Synopsis: After Ray Carmichael is in an accident his whole world falls apart when his three wives learn of each other. Yes, unbeknownst to his wives Ray is a bigamist. Beatrix is the bitter, rich and cantankerous first wife. Natalie, the second wife, is a doctor in a small town and fills the 'good girl' role. Finally, Ruby is the third wife who is a very young stripper with the brains and maturity of a can of tuna. As expected, Ray's three wives hate each other when they first meet at the hospital. Unfortunately within minutes of the wives learning about each other Ray dies under suspicious circumstances leaving the police pointing fingers at them. With no one else to help them the three wives band together to solve their husband's murder.My Thoughts: I added this little 'gem' to my Kindle cart based solely on four things. A quick read of the synopsis, the low cost, a look at the fairly high rating it received from other readers and knowing that I had enjoyed other books by this author of the 'Blackbird Sisters' series. Except that Stephanie Bond isn't the author of the Blackbird Sisters series, Nancy Martin is {my bad}. Too many books and authors floating around in my cranium and not double checking my info are my excuses.This book was touted as a 'humourous, romantic mystery' I'd have to say a resounding 'no' to all three descriptives. Not only was it not funny but it had very little romance (unless you count having a quickie in the back of a car romantic) and the sad little mystery seemed to be added in order to give this book some kind of purpose. Honestly, I feel a little deceived by the high ratings it received on various book sites.It may sound like I'm being hard on this book but I'm tired of reading silliness without substance. This had a very slow pace and didn't even have a very intriguing mystery t'boot. I almost hate to use the term mystery because it was so unsuspenseful and was overshadowed by the silliness of the main characters and their asinine banter that I hardly focused on the mystery of who killed their husband. Honestly, I couldn't even muster up enough energy to care who killed this guy.Unfortunately, added to the lack of romance and mystery are the characters who are total clichés and not developed throughout the book at all. We've got the nasty, rich, 'older' wife. Check. We have the nice wife whom I think readers are supposed to relate to but who comes off as a wussy doormat. Check. And finally, we have the ditzy airhead stripper wife in Ruby who has a penchant for reciting abstract trivia that she learns from Alex Trebeck. Check.Was the book funny? Only the barbs and jabs at Ruby's {lack of} intellect were remotely funny. That was it for humour and making fun of the ditz got old quick.Rounding out my reasons for not liking this book is the fact that the storyline was totally implausible. For these three very different women to band together shortly after hating each other isn't realistic. Women don't work that way! We all know that women have a mental catalogue in their brains which stores all the bad crap that was done to them by others. We don't forget ... ever. Nor do we become besties with the women whom we hated just last week. It would have been more realistic to have some catty fight between them than to have them quickly mend fences and work together to solve the murder of the man who kept them in the dark about each other. Or is that just me being cynical?Unfortunately I am now the not-so-proud owner of this digital copy of this fluff. If you're looking for a good mystery series with some humourous bits try Nancy Martin's "Blackbird Sisters" mystery series. I recommend giving this book a pass.My Rating: 1/5 stars
Stephanie Bond's Our Husband hooked me from the start and continued to give me a wonderfully entertaining day.This well-rounded and written humorous account of three wives of the one husband, Raymond Carmichael, a prosthetic limb salesman, unsuccessful gambler currently deceased, had me laughing throughout. The characters are likable, dialogue realistic and funny, the imagery excellent. The hero, Brian is gorgeous and nice, Natalie's brother, Tony, an ex-con and rehabilitated burglar, delightful.Beatrix, the "senior" wife is horrified to discover Raymond has added two more to the harem. Older, rich and sophisticated, nevertheless she is devastated, particularly when more evidence of his perfidy comes to light.Natalie, the middle wife and a doctor, is a vulnerable soul who invoked my sympathy because she was the one who was left bereft and broke after Raymond cleaned out her accounts.Ruby, the "junior" wife is sweet, has had a hard upbringing and longs for respect and an education.Raymond dies from a heart attack, fortunately before his wives can rend him limb from limb...The plot thickens when Brian, a pawn broker, discovers a dainty Rolex watch which Raymond has pawned and which does not belong to any of the wives. Beatrix, the "senior" wife,leads the road trip to find out the truth!What I liked most about this book is the joyous take on a plot which has been used before, but with a freshness in the script which makes it stand out from the herd.Thoroughly enjoyed Our Husband, and am looking forward to reading more of Stephanie Bond's work.
What do You think about Our Husband (2000)?
I thought this book would be great fun because Stephanie Bond's Body Movers series is hilarious. I was wrong. It's was amusing, but not funny. It was fun, it was interesting, but it was kind of sad too. It's the story of a 3 women who get a call that their husband has been in an accident and needs to be picked up at the hospital, then all 3 find out they're married to the same man. The first, a rich socialite bitch, the second is a country doctor, the third, a sweet airheaded stripper. I enjoyed the book and of course will read more of hers. she's a great storyteller.
—Rae
I picked this up as my free book for August through the Amazon Prime Lending deal. I hadn't read a Stephanie Bond book before, but the reviews were good, and hey, free lending, right?I've gotten to be a little cranky recently -- or maybe it's just that I've read a series of mediocre books. It's been a while before I've fallen into a book and found it to be a lot of fun without nit-picking it mentally. This was a lightweight, enjoyable read that I just flew through.The characters -- considering they're pretty cardboard -- turn out to have real personalities. Bond does a good job of fleshing them out and making them feel real, with their own concerns and points of view. And the women form a friendship in the unlikeliest of circumstances. I'm pretty sure there were some discrepancies with how the law actually works, but whatever. Willing suspension of disbelief, y'all.I doubt this will be a book I'll remember for long, but it was a fun diversion.
—Lisa
I have read some of Ms Bonds "Body Movers" books and knew I had enjoyed those, but I was a little skeptical about reading this. Yet my gut instinct, and all the reviews (both for and against the book) said I should try it. Now I know I should always listen to my gut!I see the the writer of the synopsis is comparing this book to "Waiting to Exhale" but I just don't see it one little bit.This book was funny, mysterious, kept me guessing through the whole thing. The characters are likeable and well drawn if a tad trite (rich lady wife #1 = snobbish,witch, wife #2, doctor = caring compassionate, wife #3, youngest = pregnant, stripper, 'hill-billy' type) but the the authors blending of these women and their distinct personalities; how they had to come to terms with the bigamy and then the fact that he was stealing from them all worked so well in this story.One thing that was a little confusing at first is that each chapter is written from one of the wives point of view. It may make it confusing to start, but I really warmed up to it since the reader gets to know just how each one was feeling about the situation and the others right at that moment and their story could never be colored by a different narrator/voice.I am looking forward to picking up the rest of Ms Bonds books---especially since they are all priced so very well for the Kindle.
—Dianne
