Customer Reviews

My Husband's Girlfriend: A Novel

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

"A celibate husband and wife are the two most dangerous people on
Earth" rings true as the story of Neil and Anya Meadows unfolds in Cydney Rax's
novel, "My Husband's Girlfriend." Anya Meadows is a stay -at- home wife
and mom who suffers from a hormonal disorder that leaves her sex drive
nonexistent and her marriage in a whirlwind. The Meadows' marriage
faces the ultimate test when Neil's mistress, Danielle, gives birth to
his baby.

When Anya decides to step up to save her marriage, Danielle
goes into overdrive in an attempt to save her relationship with her
married lover. Neil wants more than anything to resist the temptation
Of his mistress, save his marriage and raise his children in a
workable situation. Through prayer, love, and some explosive twists
and turns, the Meadows come to a realization and a solution that turns
conventional marriage and forgiveness on its ear.

"My Husband's Girlfriend" explores many of the deeper issues
concerning marriages, relationships, parenting, and religion. Although
this novel is slower paced than Rax' previous novel "My Daughters
boyfriend", the change in style and tone in this novel work to the
benefit of the plot. Cydney Rax has a talent for making her characters feel like the family next door with a twist. I would recommend this book to all fiction fans.


Reviewed by Porscha
APOOO Book Club

As much as I enjoyed Cydney's first book, "My Daughter's Boyfriend", her latest effort tops even that. A wife suffering from low sexual desire gives her husband permission to have "relations" with another woman to fulfill his needs. Her permission however is limited and is only to involve non-penetration. Of course, that quickly goes awry and next thing you know the husband's mistress is pregnant. Not only is the wife stung by her husband straying outside the confines of their agreement but she now must deal with a child--a child she'd hoped to give her husband herself. Unfortunately, since the birth of their first child she hasn't been able to carry a second child to term.

What surprised me was I actually felt empathy for the mistress. Although at times I wanted to give her a good slap, Ms. Rax fleshes out the character to where you understand how she ended up in a relationship with a married man. The only person I didn't feel much sympathy for was the selfish husband who wanted to have everything but give up nothing.

Cydney did an excellent job on her second novel and I'm sure it will spark much discussion. You will not be disappointed!

I've read all the reviews on here prior to me writing mine. I think first of all if I were Anya this would have been a really short book! But I think this book will make you open your mind about what marriage should really be about especially if you give it to God. I think this will definitely be a great book for my book club to discuss. I found the book frustrating at times just because I wouldn't have made many of the choices that most of the characters would have made but that's what reading is all about...being able to step out of your comfort zone. Great job for that!

TaNisha Webb
KC Girlfriends Book Club President

I knew I was going to be in for quite a ride before I even picked up a copy of Cydney's Rax's second book. What I wasn't prepare for was how angry I became with the three lead characters -- Anya, the wife, Neil, the husband and Dani, the girlfriend. I imagined myself hundreds of times just putting my fingers around of all their necks and squeezing until they came to their senses or stopped breathing. Why? Because despite the foolish mistakes and choices they made, Ms. Rax created her characters in such a way, that they not only came off as very real, but reminded me just how fallible we are human beings. Just how flawed we can be, and how, after making a decision, it's so easy to backslide again and again.

I was eager to see how this tale would end, and the ending came that not only made me smile, but re-affirmed some things I have learned about life. There is always a purpose for what we go through and though, at times, we can not see the why, there is always a reason - quite often a good one.

If you want to dig into a novel that will have you feeling a story deep inside your bones, well this is the book for you. A good author will make you feel and respond to the characters, as well as leave you with some gem of wisdom you can take with you. Ms. Rax had done that superbly...

Cydney Rax is back! The best-selling author of My Daughter's Boyfriend is back with yet another thought-provoking, eye-opening story.....Anya Meadows is a woman who loves her husband--in fact when a hormonal imbalance prevents her from performing her 'wifely' duties, she agrees to allow her husband Neil to have a mistress. Neil and Anya come to an agreement, Neil and his mistress are only to meet twice a month, participate in 'foreplay', and Neil can't fall in love with her. So, what happens when Neil breaks his end of the agreement? Neil Meadows loves his wife but after being unfulfilled and Anya's insistence, he finally agrees to go outside the marriage but he doesn't count on having feelings or a baby. Danielle, is the mistress and after an unplanned pregnancy, gives Neil the son he always wanted. Although, Anya struggles to put the 'drama' aside and accept both Dani and the baby into the family, Dani can't resist wishing Neil would leave that family and create a 'new' family with her. Meanwhile Neil is caught in the middle, committed to Anya and their daughter but trying to be a good father to Braxton, his newborn son and fighting his strong attraction to Dani. My Husband's Girlfriend by Cydney Rax is a powerful story with unforgettable characters. A emotional, thought-provoking story about love and marriage with a twist that is going to make for very some interesting discussions. I give this book 5 stars. Reviewed by Shay C of PeoplewholoveGoodBooks.

This will definitely be placed on my bookshelf of Top Reads for 2007! Neil & Anya's "triangle" made me cringe, laugh, and be pissed off all at the same time! How could a woman accept such actions but she was the initiator??? How could a husband do that to his wife but feel he was honoring her twisted wishes?
Anyone in a committed dating relationship or married should consider this as a form of possible "therapy..." if you will. Knowing the consequences of not communicating and not realizing the full effects of what can happen when a spouse strays can truly make or break a couple.

KUDOS!!!! to you, Cydney for taking a chance and writing about a sensitive subject!!!

I sometimes wonder where these authors get their inspiration from? Something must have happened to make the Cydney Rax have so much to say and in such detail. Basically I feel she aired some one's dirty laundry and she was nice enough to share it with us. "My husband's Girlfriend" might be a bit far fetched but it was entertaining at that.

In here Anya has a hormonal problem and doesn't want to make love to her husband anymore. Neil is in a sexless marriage and although he loves his wife, he is becoming very frustrated. The couple decides to enter into an unconventional marital agreement: she allows him to take a mistress, provided he's only intimate with her twice a month--and with no intercourse. And--falling in love is forbidden. The other woman is Neil's beautiful coworker Danielle, and he not only falls in love with her, but also breaks his promise to his wife--and Dani gets pregnant as a result. Neil wants them to co-parent the child with Dani and Anya reluctantly agrees. Now they're all living together under one roof--but soon, Anya and Neil will be forced to make some difficult choices that could tear them apart for good.

To me telling a man he can have a mistress if he follows your rules...is just like telling him if he doesn't wear a condom he has to pull it out....and we all know he isn't going to do that either. Could you face your husband's mistress and tell her to stay away from your husband. That's right Anya stepped to Ms Dani and that was just the beginning...of the end. There is enough sex, romance, betrayal, envy and dishonesty to keep you turning those pages.

Cydney then adds just enough prayer and a little knowledge on how to love a black man so the blessings may continue to flow. When you finish reading about Anya, Neil and Dani...you'll definitely know there is one thing you'll never, ever, ever do. Cydney has written an insightful novel and has again as in "My Daughter's Boyfriend" addressed unthinkable issues....preparing us to always expect the unexpected. Recommended to those who are curious and need a book to read.

Now, why I will admit there are husband's who have girlfriends, I think this author took it over the top when she wrote about the girlfriend dropping off the love child at the wife's house to watch. What WIFE is going to babysit the child of her husband and his mistress. It just became a bit too unrealistic for me. The wife never went off or really broke down. I know there are women suffering from esteem issues, but that is not the way this wife was painted in this book, so I think there could have been a bit more drama. A real sister isn't going for all of that!

After reading the back of the book, I thought that the concept was a good one. But after having read the book, I just have to say that I was annoyed with all three main characters. I don't know who I was supposed to be rooting for. In my opinion, none of them were likable characters. I personally wouldn't waste my time.

Fox's first line "A celibate married couple are the two most dangerous people in the world." coupled with the title set the stage for a steamy tale. I must say that I was a bit disappointed as the middle portion of the book tends to go on and on.

Anya and Neil draw up a contract similar to the agreement between Abraham and Sarah in the Bible. And just like Sarah, Anya's good intententions lead to destruction. Neil agrees to Anya's terms but oversteps the boundaries with his mistress Danielle. It appears that the only sane people in this entire novel are Vette (Neil's sister) and Riley (Neil and Anya's neighbor.)There are also two very innocent victims in this sordid tale Reese (Neil and Anya's daughter) and Brax (Neil and Danielle's love child.)

Despite the somewhat prolonged nature of the book, one is left to wonder a lot of things. How far should a wife go to make her husband happy? How much should a man sacrifice for the sake of his marriage? Should you really keep your friends close and your enemies closer?

All in all this was a good read. The writer has a very good idea behind the book. It just appears that she had a tough time bringing it all together. At one point I wanted to insert myself into a scene and slap some sense into Anya.