The Other Wife

by Kathleen Irene Paterka

Till death do us part… Eleanor Anderson has a beautiful home, a loving husband, a tranquil life. After thirty-eight years of marriage and her children now grown, she finally has time for herself. She’s not expecting any surprises; certainly not to wake up one morning and find her husband dead in bed beside her from a massive heart attack. It’s a devastating discovery… but not as much as the shock awaiting Eleanor when she learns the truth about her husband’s secret life. And then there’s the damaging document he signed before his death, which threatens to destroy her life. Claire Anderson isn’t your average thirtysomething. A professor of psychology at a prestigious university, Claire has a successful career, a handsome husband, and two young children at home. But nothing in her background, including her academic accomplishments, prepares Claire for the horrendous reality of discovering that the life she’d led was all a lie… fostered by a husband who’d promised to love and cherish her forever. Two women from two generations, bound together by denial, anger, and grief. How far will their misery and fear push them? Does compassion rule the day, or will a husband’s betrayal lead to a woman’s revenge? What happens when each of these women comes face-to-face with the other wife?

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Womens Fiction, Chick Lit, Mystery, Marriage, Thriller

385 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2015

About the author

Kathleen Irene Paterka is a bestselling author of Women's Fiction. New for 2023 and now available: DON'T OPEN THE DOOR, a psychological domestic suspense novel. Kathleen and her husband live in the beautiful north country of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

Reviews

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is about two women married to the same man. One married to him for 38 years and the other for 4 years. Unfortuntely neither of them are aware of his double life which is only realised as he is found dead in a motel room in seedy circumstances. Now two women are in distress and disbelief.
I found this book to be quite repetitive as the situation is revealed , it is a slow drama that was enjoyable but not one that will stay with me.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first novel I've read by Kathleen Irene Paterka but now I am on the hunt to find her earlier books! Holy cow! Kathleen grabbed me from the very beginning and never let me go. At first my heart was breaking for Eleanor but as I kept reading I soon saw Claire as a victim as well. Their story is heartbreaking and could be taken right out of the newspapers today. A man who decides one family isn't enough to keep him satisfied so he starts a second family.

I hated Richard the whole time I was reading The Other Wife and what he put His two wives through. He was a jerk and poor Eleanor and Claire are left to pick up the pieces after he is gone.

The Other Wife is a wonderful story of family, loss, love, and betrayal of the worse kind. I cant wait to read more by Ms Paterka.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

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Ends February 28, 2015 - Intl

Two women, strangers, happily married with a loving and kind husband who adores his children, one emotional nightmare that begins with death. Eleanor and Claire have no reason to meet, they live miles apart, in separate worlds, until the night Eleanor’s husband, Richard dies in bed lying next to her. Richard was a successful businessman, or so it seemed. Naturally, his will would leave everything to Eleanor, his devoted wife for decades, the woman who gave up her education and career to make a home for her family. When Richard’s will clearly states everything goes to another woman, the road to discovery and pain will begin as Claire, the new beneficiary, and Eleanor learn that their “husbands” were the same “Richard,” one man, two wives, and a tsunami of questions, hurt and resentment begin as one wife learns The Other Wife will reap the benefits of the life she had entrusted to a man who lived a life of lies. Will either of them get over the resentment they each feel toward the other? Who really was The Other Wife?

Kathleen Irene Paterka has made her mark on women’s fiction with this stunning novel about love, loss, betrayal and starting over. The Other Wife is not a statement of bitterness but rather of learning to accept, if not understand the predicament life has ensconced two unsuspecting and innocent women in. She has allowed each woman to come to terms with their personal betrayals and choose a fresh path for their lives, building something strong out of the rubble they reluctantly find themselves buried in. The “villain” of this tale is gone, but was Richard all bad or was there more we will never know, questions we can never have answers to? Powerful and thought provoking, Kathleen Irene Paterka has written from her heart and it shows in her delicate handling of a devastating situation. This isn’t pink and frothy, this strikes deep into the heart, mind and soul. Ms. Paterka’s style is one of eloquence through her words while captivating her audience.

I received this ARC edition in exchange for my honest review.

Publication Date: February 18, 2015 (eBook) January 25, 2015 (Paperback)
Publisher: Kathleen Irene Paterka
ISBN-13: 9780989283830
Genre: Women's Contemporary Fiction
Print Length: 289 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Wendy Janes · Rating 4 out of 5]

When charismatic businessman Richard Anderson dies he leaves behind not one, but two widows. Eleanor and Claire struggle with their grief, and the discovery of his betrayal forces them to face the humiliation of the deceit he has visited on them and their children. How can they recover?

Told from the point of view of each woman, their plight pulls you in from the start, and continues to keep you engaged as they find their own paths through the devastation. These women feel like real people, not manufactured for fiction, and it would take a hard-hearted reader to not empathize with middle-aged Eleanor and thirty-something Claire. They are at such different stages of life - one with adult children, the other with youngsters barely past toddlerhood - which makes the similarities and differences of their challenges all the more engrossing.

Throughout I found myself wondering which wife has been betrayed the most, and who has the more difficult journey ahead. The glimpses into their respective marriages shed a fascinating light on who Richard was and also suggest why he behaved as he did.

The storytelling is thoughtful and heartfelt, building towards a dramatic chain of events that results in the long-anticipated meeting of the two women.

A thoroughly enjoyable, well-written, and ultimately uplifting read.

[Karen Benson · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I found all of the characters extremely annoying, I felt this book had promise, but the further I got into the story, the less I liked it and just wanted it to be over.

I really hate it when I find it a chore to pick up a book and continue to read it. This was one of those.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Other Wife is a compelling and emotional story that follows two women whose world is turned upside down when they find out that they have been betrayed by the same man, their husband!

Author Kathleen Irene Paterka weaves an intriguing story told in the alternating point of view of Eleanor Anderson and Claire Anderson, as they deal with the loss of their husband Richard, and how they find out about each other and deal with their loss, betrayal, and the difficulties of moving forward with their lives after the trauma caused by the man that they both loved.

I found myself captivated by this story, it took me on a roller coaster ride where I felt the full gamut of emotions. You just can't help but feel compassion and empathy for both women as their worlds are turned upside down by the traumatic betrayal and selfish actions of a man that they had put their love and trust in. This is a beautifully written story that would be any married woman's nightmare, I couldn't even imagine what I would do if I was in Eleanor or Claire's shoes.

The author does a wonderful job of drawing the reader into the story from the beginning, she weaves a thoughtful storyline that easily draws the reader into the womens' lives. It will keep you engaged and turning the pages as both women go through the process of learning about each other, the selfish actions that Richard wrought upon their families, and the internal struggle of picking up the pieces of their lives and moving forward.

The Other Wife is a powerful women's fiction story of loss, betrayal, compassion, forgiveness, and growth. It is a thought provoking and emotional tale that will stay with you long after the last word has been read.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...

[Leah]

I didn't care for this book. The story is that when Richard dies, his wife of thirty-eight years, Eleanor, discovers that he has another wife. But even more than that, Richard has mortgaged his and Eleanor's house to buy his second wife, Claire one, changed Claire as his beneficiary on his seven million life insurance policy, and has fathered two children with her. Eleanor finds herself in shock as there is no money for her and hardly any for her kids.
Claire is a professor of psychology and has just discovered that her husband is dead and buried. And that the man who bought her a house and fathered her children is not really her husband at all. She has to come to terms that the life she had been living is all a lie and that she is "the other woman".
I liked that the author had the story told by both women, giving the reader a views of each side of the story, without having a "bad guy".
What I didn't like about this book and why I rated it so low was that it was pretty boring It was similar to other "other women" themed books and followed all the same themes. I also hated the melodrama revolving around the daughter. It was brought out of left field and hardly developed.

[Caroline Fardig · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE OTHER WIFE by Kathleen Irene Paterka is a gripping story of love, betrayal, and loss. When Eleanor Anderson’s husband Richard suddenly dies, she finds out that he left all of his money to another woman, Claire Anderson—his other wife. The story follows the aftermath of this bombshell from the perspectives of both Eleanor and Claire. Paterka made both characters so lovable, it was difficult for the reader to “choose” a side.

