How I Stole Her Husband [Paperback]

Have you ever cringed because of a book title? I certainly have on many occasions. However, I've discovered that some of the most awful-sounding titles cloak some of the best stories. This is one such book. I absolutely loved Liz Ireland's previous book "Three Bedrooms in Chelsea". This latest novel is yet another wonderful read!

Meet Alison Bell, our main heroine. She was once a rich girl and grew up in a very nice part of Dallas, TX, but her father has since went bankrupt and went to live the simple life on a ranch. Alison is now on her own and in her late twenties, living in a squalid apartment, and looking for a new job. She finds a wonderful opportunity in the newspaper and goes to inquire about it. The ad was looking for a nanny, with possible relocation to New York City. This particularly appeals to Alison since her best friend from college relocated there years ago.

Imagine Alison's mortification and surprise when she discovers the woman who is interviewing her for the nanny job is none other than Pepper McClintock. Not only was Pepper a rival of Alison's since the tender age of 5, but Pepper had stolen and apparently married Alison's one true love, Spence Smith! Pepper and Spence are married with a beautiful child, and very well off, while Alison is single, poor, and looking for work as a nanny.

However, Pepper manages to talk Alison in to taking the job. Alison discovers a few things pretty quickly. First off, she isn't really nanny material. Second, Pepper is certainly holding a grudge against her. And third, she isn't quite over Spence yet... The entire situation is a recipe for disaster! When they do relocate to New York City, things get even more insane.

Despite the ridiculous title, I loved this book. Liz Ireland has crafted a fantastic, multi-layered and impossible-to-put-down story. She seems to have a knack for creating irresistably offbeat characters with both good and bad qualities. I must add that this book really much about stealing husbands and getting revenge. (The back cover certainly exaggerates). Alison is a great main heroine despite her many weaknesses and passivity. The plot, which goes from the present to past tense (so the reader can see why Pepper and Alison have so much angst between them), is absorbing and exciting.

There were a couple of things in the story I found irritating. One was Spence's character. He wasn't in enough scenes for the reader to get a good sense about his personality, and when he did show up, he seemed lifeless and like a cardboard cutout. (What DID Alison and Pepper see in him??) Also, as mentioned above, Alison was very passive at times - to the point of me wanting to give her a good shake. However, even those things weren't enough to make this less than a five star read.

Overall, this is one book you do NOT want to miss!

Former debutante Alison Bell had it all. The rich daddy, the McMansion in a Dallas suburb, the expensive private liberal arts college, the handsome boyfriend... Her pampered existence is no more when a series of errors in judgment causes her father to lose the family fortune.

Fast forward ten years: Alison is destitute after a series of dead end jobs have left her penniless & unfulfilled. An ad for a nanny seems too good to be true. When she meets the woman of the household, she realizes it was in fact too good to be true, as her would-be boss is her high school nemesis, Pepper, at whom she tossed horse doody when she was five. In high school, Pepper stole the love of her life, financial whiz Spencer, who is now Pepper's husband. Pepper is living the life that Alison dreamed about. After mulling the offer over with the aid of her two best friends - one who said run, the other who said take it, she takes the job, as Pepper has assured her that bygones are bygones. Not surprisingly, Pepper was not honest. Alison finds herself in over her head with a troubled toddler, an uncooperative maid, a constantly absent father, and an unfaithful Pepper who figures her job ended after childbirth. And she's nursing a broken heart over Spencer, who takes every spare moment he can to reminisce about the good old days.

When the family finally relocates to New York, Pepper continues to make Alison's life unbearable. But time spent with her best friend and Finn, the brother of her other friend, who wants to be more than her friend helps may it more bearable. But with unresolved feelings for Spencer, she pushes Finn away, staying primarily for young August. When she finally gives in to her passion for Spence, her life is suddenly turned upside down as she has become what she always dreaded - the other woman. Will she find love everlasting with Spence? Will she ever overcome her esteem issues and stand up to Pepper? And what about her growing attraction to Finn?

While a great premise, and written with very witty dialogue, it's disappointing that we never really get to know either of the male characters, particularly Spencer - he's rarely around to get to know, we know more about him from her high school memories than his current life (probably why she still cares for him). But the story is enjoyable, and her interactions with Finn make you realize that she might be chasing after the wrong dream.

I almost passed this book by because I took it for yet another dreary chic lit Bridget Jones imitation but I was facing a long train ride and really wanted something light and breezy to read so I bought it. Lucky me. The heroine is very well written. She's not dumb, or pitiful and she actually grows up and discovers that having isn't always as satisfying as wanting. The villainess of the book, Pepper is suitably nasty and the New York scenes are all mostly funny. I had two small nit picks though. Spence, the love interest falls flat when he finally makes his adult appearance and the the apparently prerequisite strained mother/daughter relationship thing has been done to death. Just once in a chic lit book I'd like to see a heroine who has a reasonably healthy relationship with her parents.

Anyway, the book is a very amusing way to spend a few hours.