Guest Review: An Ideal Husband by Erica James

After a long and seemingly happy marriage, and a wonderful family Christmas, Louisa is stunned when husband Kip asks for a divorce on Boxing Day. He’d never seemed unhappy – and they’ve raised three children together.

For months, Kip has been secretly seeing a younger woman – and if that wasn’t bad enough, it’s the woman who broke their youngest son’s heart.

Now Kip is moving out and embarking on a new life with Zoe, and Louisa is left to pick up the pieces. Their beloved family home, Charity Cottage, is up for sale, and tensions are running high.

Yet, despite the betrayal and anger, when Louisa lays eyes on what might be a unique and welcoming new home, she feels a first glimmer of hope that life might be taking a turn for the better.

And while Louisa is making exciting plans, Kip finds himself facing challenges of his own and begins to learn that living the dream may not be as simple as he thought…

Review: As a fan of Erica James’s writing, I have been looking forward to the publication of her latest book. Her stories are always full of family drama and romance and I was intrigued to discover all about the husband in the title of this book. The first few paragraphs of the story quickly drew me into the drama that was about to unfold, and, once hooked, I finished the book all too soon.

The story focuses on Louisa and Kip, who are divorcing after almost forty years of marriage. Kip’s announcement that he wanted a divorce came as a shock to everyone, almost as much as the news that he was setting up home with his teenage son’s ex-girlfriend, Zoe. Louisa is further devastated that the lovely family home has to be sold, leaving her looking for somewhere else to live. Luckily, she is a strong woman with the support of her three children, and realises she must continue with the cards she has been dealt. While looking for a suitable home, she suddenly finds the perfect place to live where she can make a new beginning. Meanwhile, Kip is finding that his plans for the future may not play out as he hoped, as complications arise.

I thoroughly enjoyed this compelling story with all its twists and turns and recommend the book to everyone who enjoys a good family drama. It was full of surprise after surprise for the main characters and had me gasping out loud several times. Even by the end, I was not sure I liked Kip as a character; there was a certain amount of sympathy for all that befell him along the way, but did he deserve it? Louisa, on the other hand, was a warm, likeable character. She had such strength to pick up the pieces and get on with life. I absolutely loved the place she found to live after the family house was sold. I won’t go into detail and spoil the surprise, but I was jealous. Of course, the story is not all about Kip and Louisa; there is a lot going on with the other family members as well as they come to terms with the divorce and its ramifications as well as unconnected events in their lives. I think this book is another triumph for Erica James.

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