What do you think?
Rate this book
Sisters #1
The Marriage War
Something worth fighting for!
Sancha's first instinct was to burn the anonymous letter. Its malicious message couldn't be true: Do you know where your husband will be tonight? Do you know who he'll be with?
Sancha adored Mark now as much as when they were first married, even though family life meant that they were no longer so close. She'd never dreamed that her tough, handsome husband would fall into the arms of another woman!
The battle was on - though when Sancha confronted Mark, she discovered the physical attraction between them was as strong as ever. But she wouldn't let herself be seduced by him.... Not yet!
186 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1997
16 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Lamb
261 books316 followersSheila Ann Mary Coates Holland
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
September 18, 2025
Sancha had been married to her 38 year old civil engineer husband Mark for 7 years. They fell in love and their relationship was very passionate.
They had two boys but it was two years ago when Sancha had her daughter that things started to change.
They had to switch to twin beds so Mark would not be woken whenever she left their bed to attend to the baby.
They had lost their old loving intimacy and spontaneity and since Flora's birth they'd rarely made love at all.
At night Sancha was too tired and in the mornings there was never time.
That particular morning Sancha observed a distaste in his eyes. She knew she did not look glamorous anymore with 3 children and a million things to do on a daily basis, but Sancha felt a sting of hurt over that look.
He looked irritated as if he might explode at any minute. He often had over the last few months.
Was Mark tired of family life after six years of babies?
He said he was going to be late that night, dinner with the boss again, he said. He was always being kept late at the office lately.
Later on that morning Sancha received an anonymous letter:
"Do you know where your husband will be tonight? Do you know who he'll be with? Her name is Jacqui Farrar, she's his assistant and she has an apartment in the Crown Tower in Alamo Street number 8 on the second floor. They've been having an affair for weeks."
Sancha's first thought was that Mark wouldn't have an affair. He loved her. On second thought she'd realised that somehow, without her noticing it, love and passion had seeped out of their relationship.
That noon Sancha spied her husband walking towards a restaurant with his arm around the waist of a beautiful, nicely dressed blonde girl in her twenties. Sancha knew it was HER.
Sancha was hurt and was livid.
For a long time he had been looking at her with cold eyes as if he despised her, was bored by her.
When it had started?
Now she knew it started around the time Jacqui Farrar joined the firm six months ago.
That evening Sancha picked up the phone and dialled Jacqui's number. She remained silent but heard Mark's voice. Now she knew it was all true.
Jealousy and pain consumed her.
He was lying to her, betraying her with another woman.
The next evening she confronted him. His response:
"...because you don't give a damn about me. You don't love me anymore. You needed a man to give you children, a home, and now you have them you don't need me, l am superfluous, except for the money l bring home to pay for all of this.
You hardly even look at me or talk to me these days, and as for sex, how long is it since we slept together?
We aren't having a marriage Sancha, we're just living under the same roof. You don't want me anymore, so why should it matter a damn to you if l've found someone else?
I love my children but l am not obsessed with them. You've made it clear that they are all you care about.
You certainly don't care about me."
"Mark please, it won't be like that for ever. Just while they're small and need me all the time."
"And how long will that be Sancha? One year? Two? Six? Ten? How long do you expect me to wait around on hold for you to remember l exist?"
"Are you having an affair with her?"
"We had dinner one night after working late but slowly the atmosphere changed between us, things got personal and then we started being secretive, lying to people at work and l lied to you about having to work late.
We were in the middle of a relationship before we realised it. I haven't been sleeping with her, although we almost did the other night. What can you expect Sancha? We haven't made love for months. I am human after all."
"What stopped you?"
"I wasn't ready to walk away from my marriage yet. I wanted to make love to her. I almost did but stopped at the last minute. Just couldn't."
"Are you in love with her?"
"I think l could be. I think l almost am. I was under terrible pressure at work. You never had time to take any notice of me like you used to, but Jacqui did. She listened, she was supportive and sympathetic, very kind to me. She's a nice girl."
That nice girl did send that anonymous letter and did put up a big fight and used every dirty trick in the book to get him for herself.
Many readers hate this book because of the subject matter but it is so real life, the most real life Harlequin l've read. A marriage in peril for all the usual reasons marriages struggle and suffer from.
Very well written and it successfully pointed out how everyday life and struggles can affect a marriage and make people who love each other grow apart and lose their way.
They had two boys but it was two years ago when Sancha had her daughter that things started to change.
They had to switch to twin beds so Mark would not be woken whenever she left their bed to attend to the baby.
They had lost their old loving intimacy and spontaneity and since Flora's birth they'd rarely made love at all.
At night Sancha was too tired and in the mornings there was never time.
That particular morning Sancha observed a distaste in his eyes. She knew she did not look glamorous anymore with 3 children and a million things to do on a daily basis, but Sancha felt a sting of hurt over that look.
He looked irritated as if he might explode at any minute. He often had over the last few months.
Was Mark tired of family life after six years of babies?
He said he was going to be late that night, dinner with the boss again, he said. He was always being kept late at the office lately.
Later on that morning Sancha received an anonymous letter:
"Do you know where your husband will be tonight? Do you know who he'll be with? Her name is Jacqui Farrar, she's his assistant and she has an apartment in the Crown Tower in Alamo Street number 8 on the second floor. They've been having an affair for weeks."
Sancha's first thought was that Mark wouldn't have an affair. He loved her. On second thought she'd realised that somehow, without her noticing it, love and passion had seeped out of their relationship.
That noon Sancha spied her husband walking towards a restaurant with his arm around the waist of a beautiful, nicely dressed blonde girl in her twenties. Sancha knew it was HER.
Sancha was hurt and was livid.
For a long time he had been looking at her with cold eyes as if he despised her, was bored by her.
When it had started?
Now she knew it started around the time Jacqui Farrar joined the firm six months ago.
That evening Sancha picked up the phone and dialled Jacqui's number. She remained silent but heard Mark's voice. Now she knew it was all true.
Jealousy and pain consumed her.
He was lying to her, betraying her with another woman.
The next evening she confronted him. His response:
"...because you don't give a damn about me. You don't love me anymore. You needed a man to give you children, a home, and now you have them you don't need me, l am superfluous, except for the money l bring home to pay for all of this.
You hardly even look at me or talk to me these days, and as for sex, how long is it since we slept together?
We aren't having a marriage Sancha, we're just living under the same roof. You don't want me anymore, so why should it matter a damn to you if l've found someone else?
I love my children but l am not obsessed with them. You've made it clear that they are all you care about.
You certainly don't care about me."
"Mark please, it won't be like that for ever. Just while they're small and need me all the time."
"And how long will that be Sancha? One year? Two? Six? Ten? How long do you expect me to wait around on hold for you to remember l exist?"
"Are you having an affair with her?"
"We had dinner one night after working late but slowly the atmosphere changed between us, things got personal and then we started being secretive, lying to people at work and l lied to you about having to work late.
We were in the middle of a relationship before we realised it. I haven't been sleeping with her, although we almost did the other night. What can you expect Sancha? We haven't made love for months. I am human after all."
"What stopped you?"
"I wasn't ready to walk away from my marriage yet. I wanted to make love to her. I almost did but stopped at the last minute. Just couldn't."
"Are you in love with her?"
"I think l could be. I think l almost am. I was under terrible pressure at work. You never had time to take any notice of me like you used to, but Jacqui did. She listened, she was supportive and sympathetic, very kind to me. She's a nice girl."
That nice girl did send that anonymous letter and did put up a big fight and used every dirty trick in the book to get him for herself.
Many readers hate this book because of the subject matter but it is so real life, the most real life Harlequin l've read. A marriage in peril for all the usual reasons marriages struggle and suffer from.
Very well written and it successfully pointed out how everyday life and struggles can affect a marriage and make people who love each other grow apart and lose their way.
January 4, 2019
Re The Marriage War - Charlotte Lamb gets book ten of the Forbidden Series and starts her own little Sisters mini series.
This book, like The Ultimate Betrayal is about a husband who almost sleeps with his secretary. There is definite emotional infidelity and unlike TUB, this H isn't sorry and he blames the h for his marital disinterest and his 'oops, minor mishap' because his affair partner is truly a lovely, sweet girl in his estimation -which as we shall soon see is the only one that counts.
The book starts with the H and h in twin beds. Apparently after the birth of their third child, (the h and H have two boys aged five and six and a two year old rambunctious toddler girl,) the H demanded twin beds because the h's constant getting up and down at night was disturbing his rest.
The h had a complication filled pregnancy and then she had a really tough time emotionally after her daughter's birth. Plus they have a big house and two active boys and the h is so busy being the domestic engineer that the H feels neglected.
The h gets a letter that her husband is having an affair and she is devastated. She realizes that she and the H have grown apart and that he looks at her with loathing. When the h calls her older sister for moral support, the sister - who is the h of the next book- sends the h out to have a day to herself and to get herself a little make over.
The h sees her husband and the OW out together and later that night, when the H has lied again about where and who he is doing, the h calls the OW's flat and hears her husband's voice. The h is furious, betrayed, hurt and runs the gamut of all those heartbreaking emotions as she waits for her husband to come home.
He eventually does and sleeps in the spare room, supposedly not wanting to disturb her. He leaves early the next morning before she can confront him and then the h decides to take steps. She gets a sympathetic neighbor to take her kids and the well meaning woman tells the h to not be hasty in kicking the H out.
(The neighbors' own husband ran off with a teenager and the woman was so irked, she told him not to come back when it all went south. The woman regrets it dearly, so the h has to have a think about things.)
The H returns and the big confrontation is on, it has only been a few days since the letter and the phone calls and the h lets him know the jig is up. The h knows about his affair and the story devolves into how mistreated and abused the H is and the h only wants him for his money to support her big house and three kids she insisted on having.
(Which caused me to down several shots of the Captain. The H has his own business and it is in danger of a takeover. He wanted the house and he had no objections, nor did anything to stop having kids, though he is a very indifferent father at best.
He spends money on high priced suites and taking his tart out, yet the h has to have an allowance and he hasn't bother to actually increase it in ages. But per CL the H is mistreated one and his straying is all her fault.)
The h is more shattered by his accusations and hurt by his admission that he thinks he might love the OW, the H gets nasty then. He finally notices her new hair style and her new dress and he accuses her of tarting herself out to keep him, now that she thinks the gravy train is going to end.
The H tries to make a roofie kissing move, but the h is horrified and the kids come back. The kids are riled up, as little kids who have adventures tend to be and the H tries it on again later that night, only the little girl has a nightmare and the h has to go sort her out.
The next day, the h and H manage to send the kids off to the zoo with the helpful neighbor and the H claims that he will end things with the OW and take the h to his favorite restaurant for lunch. The H goes off to the OW's house, he refuses to let the h come with him and they miss their reservation for the restaurant - tho the h learns that the H has taken the OW there and presented her as his wife.
The h is now frantic, she really doesn't want a divorce, tho she thinks she might be able to start a photography business if she ends up alone. The H is gone several hours and when he returns, the h learns that the OW threw a fit and she decides to blame the OW for tempting the H - essentially she giving him a get out of jail free card.
But unlike the h of Emma Darcy's Marraige Meltdown, this h doesn't leap into the sexual shenanigans to hold her H - even tho that is what he is pushing for. She wants absolute proof that the H is going to be faithful and that he still loves her.
The H does a lot of chatting around the subject and the h relents, she will finally sleep with him. But before that can happen, the OW shows up while the h is in the bath and when the h walks in on the H and the OW, they are kissing in the foyer of the h's home.
The h hits a major meltdown and the OW relates all about how the H despises her, and wants to dump her but can't because he can't afford a divorce. This throws the h for a loop, then she thinks about it and realizes that the OW is right - the h will get the marital home and a big settlement if they divorce, so the H is only staying because he can't afford not to.
The H half-heartedly denies the accusations and the h is still going to fight for her man, so the OW is dismissed, the h sorta believes the H's excuses and the next day they all go out as a family. The H makes an extremely half-assed attempt to get the kids breakfast and bring the h some toast.
Over the course of the day, the H is continually frustrated by the toddler and complains about her endlessly, but the h is just thrilled that he is actually spending time with his kids. They end up in a restaurant and the OW shows up. The H walks her out and the h has to deal with a toddler tantrum in the middle of all of this.
When the h and kids are leaving, the h sees the OW on the arm of a wealthy man and she finally relaxes. The H has lost his shot and her marriage is safe for now. The H also explains that he will probably be bought out of his business and they will have to downsize and move to a smaller home in the North, where the H will take a job for less money.
The H and h finally have their big passion moment and the H claims he loves her - tho it was said during sex, so that is highly suspect- and can an assume that we have reached an HEA.
CL leaves us with the homily that marriage is two people working together, but implies that the woman is the one who needs to do the real work. While such a 1950's attitude is very in keeping with CL's probably real life opinion on marriage and relationships, it is very disconcerting to read such a pragmatic throwback at this time in the HP timeline.
I couldn't buy the HEA here and because I have read the next book as well, I really don't buy this outcome. The H is not happy with his life, he thinks the h is a drab, his kids don't interest him and he is more than likely downsizing and hiding assets to run off with the next sweet young office assistant that comes his way.
The h wants to believe and has doormat all over her, so she buys the trite and boring lecture on how it is all her fault she is running off her man and I thought that pathetic piece of mushroom fertilizer was bull even when I read this book twenty years ago.
From the author who wrote Runaway Wife only seven years prior to this, this book felt like a slap in the face. CL's attitude was always very conservative in her books, but considering her own personal success in life, I would have liked to see a bit more support for the h in this to be more than a household drudge, mother and sex toy.
CL did a probably realistic story in terms of what an economically dependent wife with three small children has to tolerate in order to get to a place where she can find her own way, but I wasn't happy about it and I wouldn't call this a romantic or inspiring HPlandia outing, though I admit I am always riveted to the story whenever I read this.
This book, like The Ultimate Betrayal is about a husband who almost sleeps with his secretary. There is definite emotional infidelity and unlike TUB, this H isn't sorry and he blames the h for his marital disinterest and his 'oops, minor mishap' because his affair partner is truly a lovely, sweet girl in his estimation -which as we shall soon see is the only one that counts.
The book starts with the H and h in twin beds. Apparently after the birth of their third child, (the h and H have two boys aged five and six and a two year old rambunctious toddler girl,) the H demanded twin beds because the h's constant getting up and down at night was disturbing his rest.
The h had a complication filled pregnancy and then she had a really tough time emotionally after her daughter's birth. Plus they have a big house and two active boys and the h is so busy being the domestic engineer that the H feels neglected.
The h gets a letter that her husband is having an affair and she is devastated. She realizes that she and the H have grown apart and that he looks at her with loathing. When the h calls her older sister for moral support, the sister - who is the h of the next book- sends the h out to have a day to herself and to get herself a little make over.
The h sees her husband and the OW out together and later that night, when the H has lied again about where and who he is doing, the h calls the OW's flat and hears her husband's voice. The h is furious, betrayed, hurt and runs the gamut of all those heartbreaking emotions as she waits for her husband to come home.
He eventually does and sleeps in the spare room, supposedly not wanting to disturb her. He leaves early the next morning before she can confront him and then the h decides to take steps. She gets a sympathetic neighbor to take her kids and the well meaning woman tells the h to not be hasty in kicking the H out.
(The neighbors' own husband ran off with a teenager and the woman was so irked, she told him not to come back when it all went south. The woman regrets it dearly, so the h has to have a think about things.)
The H returns and the big confrontation is on, it has only been a few days since the letter and the phone calls and the h lets him know the jig is up. The h knows about his affair and the story devolves into how mistreated and abused the H is and the h only wants him for his money to support her big house and three kids she insisted on having.
(Which caused me to down several shots of the Captain. The H has his own business and it is in danger of a takeover. He wanted the house and he had no objections, nor did anything to stop having kids, though he is a very indifferent father at best.
He spends money on high priced suites and taking his tart out, yet the h has to have an allowance and he hasn't bother to actually increase it in ages. But per CL the H is mistreated one and his straying is all her fault.)
The h is more shattered by his accusations and hurt by his admission that he thinks he might love the OW, the H gets nasty then. He finally notices her new hair style and her new dress and he accuses her of tarting herself out to keep him, now that she thinks the gravy train is going to end.
The H tries to make a roofie kissing move, but the h is horrified and the kids come back. The kids are riled up, as little kids who have adventures tend to be and the H tries it on again later that night, only the little girl has a nightmare and the h has to go sort her out.
The next day, the h and H manage to send the kids off to the zoo with the helpful neighbor and the H claims that he will end things with the OW and take the h to his favorite restaurant for lunch. The H goes off to the OW's house, he refuses to let the h come with him and they miss their reservation for the restaurant - tho the h learns that the H has taken the OW there and presented her as his wife.
The h is now frantic, she really doesn't want a divorce, tho she thinks she might be able to start a photography business if she ends up alone. The H is gone several hours and when he returns, the h learns that the OW threw a fit and she decides to blame the OW for tempting the H - essentially she giving him a get out of jail free card.
But unlike the h of Emma Darcy's Marraige Meltdown, this h doesn't leap into the sexual shenanigans to hold her H - even tho that is what he is pushing for. She wants absolute proof that the H is going to be faithful and that he still loves her.
The H does a lot of chatting around the subject and the h relents, she will finally sleep with him. But before that can happen, the OW shows up while the h is in the bath and when the h walks in on the H and the OW, they are kissing in the foyer of the h's home.
The h hits a major meltdown and the OW relates all about how the H despises her, and wants to dump her but can't because he can't afford a divorce. This throws the h for a loop, then she thinks about it and realizes that the OW is right - the h will get the marital home and a big settlement if they divorce, so the H is only staying because he can't afford not to.
The H half-heartedly denies the accusations and the h is still going to fight for her man, so the OW is dismissed, the h sorta believes the H's excuses and the next day they all go out as a family. The H makes an extremely half-assed attempt to get the kids breakfast and bring the h some toast.
Over the course of the day, the H is continually frustrated by the toddler and complains about her endlessly, but the h is just thrilled that he is actually spending time with his kids. They end up in a restaurant and the OW shows up. The H walks her out and the h has to deal with a toddler tantrum in the middle of all of this.
When the h and kids are leaving, the h sees the OW on the arm of a wealthy man and she finally relaxes. The H has lost his shot and her marriage is safe for now. The H also explains that he will probably be bought out of his business and they will have to downsize and move to a smaller home in the North, where the H will take a job for less money.
The H and h finally have their big passion moment and the H claims he loves her - tho it was said during sex, so that is highly suspect- and can an assume that we have reached an HEA.
CL leaves us with the homily that marriage is two people working together, but implies that the woman is the one who needs to do the real work. While such a 1950's attitude is very in keeping with CL's probably real life opinion on marriage and relationships, it is very disconcerting to read such a pragmatic throwback at this time in the HP timeline.
I couldn't buy the HEA here and because I have read the next book as well, I really don't buy this outcome. The H is not happy with his life, he thinks the h is a drab, his kids don't interest him and he is more than likely downsizing and hiding assets to run off with the next sweet young office assistant that comes his way.
The h wants to believe and has doormat all over her, so she buys the trite and boring lecture on how it is all her fault she is running off her man and I thought that pathetic piece of mushroom fertilizer was bull even when I read this book twenty years ago.
From the author who wrote Runaway Wife only seven years prior to this, this book felt like a slap in the face. CL's attitude was always very conservative in her books, but considering her own personal success in life, I would have liked to see a bit more support for the h in this to be more than a household drudge, mother and sex toy.
CL did a probably realistic story in terms of what an economically dependent wife with three small children has to tolerate in order to get to a place where she can find her own way, but I wasn't happy about it and I wouldn't call this a romantic or inspiring HPlandia outing, though I admit I am always riveted to the story whenever I read this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
January 31, 2019DNF DNF DNF
Ugh, gross, and yuck.
Take heed from the other reviews, this is nothing but sordid adultery. The hero is a complete and total idiot that gets caught in his own web of infidelity by an evil OW that is smarter and more soulless than even him.
Why, why did you take him back, little h? There is not even the consolation that he is a good father to offset his horrible spousal abilities.
Not an official DNF as I skimmed to the end, but what I did read was stomach churning. There will be NO happy ending for these two long term.
Geez, it makes me long for a Greek tycoon.
Ugh, gross, and yuck.
Take heed from the other reviews, this is nothing but sordid adultery. The hero is a complete and total idiot that gets caught in his own web of infidelity by an evil OW that is smarter and more soulless than even him.
Why, why did you take him back, little h? There is not even the consolation that he is a good father to offset his horrible spousal abilities.
Not an official DNF as I skimmed to the end, but what I did read was stomach churning. There will be NO happy ending for these two long term.
Geez, it makes me long for a Greek tycoon.
April 28, 2020
Despicable hero who felt neglected by his wife who takes care of three young children and the House and has post partum depression. He has an affair with a co-worker and admits to be falling in love with her.
And upon discovering their affair he is not remorseful because he claims that she had no time for him. But for dinner and hanging out with another woman he has time and money to spend, but not to help with the care of children and alleviate the burden of excessive domestic work of our heroine.
And upon discovering their affair he is not remorseful because he claims that she had no time for him. But for dinner and hanging out with another woman he has time and money to spend, but not to help with the care of children and alleviate the burden of excessive domestic work of our heroine.
January 18, 2022
-Hello, it’s me, the narcissist, ehem … I mean the hero.
I’m a successful businessman, I love expensive clothes because they become my image of successful man, I have a dull and boring wife and three annoying brats. I need everyone’s attention because my ego is less than one inch small and my self esteem depends on how much other people’s love me.
I don’t care about other people’s feelings because mine are always more important. It’s me that must be happy, and other people exist only to make me happy and satisfied.
My wife is always busy with the brats and doesn’t pay me enough attention but luckily my young and sexy pa, my single pa, finds me irresistible and tells me she loves me. So I have an affair with her, even if I still hadn’t had sex with her. But it’s a matter of time. I’m tired of being celibate and that plain wife of mine isn’t is always tired so it’s been months - months! Would you believe it?? Since I’ve had sex.
I think I will have sex with my pa. And maybe I’ll divorce the wife and stay with my brand new girl.
She really satisfy my lil ego!
- Hello I’m the dependent wife. I’m afraid of being alone and I think I don’t deserve a man that loves me, shares the good and bad of everyday life, that is faithful and that understands that I’m tired after taking care all day of our children.
Oh, I know my husband is much better than me, he deserves to be smartly dressed while I have only old and plain clothes, I know I’m not attractive enough for him after giving birth to his three children, and I understand that he’s like honey for other women.
Yes, he has this thing with his pa, but it’s my fault because I’m plain, dull, tired and it’s also ow’s fault because she’s a bitch who wants married men, but surely my wonderful husband is innocent.
I want him back, because losers ehem … dependent people like me don’t think they can be loved so they settle for every kind of people, even abusers or cheaters like that slimy scumbag of my husband, and so I think I’ll do my best to have him back, even if he doesn’t love me and he told me that he loves his pa.
- hello, I’m the ow. I’m young sexy and a bitch. I’m amoral and I don’t care who I hurt when I try to have what I want. I have this man, he’s married but he’s tired of his dull and plain wife, who’s always drab and stinking of baby drolls, and I’ll do my best to have him all for me, even if it means to call his wife, to go to his house and to go to the restaurant while he’s with his wife and cause a scene. I know he’s no prize, a man who cheats on his wife so easily, but at least he’s young and handsome.
- hello it’s me, the reader. I hated this book and I’m surprised that ms lamb wrote it.
This hero is the worst I’ve found in a lot of time. He’s a loser and he’s obviously not in love with his wife. He acted like a coward and without any respect for her or his family, only because for some time he was second in his wife’s line of attention. After his own children. No words. And no words about how stingy he was when he didn’t give his wife any money for her clothes and how callous he was to go to a restaurant and tell everyone that his mistress was his wife. And how coward he was to tell his wife it was her fault if he was a cheater.
That was the lowest of the low…No redemption for him. And his wife? Instead of asking for divorce she tried to win him back. No words.
I think they both deserve each other.
No angst, no grovel, such a delicate thematic was dealt in a gross and unsympathetic way. Not CL at all.
And I only want to tell the heroine: until the next time.
I’m a successful businessman, I love expensive clothes because they become my image of successful man, I have a dull and boring wife and three annoying brats. I need everyone’s attention because my ego is less than one inch small and my self esteem depends on how much other people’s love me.
I don’t care about other people’s feelings because mine are always more important. It’s me that must be happy, and other people exist only to make me happy and satisfied.
My wife is always busy with the brats and doesn’t pay me enough attention but luckily my young and sexy pa, my single pa, finds me irresistible and tells me she loves me. So I have an affair with her, even if I still hadn’t had sex with her. But it’s a matter of time. I’m tired of being celibate and that plain wife of mine isn’t is always tired so it’s been months - months! Would you believe it?? Since I’ve had sex.
I think I will have sex with my pa. And maybe I’ll divorce the wife and stay with my brand new girl.
She really satisfy my lil ego!
- Hello I’m the dependent wife. I’m afraid of being alone and I think I don’t deserve a man that loves me, shares the good and bad of everyday life, that is faithful and that understands that I’m tired after taking care all day of our children.
Oh, I know my husband is much better than me, he deserves to be smartly dressed while I have only old and plain clothes, I know I’m not attractive enough for him after giving birth to his three children, and I understand that he’s like honey for other women.
