The Temporary Wife/A Promise Of Spring (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
The temporary wife: more interesting than "the ideal wife" which has a similar plot. Here, the hero has a long buried grudge with his family. The new wife ends up melting hearts and mending rifts.The promise of spring: story develops over nearly 3 years. Heroine is older than hero and has to wrestle with internal demons. Am having trouble understanding the attraction between the two although it is possible that this relationship actually develops into everlasting love beyond the affection and respect and contentment. This is really two separate books in one package, so I'll rate them separately. The first book, The Temporary Wife, was definitely the superior of the two. I blew through it because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The entire book (except for the very end) takes place over the course of a few days, but the chemistry, and more important, genuine love and affection between Charity and Anthony felt real. I usually don't enjoy romances as much when the main characters seem to fall instantly in love (it just seems so contrived!), but this one was very well-written. Another thing that elevated this book was that the central problem that drives a wedge between the two leads was not over-the-top and was simple to overcome at the end. It did not make me frustrated like I often am with books of this genre. A Promise of Spring was the story of a more slow-blooming romance between two people who find it hard to believe that their spouse could truly love them. I just couldn't get into this one. I think part of the problem was that the narrative jumped in time quite a bit so there would be some quick pieces where months of time were briefly described and others where there was a lengthy description of a fairly mundane occurrence that caused the story to drag a bit. I was also frustrated that Perry and Grace were so ridiculously oblivious to how the other felt and were so over-dramatically stubborn about not letting the other know their true feelings. The conflict really dragged the story out and the characters' feelings at time seemed forced and melodramatic. This story took me much longer to read than The Temporary Wife, and seemed overly long overall. It was a good concept, but the execution could have been better. I would give The Temporary Wife 4.5 stars and A Promise of Spring 3 stars.
What do You think about The Temporary Wife/A Promise Of Spring (2012)?
3.0 stars for The Temporary Wife2.5 stars for A Promise of Spring
—Ashish
