#Review: My Husband’s Wives by Faith Hogan @GerHogan @Aria_Fiction #blogtour #womensfiction

I think I might just have been as excited as Faith Hogan herself to see the enormous blog tour Aria Books have arranged to celebrate the paperback publication of My Husband’s Wives on 7th March, complete with its gorgeous new cover – available from Amazon and all good bookshops, and also as an ebook via Kobo, Googleplay and iBooks.

If you’re a regular visitor to Being Anne, you might just already know that I’m a tremendous fan of Faith’s books – I’ve shared reviews of all them, and always make sure that she never has to go on tour without me joining in to sing her praises. If she’s new to you, do try Secrets We Keep, The Girl I Used To Know or What Happened To Us? (all links are to my reviews) – I promise you won’t be disappointed. But My Husband’s Wives was the first book of Faith’s that I read – and your first time’s always something rather special, isn’t it?

Is it better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved?

Paul Starr, Ireland’s leading cardiologist, has died in a car crash with a pregnant young woman by his side. A woman who is not his wife.

Evie, Grace and Annalise never thought they’d meet, but now they have to uncover the truth of their pasts. And suddenly they find themselves united by a man they never really knew at all.

As these women begin to form unlikely friendships they discover that Paul’s death could prove to be the catalyst they needed to become the people they always wanted to be…

A heart-warming story of love, loss, family and friendship. A compelling debut for fans of Sheila O’Flanagan, Veronica Henry and Jane Fallon.

My thanks to Vicky at Aria Books for inviting me to be part of this blog tour, and for sending a paperback copy (complete with display materials!) for my “favourites” shelf. I’m sharing again my original review, first posted for a “blog hop” way back in August 2016…

When I signed up to be part of the blog hop, I really knew very little about the book I’d promised to read – but I really enjoyed my contact with the author, and it’s always a pleasure to offer some support to a debut novel. I really never expected it to be such an engrossing and emotionally engaging read, with such an original and well-told story, and some quite wonderfully drawn female characters.

Paul Starr is simply fascinating – a man who loves women – but this book is less about him than about his impact on others, the aftermath of his death and the legacy he leaves behind. Evie – Paul’s first wife – is a superbly drawn older character, her fragility and loneliness quite palpable, trying to find a reason to carry on after losing the man she’s loved for almost all her life. Grace is fascinating too – a famous artist and a mother, also needing to move on without Paul’s supportive (and sometimes stifling) presence. Annalise seemed just a tad OTT at first encounter – a fashion and celebrity obsessed former model, naive and trusting, almost child-like – but by the book’s close she’d entirely won me over. And Kasia – perhaps the most fascinating of them all, with all her life experience and a wisdom well beyond her years. The characterisation is simply excellent – four compelling, very real and sympathetic characters, seen separately and in their complex interactions with each other, coping with the unusual situation they find themselves facing together and alone.

The story-telling – and the writing – are both superb, and I was enthralled by what became a wonderful read about the intricacies of female friendship, love in its many guises, and a group of women each finding their own strength and ability to move on. The light humour is perfect – much of it around Annalise, but with a clever edge of embarrassment and awkwardness that slowly pulls you into her corner – but there’s also some of life’s uglier side, and that balance of light and dark is perfectly achieved and maintained. The twists and turns as all the layers of secrets, lies and deception unfold make this book a real page-turner – these are characters you really feel for, hurt for, cry for when things go wrong and cheer on when something good comes to pass. And the book’s ending – and the way the women’s lives begin to take shape as the dust settles – is exceptionally well done, leaving you with a smile on your face.

It’s really difficult to believe this is the author’s first published novel – it has an assurance that many an established writer of contemporary fiction would be very proud of. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Faith Hogan does next…

And my goodness, I certainly wasn’t disappointed, was I?! Enjoy your tour, Faith – and here are all those other stops…

About the author

Faith lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and two very fussy cats. She has an Hons Degree in English Literature and Psychology, has worked as a fashion model and in the intellectual disability and mental health sector.

Twitter (her favourite) | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads author page | Website

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