I would recommend this book to all fans of women’s fiction. It was an easy and compelling read, drawing the reader in and making the reader invested in the characters’ lives. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

[Samantha March · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a review copy


Ooh, my, my, my. This book was AMAZING! It had me hooked from the very beginning and I couldn’t put it down. It was utterly fascinating to see how the plot unfolded, and my emotions were all over the place while reading. I was insanely curious to know how this novel would end. How could Eleanor and Claire move on from such a betrayal? The ending was nothing that I could have thought of myself. It was even better then the scenarios that I was envisioning. I read this book super fast because it was so hard to put down. A favorite of 2015!

[MaryEllen · Rating 1 out of 5]

A complete struggle to read. The characters weren't engaging at all. The constant going over their inner struggles, and I still felt the characters had no depth, nor were their reactions the norm for anyone else who would have been in the same situation.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

B O R I N G

One of the worst books I've ever read! How many times can you same the same thing over and over again. Skipped dozens of paragraphs at time because I don't give up. First and last book by this author.

[Memaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book for the most part. It made me consider how I would react if I found myself in similar circumstances. I am interested in reading something else by Paterka.

[Anne Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is not a thriller, nor a love story, not an urban fantasy or a ya coming of age. It is just a greatly written story about the wrong person to love and the possible consequences.
Eleanor has been married to Richard for 38 years. Of course, the excitement of the first years is gone but they have a good, solid marriage, two adult children and a grand kid, enough money not to worry, no special health problems. A good life. That is what she thinks waking up one morning, looking at his dear face. She looks again -something is wrong, very wrong. Richard died in his sleep and she will walk into a complete nightmare, unraveling her life, making her question everything she held for true.
In the days following his funeral, she learns that she is not the beneficiary anymore of the life insurance policy, subscribed some thirty years ago. The new one is a "Claire" -but they don't know anyone named Claire, do they? It turns out he, and only he, did. Claire is the other wife, a much younger woman Richard met six or seven years ago. They have two children together and he pushed the outrage as far as marrying her.
The world stops making sense for Eleanor. The same happens to Claire, less than forty miles away. Claire is a young university professor, in her early thirties and fell in love with Richard, head over heels, when they met.
The book is told from the two points of view, alternating between Eleanor's pain, rage, and terrifying discoveries, having to face Richard's betrayal and its consequences, and Claire's pain, rage... Just the same for the two women, actually, with still a major difference: the life insurance will provide Claire with more than $3,000,000, enough to face the world a long time before having to decide what to do. Eleanor, her, comes to realize she has not only been cheated on and made a laughingstock - but she is also totally broke.
Eleanor relied on Richard for any big decision, especially if money was involved. She stopped working as a teacher when the kids were born and never went back. She got used to sign what Richard asked hr to, because she trusted him. She thought he could have some flings on the side... such a seductive man. She knew she was the one loving more in the couple, but Richard would never hurt her or the children. They were safe, protected. His job, as an engineer for the US government, took him to faraway and dangerous parts of the country, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, but he always came back.
Claire is as stunned as Eleanor. She asked Richard many times if he really had remained single until her, and he reassured her every time. They married when she became pregnant, it was the right thing to do. The shock of the discovery of his bigamy is as bad for her as for Eleanor. But money gives her a safety blanket and takes away the daily worries Eleanor has to face. Richard explained his absences by the demands of his job, and Claire was busy between the kids and her students.
Of course, the two women, though never having been in touch, hate each other. Claire is a homewrecker, Eleanor an old witch. Even though they realize Richard was a sociopath shaping the world to fit his desires, it is much easier to shift responsibility to your rival.
Until more dramatic events bring them face to face and bring an awkward, tentative friendship to begin...
An interesting book about the meanders of human mind. It brings a lot of questions about trust, love, the meaning of life. Not too many answers, except the obvious: whatever happens, you must go on, rely on yourself and struggle for some ... happiness would be too much, but peace of mind may be an achievable aim.

