THE HUSBAND DIET
NANCY BARONE
ISBN#: 9781909490079
May 31, 2013
Bookouture Publishing
http://www.bookouture.com
E-book/Print
$5.16/$15.19
310 Pages
Women’s fiction, Mummy Lit
Rating: 5 Cups

Erica Cantelli has tried hard to make her marriage to Ira work. Even though she is a busy career woman, a full-time mother and a great homemaker, her husband’s disdain for her has only increased along with her waist size. When he tells her that her obesity is the problem, she considers dieting again and even going under the knife. But when she finds out about his mistress, all bets are off. Just when she is at her lowest, she meets a wonderful and patient man. Julian Foxham is the epitome of every woman’s fantasy, and now he is interested in her. But for how long?

Julian Foxham has had his share of disappointments and fake women who only want him for his previous fame. Erica is like a breath of fresh air. There are so many things to love about her, but he has to be patient because of her low self-esteem. She thinks she is a fat mess. He thinks she is perfect and beautiful in every way. Hopefully, she will eventually see herself as he sees her, and you can bet he will do everything to help her along the way.

The most important things to Erica are her children. She goes above and beyond to ensure they feel loved, like she wished her mother had loved her. She believes a solid marriage will help in that endeavor, but her husband makes it difficult to say the least. Not only is he a bad father. He is also a lousy husband. He is so mean and irritating, Erica fantasizes daily about new and innovative ways of killing him. After he ends things for good, the children’s extremely handsome and caring principal, Julian Foxham enters the picture. Before she knows it, her fantasies about him begin to come true in so many delightful ways. But there are still so many things keeping her from taking the plunge and letting herself fall for him.

These characters are all fun and draw in the reader. Ms. Barone has a flare for writing a protagonist the reader can empathize with. Erica has had a rough life, but she is still a strong and caring woman through it all. And Ira is such an irritating character the reader fumes at his antics on behalf of his wife. I am thrilled Julian enters into the picture as a symbol of what a good guy and a good relationship are. And I like the dedication at the end: “To all Ericas: Have faith. You don’’t have to put up with it. Julians do exist out there if you believe in yourself.” I hope it reaches readers who need to hear it. This is a clever, funny, touching and sweet emotion-filled story that is well worth the read.

HCHarju
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More