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The English Wife
He left her a cottage in England...and a photograph with the words "I'm sorry" written on it...
Marjorie Maitland was used to a certain routine -- she'd built her life around the safety of predictability. Then the unexpected happened -- her husband died. But grief was not the only emotion that overwhelmed her. The mystery her husband left behind puzzled her -- a deed to a cottage in England. Where had that come from? And who was the woman in the photograph? Margie knew trouble when it knocked on her door.
The old Margie, safe in her suburban home, would have avoided this potentially humiliating situation. But things were changing. The new Margie had to unravel this tangled web and get to the truth. And that meant a trip to England to find out if her entire life had been a lie...or to discover the best parts of the rest of her life.
Marjorie Maitland was used to a certain routine -- she'd built her life around the safety of predictability. Then the unexpected happened -- her husband died. But grief was not the only emotion that overwhelmed her. The mystery her husband left behind puzzled her -- a deed to a cottage in England. Where had that come from? And who was the woman in the photograph? Margie knew trouble when it knocked on her door.
The old Margie, safe in her suburban home, would have avoided this potentially humiliating situation. But things were changing. The new Margie had to unravel this tangled web and get to the truth. And that meant a trip to England to find out if her entire life had been a lie...or to discover the best parts of the rest of her life.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Doreen Roberts
80 books36 followersPseudonyms: Kate Kingsbury
Rebecca Kent
Allison Kingsley
Doreen Roberts Hight is the best-selling author of sixty-plus books which have sold all over the world. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads and various review sites. Her upstairs/downstairs mystery series featuring the Pennyfoot Hotel will release the 20th book in the series in November.
I was born in England, shortly before the outbreak of WW II. (Yes, I really was!) I spent the war years in London, spending most of my time between school and air raid shelters. When things got a little noisy outside the shelters, and everyone was too scared to sing, I'd get up and start telling a story, making it up as I went along. Before long word got around, and I was asked to entertain on a regular basis. Thus the storyteller was born.
It was many, many years, however before I actually saw my stories in print. My first publishing effort was a letter to the children's page of a British national newspaper. It described how our cat would thrust one paw through the letter box in our front door and hit the doorknocker with the other paw. When we opened the door the cat walked in. It was months before any of us realized why no one was at the door when we answered it. Anyway, I was eight years old and I got paid for the letter. My first sale!
The second came nearly fifty years later. (I'm a late bloomer.) In between I enjoyed a short career on the stage as one half of a sister act, until I emigrated to the United States. That put pay to my stage career, but I kept my hand in by playing piano and singing at a local English-style pub every month on British Night. I worked as a receptionist, accountant, office manager, executive secretary and for a change of pace, a salad maker in a restaurant. I actually worked with the first prototype computer. It took up the entire room, with tapes almost as big as me. The noise of all those wheels whirring around was distracting. How far we've come in such a short time.
My son was born in 1968, and during the first few months of his life I stayed home and renewed my interest in writing. The first manuscript I had the nerve to submit was accepted by Silhouette Books in 1987, and my new career began.
I wrote my first book on a typewriter. I often say that if computers hadn't been invented, I would not be a writer today. As it was, graduating to a computer changed my life. Back then, comparatively few people had access to a chat room. Those who did were usually savvy computer types, business people and writers. With my thirty year marriage breaking up, the chat rooms became salvation. I found companionship, friendship and eventually love.
He lived on the east coast, I lived on the west. That was in 1993, when computer time was charged by the minute. When our computer and phone bills added up to $1500 a month, we decided it would be cheaper to get together. We met for the first time at the airport in Portland, Oregon, and the next day drove across the country to Philadelphia. I had to call my sister and close friends every night to reassure them that I wasn't with an axe murderer. A year later we were married in Las Vegas on our way back to Oregon, where we've lived happily ever since. Now, how's that for romance!
Rebecca Kent
Allison Kingsley
Doreen Roberts Hight is the best-selling author of sixty-plus books which have sold all over the world. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads and various review sites. Her upstairs/downstairs mystery series featuring the Pennyfoot Hotel will release the 20th book in the series in November.
I was born in England, shortly before the outbreak of WW II. (Yes, I really was!) I spent the war years in London, spending most of my time between school and air raid shelters. When things got a little noisy outside the shelters, and everyone was too scared to sing, I'd get up and start telling a story, making it up as I went along. Before long word got around, and I was asked to entertain on a regular basis. Thus the storyteller was born.
It was many, many years, however before I actually saw my stories in print. My first publishing effort was a letter to the children's page of a British national newspaper. It described how our cat would thrust one paw through the letter box in our front door and hit the doorknocker with the other paw. When we opened the door the cat walked in. It was months before any of us realized why no one was at the door when we answered it. Anyway, I was eight years old and I got paid for the letter. My first sale!
The second came nearly fifty years later. (I'm a late bloomer.) In between I enjoyed a short career on the stage as one half of a sister act, until I emigrated to the United States. That put pay to my stage career, but I kept my hand in by playing piano and singing at a local English-style pub every month on British Night. I worked as a receptionist, accountant, office manager, executive secretary and for a change of pace, a salad maker in a restaurant. I actually worked with the first prototype computer. It took up the entire room, with tapes almost as big as me. The noise of all those wheels whirring around was distracting. How far we've come in such a short time.
My son was born in 1968, and during the first few months of his life I stayed home and renewed my interest in writing. The first manuscript I had the nerve to submit was accepted by Silhouette Books in 1987, and my new career began.
I wrote my first book on a typewriter. I often say that if computers hadn't been invented, I would not be a writer today. As it was, graduating to a computer changed my life. Back then, comparatively few people had access to a chat room. Those who did were usually savvy computer types, business people and writers. With my thirty year marriage breaking up, the chat rooms became salvation. I found companionship, friendship and eventually love.
He lived on the east coast, I lived on the west. That was in 1993, when computer time was charged by the minute. When our computer and phone bills added up to $1500 a month, we decided it would be cheaper to get together. We met for the first time at the airport in Portland, Oregon, and the next day drove across the country to Philadelphia. I had to call my sister and close friends every night to reassure them that I wasn't with an axe murderer. A year later we were married in Las Vegas on our way back to Oregon, where we've lived happily ever since. Now, how's that for romance!
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
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November 3, 2024Leaving on a trip the next day, I was looking for a book which would be a quick read and this fit the bill.
Although I’ve labeled this « contemporary », there’s something slightly old-fashioned about it. The heroine is a widow, devastated by the sudden discovery that her husband had a secret life, which he has linked her to in his will. I found it somewhat irritating that she immediately began by believing the worst, and then was egged on by her boss/friend.
Fortunately as the story progresses (and she begins to learn the true facts of the situation), she gains some empathy and perspective.
Nonetheless, I can’t say I found the main character very appealing.
A quick. read.
Although I’ve labeled this « contemporary », there’s something slightly old-fashioned about it. The heroine is a widow, devastated by the sudden discovery that her husband had a secret life, which he has linked her to in his will. I found it somewhat irritating that she immediately began by believing the worst, and then was egged on by her boss/friend.
Fortunately as the story progresses (and she begins to learn the true facts of the situation), she gains some empathy and perspective.
Nonetheless, I can’t say I found the main character very appealing.
A quick. read.
October 3, 2018
The plot for this book was solid, but I found that the first-person narrative made Marge, the central character, very whiny. This was understandable, because her husband died and she discovered an affair with a woman in England after his death. But it is very hard to be sympathetic when you're listening to a woman constantly bemoaning all of the things she has lost in first person. I think I would have enjoyed the book more with the detachment of third person narrative. If you enjoy first person narrative romance, then feel free to give it a go.
August 6, 2025
The opening chapter got me hooked! I loved how it touched love and family and all its conflicts. I just wished there is more depth on the mystery and conflict between the romance of the late husband and the english wife.
June 25, 2018
Sweet and to the point. Cute story, nice characters, made me want to move to England. No sharp wit, or fancy prose, but a sweet little story. I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could.
September 1, 2020
Pretty predictable.
January 31, 2022
A simple love story. Easy read for complicated times so I enjoyed it.
June 18, 2023
Very good book, it was full of expected but unexpected twits. It was pretty dry at certain parts but overall really good.
July 25, 2013
The English Wife surprised me. I usually am not one for the Harlequin Romances and tend to veer away from reading them, however this one really caught me off guard.
The story here is complex and yet easy to read, beautiful and well told from the perspective of the main character. I really liked Margie. She was the type of character that pulls you into her life in subtle ways, revealing bits of information to the reader as the story progresses. Getting to know her was much like coming to know an new friend. Through her experiences and trials you form a bond with her.
It has been a while since I got so emotionally invested in a novel as I did with this one. There was something about the setting, the events and the way the secondary characters were handled that made me feel like I was right there with them and some of the events mirrored my own life. There is also a vein of humour running through this book that will make you smile if not outright laugh.
The descriptions of England were beautiful and on point and made me long to go back home. I loved the small village setting she chose for the book and the people who she had inhabit it.
Also, it was refreshing to see and older woman as the main character, one who had a bit of life story to reveal. I thought the romance was sweet and handled much differently than I would have expected.
There was a scene near the end of the book that I didn't quite get on with, a very American Thanksgiving celebration in the midst of England, but I also understood why she chose to include it after some thought.
Overall, this is a book that I could not help but fall in love with. I would imagine that most women would enjoy this story and feel comfortable recommending it.
The story here is complex and yet easy to read, beautiful and well told from the perspective of the main character. I really liked Margie. She was the type of character that pulls you into her life in subtle ways, revealing bits of information to the reader as the story progresses. Getting to know her was much like coming to know an new friend. Through her experiences and trials you form a bond with her.
It has been a while since I got so emotionally invested in a novel as I did with this one. There was something about the setting, the events and the way the secondary characters were handled that made me feel like I was right there with them and some of the events mirrored my own life. There is also a vein of humour running through this book that will make you smile if not outright laugh.
The descriptions of England were beautiful and on point and made me long to go back home. I loved the small village setting she chose for the book and the people who she had inhabit it.