Yes, he has this thing with his pa, but it’s my fault because I’m plain, dull, tired and it’s also ow’s fault because she’s a bitch who wants married men, but surely my wonderful husband is innocent.
I want him back, because losers ehem … dependent people like me don’t think they can be loved so they settle for every kind of people, even abusers or cheaters like that slimy scumbag of my husband, and so I think I’ll do my best to have him back, even if he doesn’t love me and he told me that he loves his pa.
- hello, I’m the ow. I’m young sexy and a bitch. I’m amoral and I don’t care who I hurt when I try to have what I want. I have this man, he’s married but he’s tired of his dull and plain wife, who’s always drab and stinking of baby drolls, and I’ll do my best to have him all for me, even if it means to call his wife, to go to his house and to go to the restaurant while he’s with his wife and cause a scene. I know he’s no prize, a man who cheats on his wife so easily, but at least he’s young and handsome.
- hello it’s me, the reader. I hated this book and I’m surprised that ms lamb wrote it.
This hero is the worst I’ve found in a lot of time. He’s a loser and he’s obviously not in love with his wife. He acted like a coward and without any respect for her or his family, only because for some time he was second in his wife’s line of attention. After his own children. No words. And no words about how stingy he was when he didn’t give his wife any money for her clothes and how callous he was to go to a restaurant and tell everyone that his mistress was his wife. And how coward he was to tell his wife it was her fault if he was a cheater.
That was the lowest of the low…No redemption for him. And his wife? Instead of asking for divorce she tried to win him back. No words.
I think they both deserve each other.
No angst, no grovel, such a delicate thematic was dealt in a gross and unsympathetic way. Not CL at all.
And I only want to tell the heroine: until the next time.
January 19, 2022
1/19/22
Okay I had to read this again and why? Because I am a masochist. This keeps me on my toes I guess. I still want to put a hit out on Mark and slap the wife until she understands he probably cdid sleep with the other girl. And he was in love with her, oh wait ALMOST in love with her. Yeah I'd forgive him. Sure! Right as I started sprinkling the lime over his rotting dead carcass.... Don't judge me.
2019 Review
Why did I read this again??? I am a glutton for punishment I guess but for some reason it popped up on my radar and I had to re-read it just to make sure I truly hated it. And it's confirmed. The heroine was an idiot. She should have confronted him when she saw them together at lunch and if not then, she should have gone to the apartment where he was doing everything but the actual deed and so that was his defense. I never slept with her he says, but honestly I think he did. Men lie when they get caught and unfortunately we believe them. I did and when I found out it was a lie, I never trusted him again. Just like in this story. The OW was right when she said but what about when he gets bored again? The heroine was just too nice. The way he treated her when he was caught. The things he said to her were very painful and I can't believe she ended up blaming herself. It takes two I know but this story breaks my heart. It's not romantic and he almost rapes her in anger. I just hated him. He hated his children and was just an ass about them. I definitely thought she should have left him. Especially when he said he was almost in love with us OW??? Is have died. And his defense of her when he was berating his wife for neglecting him. Just gross. I would never have slept with him so soon after that. I should never have read it again. I want to hit something. My husband's asleep so I can't even torture him now. Dang. I'll have to wait. He'll wake up soon. 😜
Okay I had to read this again and why? Because I am a masochist. This keeps me on my toes I guess. I still want to put a hit out on Mark and slap the wife until she understands he probably cdid sleep with the other girl. And he was in love with her, oh wait ALMOST in love with her. Yeah I'd forgive him. Sure! Right as I started sprinkling the lime over his rotting dead carcass.... Don't judge me.
2019 Review
Why did I read this again??? I am a glutton for punishment I guess but for some reason it popped up on my radar and I had to re-read it just to make sure I truly hated it. And it's confirmed. The heroine was an idiot. She should have confronted him when she saw them together at lunch and if not then, she should have gone to the apartment where he was doing everything but the actual deed and so that was his defense. I never slept with her he says, but honestly I think he did. Men lie when they get caught and unfortunately we believe them. I did and when I found out it was a lie, I never trusted him again. Just like in this story. The OW was right when she said but what about when he gets bored again? The heroine was just too nice. The way he treated her when he was caught. The things he said to her were very painful and I can't believe she ended up blaming herself. It takes two I know but this story breaks my heart. It's not romantic and he almost rapes her in anger. I just hated him. He hated his children and was just an ass about them. I definitely thought she should have left him. Especially when he said he was almost in love with us OW??? Is have died. And his defense of her when he was berating his wife for neglecting him. Just gross. I would never have slept with him so soon after that. I should never have read it again. I want to hit something. My husband's asleep so I can't even torture him now. Dang. I'll have to wait. He'll wake up soon. 😜
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2018
Four stars for intensity, although CL pulls her punches quite a bit. It's the same scenario as Michelle Reid's The Ultimate Betrayal - overwhelmed housewife heroine has been neglecting her ambitious husband. Husband seeks emotional solace/ego stroking from the OW but doesn't "go all the way."
Heroine discovers the affair from an anonymous letter. At first she denies it and then realizes hubby has been staying late at work a lot. From there she beats up on herself - they are sleeping in twin beds, she has neglected herself in favor of the children, she hasn't fought for her man.
Her sister sends her out to the hairdressers and an afternoon off. Heroine sees hero with the OW going into a trendy lunch spot.
When heroine confronts the hero - he denies sleeping with the OW and says it's all the heroine's fault for being too tired, then he shifts to his worries about his job and how the OW listens to him. It's the usual caught husband blather.
The heroine still feels guilty for being a boring housefrau, so she blames the OW for stalking the hero. Hero sticks up for the OW calling her a nice girl and claiming the relationship just happened without any ulterior motives. Heroine turns out to be right since the OW does not go down without a fight - she comes to the house and does her best bunny boiler imitation. She also admits to sending the anonymous letter.
Hero's eyes are open, but H/h aren't out of the woods yet. Heroine won't have sex with him until she feels she can trust him. They have a nice family day out. Hero opens up about his job and plans to move North for a fresh start. They see the OW stalking another man and the heroine realizes she's no longer a threat. Hero finally grovels. HEA
So CL divides the blame - the heroine for neglecting her marriage to take care of the kids, the hero for neglecting his marriage to take care of his ego, and the OW for being a stalker/emotional parasite.
The hero has the most blame here and because of that, he has to change the most. I liked how CL showed this. He actually gets the children ready one morning and on another day he makes dinner while she is putting them to bed. He's also willing to leave the firm and move to a part of the country where this is more of a life/work balance. He's an arrogant jerk at the beginning, and that was fun to read because angst.* Plus most people are defensive when they are caught doing something wrong.
The heroine also needed to change - she had to ask for help from her sister and neighbor and husband. She actually got to enjoy life rather than be a drudge and that was gratifying to see.
OW was fired from her job - but she found a married sugar daddy, so she landed on her feet like an indestructible OW.
As you can see, not a lot of new ground was covered here. And the emotions aren't writ large like in Michelle Reid's story. It's more matter-of-fact in tone. The hero was stupid. The heroine forgave him. The kids and lots of sex are keeping them together. It's a young marriage problem and not a tragedy. That the heroine has a career to pursue once the youngest is in school is probably a good thing and makes me think they can keep their HEA.
The secondary characters are all well drawn - especially the H/h's toddler-from-hell. I was exhausted just imagining keeping up with her antics. Give this one a whirl if cheating scenarios intrigue you.
*Or should I say - reach through the screen to slap this hero silly? Many, many readers hate this guy - so be warned.
Heroine discovers the affair from an anonymous letter. At first she denies it and then realizes hubby has been staying late at work a lot. From there she beats up on herself - they are sleeping in twin beds, she has neglected herself in favor of the children, she hasn't fought for her man.
Her sister sends her out to the hairdressers and an afternoon off. Heroine sees hero with the OW going into a trendy lunch spot.
When heroine confronts the hero - he denies sleeping with the OW and says it's all the heroine's fault for being too tired, then he shifts to his worries about his job and how the OW listens to him. It's the usual caught husband blather.
The heroine still feels guilty for being a boring housefrau, so she blames the OW for stalking the hero. Hero sticks up for the OW calling her a nice girl and claiming the relationship just happened without any ulterior motives. Heroine turns out to be right since the OW does not go down without a fight - she comes to the house and does her best bunny boiler imitation. She also admits to sending the anonymous letter.
Hero's eyes are open, but H/h aren't out of the woods yet. Heroine won't have sex with him until she feels she can trust him. They have a nice family day out. Hero opens up about his job and plans to move North for a fresh start. They see the OW stalking another man and the heroine realizes she's no longer a threat. Hero finally grovels. HEA
So CL divides the blame - the heroine for neglecting her marriage to take care of the kids, the hero for neglecting his marriage to take care of his ego, and the OW for being a stalker/emotional parasite.
The hero has the most blame here and because of that, he has to change the most. I liked how CL showed this. He actually gets the children ready one morning and on another day he makes dinner while she is putting them to bed. He's also willing to leave the firm and move to a part of the country where this is more of a life/work balance. He's an arrogant jerk at the beginning, and that was fun to read because angst.* Plus most people are defensive when they are caught doing something wrong.
The heroine also needed to change - she had to ask for help from her sister and neighbor and husband. She actually got to enjoy life rather than be a drudge and that was gratifying to see.
OW was fired from her job - but she found a married sugar daddy, so she landed on her feet like an indestructible OW.
As you can see, not a lot of new ground was covered here. And the emotions aren't writ large like in Michelle Reid's story. It's more matter-of-fact in tone. The hero was stupid. The heroine forgave him. The kids and lots of sex are keeping them together. It's a young marriage problem and not a tragedy. That the heroine has a career to pursue once the youngest is in school is probably a good thing and makes me think they can keep their HEA.
The secondary characters are all well drawn - especially the H/h's toddler-from-hell. I was exhausted just imagining keeping up with her antics. Give this one a whirl if cheating scenarios intrigue you.
*Or should I say - reach through the screen to slap this hero silly? Many, many readers hate this guy - so be warned.
September 18, 2025
When I first started this book, I couldn’t believe how much it pissed me off. I’m laughing now, because I was practically foaming at the mouth (seriously, see my updates.)
I suppose it’s because I dislike cheaters. I think it’s so self-centered, selfish, and cruel to fool around. Anybody who has an affair is pretty much saying that their amorous needs are more important than anything else, including their loved one’s feelings. So immediately, I thought Mark was a colossal douche.
Sancha is a stay-at-home mother raising three little kids when she gets an anonymous letter telling her that her husband is fooling around with his assistant. This starts Sancha in a downward spiral as she spots Mark with his new honey at a restaurant, and later she discovers him at the woman’s apartment.
Deciding to confront him, Sancha waits up for him until one in the morning, but when she sees him, she gets sidetracked by his naked, hot body. WTF??? (I thought you were going to smack him upside the head with a fry pan, not drool over him?)
Anyway, when they do finally talk, he blames the whole affair on her because she spent all her time with the children and never any time on him. *eyeroll*
And what drove me batty the most was that she believed him. After all, she had let herself go, wearing jeans all the time instead of dresses. And most nights, she was too tired to have sex because she had been chasing three kids all day. Of course, he had to get his loving elsewhere. (bleuaghhh)
Yes, I felt sorry for Sancha. Being without an income and being saddled with three small children has put her in a very precarious position.
This was about the time Mark did a massive character change in two days and became the perfect father and husband. It turns out he never slept with the other woman, only dated her (so that doesn't count, does it?) Not to mention, the other woman is a psycho bitch who actually comes to their house and throws herself at him (poor Mark was a victim.)
There are a few hunky love scenes with Mark saying (like Rhett Butler) “You’re not shutting me out tonight!” and Sancha going, “No, no, I can’t trust you, ” even though she really wants him.
These, of course, are all interrupted by one of the kids.
Then there’s some dribble at the end about how marriage is a lot of work:
What did marriage mean? Sharing your life with someone, taking care of each other, loving each other – marriage was a two-way road. You both had to work at it.
On the whole, this was a fun book. I enjoyed it immensely. Any book that can get me that pissed off has got to be good. LOL
I suppose it’s because I dislike cheaters. I think it’s so self-centered, selfish, and cruel to fool around. Anybody who has an affair is pretty much saying that their amorous needs are more important than anything else, including their loved one’s feelings. So immediately, I thought Mark was a colossal douche.
Sancha is a stay-at-home mother raising three little kids when she gets an anonymous letter telling her that her husband is fooling around with his assistant. This starts Sancha in a downward spiral as she spots Mark with his new honey at a restaurant, and later she discovers him at the woman’s apartment.
Deciding to confront him, Sancha waits up for him until one in the morning, but when she sees him, she gets sidetracked by his naked, hot body. WTF??? (I thought you were going to smack him upside the head with a fry pan, not drool over him?)
Anyway, when they do finally talk, he blames the whole affair on her because she spent all her time with the children and never any time on him. *eyeroll*
And what drove me batty the most was that she believed him. After all, she had let herself go, wearing jeans all the time instead of dresses. And most nights, she was too tired to have sex because she had been chasing three kids all day. Of course, he had to get his loving elsewhere. (bleuaghhh)
Yes, I felt sorry for Sancha. Being without an income and being saddled with three small children has put her in a very precarious position.
This was about the time Mark did a massive character change in two days and became the perfect father and husband. It turns out he never slept with the other woman, only dated her (so that doesn't count, does it?) Not to mention, the other woman is a psycho bitch who actually comes to their house and throws herself at him (poor Mark was a victim.)
There are a few hunky love scenes with Mark saying (like Rhett Butler) “You’re not shutting me out tonight!” and Sancha going, “No, no, I can’t trust you, ” even though she really wants him.
These, of course, are all interrupted by one of the kids.
Then there’s some dribble at the end about how marriage is a lot of work:
What did marriage mean? Sharing your life with someone, taking care of each other, loving each other – marriage was a two-way road. You both had to work at it.
On the whole, this was a fun book. I enjoyed it immensely. Any book that can get me that pissed off has got to be good. LOL
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2014
No stars for this book I hated the male lead the guy was just nasty I mean how could he even think about having an affair and then on top of that admitting that he was on the verge of falling for the other woman and they got physical enough that he nearly slept with her! As far as I am concerned he was unfaithful in everything but the actual act and even then he admitted they did s lot of touching it doesn't say much when a man who feels neglected cos his wife is too busy looking after his children can so easily fall for another woman and on top of that defend her and actually feels sorry for her rather then have real remorse over his actions! This book really pissed me off and I felt really let down by the author so I stopped reading her books afterwards just in case her future books held the same cheating theme!
August 30, 2015
i hated it! 2nd worst book i read by CL, who mind you, is my favourite author! i was so shocked and disgusted by the pathetic heroine! sancha made absolutely no move to bring mark to heel. she was just desperate and afraid he wud leave her. dats all she cared about. mark even told her maybe he was in love wid jacqui and she still wanted to stay married to him!? in my opinion, mark did not love sancha. he was actively pursuing jacqui and very obviously did not care a jot about his wife! he criticized sancha's appearance and clothes. just bcoz ur wife has turned dowdy, u turn to OW? just bcoz she became absorbed wid ur kids!? he's the sort of man who will turn to OW again and will definitely cheat into the future! so dat their HEA is rubbish!
December 9, 2022
From now on she would make sure she never lost sight of Mark's need for her, or her need of him. What else did marriage mean? Sharing your life with someone, taking care of each other, loving each other—marriage was a two-way road. You both had to work at it.
Yes, but H cheated and he was the guilty one. I didn't like when she shared the responsibility even if the quote was correct.
Yes, but H cheated and he was the guilty one. I didn't like when she shared the responsibility even if the quote was correct.
January 22, 2022
Reread 1/20/2021
So, I’m easily distracted and since this popped up several times this week, I decided to do a reread.
And, I’m an idiot. I know how bad this is and I still reread it.
I’m left wondering what Charlotte Lambs point is with this one. Don’t be a SAHM? Don’t focus on your children? Make sure you keep your focus on your hubby, or the lowlife will cheat? Don’t expect the lowlife to understand children don’t take care of themselves?
Original review…
This was frustrating. Older book with cheating husband, with the unmitigated gall to blame the wife since she’s too busy with their children. The OW listened and cared... a slippery slope into a relationship. He needed a good punch for 3/4 of the book. It’s a Harlequin, the OW becomes OTT, he eventually admits he’s wrong, and they get their HEA.
Edited to add... the more I think about, the pissier I get. He’s a bully and an a—hole and she’s a TSTL doormat and this book is wallbanger bad!
So, I’m easily distracted and since this popped up several times this week, I decided to do a reread.
And, I’m an idiot. I know how bad this is and I still reread it.
I’m left wondering what Charlotte Lambs point is with this one. Don’t be a SAHM? Don’t focus on your children? Make sure you keep your focus on your hubby, or the lowlife will cheat? Don’t expect the lowlife to understand children don’t take care of themselves?
