Review: Wife in Name Only

Wife in Name Only by Hayson Manning

I have just finished this book a few hours ago and instead of writing the review immediately I instead chose to listen to the entire soundtrack to Mamma Mia. Maybe twice.

Thank you Manning for reminding me just how much I adore the music of ABBA.

Anyways. Book review time.

First of all these characters are BOLD. I had no idea anyone could think so sexually until I got to know these characters.

The whole basis for the story is that Zoe and Rory were married and happy until they gradually drafted apart as Rory became more and more engulfed in his work. It's a classic husband and wife problem: man measures his relationship success with how much he can provide and how much career success he has while the wife bases her relationship success on their quality time.

So here they are in a failed marriage where she has run off to an island somewhere and started a honeymoon resort. He's stayed in the big city waiting for her to come home because he fails to see the problem.

Then he comes to her resort to help her with some PR that they both need. And they get stranded alone together.

They were a total mess! The whole book was one big pile of frustration leading up to the ending. "I love you I hate you I love you I hate you." What a mess. Most of us have been there. Ugh I just wanted to shake them both. I guess that made them more believable. If they had patched things up immediately we just wouldn't have a book now would we.

This novel is very sexual. That is not my style so I won't talk much about that. Just know of that's not your thing you've been warned.

It is written from a very different voice than I've ever read. And it's so different than my own. It was very conversationally written and modern. You could get a sound for the way these two quirky characters voices and thought processes. I enjoyed it.

Last but not least, the Mamma Mia/ABBA references. Zoe is always listening to ABBA. She explains that it is her happy music which is a result of her mothers enjoyment of the music which I completely understand. However, I found so many similarities between the musical and this book.

Listening to the title track "Mamma Mia" I kept nodding and saying "yep, yep that fits too". How about the jealous number "Lay All Your Love On Me" that I swear could have been Rory's theme song. And then there's "Honey Honey" which I could imagine being sung by Zoe. I'm sure I could go on and on but I won't. These references most defiantly are what made me most excited about this book.

Over all this was a challenge for me. This fits in the category of books that aren't in my comfort zone. It was overly sexual, spoke in a voice foreign to me and I couldn't completely envision myself in the place of these characters. However I had a great time getting to know them and trying something new bits kind of line when I go out to eat with my in laws who often convince me to try something new that seems weird but turns out to be good after all.

If romance novels are your thing, I recommend this one!