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Temporary Husband
Conveniently Wed
"I do," the bride and groom said without love they wed or so they thought!
"HI, HONEY, I'M HOME!"
Sandy Walker knew just what would soothe her nasty bump on the head: loving kisses from her handsome husband. The way she ached for Wade's gentle touch, you'd think she hadn't seen him in years .
"UH, HONEY? YOU SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN SOMETHING."
What was a guy to do when his ex-wife suddenly popped back into his life and thought they were still married? Following doctor's orders, Wade played along with Sandy's notions of newlywed bliss. After all, her amnesia wouldn't last forever. But their second honeymoon just might.
"I do," the bride and groom said without love they wed or so they thought!
"HI, HONEY, I'M HOME!"
Sandy Walker knew just what would soothe her nasty bump on the head: loving kisses from her handsome husband. The way she ached for Wade's gentle touch, you'd think she hadn't seen him in years .
"UH, HONEY? YOU SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN SOMETHING."
What was a guy to do when his ex-wife suddenly popped back into his life and thought they were still married? Following doctor's orders, Wade played along with Sandy's notions of newlywed bliss. After all, her amnesia wouldn't last forever. But their second honeymoon just might.
186 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 6, 2020
4 Stars ~ I'm a sucker for a good amnesia story and Ms. Whisenand story is a real treat.
The last person Wade ever expected to march right into his home, was his ex-wife of almost two years, shouting, "Hi, Honey, I'm home!" But there she was, and Sandy seemed to think they were still married. It's not long before he notices she's more than a tad confused, and finds a huge bump on her head.
Sandy had fallen off her trail bike, and strangers had helped her load the bike on her station wagon. All she could think of was getting home and feeling her husband's arms around her. But Wade doesn't seem so happy to see her. Between her unrelenting headache and fuzzy memory, Sandy just knows that what ever it is that Wade is mad about, she can fix it, after all, they are soulmates.
Ms Whisenand crafts this amnesia story from both Wade and Sandy's POV. Though of course Wade knows everything about their past, he doesn't want to go there again, it's too painful. So as readers, we feel his anguish, but we don't know the cause, other than Sandy did something horrific that he can't forgive. While Sandy recoups, she has overwhelming nightmares, though the root of them is always just out of her grasp. Over and over in her mind, she chants, "I did nothing wrong! It's not my fault!"
A compelling story. A satisfying HEA, though I would have loved for Wade to grovel a bit more, he had been shockingly cruel at times. Overall a story to enjoy again.
The last person Wade ever expected to march right into his home, was his ex-wife of almost two years, shouting, "Hi, Honey, I'm home!" But there she was, and Sandy seemed to think they were still married. It's not long before he notices she's more than a tad confused, and finds a huge bump on her head.
Sandy had fallen off her trail bike, and strangers had helped her load the bike on her station wagon. All she could think of was getting home and feeling her husband's arms around her. But Wade doesn't seem so happy to see her. Between her unrelenting headache and fuzzy memory, Sandy just knows that what ever it is that Wade is mad about, she can fix it, after all, they are soulmates.
Ms Whisenand crafts this amnesia story from both Wade and Sandy's POV. Though of course Wade knows everything about their past, he doesn't want to go there again, it's too painful. So as readers, we feel his anguish, but we don't know the cause, other than Sandy did something horrific that he can't forgive. While Sandy recoups, she has overwhelming nightmares, though the root of them is always just out of her grasp. Over and over in her mind, she chants, "I did nothing wrong! It's not my fault!"
A compelling story. A satisfying HEA, though I would have loved for Wade to grovel a bit more, he had been shockingly cruel at times. Overall a story to enjoy again.
April 15, 2025
This started out great, and had all the markings of what would have been a great TV movie (some of those flashback scenes were descriptive enough so you could picture them unfolding onscreen), and the author was good at making you feel what the h was feeling as she tried to out the pieces of her fractured memory together and took those side trips back in time, so to speak. You could almost feel chills when she visits the school, apologizing for being late and ready to get to work, only to discover she hadn't worked there for over three years! Or her late-night visit to the house where her friend lived when they were in high school, momentarily thinking she was back in that time!
These are symptoms of disorienting trauma, which she was suffering from, after hitting her head in a biking accident. Because of this, she still thinks she and the H are married and returns to the house where she they lived with forgetting about her apartment) as if it's just another day, when meanwhile he hadn't seen her in two years!
Yes, intriguing and all the marks of a page turner and it is, for a while. But then it all falls flat.
Too many things were brought up, only to be dropped and never picked up again. If the h liked working with children so much and loved her job at the school, why didn't she get a degree in teaching, instead of apparently majoring in business? And we're told that she worked in finance, but that's all. Why???? Why the career switch? That's never explained, nor does she ever mention either her previous job (aside from the flashback/time lapse) or her present one, so you don't know if she'll go back to it or not.
Then there's her friend Jane Ellen, who was so important a part of her life. After she married the H, they were still friends and apparently the H and Jane's husband were friends, too. She was there for the h after the divorce (so we're told) yet there no scenes with her, (just another memory flashback and a message on her answering machine), which would have given the story more depth, more of a connection to the present. The same goes for the H's brother, whom he owned a business with and apparently confided in. He and the H have one phone conversation (where he fills him in on what happened with the h), and from what the brother says, you get the impression that the H had somewhat of a drinking problem after the divorce, but then that's it. It's never mentioned again, and neither is the brother. And just like the h's career, the H's is never brought up anymore.
There's more depth with the h's mother, who had a troubled relationship with the h and there was definitely no love lost between her and the H! This woman was an alcoholic, blamed everyone (especially her husband and daughter) for her troubles except herself (naturally), and kept telling the h she made a mistake getting married (even on her wedding day, another flashback), and NEVER have children, because they take up too much time and keep you from a life of your own. obviously, she had quite an influence on the h, but not as bad as you're meant to think at first. (Her father was apparently not much better, but he doesn't even merit a flashback!) What's silly, is that the H tells her what happened to her daughter, and she shows concern at first, then she drops out of the story, too. Considering her animosity toward the H, that didn't make sense!
The worst part of this story was the way it did a switch from what happens a lot when a couple splits, and this time made the H out to be the unreasonable one. Too many times, it's the h who misunderstands something, makes a big deal out of it, and walks away from the marriage putting all the blame on the H, never really hearing his side of things and never considering that she just might be somewhat to blame, as well.
This time, it's the H in that category! At first, its's written so that you think the h did something unforgivable, that he could never get over. When it's mentioned how much the H wanted a family and was eager to start on one (despite their not being married long and she was still in college), you figure it had something to do with this, but what? Going on the pill without telling him? I thought that was it, but it turns out she miscarried their baby and he blamed her for it, thinking she hadn't really wanted the baby (she did, just hadn't planned for one so soon) and that she secretly hoped she'd lose it, even blaming her studies, as if stressing over exams caused it. She had been on the pill, but she stopped due to side effects, and she got pregnant too soon, before her body adjusted to hormonal changes, that's why it happened. NOT her fault, but he blamed her, anyway!
Meanwhile, he had apparently seduced her outside in the yard when the baby was conceived and let her think he used a condom (neat trick) because he wanted a baby ASAP! Again, there have been h's who "forget" their pill and make a baby but this time it's the H who's guilty of those games!
And all he did was get caught up in his own pain and grief, so much so that he never considered the h's, as if it didn't exist. Meanwhile, she was as miserable as he was, she just tried not to dwell on it, whereas he let it tear their marriage apart.
What's more, you get stuff in the beginning (the H's thoughts) about the h being stubborn, having a bad temper, wanting her own way, etc., yet you see no evidence of this later, making me suspect it was the H trying to convince himself she had all these faults to absolve himself of any guilt or regret.
And just like in so many books where the h is at fault, and the H forgives her without her needing to grovel, that's what happens here! The H (finally) admits it was his fault, says he's sorry and all's forgiven! I HATE it when it's so easy! Just like those H's who act the simp, this h was a simp, too! It should have been at least a week or two before she let it go. (I guess the author meant to make up for this by having the H sneak into her apartment in the dark to apologize, and the frightened h ends up punching him in the nose! That was pretty funny!)
Too many flaws and too many gaps to give this too many stars.
These are symptoms of disorienting trauma, which she was suffering from, after hitting her head in a biking accident. Because of this, she still thinks she and the H are married and returns to the house where she they lived with forgetting about her apartment) as if it's just another day, when meanwhile he hadn't seen her in two years!
Yes, intriguing and all the marks of a page turner and it is, for a while. But then it all falls flat.
Too many things were brought up, only to be dropped and never picked up again. If the h liked working with children so much and loved her job at the school, why didn't she get a degree in teaching, instead of apparently majoring in business? And we're told that she worked in finance, but that's all. Why???? Why the career switch? That's never explained, nor does she ever mention either her previous job (aside from the flashback/time lapse) or her present one, so you don't know if she'll go back to it or not.
Then there's her friend Jane Ellen, who was so important a part of her life. After she married the H, they were still friends and apparently the H and Jane's husband were friends, too. She was there for the h after the divorce (so we're told) yet there no scenes with her, (just another memory flashback and a message on her answering machine), which would have given the story more depth, more of a connection to the present. The same goes for the H's brother, whom he owned a business with and apparently confided in. He and the H have one phone conversation (where he fills him in on what happened with the h), and from what the brother says, you get the impression that the H had somewhat of a drinking problem after the divorce, but then that's it. It's never mentioned again, and neither is the brother. And just like the h's career, the H's is never brought up anymore.
There's more depth with the h's mother, who had a troubled relationship with the h and there was definitely no love lost between her and the H! This woman was an alcoholic, blamed everyone (especially her husband and daughter) for her troubles except herself (naturally), and kept telling the h she made a mistake getting married (even on her wedding day, another flashback), and NEVER have children, because they take up too much time and keep you from a life of your own. obviously, she had quite an influence on the h, but not as bad as you're meant to think at first. (Her father was apparently not much better, but he doesn't even merit a flashback!) What's silly, is that the H tells her what happened to her daughter, and she shows concern at first, then she drops out of the story, too. Considering her animosity toward the H, that didn't make sense!
The worst part of this story was the way it did a switch from what happens a lot when a couple splits, and this time made the H out to be the unreasonable one. Too many times, it's the h who misunderstands something, makes a big deal out of it, and walks away from the marriage putting all the blame on the H, never really hearing his side of things and never considering that she just might be somewhat to blame, as well.
This time, it's the H in that category! At first, its's written so that you think the h did something unforgivable, that he could never get over. When it's mentioned how much the H wanted a family and was eager to start on one (despite their not being married long and she was still in college), you figure it had something to do with this, but what? Going on the pill without telling him? I thought that was it, but it turns out she miscarried their baby and he blamed her for it, thinking she hadn't really wanted the baby (she did, just hadn't planned for one so soon) and that she secretly hoped she'd lose it, even blaming her studies, as if stressing over exams caused it. She had been on the pill, but she stopped due to side effects, and she got pregnant too soon, before her body adjusted to hormonal changes, that's why it happened. NOT her fault, but he blamed her, anyway!
Meanwhile, he had apparently seduced her outside in the yard when the baby was conceived and let her think he used a condom (neat trick) because he wanted a baby ASAP! Again, there have been h's who "forget" their pill and make a baby but this time it's the H who's guilty of those games!
And all he did was get caught up in his own pain and grief, so much so that he never considered the h's, as if it didn't exist. Meanwhile, she was as miserable as he was, she just tried not to dwell on it, whereas he let it tear their marriage apart.
What's more, you get stuff in the beginning (the H's thoughts) about the h being stubborn, having a bad temper, wanting her own way, etc., yet you see no evidence of this later, making me suspect it was the H trying to convince himself she had all these faults to absolve himself of any guilt or regret.
And just like in so many books where the h is at fault, and the H forgives her without her needing to grovel, that's what happens here! The H (finally) admits it was his fault, says he's sorry and all's forgiven! I HATE it when it's so easy! Just like those H's who act the simp, this h was a simp, too! It should have been at least a week or two before she let it go. (I guess the author meant to make up for this by having the H sneak into her apartment in the dark to apologize, and the frightened h ends up punching him in the nose! That was pretty funny!)
Too many flaws and too many gaps to give this too many stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2022
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was an amnesia story which was different, it was more like amnesia/severe disorientation. The heroine woke up thinking it was 3 years in the past. She would have these dream/memories and one such dream she woke up from took her back to high school. So we readers learn about her life through these dreams or memories. We got both POVs which jump back and forth more than I liked. It was really sad, but I couldn’t wait to find out the mystery of the break up. It was sad overall! But did end with an HEA, the H changed his attitude a little too quickly for believability. But over all a unique amnesia story.
July 7, 2014
EXCELLENT LOVE STORY BETWEEN EX-MARRIED COUPLE WARD AND SANDRA
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews