About the Book
New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown returns with a heartbreakingly hilarious novel about three women who had nothing in common, except their husband.
Leaving one widow behind is unfortunate. Leaving three widows behind is just plain despicable. Oil heiress Kate Steele knew her not-so-dearly departed husband was a con man, but she’s shocked that Conrad racked up two more wives without divorcing her first. The only remnant of their miserable marriage she plans to keep is their lakeside cabin in Bootleg, Texas. Unfortunately, she’s not the only woman with that idea.
Fiery, strong-willed Jamie wishes Conrad were still alive—so she could kill the scoundrel herself. But for their daughter’s sake, she needs that property. As does Amanda—twenty-eight, pregnant, and still weeping over the loss of her true love. On a broiling July day, all three arrive in Bootleg…with a dogged detective right behind who’s convinced that at least one of them conspired to commit murder. One momentous summer filled with revelations, quirky neighbors, and barefoot evenings on the porch offers three women the chance to make the journey from enemies to friends, and claim a bright, new beginning.
My Review:
I did listen to this book in audio form, and the storyline definitely caught my attention right away. Three very different women, all married to one con artist of a man. They meet face to face to face at his funeral after Conrad is gunned down in a flower shop, and tensions immediately run high. Who is his legal wife? What about his children? Are there more wives? Kate, Jamie and Amanda each decide to find closure at the cabin in Bootleg, Texas – the cabin where Conrad took each of the three women on their honeymoon. Each woman has her own reason for wanting to stay in the cabin, so they must learn to co-exist with one another while coming to grips with who Conrad really was.
It was very interesting to read about how the women started to actually get along with one another once they all arrived at the cabin. Each has a different scenario – Kate and her oil company, Jamie and her daughter, Amanda and her unborn child, but each was interesting to read and learn about. I really enjoyed the first half of the story, but the second half little things started to stick out to me that I didn’t love. Kate had a near obsession with Jamie’s daughter that actually had me wondering if a big plot twist was coming, and Amanda just continually got on my nerves. The mystery of Conrad’s death was almost a bit of a let down as well. With so much build up along the entire read, it was over and done with in a blink. Other than those few areas, I did quite like the book and thought it to be very thought-provoking. I also liked the setting of Bootleg and the supporting cast fit in well with the story. Overall, it held my interest throughout and I would recommend for women’s fiction fans.
4 stars
