary" by Romantic Times. It is the story of a wallflower who turns herself into a swan and the two handsome, successful men who vie for her love.

When Carlys Webber gets a job at a glamorous Manhattan public relations firm, she transforms herself into a lovely and desirable woman. Her celebrity clients adore her and, as she moves to the fast track and climbs the executive ladder, she attracts the attention of the company's dynamic, millionaire chief executive, Kirk Arnold. When he proposes, Carlys's impossible dreams finally come true but her happy marriage is threatened when Kirk's obsession with work changes him from a loving, attentive husband into a cold, distant stranger. Shut out by Kirk, Carlys is tempted to find comfort in the arms of a handsome, passionate architect, George Kouras--even though she knows the consequences can destroy her almost perfect marriage.

Can Carlys resist?
What will happen if Kirk finds out?
How far will George go to win her?

Originally published in hard cover by Macmillan and in mass market paperback by Fawcett, HUSBANDS AND LOVERS sold millions of copies and has been in the Top 10 of Amazon's prestigious Movers & Shakers List.

"A contemporary tale of passion and commitment. Steamy and fast-paced, you will be spellbound."  --Cosmopolitan magazine

"Harris relates the games of love in fast-forward, high octane style.  Deserves a large audience." --New Woman magazine

Ruth Harris is "Brilliant.....trenchant, chic and ultra-sophisticated, a writer who has all the intellect of Mary McCarthy, all the insight of Joan Didion." --Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Harris's prose is sharp, her eye keen, her pen like the rapier of Zorro." --Christian Science Monitor

The five books in the Park Avenue Series are available as single ebooks and in Boxed Sets:  Books 1-3 and Books 1-5

Decades (Book # 1) What if the happy ending you get isn't the happy ending you dreamed of? Originally published by Simon & Schuster; revised and updated by the author for today's reader. "Terrific!" --Cosmopolitan    --"Absolutely perfect." --Publisher's Weekly  "Powerful. A gripping novel." --Women Today Book Club

Love And Money (Book # 3)--#1 on Amazon's prestigious Movers and Shakers list. What if your father has a secret that causes a murder? "Richly plotted. First-class entertainment." --NY Times Book Review  "Fast-paced, superior fiction. A terrifically satisfying 'good read.'" Fort Lauderdale News Sun-Sentinel

Modern Women (Book #4)--1,000,000-copy NYT bestseller! #1 on Amazon's Movers and Shakers List! Because the women we were made us the women we are.  "Funny, sad, vivid, and raunchy. Harris seeks to enliven and entertain, and she does it in spades." --The Cleveland Plain-Dealer  "Ruth Harris's rapier wit spices up a superb 'rags to riches' novel. You'll love Modern Women."--West Coast Review of Books

The Last Romantics (Book #5)--What if you love an untamable man? A sweeping love story set in Paris and New York during the glamorous 1920's. He is dashing, handsome and celebrated but flawed. She is a gifted fashion designer who has the world at her feet. She is beautiful, charming, lonely, haunted. "I love it, I love it! Fantastic, immensely readable." --Cosmopolitan      "Gloriously romantic" --Kirkus

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A New York Times bestselling author, Ruth Harris's novels have sold millions of copies. Translated into 19 languages and sold in hardcover and paperback editions in more than 30 countries, Ruth's books were Literary Guild, Book-of-the-Month Club and book club selections around the world.

Product Details

• File Size: 473 KB
• Print Length: 378 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004CYEXNA
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #316,647 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #26 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Law > Family & Health Law > Divorce & Separation

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read! March 21, 2011

By Kiki Deister

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Husbands and Lovers is the story of four main characters, set mainly against the backdrop of the 1970's and 1980's. True life events were woven into the fictional story throughout the novel, which very much set the stage for the characters. Being a child of the 1970's and a teen of the 1980's, I am a bit younger than the characters, but definately old enough to remember most of those events which really added to my enjoyment of the story.

The story was centered on four main characters: Carlys (the married woman), Jade (the single woman), George (the lover), and Kirk (the husband). It opened with a prologue in which events were taking place in their present tense, although the circumstances were left intentionally vague, for reasons that become clear near the end of the book.

Each part of the novel focused on one of those four characters, going back and forth in time to tell their story. That back and forth can make the reading of a story confusing and somewhat muddy, but there was absolutely none of that with this book. Instead it added to the interest of the characters and their stories and backstories. While each character was developed in their own part of the novel, their stories were woven together throughout the story. I really enjoyed the fact that no matter how much you learned about a character, enough was left unexplained that it throroughly built the suspense for the end of the novel. All that had been unexplained or left vague came together in the end and made for a great conclusion to the stories of these four characters.

Because so much has changed in society since the time in which this story was set, it was interesting to revisit it and really see those changes. The political and social events taking place at the time, the sexual politics and the changing roles of women were all very different then, and using that to form the backdrop for the four characters was fascinating. So much of contemporary fiction focuses on women, but this novel was different in that it gave equal time to men and their stories.

All in all, an excellent read that I highly recommend you pick up and read!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Narcissists & the Women Who Love & Suffer Them March 9, 2012

By Anissa Annalise

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

When a book begins with a main character toting a gun & on a collision course with a spouse & their lover & their lover's lover, all one can do is find out how all this came to be. This was a fast paced & sometimes fun, sometimes infuriating read. Ruth Harris writes characters that feel so true you can't help but go along on their emotional rollercoaster ride lives. Carlys, Kirk, Jade & George are a palette of greys, with none being wholly a hero or villain. I enjoyed that because it made them believable & also went a long way making the story flow well to a satisfying conclusion. The men were just as infuriating as the women & for anything the women endured (Winn & Barry, I'm looking @ you!), I couldn't help yelling "Make better choices! You don't have to take that!" As a woman who didn't experience this period in history (the 70s & early 80s), I find it's fascinating to read & take in all the points of view the characters are caught up in shaded by the times & trying to figure out the next step. They seem to be running away from things just as much as they're running toward other things. I think I can see why my mother had all the authors books on her bookshelf. They're quite engaging. Like watching Mad Men set a bit later. The rules were technically different but people were still people & don't just change attitudes or the way they were brought up, overnight.

I'd recommend this if you're looking for something to read over a weekend. It's soapy & still gives you moments to ponder.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed it! June 15, 2011

By Hoosiermama

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this book very much. Set in the 70's, the author wove references to historical fact into the book. The characters were believable and likeable, but with flaws that we all have. Highly recommend!

More About the Author

Ruth Harris is a million-copy New York Times and Amazon bestselling author and a Romantic Times award winner for "best contemporary." Ruth's emotional, entertaining fiction has topped Amazon's prestigious Movers and Shakers list and her highly praised novels have sold millions of copies in hard cover, paperback and ebook editions, been translated into 19 languages, sold in 30 countries, and were prominent selections of leading book clubs including the Literary Guild and the Book Of The Month Club. In their e-book editions, Ruth's novels have been featured on Ereader News Today, Pixel of Ink and Kindle Nation Daily.

Ruth writes about strong, savvy, witty women who struggle to succeed and, when sometimes they don't get what they want, they find something even better along the way. Critics have compared Ruth to Nora Ephron and Joan Didion and called her books  "brilliant," "steamy," "stylishly written," "richly plotted," "first-class entertainment" and "a sure thing." 

With her husband, Michael, Ruth indulges her wild side and writes bestselling thrillers with vivid characters, international backgrounds and compelling plots. Their thrillers have made numerous appearances in the top 3 of Kindle's prestigious Movers & Shakers list;  in the Top 100 in the Kindle Store;  Hooked has appeared continually on three Medical bestseller lists since its publication;  #1 and #2 on two different Political bestseller lists;  #14 on the Thrillers bestseller list.

Publisher's Weekly called Ruth's and Michael's thrillers "Slick and sexy [with] all the sure elements of a big seller written by pros who know how to tell a story." Readers have raved, calling their books "awesome," "gripping," "chilling," "a must-read," and "a real page-turner."

It's no surprise Ruth is a writer. Her Mom was an RN who had a trove of big-city hospital stories--some funny, some sad, some touching--and loved telling them. Her Dad loved words and language--Ruth still has his collection of dictionaries--and he is remembered by those who knew him as "always reading." Ruth's paternal grandfather was noted for his extensive library and both her parents were avid readers: her Mom loved popular fiction and her Dad bought four or five newspapers every day and subscribed to what seemed to be every magazine published--from Life and Look to BusinessWeek and Organic Gardening.

As a girl, Ruth wanted to be a professional ice skater. In her teens, she wanted to be a lawyer--a summer job in a law office cured her! After college, she got a beginner's job in publishing and her career path--first as an editor and then as a writer--was set.