My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

Hello everyone.

Hubby is back to work! I feel terrible about how he spent his vacation. He did some things around the house, one was cleaning out a walk-in closet to make it a mini library for me. After he went out and bought all the wood and brackets to build beautiful shelving I actually looked at the cleaned out closet and admitted I had forgotten how many shelves it already had and didn't want more. When I asked him to return all the lumber I think he might have hit me with it like in an old Bugs Bunny cartoon. In fact, it is still sitting in my hall, days later, unreturned, taunting me. It smells so good, that new wood smell. The boards he picked are so nice, thick and straight, they'd make beautiful shelves. I don't know, maybe I should ask him to build shelves anyway. If you see me in divorce court you'll know why. Likewise, if I suddenly go missing in a very mysterious way, first alert the police, second call my sisters, third write a book about it and make sure you make me an innocent victim with a much smaller butt and better hair!

While we were on our staycation, I read My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing. I wanted this book the moment I saw it but resisted buying it. I had just read For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt. Frankly, I was afraid they were they same thing. For Better and Worse is about a murdering couple. They murder for a reason, someone has hurt their child. They have a purpose, a gore filled goal (it isn't really gory). Thankfully, My Lovely Wife is completely different.  I got lucky, my husband is a hopeless romantic, he sends flowers for notable occasions, big beautiful bouquets. In My Lovely Wife, the husband/father is the narrator and honestly, I don't think the author gives his name...ever. He is married to Millicent and they have two children. Life is perfect, their version of perfect.  Instead of showing his affection for his wife with flowers, jewelry or an exciting trip, this husband finds her someone to murder! It is so dark and twisted. They live everyday life like everyone else, making you wonder what the "normal" people you know do in private. Nothing like a Wednesday night of, "honey, can you pass the green beans and how do you think we should torture victim number three?"  As I was telling hubby the story I kept gripping the book, holding it up, laughing, saying it was so good. Makes me wonder about myself!

So, if you have read the latest round of husband/wife killer books, don't worry. You'll enjoy this too. It is well written, fast paced, full of twists that you won't see coming and perhaps a bit shame inducing for how much you'll like it. This was a heart racing rollercoaster from start to finish!

We have our wedding anniversary coming up next month, I'll have to think of "something" to do to celebrate!

For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt

Hello everyone.

 Long time since we've been here. I was very fortunate to get to go on a business trip with my husband. He developed a new process for the company he works for and he is actually being awarded a patent for it. Can you believe it? My hubby, an inventor!  I wish he could invent something for me like a dust-free house or something that makes all the clutter go away. Geez, ever look around and swear there is something on every single surface of your house? I don't mean something decorative but something that doesn't belong there. That is how my house is right now and it really gets on my nerves. We have almost 4,000 square feet for two people there is no excuse for so much junk...or beloved belongings without a home. Still, a home, full of stuff or maintained by a neat-nick that I strive to be, is a wonderful thing. A home is someplace you can relax, heal, reenergize, think and plan. I suppose at its most basic it is shelter and safety. What happens though when you learn that someone that you thought was your safety net may not be or when someone you love tells you something terrible has happened to them? You spend that cocooning time in your home with doubt and with constant unease, those annoying butterflies in your stomach. Beautiful to look at, not so nice for lunch.

The feeling of uneasiness and uncertainty is at the center of the book For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt. The book blurb tells you about a married couple that met in law school and discussed how to get away with murder. Now for the record, I met my darling, inventor husband in college and I can assure you we did NOT discuss murder. So from the beginning, the story grabs your attention, unless of course murder talk is your primo dating move, then you'll likely be bored. As the story moves on, something bad happens to this lawyerly couple's son. Now, I don't usually restate book info but this story, a thriller, asks a question that if I was a mom, what would I do?  I don't know how I would answer. If someone hurt your child what would you do? What if they were going to be in a position to do it again, even if you remove your child from the situation this person could hurt someone else? What would you do? Forgetting what is legal, what do you morally do? I'm telling you honestly that if it were me, I don't know. I would like to think I'd handle something terrible with a dignified grace and have forgiveness, but...but...someone you love dearly is hurt on purpose. I don't know but I really doubt I would be able to control myself. Which, let's face it, is stupid, I'd end up in jail and the situation would just get worse. In this story, these parents are faced with that decision. This could make for a heartbreaking story, well it is, but Margot Hunt also makes it into a heart racing thriller. Nothing is ever as simple as it looks, as the couple in this novel quickly find out.

This book is quick paced, stays on the plot with quite the roller coaster ride. It even has a good to the last drop ending.