The Senator's Wife [Mass Market Paperback]

Karen Robards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 1999

A public scandal.  A private torment. A love that changed everything--

Ronnie Honneker is the senator's wife.  When she fell for the dashing politician, the stars in her eyes kept her from seeing his flaws.  And when she discovered his constant need for other women, it was already too late.  Now all the glamour of politics can't make up for Ronnie's loneliness--or her husband's affairs.  Especially the one that explodes into a media sex scandal.

Pursued by reporters, Ronnie reluctantly lets handsome political strategist Tom Quinlan clean up the mess.  She agrees to publicly stand by her man until after the next election.  Privately, she is in turmoil, and falling passionately in love--with Tom.  As Ronnie and Tom seek shelter in each other, suddenly the unexpected happens.  The senator's violent death thrusts Ronnie into the spotlight--as the leading suspect in his murder.  Now only one thing can prove Ronnie's innocence: the whole shocking truth....

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ronnie likes the idea of being Senator Lewis Honneker's wife a whole lot more than she actually likes being married to him. She loves the power, the prestige, and of course the wealth and all of the comforts and beautiful things that he provides. But Ronnie is acutely lonely. Her husband is not the man she thought he was, and although long accustomed to it, Ronnie despises the strain of the campaign trail--especially the constant facade and total lack of privacy.

If those problems weren't enough, Lewis's voters despise Ronnie. As the younger, sexy, second wife, the senator's loyal constituency think that Ronnie broke up his first marriage. Because Lewis is up for reelection, expert political consultant Tom Quinlan is brought in to change Ronnie's image. He finds the task to be far more of a challenge then he expected--not only because Ronnie is difficult to direct, but also because the two can't keep their hands off each other. When the senator is found murdered and Ronnie is accused of the crime, only Tom believes she is innocent. The two work together to uncover the senator's sordid secrets. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Elizabeth Perkins is young, beautiful, and Missouri Senator Howard Perkins's second wife. Her stepchildren are older than she is, and they don't like her. Neither do the voters, a fact that is hurting her husband's reelection campaign. Enter political strategist James Garth. His plan to make Elizabeth more appealing to voters (wear a "quieter" wardrobe, adopt a puppy from the pound) is a success, helped, ironically, by news reports of her husband's infidelities. Falling in love with his client was not part of Garth's plan, and word of their affair has repercussions neither dreamed of when the senator is found dead under very suspicious circumstances. An exciting and sometimes humorous plot, interesting characters, and a hot romance combine to make this a delightful story. Readers who enjoyed Robards's last romantic adventure (Heartbreakers, Delacorte, 1997) or the romance and political intrigue of Sandra Brown's Exclusive (Warner, 1996) will love this.
-?Elizabeth Mellett, Brookline Lib., Mass.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Dell (March 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440215994
• ISBN-13: 978-0440215998
• Product Dimensions: 4 x 0.8 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #751,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karen Robards is the bestselling author of twenty-seven novels. The winner of six Silver Pen awards for favorite romance novelist, as well as numerous other awards, she lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband, Doug, and their sons Peter, Christopher, and Jack. She says, "I read, I write, and I chase children. That's my life."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Far from my favorite by this author!, March 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Senator's Wife (Mass Market Paperback)

I've enjoyed a number of Robbards' recent books such as Hunter's Moon and Walking After Midnight. I can't recommend The Senator's Wife with much enthuiasm, however. Robbard's heroines are usually strong women who deal admirably with responsibility, adversity and danger. Here she has created a heroine who has married into money and power for all the wrong reasons and is miserable because of it. In fact, her ways of dealing with her prediciment are to either lean on others or induldge in self-destructive behavior. It was difficult to have any sympathy at all for the heroine untill she is unjustly accused of a murder. A secondary character, a hooker and single mom (durring the novel becoming an ex-hooker) in danger because of what she knows is more like a typical, resourceful, Robbards heroine.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't "listen" to other reviews-read it for yourself!, June 24, 2003

By 

janlouise (Ruston, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Senator's Wife (Mass Market Paperback)

I read the reviews and then read the book afraid that this was going to be one that I put down before finishing. But I didn't come out with the same results as other reviewers. Ronnie was raised in a poor, torn-up family, with little love. She set the goals of marrying wealthy so she would never have to do without again. She was even careful with her reputation and didn't date just anybody. In her college years she met a wealthy older man that had it all. His first marriage had had problems and was in its final stage (all that was left was signing the papers). He offered Ronnie a job in his political arena and started pursuing her heavily. Finding out that it was going to take marriage before he could get her in bed he made the offer. Marriage! Thinking he would have a young, beautiful, "trophy" wife. He continued having other woman, though. By their third year Ronnie was on longer giving him rights to her bed due to his other affairs. Divorce wasn't a question, though, due to her husband's political career for re-election. A 2nd divorce would ruin his chance for re-election.

I do feel that KR made her characters rather shallow for the reader, not giving us enough information to feel some warm for them. But I did not come away feelig like other readers did about Ronnie and Tom. Ronnie was young & beautiful, with her guard up since she was the 2nd wife, accused of breaking up a marriage (though it was on the rocks before she even showed up). She thought having material things and money would feel the void of love until she found someone that showed her kindness and later on love. Remember (if you have already read it), that Ronnie had not reached out to any other man during her marriage until Tom came on the scene. So she was trying to deal with it.

Tom was hired by Ronnie's husband as a campaign adviser to help get his campaign back on track. He, himself, was in the process of rebuilding his business with his partner and was good at his business. He started working with Ronnie, seeing right off a woman that was being treated harshly by the public as well as being alone in her private life. He reached out to her with lust in his mind when they first got together sexually- but then it turned into love, realizing that they cared for each other. Doesn't that happen in a lot of relationships?

Then there is the murder of the senator and Ronnie is accused of doing it. It turns into a "who done it" story. It's not the best I have read, but it sure isn't the worse, either. I really wanted to judge it with a 3 1/2 stars but felt bad about all of the other low reviews that I went with a 4 stars. Read it for yourself and see what you think!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS ONE, April 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Senator's Wife (Mass Market Paperback)

I automatically pick up any book with Ms. Robards name on it. This is one I should have left on the shelve. I didn't care for Ronnie at all. She married for money so you can't feel sorry for her. Too many extramarital affairs in this book (I guess that's the way of politics.) Bypass this book, but pick up "Sea Fire", "Island Flame", and "Tiger's Eye". You won't be disappointed.