Original review…
This was frustrating. Older book with cheating husband, with the unmitigated gall to blame the wife since she’s too busy with their children. The OW listened and cared... a slippery slope into a relationship. He needed a good punch for 3/4 of the book. It’s a Harlequin, the OW becomes OTT, he eventually admits he’s wrong, and they get their HEA.
Edited to add... the more I think about, the pissier I get. He’s a bully and an a—hole and she’s a TSTL doormat and this book is wallbanger bad!
October 19, 2014
Dating someone else is cheating, dipshit. The fact you think it's cheating only when you put your dick in another woman says everything the reader needs to know about your lack of intelligence. I wanted the h to castrate the H. That is not the way a romance book should make you feel.
February 13, 2019
Mark cracked me up with his claim that he didn't cheat because he and the other woman, Jacqui (a.k.a. Crazy Tart), hadn't had sex yet. They had gone on dates, kissed and touched—it was only a matter of time. So yeah . . . it's still cheating!
In the end Mark realizes he hurt his wife Sancha badly and hates himself for it. He asks for forgiveness, knowing now that he should have talked to Sancha about feeling unhappy instead of finding comfort with Crazy Tart.
Sancha unbelievably takes some of the blame for Mark's wandering, saying she should have noticed his unhappiness and tried to talk to him as well. Sancha was willing to forgive because still loved him. Mark professes his love too and all ends well.
I read this book before I realized how much I hate adulterous heroes. It receives two stars because I somehow didn't hate either protagonist, and I wanted to see if Mark redeemed himself (sort of).
In the end Mark realizes he hurt his wife Sancha badly and hates himself for it. He asks for forgiveness, knowing now that he should have talked to Sancha about feeling unhappy instead of finding comfort with Crazy Tart.
Sancha unbelievably takes some of the blame for Mark's wandering, saying she should have noticed his unhappiness and tried to talk to him as well. Sancha was willing to forgive because still loved him. Mark professes his love too and all ends well.
I read this book before I realized how much I hate adulterous heroes. It receives two stars because I somehow didn't hate either protagonist, and I wanted to see if Mark redeemed himself (sort of).
June 23, 2016
Hero was an asshole and a cheater! I give it 4 stars cause it was so intense and compelling i couldn't stop reading this. CL was a great author!
November 13, 2016
They had three children under the age of 7. The youngest was a demanding 2 year old girl who needed to be watched like a hawk and required constant attention. Her name should have been mischief.
She went through post-partum depression after having her daughter and later she was so busy taking care of their kids that she had no time for him. They lived like roommates after their daughter was born instead of husband and wife. They slept in separate bed and hardly talked. Add a young secretary who wanted him as a husband and would go to any mean to make it happen to the mix and you got yourself a story.
Don't get me wrong I still blame him for most of the problems. Instead of going to his wife with problems at work, he fell right into his secretary trap and almost destroyed their marriage but I do blame her too partially. She also stopped communicating with him and made it easy for him to feel neglected.
She went through post-partum depression after having her daughter and later she was so busy taking care of their kids that she had no time for him. They lived like roommates after their daughter was born instead of husband and wife. They slept in separate bed and hardly talked. Add a young secretary who wanted him as a husband and would go to any mean to make it happen to the mix and you got yourself a story.
Don't get me wrong I still blame him for most of the problems. Instead of going to his wife with problems at work, he fell right into his secretary trap and almost destroyed their marriage but I do blame her too partially. She also stopped communicating with him and made it easy for him to feel neglected.
February 27, 2022
There are scores of Harlequin men who behave badly. The only thing that makes this even remotely tolerable is that these behaviors usually stem from feelings of pride, or jealousy, or even fear. They might be ugly emotions, but they are still reactions to feeling hurt in some way, which makes them at least somewhat understandable.
Then you have this guy.
I have NEVER disliked a Harlequin man more. This one takes the cake for being completely and utterly selfish and self-centered and just plain nasty to his wife/mother of his children because she hasn’t paid enough attention to him. Grow up, man baby. You’re lucky your wife doesn’t have a spine and isn’t half as outraged as she should be. And contrary to the blurb, this relationship was not worth fighting for.
Then you have this guy.
I have NEVER disliked a Harlequin man more. This one takes the cake for being completely and utterly selfish and self-centered and just plain nasty to his wife/mother of his children because she hasn’t paid enough attention to him. Grow up, man baby. You’re lucky your wife doesn’t have a spine and isn’t half as outraged as she should be. And contrary to the blurb, this relationship was not worth fighting for.
May 6, 2014
This is such a wonderful love story between a husband and wife. NOT!
Main characters in the story:
Husband. The poor darling has been working soooooo hard and is under pressure at work. The wife is not giving him any attention so he turns to his very attractive, twenty something years old assistant for comfort and understanding.
OW. The stereotypical ow who is evil, manipulative and out to sink her claws into the helpless husband.
Wife. Full time mother to three children under six, the poor woman has been neglecting her horny and hard-working husband. Not only that, she commits the heinous crime of going around in jeans, with no make-up and uncombed hair.
So for the last two years after the difficult birth of her third child, the wife has her hands full with three young kids on top of suffering post natal depression. The husband, feeling neglected, turns to the ow. Not only did he emotional cheat with her, but he almost sleeps with her. The wife confronts him after receiving an anonymous letter informing her about his affair with the ow. (The ow send the letter). The husband is not even remorseful. Instead he blames the wife for his almost affair, and is feeling sorry for terminating his relationship with the ow. Oh yes, he tells the wife that he is falling in love with the ow. What a champion he is. The wife is just so happy to have him back and is full of remorse for her neglect, and promise to keep him happy with monkey sex in the future. HEA.
2 stars because I feel sorry for the tstl wife.
Main characters in the story:
Husband. The poor darling has been working soooooo hard and is under pressure at work. The wife is not giving him any attention so he turns to his very attractive, twenty something years old assistant for comfort and understanding.
OW. The stereotypical ow who is evil, manipulative and out to sink her claws into the helpless husband.
Wife. Full time mother to three children under six, the poor woman has been neglecting her horny and hard-working husband. Not only that, she commits the heinous crime of going around in jeans, with no make-up and uncombed hair.
So for the last two years after the difficult birth of her third child, the wife has her hands full with three young kids on top of suffering post natal depression. The husband, feeling neglected, turns to the ow. Not only did he emotional cheat with her, but he almost sleeps with her. The wife confronts him after receiving an anonymous letter informing her about his affair with the ow. (The ow send the letter). The husband is not even remorseful. Instead he blames the wife for his almost affair, and is feeling sorry for terminating his relationship with the ow. Oh yes, he tells the wife that he is falling in love with the ow. What a champion he is. The wife is just so happy to have him back and is full of remorse for her neglect, and promise to keep him happy with monkey sex in the future. HEA.
2 stars because I feel sorry for the tstl wife.
February 21, 2014
I love Charlotte Lamb, but the hero in this book is one of her worst.
January 22, 2019
I have read some terrible sexist stories with scumbag heroes but this took the biscuit. He cheated and yet it was the wife’s fault!
January 18, 2022
The H and h are married and have children.
He dates his secretary, he makes love to his secretary (although he didn’t go all the way with her), and then he blames his wife for his cheating because she neglects him and herself because she is busy with taking care of their kids and cooking and cleaning.
The h blames the mistress more than her husband for his cheating ways. Typical.
The H admits that he was falling in love with his secretary, so the cheating is not only physical, but also emotional. And he also defends his secretary against his wife, because his secretary is so sweet.
Hated this book. Hated the husband and hated the wife.
He dates his secretary, he makes love to his secretary (although he didn’t go all the way with her), and then he blames his wife for his cheating because she neglects him and herself because she is busy with taking care of their kids and cooking and cleaning.
The h blames the mistress more than her husband for his cheating ways. Typical.
The H admits that he was falling in love with his secretary, so the cheating is not only physical, but also emotional. And he also defends his secretary against his wife, because his secretary is so sweet.
Hated this book. Hated the husband and hated the wife.
Read
May 7, 2020DNF
I saw this somewhere on an evil OW list...I LOVE soapy-smut with an OTT evil OW. Jacqui the OW isn't in the plot much, and she's not really evil. Hubs is having emotional/kissing/touching (no-sex) affair, but he blames it on the wife so there wasn't even angst or groveling. It was all just boring.
Couple has like the brattiest 2 yr old ever, and with the numerous grammar/word errors... I just couldn't do it.
I saw this somewhere on an evil OW list...I LOVE soapy-smut with an OTT evil OW. Jacqui the OW isn't in the plot much, and she's not really evil. Hubs is having emotional/kissing/touching (no-sex) affair, but he blames it on the wife so there wasn't even angst or groveling. It was all just boring.
Couple has like the brattiest 2 yr old ever, and with the numerous grammar/word errors... I just couldn't do it.
May 10, 2022
Eh, this one kinda pissed me off, lol. Commit to the cheating author!!!! Make us cry, make us hate him, make us think about involuntary eunuchs!! And then make us lluurrvve him again. We got sorta, kinda lukewarm makeup. He was a real winner. Can't you just imagine him as an old man? "My corn is cold Martha, why is my corn cold? I just don't understand why my corn is cold. I just want warm corn, corn should be warm, Martha!" And he won't even be good looking enough anymore to make the whining worth it.
Read this many moons ago, dead tree copy from my old second hand book store. Man, I miss that place. Smelled like musty old paper and farts.
Read this many moons ago, dead tree copy from my old second hand book store. Man, I miss that place. Smelled like musty old paper and farts.
March 5, 2012
Intense Emotional Read,the thing that spoiled the book for me was H was such a selfish immature jerk,he very cordially put all the blame on his wife for his straying,i wanted severe grovelling was disappointed was through the book h was shown doormat taking all garbage behaviour from H,i completely understand she was at fault too-she realized her mistakes and she wanted to save her marriage but at the cost of your self-respect-this i could'nt digest,also she should have made him grovel but she gave in too easily
But i liked the book
Recommend it
But i liked the book
Recommend it
January 19, 2022
This just got real…..Second time reading this in the last year….It seems when I read it the first time I forgot to leave a review. Raffaella reviewed this and it showed up on my feed…..https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... Raffaella gave an excellent sarcastic review of this book awarding it 1 ⭐️Many of the thoughts expressed in the review are feelings I had as I was reading it. Plus, this book doesn’t even have 3 stars on Goodreads. The hate for this book is strong! This is why I suggest reading reviews that run the gamut of star ratings.
My biggest problem with this book, is it just seemed a little too real. What happened in this book, does happen. I mean this is not some billionaire alpha sheikh, Italian, Greek, Australian etc taking my virgin ass to a remote made up place making mad passionate love to me, rich beyond my dreams, and giving me a passel of children. Nope, this is a story of a middle(maybe upper middle) class couple losing their way. This is why modern couples try and have date nights. This is why so many people divorce once the kids are out of the house. It is easy to lose that connection that brought you together.
SPOILERS START HERE!!!!!!🛑These two fell in love and the hero wanted a family right away. Within 6 years, the couple have 3 children. The last one, 2 year old Flora, is a force to reckon with. Basically, she reminds me of Beth from Yellowstone; “ I am the tornado, you are the trailer park!” She made the h’s pregnancy hell, put her through 2 days of labor, threw her mom into a postpartum depression, and currently rules the house with her crying and temper tantrums. The h is tired, she is barely keeping it together. Meanwhile, her husband is having his own issues. Work is tough. Threats of takeovers. He took the office position as it offered better pay etc…however, he is more of a hands on at the worksite type of guy. But now he has a wife, 3 kids, and house that is probably bigger than they need straining the budget. He comes home to a wife that doesn’t don a dress, makeup and pearls offering her husband a drink. Nope, he comes home to a tired woman who is doing her best to keep the home running smoothly. He doesn’t tell her much about his day, and she is too tired to ask. HE, yes HE makes the distance bigger by switching to twin beds 2 years ago!!!. He doesn’t want to be woke up when the little one makes a fuss. Huge red flag right there! This should have been when communication took place. Marriage is a partnership, and the children were a joint decision. Instead they let things go on. Sex is infrequent, but it isn’t until 6 months ago that the husband starts having late nights.
Then she gets the letter. The letter to announce her husband is having an affair. The same day she gets the letter her sister comes by and tells her to go take some time for herself. So she does the whole makeover thing and then spies her husband out to lunch with the bleach blonde 23 year old PA that the letter says he is having an affair with. She goes home and decides she will address it with him later that night, when he gets back from his meeting with his “boss” . Curiosity gets the best of her and she calls the ow’s apartment and hears her husband in the background. He actually gets on the phone to give the “heavy breather” a piece of his mind. He doesn’t come stumbling back home til 1 in the morning. He goes to the spare bedroom(not even his shared bedroom with the h) she goes in there and sees his naked body, and guilt as she tries to ask him why he was gone so long. He skips out in the morning to avoid confrontation. He comes home late again(8pm) without calling the h(this time I do think he had an emergency job thing) She confronts him. He comes off as a big whiny, man baby basically blaming the h for his transgression. The ow is sweet and listens to his problems. The h doesn’t even show she loves him. Blah, Blah, Blah…this is one reason people probably hate this book.
He further tells her that they didn’t go all the way. They almost did, but his conscious got the best of him. Oh, and he may just be a little in love with the ow who should not be blamed! BASTARD!
We still have more than 1/2 the story to go. So the rest of this book is about two people having to learn how to reconnect. Can the h forgive him, because no matter what he says he was having an affair. It was emotional, involved touching, and included lying! He wants to start solving the issue right away with some physical healing and she is like “Oh no, that is not happening yet!” So like the man baby he is, he takes off and stays away all night. She thinks he went to the ow’s house. He didn’t. He comes back in the morning, the kids are with the neighbor. They start having a discussion, and she tells him he needs to end it with the ow right now. She wants to go with him, as she doesn’t trust the ow. He doesn’t want the embarrassment so he goes alone and says he will be back for lunch. While he is away she gets an anonymous call that says if she wants to catch her husband in bed with the hussy then she should go to the hussy’s apartment. The h’s sister is there at the time and star 69’s the call to see that it was indeed the ow calling.
The H gets back 2 hours later and the h lets him know what transpired including the uncomfortable call she had with the restaurant she had made a reservation for. He fired the ow. She threatened him, but he didn’t care. He is going to work on his marriage. They have an enjoyable lunch. Things start to heat up and the kiddos come home early. They have an enjoyable evening. The h is ready to succumb to her husbands physical charms and goes up to bed. Then she hears talking and sees the ow in her husbands arms kissing him. I am not going to go into this whole scene, it is worth reading. However, our ow is really brazen and spews lies left and right putting doubt back into the h’s heart that is trying its best to heal.
The next morning the h does his best husband/father act and they have a great morning with the kids. When they go to lunch they run into the ow again!!! So things get tense….they start to talk. The kids are wiped when they get home. Finally, our two put all the hurt, misunderstandings on the table. They truly communicate for the first time in years. He takes blame, she takes some blame. He lets her know that he will communicate from now on because he really does love only her.
Ok, so this marriage in trouble story got over its rough patch very quickly. Basically, a week which is very unrealistic. This story had a lot of real elements to it, but that wasn’t one of them.
What I liked: I like that he got rid of the ow quickly, (it tells me his feeling for her weren’t that deep). I like that these two are going to move, he is going to get back to the type of job that satisfies him even though it is less pay. They are going to get a smaller house that they can fix up together, like the old days. She is going to get back into her photography and get a job as well, once little Flora goes to preschool. I think it will be good for the h to have interests outside her marriage. I think this independence will help not have complacency in their marriage. It is good that they are going to have a fresh start and embrace the things that are really important.
Let’s talk about the ow. Seriously, not one of the smarter ow’s out there. I have read so many of these HP’s with an ow, and one thing most of these ow’s have in common is their patience. They will wait years and years to get their man causing mass chaos along the way. This ow was only 6 months in and wanted results yesterday. The thing is had she not sent the letter announcing the relationship between her and the H, he would have slept with her. He would have thought he loved her. He probably would have left his wife. He would have been wrong and our h would have hooked up with some wealthy actor friend of her sisters and had the last laugh, but alas this didn’t happen!.SPOILER END🛑
I fear that my review may seem to be too sympathetic to the H. It isn’t that. I just can see how couples can lose their way. I really wish he had suffered. The h made it a little too easy for him. I would have loved for him to see that the h was desirable to other men as well. I wanted him to cry and feel some pain and beg on his hands and knees for forgiveness. Oh well……
My biggest problem with this book, is it just seemed a little too real. What happened in this book, does happen. I mean this is not some billionaire alpha sheikh, Italian, Greek, Australian etc taking my virgin ass to a remote made up place making mad passionate love to me, rich beyond my dreams, and giving me a passel of children. Nope, this is a story of a middle(maybe upper middle) class couple losing their way. This is why modern couples try and have date nights. This is why so many people divorce once the kids are out of the house. It is easy to lose that connection that brought you together.
SPOILERS START HERE!!!!!!🛑These two fell in love and the hero wanted a family right away. Within 6 years, the couple have 3 children. The last one, 2 year old Flora, is a force to reckon with. Basically, she reminds me of Beth from Yellowstone; “ I am the tornado, you are the trailer park!” She made the h’s pregnancy hell, put her through 2 days of labor, threw her mom into a postpartum depression, and currently rules the house with her crying and temper tantrums. The h is tired, she is barely keeping it together. Meanwhile, her husband is having his own issues. Work is tough. Threats of takeovers. He took the office position as it offered better pay etc…however, he is more of a hands on at the worksite type of guy. But now he has a wife, 3 kids, and house that is probably bigger than they need straining the budget. He comes home to a wife that doesn’t don a dress, makeup and pearls offering her husband a drink. Nope, he comes home to a tired woman who is doing her best to keep the home running smoothly. He doesn’t tell her much about his day, and she is too tired to ask. HE, yes HE makes the distance bigger by switching to twin beds 2 years ago!!!. He doesn’t want to be woke up when the little one makes a fuss. Huge red flag right there! This should have been when communication took place. Marriage is a partnership, and the children were a joint decision. Instead they let things go on. Sex is infrequent, but it isn’t until 6 months ago that the husband starts having late nights.
Then she gets the letter. The letter to announce her husband is having an affair. The same day she gets the letter her sister comes by and tells her to go take some time for herself. So she does the whole makeover thing and then spies her husband out to lunch with the bleach blonde 23 year old PA that the letter says he is having an affair with. She goes home and decides she will address it with him later that night, when he gets back from his meeting with his “boss” . Curiosity gets the best of her and she calls the ow’s apartment and hears her husband in the background. He actually gets on the phone to give the “heavy breather” a piece of his mind. He doesn’t come stumbling back home til 1 in the morning. He goes to the spare bedroom(not even his shared bedroom with the h) she goes in there and sees his naked body, and guilt as she tries to ask him why he was gone so long. He skips out in the morning to avoid confrontation. He comes home late again(8pm) without calling the h(this time I do think he had an emergency job thing) She confronts him. He comes off as a big whiny, man baby basically blaming the h for his transgression. The ow is sweet and listens to his problems. The h doesn’t even show she loves him. Blah, Blah, Blah…this is one reason people probably hate this book.
He further tells her that they didn’t go all the way. They almost did, but his conscious got the best of him. Oh, and he may just be a little in love with the ow who should not be blamed! BASTARD!
We still have more than 1/2 the story to go. So the rest of this book is about two people having to learn how to reconnect. Can the h forgive him, because no matter what he says he was having an affair. It was emotional, involved touching, and included lying! He wants to start solving the issue right away with some physical healing and she is like “Oh no, that is not happening yet!” So like the man baby he is, he takes off and stays away all night. She thinks he went to the ow’s house. He didn’t. He comes back in the morning, the kids are with the neighbor. They start having a discussion, and she tells him he needs to end it with the ow right now. She wants to go with him, as she doesn’t trust the ow. He doesn’t want the embarrassment so he goes alone and says he will be back for lunch. While he is away she gets an anonymous call that says if she wants to catch her husband in bed with the hussy then she should go to the hussy’s apartment. The h’s sister is there at the time and star 69’s the call to see that it was indeed the ow calling.
The H gets back 2 hours later and the h lets him know what transpired including the uncomfortable call she had with the restaurant she had made a reservation for. He fired the ow. She threatened him, but he didn’t care. He is going to work on his marriage. They have an enjoyable lunch. Things start to heat up and the kiddos come home early. They have an enjoyable evening. The h is ready to succumb to her husbands physical charms and goes up to bed. Then she hears talking and sees the ow in her husbands arms kissing him. I am not going to go into this whole scene, it is worth reading. However, our ow is really brazen and spews lies left and right putting doubt back into the h’s heart that is trying its best to heal.
The next morning the h does his best husband/father act and they have a great morning with the kids. When they go to lunch they run into the ow again!!! So things get tense….they start to talk. The kids are wiped when they get home. Finally, our two put all the hurt, misunderstandings on the table. They truly communicate for the first time in years. He takes blame, she takes some blame. He lets her know that he will communicate from now on because he really does love only her.
Ok, so this marriage in trouble story got over its rough patch very quickly. Basically, a week which is very unrealistic. This story had a lot of real elements to it, but that wasn’t one of them.
What I liked: I like that he got rid of the ow quickly, (it tells me his feeling for her weren’t that deep). I like that these two are going to move, he is going to get back to the type of job that satisfies him even though it is less pay. They are going to get a smaller house that they can fix up together, like the old days. She is going to get back into her photography and get a job as well, once little Flora goes to preschool. I think it will be good for the h to have interests outside her marriage. I think this independence will help not have complacency in their marriage. It is good that they are going to have a fresh start and embrace the things that are really important.
Let’s talk about the ow. Seriously, not one of the smarter ow’s out there. I have read so many of these HP’s with an ow, and one thing most of these ow’s have in common is their patience. They will wait years and years to get their man causing mass chaos along the way. This ow was only 6 months in and wanted results yesterday. The thing is had she not sent the letter announcing the relationship between her and the H, he would have slept with her. He would have thought he loved her. He probably would have left his wife. He would have been wrong and our h would have hooked up with some wealthy actor friend of her sisters and had the last laugh, but alas this didn’t happen!.SPOILER END🛑
I fear that my review may seem to be too sympathetic to the H. It isn’t that. I just can see how couples can lose their way. I really wish he had suffered. The h made it a little too easy for him. I would have loved for him to see that the h was desirable to other men as well. I wanted him to cry and feel some pain and beg on his hands and knees for forgiveness. Oh well……
January 14, 2024
1,5⭐
I want to strangle the hero.
This book was strangely realistic in a rather depressing and infuriating way.
The heroine has three small children, takes care of everything in the house and, understandably, doesn't really have time to look after herself.
She feels that her husband not only doesn't look at her like he used to, but actually seems to despise her, and then she discovers that her husband is having an affair with his assistant (who is younger, of course).
Normally, this would be the point where the heroine dumps the hero and he does everything he can to get her back and make amends.
Instead, not only does the heroine decide to fight at all costs to get him back, but the hero blames her for his own infidelity, defends the OW and resents her for the children he wanted.
Gradually, I found myself hating not only the hero, but also the heroine for her lack of self-esteem.
So what positive things can I say about this book?
The writing is good, it's still a Charlotte Lamb book after all.
Safety/ Spoilers
- No sharing
- No OM drama
- Cheating :
Emotional cheating from the Hero (the hero has feelings for the OW and says he could be in love with her)
Physical cheating : There were kisses and touches and they almost made love, but the hero stopped so as not to ruin his marriage completely (Please, be serious ).
- OW drama : Evil OW. She's the one who anonymously revealed the affair so that the heroine would divorce him and she could be with the hero.
I want to strangle the hero.
This book was strangely realistic in a rather depressing and infuriating way.
The heroine has three small children, takes care of everything in the house and, understandably, doesn't really have time to look after herself.
She feels that her husband not only doesn't look at her like he used to, but actually seems to despise her, and then she discovers that her husband is having an affair with his assistant (who is younger, of course).
Normally, this would be the point where the heroine dumps the hero and he does everything he can to get her back and make amends.
Instead, not only does the heroine decide to fight at all costs to get him back, but the hero blames her for his own infidelity, defends the OW and resents her for the children he wanted.
Gradually, I found myself hating not only the hero, but also the heroine for her lack of self-esteem.
So what positive things can I say about this book?
The writing is good, it's still a Charlotte Lamb book after all.
Safety/ Spoilers
- No sharing
- No OM drama
- Cheating :
Emotional cheating from the Hero (the hero has feelings for the OW and says he could be in love with her)
Physical cheating : There were kisses and touches and they almost made love, but the hero stopped so as not to ruin his marriage completely (Please, be serious ).
- OW drama : Evil OW. She's the one who anonymously revealed the affair so that the heroine would divorce him and she could be with the hero.
July 2, 2019
3.5 stars. Nice angsty read, but can't compare to A Perfect Marriage.
December 9, 2022
No. No no no no no no no. I don't accept it. She shouldn't be blaming herself for his bad decision. I don't care what contributed to it. She apologizes to him too many times for her role in his infidelity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2018
What a crap "romance". Pathetic heroine, loser hero.
June 7, 2023
Ok yes, this book is dated. However, many things remain true, such as always making time for your spouse, don’t forget they need your attention too not just the kids. However, the husband did nothing to help her deal with the children just spent time sulking. Umm, no! Communicate!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews