My Favorite Husband [Paperback]

Pam McCutcheon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2003

Chaz Vincent disappeared years ago on an expedition into the wildest reaches of the Amazon jungle, leaving his wife, Kelly, to wait and wonder - and finally have him declared legally dead. How was she to know he was being held hostage by a tribe of Pygmies with a talent for complicated knots? It took forever and a day for him to finally escape but he's back - and he can't wait to see her...Kelly Vincent knows she'll never forget Chaz - especially since the intrepid adventurer's memorial service was accidentally scheduled only hours after her second wedding. Stranger still, that tanned, rugged man in Khaki shorts who just walked into the funeral parior is a dead ringer for him. But wait a minute - that is Chaz. And he looks like he's ready to sweep her off her feet all over again...

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Kelly buries one husband and marries another on the same day, except that Chaz, missing in the jungle for five years and now legally dead, shows up at his own funeral. Which husband does Kelly want? The sexy Indiana Jones wanna-be who flies off to archaeological digs, leaving her at the drop of a hat, or Spencer, a reliable, if not staid, businessman? To make her decision even harder, lots of folks interfere: her brother, Scott; Garcia, the gorgeous Latina who was imprisoned with Chaz; Garcia's two oversized brothers; Kelly's meddlesome mother, Grace; Grace's boyfriend, the lawyer; a supercilious hotel clerk; the media; and Kelly's boss, Candace, who's in love with Spencer. A laugh a minute, this romance features a wild cast of characters, with lots of action and snappy dialogue. Fans of the Irene Dunne and Cary Grant movie My Favorite Wife --and Move Over, Darling, the remake with Doris Day and James Garner --will especially enjoy seeing how McCutcheon has made this version of the long-lost, presumed-dead spouse tale uniquely hers. Happily, a tale about Kelly's funny, charming brother, Scott, is in the works. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Five Roses! This book was a riot from cover to cover, the laughs just kept coming. -- A Romance Review, on line at www.aromancereview.com

Five Stars! This is the best romantic comedy I've read this year. MY FAVORITE HUSBAND is a must read! -- Melissa Alvarez, on line at About.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082177509X
• ISBN-13: 978-0821775097
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,721,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ~ So Much Fun ~, May 18, 2004

By 

Lisa (San Bernardino, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Favorite Husband (Paperback)

I had so much fun reading this book, I wanted a laugh out loud kind of book, and this book made me laugh, I loved all the characters they were funny in there own way. What can I say about Chaz, the first husband, you could not help but to root for him to win Kelly's heart, then you kind of feel sorry for Spencer because he is not a bad guy. Kelly's brother Scott was so funny he had me laughing the most, I am so glad that he will have his own story and I cannot wait to read it and see what has become of him.

Happy Reading
Lisa

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 *s What happens when your dead husband reappears?, January 9, 2004

By 

baltimore0502 "Hon!" (BALTIMORE, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Favorite Husband (Paperback)

This book is an homage to the 1930's "screwball comedy" MY FAVORITE WIFE starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, which was remade in the late 50's as MOVE OVER DARLING (one of my fave movies) with Doris Day and James Garner. It was in the process of being filmed a third time as SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE starring Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin when Marilyn was fired from the film and then died (along with the film) in 1963. It's the story of a man whose declared dead wife reappears on the day of his marriage to his second wife and the complications that follow.

Indiana Jones-like Chaz Vincent disappeared five years ago while on an expedition in the Amazon jungle. Though Kelly has searched and refused to give up hope, she is finally persuaded that Chaz is not coming back. She has him declared legally dead and moves on with her life. She has decided to marry her longtime friend and co-worker Spencer Preston, though she has never stopped loving Chaz. In a bizarre twist of fate or timing, the memorial service for Chaz is scheduled for the same day as her wedding to Spencer! And so the former Kelly Vincent, now Preston, just hours after her wedding, attends the funeral for her first husband. But when a familiar-looking bearded, deeply tanned man dressed in khaki shorts (!) appears at the memorial service Kelly is stunned to discover that Chaz is not dead but standing right in front of her! What a perfect time to faint!

At first Chaz is chagrined that his sudden reappearance has come as such a shock to Kelly, followed by sheer joy at being with her again, but when he discovers that she has just remarried, feelings of betrayal rise to the surface. How could she do this when memories of her were all that kept him going for all those years in captivity? But on the other hand, how was she to know that he had been held captive by a tribe of pygmies? Now they must figure out what this means for the future. Is Kelly legally married to Spencer or to Chaz or not at all? And more importantly, to whom does she WANT to be married - the steady, dependable but sometimes dull Spencer or the wild, spontaneous but often absent and in danger Chaz? Laughs abound when Kelly, Chaz, Spencer and Kelly's brother Scott - along with several other players who further complicate things - all wind up at the resort where Kelly and Spencer were to honeymoon. Chaz and Spencer engage in some serious competition to win Kelly and she really is torn. Who will she choose? And will that resort ever be the same after their wild stay?

This would have been a 5 star story, but toward the end I felt that the antics got a bit tedious and silly and I just wanted her to choose already. And I concur with the other reviewers here that a book on Kelly's brother Scott would definitely be welcome! A really fun, enjoyable read and highly recommended!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very highly recommended, January 4, 2004

By 

C. Penn "WordWeaving" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Favorite Husband (Paperback)

Her wedding should have been the best of days, but holding her previous husband's memorial on the same day results in the worst of days for Kelly Richmond Vincent. Before resigning herself to the seemingly inevitable, Kelly expended her savings and devoted all her energy to finding her husband who disappeared in an accident. Now five years later, a loop hole allowed her to have him legally declared dead after five years.

Of course Chaz would waltz into his own funeral, with the declaration that "Honey, I'm home." Now Kelly has not one, but two husbands, a mother who will not understand and a new groom eagerly waiting to consummate their vows. Chaz not only expects to pick up where they left off, but also expected to find the same Kelly waiting for him that he left behind. All this fashion sense and independence certainly leaves him guessing, especially with everyone staying at the honeymooner's hotel and Kelly getting her own room!

Author Pam McCutcheon pens a novel impossible to put down with MY FAVORITE HUSBAND. I found myself reading it out loud while on a road trip over the holidays because I wanted to share the pleasure of the reading it with a friend. Ethical dilemma, comic mistakes and a strong dose of humor combine in this outrageous read that belongs on the keeper shelf. Readers will eagerly anticipating Kelly's brother Scott's story. MY FAVORITE HUSBAND comes very highly recommended.