An Ideal Husband by Erica James

 

After 30 years of 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…

I have loved many books by Erica James over the years so I had high hopes for her new release An Ideal Husband and with a cover that pops out from the shelves thanks to its bold coral colour I am sure there will be many hands reaching for this one at the airport on the way to their Summer Holibobs!

This book felt very different from the authors previous books but none the less it was still such a fabulous current read that felt so honest and believable as she tackles infidelity and marriage break down after an affair, exploring the effect it has not on just those directly involved in the relationship but the results it has on the rest of the family too.

The family all have a very close bond and have lived a very loving life together but all it took was one crack to then splinter the family and yet the power of love shows there is still a thread connecting them together but we continually find ourselves unsure of how stitching their family back together will look in the end thanks to the unpredictability of the storyline.

I loved all of our characters ( other than Giles ) which surprised me because some of the things the characters done particularly Zoe and Kip I thought would turn me against those characters but I genuinely felt for them all. I was so desperate to see Louisa with a happy ever after that is the romantic in me but I never quite knew if Kip and Louisa would find their way back together again and I am not going to spoil it for you but all I will say is the way the book ended did in the end feel the right outcome to the story.

This book felt more fresh and modern compared to the authors previous novels and has a more uplifting feel looking at new beginnings in later life when our lives take an unexpected turn. It shows that our paths can get so tied up in our partners that when we find ourself out of the relationship its learning to start again alone and find our own strength to then go ahead with what we want for ourselves.

Although there were many sad and devastating parts of this book the storyline never felt heavy or gave a sense of doom and gloom it was full of hope, optimism and shows the strength, love and support of a loving family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would actually say its probably my favourite novel by Erica James.

Available to buy HERE!