Monday 9 January 2012

Books Read: Diane Chamberlain - The Shadow Wife

Source - Christmas present from a friend

'He can barely look me in the eye, much less be a father to my child.'

Your best friend has suffered a devastating brain injury - she's a shadow of her former self.  Alone and grieving, you turn to the only other person who understands your pain.  Her husband.


What started out as comfort between friends has become something more...  One illicit night of desperate, engulfing passion.

When Joelle discovers she's carrying Liam's child she's torn between grief and unexpected joy.  But how can she share her secret?  The perfect memory of Mara stands on a pedestal between them, casting a shadow over the new life in their grasp...

Tell him and face a lifetime of guilt.  Lie and deny your unborn baby a father.  Joelle has a choice - but can she live with it?

I first came across Diane Chamberlain as an author when I was on holiday in Florida a couple of years ago after I read a copy of The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes (later released as The Lost Daughter in the UK) that had been left behind in the apartment.  

Before I came home I purchased another couple of her books but shortly afterwards her books started being released here so since then I have eagerly awaited the release dates of her books that I had not read.  I've still got a couple of her older books to read but hoping that these will soon be released here in the UK.

One of the reasons I love her books is that she's not afraid to tackle sensitive topics and this book is no exception. This book covers two separate stories covering different periods of time, the 1960's and current day, and at first it's not entirely clear of the connection but after a while it becomes clear that the link between the two is Joelle.  

What started as two friends consoling each other in grief went a step to far and now Joelle is in an uneviable position ... pregnant by her best friend's husband, something she was not able to do when trying for years to get pregnant with her ex-husband.  So there is no doubt in her mind that she will keep the baby but does she tell Liam?  

Feeling guilty about the situation she is in, Joelle contacts retired faith healer Carlynn Shire, who saved her own life when she born stillborn at a commune in Big Sur where Carlynn was visiting with a friend, to see if she can help her friend Mara recover from her devastating brain injury.   But during her visits with Mara Carlynn realises that it is Joelle and Liam themselves that need to be healed just as much as Mara does. 

There is a real twist towards the end which I didn't see coming at all but I won't spoil it for you,  you'll have to read the book for yourself to find out just what it is.

Overall I wouldn't say that this was the best Diane Chamberlain book I've read but I did enjoy reading it so would definitely recommend it to others.

It looks like 2012 is going to be a busy year for Diane here in the UK as she has quite a few books due to released this year; Keeper of the Light, one of her older books which has just been released her in the UK, Brass Ring, another older book, is being released here in March and her newest novel, The Good Father, is showing on Amazon that it's due to released in April but according to Diane's Facebook page it's not due to be released in the UK until June - we'll have to wait and see which date is correct.   All of these books have been added to my Amazon wish list - hint to my friends and family lol  

1 comment:

  1. Sharon, thanks for this wonderful review! I wanted to help out with the UK release dates. As you mentioned, Keeper of the Light was just reissued. It's the first in a trilogy, but the second and third, Kiss River and Her Mother's Shadow, are not scheduled to be released until January and June of 2013. There is a "rogue copy" of Her Mother's Shadow on Amazon right now showing a February 2012 date that must be an older version. Brass Ring will be reissued this March, and The Good Father in May. Books are usually actually available for purchase about a week prior to the release date, so a May book will be available the end of April. Hope this helps!

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