I received this book for free from the publisher as a free story in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the publisher as a free story
Wellesley Wives
by
Suzy Duffy
contemporary romance in an eARC edition that was published by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House on September 27, 2012 and has 369 pages.
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Review source: The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House
First in the New England Trilogy romance series. A story about love and relationships in Boston.
My Take
Duffy certainly creates tension and keeps it there. She’s setting us up, oh-so-very subtly, from the very beginning. I swear, my heart was in my mouth from the third page and then…whoa…landslides.
The first third is setting us up for one big landslide and, then, like life, it’s…just…time. Time needed to regroup, refigure, understand.
Duffy has created a lovely range of characters from the good to the confused to the selfish. No one is truly evil in this. Yeah, I wouldn’t mind taking out a contract on one of ’em…selfish bugger. But on the whole, these are decent people who’ve been dealt a hard blow and you can’t help but want to read and find out how and if they manage to recover.
Excuse me…Lily is thinking that Rosie is a fool for going off on this week’s vacation with her husband??? After what she’s pulled!!!? I can’t feel sorry for Lily. She was a stupid, selfish bitch and she’s only getting what’s coming to her. Of course, so is Jack.
Sandra and Popsy have the best friendship. Sure they have their issues. Oh man, do they have issues, but they are realistic about the problems as well as themselves. If we all had friends like these, the world would be a better place.
Oh man, I can’t believe Marcus! And he so deserves this! Rosie came up with such a lovely coping mechanism; I had to laugh and then Marcus’ reaction to it…?! Bugger it.
I do hope Duffy follows this up with a sequel. I wanna know what happens next in their lives.
The Story
Married for twenty-nine years and they’re still in love, still in lust with each other. Now Peter has just given Popsy a custom Ferrari for her birthday. Although he does object to her $2,000 haircut. Men, go figure. It’s too bad that Rosie and Marcus aren’t half so happy. That Marcus thinks they need a swinger’s resort…and Rosie can come if she wants. Lily is their perfect child with her fabulous career, even though she’s alone.
Sandra and Jack have a passionate life. When he’s there. She knows she agreed to no kids, but she’s forty-five and aching for a baby. She’s considering leaving him. Only he’s already left.
Then their perfect world collapses. For all of them. Some things can be worked through. Then there are those from which one can never recover.
The Characters
Peter and Popsy Power have been married twenty-nine years and are still in love with each other. He’s a billionaire. She’s originally from a wealthy family in Ireland. Their oldest daughter Rosie is married to Marcus Kelly, her jerk of a pilot husband, with her own five-year-old Natasha. Lily is another daughter, the unmarried one. The perfect daughter from Rosie’s perspective. Matilda is their housekeeper-cook and has been with them since Rosie was born.
Jack Hoffman is Peter’s business partner and he and his wife Sandra are their best friends.
Sven Richter is a German doctor living in Dublin, attending a conference in Boston. Cindy and Sam Sinnott are at the Broader Horizons resort where Sam has some suggestions for Rosie. Jeff Fitzpatrick and Simon are a gay couple whom Sandra and Popsy meet in Dublin and again in Banagher. Jenny Lennox caught her hubby Eddie and he had to cough up a lovely little Renoir to keep her.
Emily and Matt Hamilton are Lily’s co-workers. Em seems to be Lily’s friend while Matt definitely wants to be.
Mrs. Miller runs The Boathouse in Banagher where Popsy and Sandra have landed. Shane Maloney is the hunky guy who saved Popsy’s life. Twice.
The Cover and Title
The cover is at odds with the story. It appears as though it will be a fluffy story about ladies who lunch, but it’s much deeper than that. Yes, the street sign is quite accurate and the ladies are true to life. Everything on this is true to life with the red Ferrari, the cat, the champagne, and the road to life and its choices. Just don’t pick this up thinking it’ll be a fun read.
The title is about Wellesley Wives in two generations and doesn’t restrict itself to the wives!