[Camillia (Twenty Three Pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

FOR THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW I DID WITH THE AUTHOR, FOLLOW THIS LINK: http://twentythreeowls.blogspot.sg/20...

This was originally posted here: http://twentythreeowls.blogspot.sg
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This book isn't something that I would have picked up for myself but I have to say that I quite enjoyed it. Mostly because the themes in this book struck a chord within me. I found this book to be relatable in a very small way to me. I would say that it is unfortunate and I would hope that this book isn't relatable to anyone.

So this book is about these two women. Both with children. Eleanor has two grown children and a grandchild. Claire has two toddlers. Unfortunately, Eleanor and Claire also share a husband. When Eleanor awakens to find Richard dead next to her, both their lives come crashing down. Suddenly finding herself in broke and homeless due to the fact that Richard had left all his money to Claire, Eleanor has to learn to adapt to a more eager lifestyle. Claire, with her buckets of money has to grieve over the man who she was falsely led to believe that she'd married. She has to cope with the fact that she only found out that he died well after he was buried and she has to figure out how to move on.

Now maybe I'll start this review off with the only flaw I found in this book. It was way too long. This book could have been about half it's length if there was proper editing done. A lot of thoughts were repeated more then twice and the inner monologues were lengthy and repetitive. Granted that they added a certain depth to the women and the story, it was unnecessary in my opinion.

Now, the good points. I loved how the author chose to parallel the women so similarly so that we could see just how this revelation affected each of them. I thought it was very interesting. I also really liked how each of them had such extreme impressions of the other but when they finally meet, they realise that everything they thought to be true was not.

I think this book is not really something a lot of teenage or even young adult readers would pick off the shelf for themselves so I'm really hoping that this review can convince you to give this book a try. I know this book seems more like an adult kind of book but let me assure you that it is very beautiful story. It is a really interesting read and even if you don't have any personal experiences with the subject matter, the book still draws you in and teaches you a thing or two about the law. If you have a thing for the law or basically just curiosity over the 'what ifs' in life, you will enjoy this book.
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*This book was given to me to read and review by the author*

[Jo Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first novel I’ve read by Kathleen Irene Paterka and I’m looking forward to continuing to read more of her work. The Other Wife was easy to read and entertaining. It was the kind of book you could sink into and really relax as you read it. The emotions of grief and betrayal each women felt didn’t make for a depressing book, but a heartfelt one – and very uplifting in the ending.

The only qualm I really have with it, was the gullible nature of Eleanor to, I guess you could say, allow Richard to take advantage of her in that way. But I could no more make that statement than to say a person being cheated on allows their partner to cheat on them. It’s very easy in hindsight to look at the novel and think Eleanor, how could you have not seen? Unfortunately the clues to Richard’s deception – and the ability for him to get away with everything – laid in Eleanor’s lack of knowledge of their financial affairs.

But thinking over it now, in all honestly you can’t completely blame her. Maybe she should have been more careful, and read the forms Richard put in front of her, but they’d behaved in that sort of fashion for the majority of their marriage. Was she not to trust Richard? It would have been more prudent to pay attention to something as large as mortgaging their house, but she was born in very much a “man’s world” and really, if he wasn’t having a proper relationship with Claire, he could have hidden an affair much easier. One that meant nothing.

The fact is Richard was a scoundrel, unfortunately one that Eleanor spent her life with, but as Claire realises the time was not lost: both of the women were blessed with beautiful children, and I know they wouldn’t do their lives over because of those children. (An excellent message to readers that there can be good things born from adversity)

The Other Wife interested me mostly in reading about how Eleanor and Claire got their lives back on track, with a twist at the ending of course :) One I definitely wasn’t expecting!

As my four star rating says, I definitely recommend it to friends – Mum also read it and really enjoyed it.

I’m looking forward to reading more by Kathleen, when my TBR pile is slight smaller! :P

For now, you can read my interview with Kathleen on my website www.writerjocarter.com

A free copy of this book was provided for reviewing purposes in conjunction with interviewing Kathleen for the release of her latest novel Secrets of the Royal Wedding Chapel. My review is honest, and has not been impacted by the free copy.

P.S. Total I’m-growing-up moment in having to write that paragraph ^^ Who would have imagined? Me? Free books, in exchange for my opinion! :)

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were two devoted wives each raising their families with their husbands, each of the households content with the way their lives had shaped themselves. Living only forty miles from each other, they were unaware that one single event could destroy their happiness forever. For it was Richard’s sudden heart attack and ultimate death, that flipped their worlds upside down. What was Richard thinking when he walked into their lives? Who really was Richard and who was he really fooling? Eleanor thought that she knew her husband, after all she had been married to him for thirty-eight years and was the mother to his two children. After thirty-eight years, Eleanor assumed that Richard had the finances all in order so that she would be provided for but she soon realizes that was a huge mistake and Richard was harboring a dark secret. The life insurance policy that Eleanor thought would keep her financially secure had a new beneficiary to everyone’s surprise and this beneficiary has small children and amazingly, the same last name as Eleanor. Eleanor sure got a rude awakening as she is now trying to cope with the death of her husband, the reality of what her husband has been doing and now her financial security is gone. The new beneficiary has not taken the news of Richard’s death lightly. Their world has come crashing down also. They are dealing with some major issues and I am torn between who I feel more sorry for. How is this all going to play out? I want Richard to pay the price but he is not in the picture anymore. Once you get reading this book, you will not be able to eat, sleep or think about anything else readers, so plan on spending the rest of your day wrapped up inside this book. There are two families drawn into this drama while the chap Richard is ten-feet underground and they have to deal with the aftermath of his mess. The author draws you into the world of both the families and I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this story. It was provoking and entertaining, highlighting my emotions and making me cheer for both sides. There are moments I laughed as mom tries to find work and then as her daughter arrives for the garage sale. My emotions were scrambled as she contemplates whether to confront the beneficiary and when she has her moments with Martha. This was truly a beauty, a marvelous story that will get you worked up.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Independent reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock.

Eleanor Anderson had no idea at all about what was going to happen after her world collided and her husband Richard died of an unexpected heart attack. But what she didn't know, was that his death would turn her whole world around completely.

Her husband's work took him away from his home for weeks at a time and sometimes even longer. And even though they had been married for 38 years, there spark had gone away a long time ago. Richard well he was a fantastic provider for the family so Eleanor never really had anything at all to worry about. She had quit her job as a teacher years ago right after her children were born. Richard had promised her that he would take care of her.

After finding Richard dead, a huge problem arises. Their insurance agent has discovered that Richard had given his policy to another woman! ....... Claire Anderson who he happened to be married to as well.

How can Eleanor ever recover from this deceit and how would her children ever handle this?

I did like the times during the book that the suspense was so high it had me on the edge of my seat just wanting to find out more, I found that soon after Eleanor's family had found out that Richard had given away very nearly all their money to another woman, that is when picks up its pace. They of course find out Richard had been married to another woman four years ago, and neither of his wife's had any idea at all. The concept of this is so crazy/mad that it had me instantly.

But to me the amount of internal struggles was a tad too much in my eyes anyway. There were way too many questions being asked in the character's heads and to me it should have been vocalised which would have made me give this book a higher rating.

3 Out Of 5 Fangs From Paranormal Authors That Rock

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.

Eleanor Anderson had no idea what was going to happen after her husband Richard died of a heart attack. What she REALLY didn't know, was that his death would turn her world around completely.

Eleanor's husband's work took him away from home for weeks every month. Although they had been married for 38 years, the spark had gone away long ago. Richard was a great provider for her family so Eleanor never had anything to worry about. She had quit her job as a teacher right after her children were born as Richard promised he would take care of her.

After Eleanor finds Richard dead, problems arise. Their insurance agent discovers he had given his policy to another woman...named Claire Anderson.

Without giving too much away, I will say there were a couple times during this book that the suspense was killing me! Soon after Eleanor's family finds that he had given away almost all their money to another woman, the story gets very exciting. They find out Richard married another woman four years ago, and neither woman had any idea. The concept of this is so crazy that it had me hooked instantly. However, I thought the amount of internal struggle was a little too much. There were too many questions being asked in the character's heads. Some people may enjoy this, but for me it became somewhat dull.

3.5 Stars

[Lorie Kleiner Eckert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eleanor Anderson has been married to Richard for 38 years and together they have two adult children. Claire Anderson has been married to the same Richard for 4 years and together they have two young children. Of course the women know nothing about each other until Richard dies of a heart attack in Eleanor's bed at which time she finds out that he had made changes to his life insurance policy and that the beneficiary on his multi million dollar policy is Claire. Of course we learn that Richard likewise heavily mortgaged his home with Eleanor to buy the huge home he shares with Claire. This story is very compelling and I wanted to know how it would all play out in spite of the fact that the book is not well written. There is a lot of repetitive "oh woe is me" on the part of each woman and while such sentiment is completely understandable, an author needs to use some sort of shorthand in expressing it. By the way, though Eleanor is basically left penniless in all this, she is very gracious in her dealings with Claire, while Claire, who has all the money is not at all gracious in return. The writing got better by the end and I was happy to see a surprise "bad guy" turn up to end the story.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

One never thinks they are going to wake up with to a dead husband, Eleanor most certainly did not. But it’s what comes after that is hardest to handle-her husband of 38 years had secretly changed his beneficiary on his life insurance to go to another woman-his other wife. News that would make the most understanding, most loving wife want to lose her head and perhaps look for revenge.
The Other Wife is an intriguing story of not just how one wife handles the tragedy of losing her husband, but both women, altering points of view every other chapter in a manner that keeps you reading and strangely not wanting to take a side of either women.
This story truly depicts the challenges a woman might face after unexpectedly losing her husband, as well as the dynamics of how to handle all that comes with that loss.
I loved this story! In a day when happily ever after love stories are published in the masses this story was a refreshing change. It is a story of loss, growth, compassion and forgiveness and will leave you craving more from this talented author.

[Annie Mondesir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathleen Irene Paterka is a brilliant writer. Her use of the English language is brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, not only because of the storyline, but because Paterka told it so beautifully.
I don’t know which is worse, finding your husband has died of a massive heart attack next to you in bed, finding out that your husband left all of his Life Insurance money to another woman, OR that the woman is also his wife.
Eleanor was married to Richard Anderson for 38 years, they have two adult children together, a home….a life. Richard let on that his work took him overseas to the Middle East, when in fact he was just going a few towns over to be with his other wife and family. Four years before his death, he married Claire Anderson, and they had two toddler age children together.
This is the story of them finding out about one another and how they deal with the fall out of this information about the man they both loved.
Brilliant!!!! You will not be able to choose a side.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is not revealing anything to let you know that this book is about a guy who had two wives. It's on the cover blurb, and right there in the title, for Pete's sake, and Cheating Hubby dies in the first paragraph. For some reason, the author seems to think that this setup is all you need for a plot-- as the first 7/8 of the book is nothing more than the two wives' abject misery and self-blame, and wondering how they could have been so stupid. By page 200, the reader doesn't care, and fully agrees: yup, you were stupid.

There are endless variants on this angst, and a great deal of tedious repetition, with no action or plot development. Then, suddenly, there's a Big Crisis, which is resolved in 12 pages. Then back to the tedium. The only thing that changes is that the two wives...well, to tell you would be a spoiler. The only thing I can reveal is that the payoff isn't worth making it to the end.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a marvelous book this is. It tells the story of two women Eleanor and Claire who have a lot in common but don't realise it, that is, until their husband dies. Each wife has their own circumstances to deal with, and I felt so much for both wives, especially Eleanor, who at 58, is left floundering in more ways than one. I loved the way the author showed empathy towards each woman's circumstances and you couldn't help but get so involved with their stories. Also, then the author threw in a mighty twist to the story that I didn't see coming at all. No spoilers here! Please do yourself an enormous favour and read this book - you won't be sorry. I'm so looking forward to reading Kathleen's entire catalogue in due course.

[Paige Abergel Stavena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me begin by telling you that I am only 50% through this book, but I have pretty much given up.
The premise of the book has so much promise. It caught my eye right away. However, both of the narrators are boring beyond belief. It feels like I'm reading a YA novel. After the big reveal (Richard was leading a double life) the book is nothing but going back and forth between the grief and disbelief of the two wives. Over and over and over. I finally gave up when one character referred to someone as a "pain in the patootie".. What?!? This isn't casual small talk, it's a novel. Why would you say patootie?!
Anyway, I may update the review if I ever finish the book (you know, in waiting rooms or desperate plane rides where I've finished the books I brought with me) but I make no promises.

[Vera Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a page-turner from the get-go. How could two women be married to the same man, and not know anything was amiss? Wife #1, Eleanor, was married to Richard for 38 yesrs, until one morning she wakes up and he is dead in the bed beside her. Wife #2, Claire, 20 yrs his junior, has been married to him for 4 years and has two young children . It's a quick read and enjoyable, if not entirely satisfying.

[Mom/Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun quick read....great for beach or hammock. Lucky enough to know the author. Kathleen is a super lady.

[Susan Wüthrich · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book until half way. Although the writing was good, I skipped over parts due to repetition and found the ending disappointing.

[Carole · Rating 2 out of 5]

2-1/2 stars - I was drawn in very quickly to The Other Wife and was intrigued by the storyline. The writing wasn’t spectacular, but it was pretty good. As the story continued, I was really irritated by Eleanor playing the martyr, after learning her husband of 38 years changed his life insurance policy beneficiary of one million dollars to a new wife Eleanor knew nothing about. Although Eleanor was left with no insurance money, no savings, and a house that was upside down with a possible need to file bankruptcy, she felt she needed to fulfill her late husband’s request to give each child (including the new wife’s, even though they weren’t actually named in the will) $10,000. Seriously?

As I continued to read on, I started noticing the writing. For example, “Her daughter was becoming a royal pain in the patootie.” That line right there made me check to see if this novel was self-published and sure enough, it was. I think, perhaps, with the right editor, this could have been a four star novel for me, based on my experience at the beginning of the book. Too bad. This knocked it down to three stars.

But then the novel took a melodramatic and weird turn with Eleanor’s daughter, Vivi, vandalizing Claire’s home and subsequently kidnapping her children, a plot development that seemingly came out of left fieldand spoiled the entire novel for me, knocking it down to 2-1/2 stars.

I truly see the promise of this writer and her ability to tell a story. I hope she’s able to find a publisher with an editor that helps her refine her books because if that happens, I’ll definitely read her again.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is interesting. A man dies and in tying up his affairs it becomes apparent that he had two wives and two families. That said, it's really a story of how the wives, totally unaware of the situation, cope with this newfound knowledge. That's the interesting part. Unfortunately the book suffers from too much description of the thought process these women go through. Much of the writing seems extremely repetitive chapter to chapter with their musings. The book has a twist which was too readily apparent however, reading through it playing out worked.

[Glenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eleanor Anderson has a beautiful home, a loving husband, a tranquil life. After thirty-eight years of marriage and her children now grown, she finally has time for herself. She’s not expecting any surprises; certainly not to wake up one morning and find her husband dead in bed beside her from a massive heart attack. It’s a devastating discovery… but not as much as the shock awaiting Eleanor when she learns the truth about her husband’s secret life. And then there’s the damaging document he signed before his death, which threatens to destroy her life.

Claire Anderson isn’t your average thirtysomething. A professor of psychology at a prestigious university, Claire has a successful career, a handsome husband, and two young children at home. But nothing in her background, including her academic accomplishments, prepares Claire for the horrendous reality of discovering that the life she’d led was all a lie… fostered by a husband who’d promised to love and cherish her forever.

Two women from two generations, bound together by denial, anger, and grief. How far will their misery and fear push them? Does compassion rule the day, or will a husband’s betrayal lead to a woman’s revenge? What happens when each of these women comes face-to-face with the other wife?

These are great questions to think about as you read this book. It is narrated by both women, so we see each side of the story and feel compassion for them both. The only villain here is the cheating husband. I thought a lot about how this could happen, and how I would feel if it happened to me. The end turned into a bit of a thriller that was a little crazy, but over all I enjoyed this book and read it quickly.