Also, it was refreshing to see and older woman as the main character, one who had a bit of life story to reveal. I thought the romance was sweet and handled much differently than I would have expected.
There was a scene near the end of the book that I didn't quite get on with, a very American Thanksgiving celebration in the midst of England, but I also understood why she chose to include it after some thought.
Overall, this is a book that I could not help but fall in love with. I would imagine that most women would enjoy this story and feel comfortable recommending it.
June 24, 2015
The story opens with us finding out Marjorie Maitland is a widow of a few weeks and she just found her husband willed her a mysterious cottage. In England. And another woman has lived there rent-free since he bought it right around the time they were married. Years ago.
This is a slow moving glimpse of life that builds upon her learning more about her husband. A reserved man, Brandon was quiet and serious. Reflecting back, Marjorie realized there were signs of their unhappiness for much of their marriage. She had an unhappy childhood and she had little to base what a successful marriage would be like. He said he couldn't have children, she surrendered the idea of ever becoming a mother. Sex was a performance and she didn't know it could be anything else. Her husband didn't feel it was necessary for her to work outside the home but she managed a small job working for little money. He handled the finances and she figured everything was fine. They had a lovely house and he had a secure job that allowed him to travel so he was gone for short periods. This gave her some precious time on her own. Too bad, she had a hard time making friends.
Marjorie finally makes the decision to travel to England to see 'the other woman' and sell the cottage. But nothing goes as planned and I don't want to tell you more. You'll need to read the book to see what happens. Remember, this reads like a chapter in someone's life. No steamy sex, no one immediately falling in love, and answers are slow to come and not always the right choice. This is a simple but sweet read about people making mistakes. No one is perfect. And that is okay.
This is a slow moving glimpse of life that builds upon her learning more about her husband. A reserved man, Brandon was quiet and serious. Reflecting back, Marjorie realized there were signs of their unhappiness for much of their marriage. She had an unhappy childhood and she had little to base what a successful marriage would be like. He said he couldn't have children, she surrendered the idea of ever becoming a mother. Sex was a performance and she didn't know it could be anything else. Her husband didn't feel it was necessary for her to work outside the home but she managed a small job working for little money. He handled the finances and she figured everything was fine. They had a lovely house and he had a secure job that allowed him to travel so he was gone for short periods. This gave her some precious time on her own. Too bad, she had a hard time making friends.
Marjorie finally makes the decision to travel to England to see 'the other woman' and sell the cottage. But nothing goes as planned and I don't want to tell you more. You'll need to read the book to see what happens. Remember, this reads like a chapter in someone's life. No steamy sex, no one immediately falling in love, and answers are slow to come and not always the right choice. This is a simple but sweet read about people making mistakes. No one is perfect. And that is okay.
July 8, 2014
Generally, when perusing books for my next great read I'm instinctively drawn to authors who incorporate anything British into the plot line. This is why my interest was piqued when I came across The English Wife (at PaperbackSwap), a Harlequin NEXT imprint which I've since learned is now defunct. The picture of the lovely thatched-roof cottage with a bicycle leaning up against it, in what appeared to be the English Countryside, sucked me right in. And was I glad that in this case you most certainly COULD judge a book by its cover. The English Wife was a comforting, light, swift-moving read. I finished it in a few days and absolutely adored it. It's about a middle-aged American woman who learns, after her husband unexpectedly dies, that he's willed her a cottage in England that she never knew existed after being married 27 years. Was her marriage a lie? Will she have the courage to face her fears and go to England to investigate this new development in her life? Can she forgive her dead husband for keeping a possible life-altering secret from her for so many years? The English Wife will satisfactorily answer all of these questions. So what are you waiting for? If you like books that contain secrets, a bit of mystery, a little romance, and the English, it's very likely you'll be pleased with this book.
This book was a part of my personal library.
This book was a part of my personal library.
July 10, 2014
My Thoughts...
This was such a charming and sweet story. It was a great summer read, slow and relaxing like the waves slowly kissing the shore, and the trade winds blowing my hair ever so lightly. It was the first book I've read by this author, Doreen Roberts, but I would be willing to read another book by her.
This book is part of my Kindle library, and I liked it so much I am awarding it 5 delightful English stars.
This was such a charming and sweet story. It was a great summer read, slow and relaxing like the waves slowly kissing the shore, and the trade winds blowing my hair ever so lightly. It was the first book I've read by this author, Doreen Roberts, but I would be willing to read another book by her.
This book is part of my Kindle library, and I liked it so much I am awarding it 5 delightful English stars.
November 23, 2012
I thought this was a quick, sweet read. The trope is similar to other books I have read - a woman receives life-changing news and travels to a foreign country where her life changes even more. There isn't much heavy conflict, but a nice story for a weekend.
Want to read
December 8, 2008Yes, I found it in the serial romance section of Half-Price Books, but it only cost me a buck and it's set in England. What more could I want? Sometimes simple predictability is good.
Read
December 14, 2010I am reading this again a 2nd time. This is a story about starting a new life.
September 1, 2011
i love this book iv'e read it at least 3 times. <3
March 5, 2013
Not exciting but a decent read when you can't find anything more gripping.
July 13, 2014
Excellent
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews