Divine

by Michelle Holman

Hilarious light hearted romp that will entertain women of all ages, offend some and have most laughing out loud.

What do you do when your husband leaves you for another woman - and 'she' turns out to be him? tara Whitehead finds out the hard way when her husband decides he'd rather be a woman. With no money, she's about to lose her gorgeous home, and her 'friends' no longer return her calls. Fate, in the unlikely form of her husband's reprobate uncle, intervenes. Determined to pursue gentle Miss Lillian, he leaves everything to tara's daughter, and moves into the local retirement village. With nowhere else to go, tara heads for a quiet life in Divine, as fast as her designer stilettos will take her. Instead there's the handsome dairy farmer she keeps clashing with, a scurrilous property developer, and a disgraceful incident at a PtA meeting. And mud. Lots of mud. With manure. When the mysterious Sian makes tara an unexpected offer, her life moves from slightly unhinged to hilariously bizarre - and the sleepy little town of Divine will never be the same ...

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit

329 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

I live in Cambridge, New Zealand and write contemporary women's romance. My books have all been bestsellers so thank you to all those people who bought them. Cambridge is in the province of Waikato which is famous for cows and horses. We've got two of them - horses, that is. We've also got an over-energetic dog, and a cat that drinks out of the toilet. I'm a lapsed nurse (you never stop being one, you just lapse). I know that because I stand in supermarket queues and give people marks out of ten for how good their veins are and how easy it would be to get a line into their arms. If I'm making you feel faint - Sorry.

Reviews

[Preet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish Michelle Holman's books were easily available here in the US. This is the first book of hers I've read, and the second book she's released, and I want more!

This book was great! I was hooked from the first paragraph! I loved the unusual story line and how well it progressed. There are so many twists and things you don't see coming, but they are the icing on the cake.

Tara's heartbroken and shattered when she finds out her husband is leaving her and wants to become a woman. Even though it's be easy to dislike Tara for being beautiful and the perfect woman, you can't help but empathize with her while she tries to do what's best for Jen, her 15 year old daughter and pick herself up off the floor in an unfamiliar environment.

This book is really easy to get into, and all it's very well planned out with all subplots being tied in quite nicely. I laughed quite a bit, which makes this book a highly recommended read! I just want more to read written by Michelle Holman! It looks as if I have found another favorite! :)

[Kerry Lagerwall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fun light - hearted story. 3.5 stars.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this a long time ago. Not into chic lit at all, but I met the author living in my home town so thought I'd support her by buying her book. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a light fun read with a real Kiwi flavour.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good.

[Pierina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olá,

Mais uma autora que descobri na biblioteca.

Adoro quando isso acontece!!!

É muito giro.

Leiam,
Py

História:
Depois de uma colisão frontal entre um elegante carro desportivo e um utilitário, um anjo bondoso faz uma troca na sala de espera do Céu. Uma professora baixinha, temperamental e amante de râguebi recebe uma segunda oportunidade e encontra-se no corpo de uma americana alta, deslumbrante e promíscua. Tem um marido rico e lindo de morrer que parece ter acabado de sair de um romance -, mas por uma razão qualquer, não suporta sequer olhar para ela. Ela pensa que enlouqueceu, e se contar a alguém as pessoas saberão que isso é verdade... e irão interná-la. E ela não pode fugir e esconder-se: tem uma perna partida.

Respirando fundo, Lisa levantou o espelho. O rosto que viu era encantador, apesar dos hematomas e do tom acinzentado e pouco saudável da pele. O cabelo negro caía em madeixas oleosas sobre uma testa alta e lisa. Olhos grandes e azuis, com longas pestanas negras, fitavam-na com uma expressão apreensiva. Viu maçãs do rosto altas e salientes, e um nariz longo e estreito por cima de uma boca carnuda e rosada. Era o rosto da mulher que vira na sala de espera. O rosto da mulher que conduzia o descapotável azul. A mulher chamada Linda. George tinha-a posto no corpo errado.


Hi,

Another author that I found in the my public library.

I love when this happens.

Read,

Py

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up off the pile lent to me by friends while I'm off my feet. I wasn't expecting much and it's not the kind of book I'm normally drawn to. Chick-lit is not a genre that's really a favourite of mine. Having read this book, perhaps I'll need to reconsider that view. I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in little over a day.

Perhaps the fact it is a New Zealand book is part of its charm. The rural setting of a town similar-to-but-not-Cambridge helps. The author not only created an interesting main couple - Tara and Gil - but also has a fine touch with both humour and social observation. There are a number of minor romances and a cast of eccentric townspeople. The working out of these romances is entertaining and satisfying. The sub-plot of the dastardly business man trying to defraud the good people of Divine sees him satisfyingly foiled when those he has mistreated find the courage to defy his bullying and violence.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable example of its genre with the added bonus of a thoroughly New Zealand story.

[Bambola]

Having enjoyed Bonkers and Knotted very much, I thought I would also love this one. But sadly it has too many underdeveloped characters and such a huge plot signpost at the beginning that I really just couldn't be bothered. Even the NZ references, while funny, were not enough to keep me interested.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second novel by the author of the excellent Bonkers. Great chic lit set once again in NZ. Love all the local references. Good story line (what a creative imagination this author has), characters you believe in even and I could even cope with the main characters being gorgeously attractive.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romantic light-hearted comedy, written for women; so not really my thing but as it is set in New Zealand (Divine a small fictional town in the Waikato), and I was staying with family for a week worth the read.

I found the story line a bit too predictable, but easy evening reading.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has to be my favourite so far of Holman's. It was quite amusing, I loved the older generation of characters and the city girl finding her feet in the country. It's always nice to read books set in familiar locations and his captures the charm of the Waikato.

[Ngaio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it was funny and Michelle Holman's writting style is fantastic. This book is my favourite of hers after Bonkers.

[Philippa · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the right ingredients for a chick lit romance: light and entertaining. Set in Waikato farming territory in a fictional town called Divine. Probably could have done with being shorter.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Melissa Fordyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good as bonkers, but still a great read.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun easy read