His First Wife [Paperback]

Grace Octavia (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2008

"If this email works and it's Jamison Taylor, I think I found your Day Planner in front of my house this morning. . ."

"Can I come pick the planner up? Or would you like to meet me somewhere?"

Kerry Jackson never thought her dream marriage of ten years could be destroyed by a harmless e-mail. But her husband, Jamison, is having an affair and a pregnant Kerry finds herself out at five in the morning, dead set on busting up the secret romance. Instead she ends up angry, confused, and in the backseat of a police car. As trouble at home quickly turns to trouble everywhere, Kerry realizes she needs a new plan for her life and her unborn child. . .fast. Now she'll have to pick up the pieces, find out who she really is--and take the biggest gamble ever.

A sparkling, sexy novel, His First Wife is all about facing what is real and getting it all on your own terms.

"Octavia weaves an extraordinary tale."--Romantic Times

"A truly wonderful story with wide appeal about love and what it takes to make a marriage in modern African American society."--Booklist

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

At the age of 16, Kerry and her domineering mother, one of Atlanta’s elite, plan her whole life. She is going to be a doctor, so she studies hard, does well at Spellman College, and applies to the top medical schools. But the schools do not accept her, and she falls in love with a Morehouse man. Jamison is not what her mother wanted, nor is Kerry what Jamison’s mother wanted, a spoiled rich girl nicknamed Black Barbie. Ten years later, a very pregnant Kerry is arrested for hitting her husband at his girlfriend’s house. How did this very-much-in-love couple come to this? Kerry starts to think back through the years, and Jamison does as well. They love each other, and for the first time, Kerry must think for herself without her mother’s input. Octavia’s second novel is a truly wonderful story with wide appeal about love and what it takes to make a marriage in modern African American society. --Patty Engelmann

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Dafina (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758218494
• ISBN-13: 978-0758218490
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,769,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's true LOVE makes you act crazy, January 4, 2009

By 

M. Bruner ""Deltareviewer" Real Page ... (Oklahoma!) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: His First Wife (Paperback)

Kerry Jackson was living a picture perfect life. Her mother poured in everything high society had to offer and sent Kerry to Spelman. It was college where she meet Jamison Taylor (a Morehouse student) he had a different upbringing but he was perfect. Both had plans to attend medical school but when things didn't work out for Kerry their plans changed. The ultimate romantic, Jamison went all out on his proposal for marriage. Kerry accepted against her mothers protest. Their marriage, lawn care business, and lavish lifestyle altered their dreams causing a rift in their relationship. Like they say "love can make you do crazy things".

Flash forward ten years, Kerry is pregnant and discovers her seemingly dedicated husband is cheating. In a late night intervention, Kerry drives to the other woman's house to get her man. The actions of that night get out of control and Kerry is arrested. The details that come to light will free Kerry from the strongholds that have held her back all these years. During these difficult days Kerry re-evaluates her life and recognizes her purpose.

Octavia continues to write stories about strong, educated women. In her sophomore project, the characters are endearing and well-developed. The emails and IM offer a humorous view of the how easy it is for something innocent to turn into betrayal. Octavia also incorporates the power of a mother's love and how it can easily be tainted. There are times when the flashbacks cause confusion in the storyline but they don't distract much from the reading. His First Wife is a romance readers dream.

Deltareviewer
Reviewing for Real Page Turners

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fighting For Love, January 2, 2009

By 

Donnica Carter "AKA DCSquared" (Marietta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: His First Wife (Paperback)

Kerry Jackson has it all! She grew up on the right side of town, has the right name, and is surrounded by the right people. Well that is what society says. But she has all of that and no one to share it with. When she meets Jamison Taylor, at a Spelman College dance, her whole life changes. Even though they come from different backgrounds (Jamison was not born with a silver spoon), their love for each other grows. They both are on their way to becoming doctors. They were perfect together. Despite each of their mother's dislike for their choice in partners, the two wed.

Now married for ten years and pregnant with their first child, Kerry discovers that Jamison is having an affair. She confronts the situation head on. Now the picture-perfect marriage is in shambles. Everyone knows her as Miss Black Barbie. What will they think when they find out her husband is cheating? How will her mother react when she did not want Kerry to marry him in the first place? With all of these questions going through her mind, Kerry has to decide the new life she will lead.

His First Wife by Grace Octavia is her second novel. Take Her Man was exciting and she did not disappoint with this one. I love the use of the e-mail and IM conversations. The characters are hilarious. You immediately connect with them. You feel for the wife, the cheating husband, AND the mistress. You get to see the different point-of-views. The same story told by different people. The pace of the novel is set from page one. You will not be able to put this down. Octavia creates a wonderful story of love, betrayal and LIFE. I am looking forward to more from her.

Donnica Copeland
APOOO BookClub
Sista Talk Book Club

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars (RAW Rating: 3.5) The Man Is Mine, November 12, 2008

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: His First Wife (Paperback)

Kerry Jackson met Jamison Taylor while she was attending Spellman and he was attending Morehouse. They both had dreams of becoming doctors, but they somehow veered off that path. Jamison now owns a very profitable lawn care service and Kerry helps with the marketing. Ten years into their marriage Kerry is eight months pregnant and she discovers he is cheating. After a confrontation with him and his mistress, Kerry is sent on a tailspin, which causes her to evaluate her life and the decisions she's made.

HIS FIRST WIFE chronicles the journey of one woman who awakens and decides to take back her life. Setback by dreams deferred and her husband's infidelity, Kerry makes a discovery back to self. The book was very well-written, but I did have trouble with the flashbacks. Octavia juggled three time periods - the beginning of their relationship, the beginning of Jamison's affair and the present. I had to read a few paragraphs to find what point the story was being told from. Other than that, Octavia pens a great tale that spotlights a couple trying to make it through their issues.

Reviewed by Paula Henderson
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers