My Husband’s Wife by Amanda Prowse – My Review

‘She was a devoted wife and mother.

Then her husband and children left home.

How do you rebuild your life if there’s nothing left?’

My Husband’s Wife is the latest release from international best selling author Amanda Prowse. Just published By Head of Zeus, I received my copy from the author. Please continue reading to follow up on my,as ever, honest review.

‘Once a week, Rosie Tipcott counts her blessings.

She goes to sit on her favourite bench on the north Devon cliffs, gazes out at the sky, and thanks her lucky stars for the life she has.

For Rosie is lucky. After a troubled childhood, she grew up and won the jackpot: a wonderful husband, two mischievous young daughters, and a neat little house by the sea. She dedicates every waking hour to the happiness of her family.

But when her husband unexpectedly leaves her for another woman and takes the children, she must ask the question: what is left in her life? Can Rosie find the strength to rebuild herself? More importantly, does she even want to?’

My Husband’s Wife is the latest book from Amanda Prowse in her collection of books labelled ‘No Greater Courage’. All can be read independently, but carry the same theme through them….the courage and determination of the main character in times of crisis.

As the blurb suggests, this novel is all about one lady called Rosie Tipcott.

From the beginning I felt a lot of sympathy towards Rosie. She is a very sweet, naive character who never seems to have truly lived. Her world is the North Devon cliffs and the seaside town of Woolacombe, where she lives.

Rosie married her best friend’s brother, Phil, whom she encountered on one of his trips back from overseas with the army. It was true love for Rosie. Her mother had abandoned her and her Dad when Rosie was a baby, so love was something Rosie cherished very closely indeed.

Phil and herself live in small house with their two kids. Life is a struggle. Phil works for his Dad and brother in the construction business. Rosie has a part time cleaning job in one of the local caravan sites.

Rosie Tipcott is a mother first and foremost. Her children are her life. To be honest, there were times I felt like shouting at Rosie for the way her children ran rings around her. She never seems to get a minute to herself, to the detriment of her relationship with Phil.

Early in the book Amanda Prowse lays the foundations very well for the inevitability of the breakdown of their marriage. Phil is frustrated in every way. He wants to feel alive. He wants to experience new highs. Rosie seems blinded to all of this. She wants to have more kids. Life is simple for Rosie.

‘The trouble is….It was all I ever wanted to be. Just that. Phil’s wife and the girl’s mother. It is enough for me and it’s all I want’

Rosie has no self-confidence. Memories of her own mother, having abandoned her as a baby, plays havoc with every relationship Rosie has. She never wants her kids to feel alone like she did. She always wants to be there for them and this is where her marriage falters.

She is a mother. She is her ‘Husband’s Wife’ but Rosie, as much as this is what she believes, has emotionally distanced herself from Phil.

She climbs into bed covered up. She is no longer happy with her shape.

‘She pulled off her dressing gown and adjusted her bra; her large chest made her too self-conscious to sleep without one. She sank down onto the mattress, embarrassed, as ever, by the way it sank under her weight.’

Phil, inevitably meets someone else. Geraldine Farmer. She is and has everything that Rosie has not.

This is the point in the book when Rosie’s behaviour turns to pure desperation.

‘We can work it out, Phil, we always do. You’re my husband! You’re my family. I haven’t got anything else. I love you. I love you. And I forgive you, I do, but please don’t go. I am begging you. I’m on the floor and I am begging you, Phil, not to destroy our little family. Please, please don’t do this to my girls, to me, please…….’

And so begins the story of a woman’s struggle to survive. The odds become stacked against Rosie and life continues to throw obstacles in her way.

Amanda Prowse paints a very realistic picture of the woman left behind, the woman scorned. Rosie Tipcott discovers things about herself she never knew.

In reading My Husband’s Wife, I found myself comparing it to Amanda Prowse’ previous novel in this series ‘Another Love‘. I probably aligned myself a bit closer to the main character in that book, Romilly. Rosie, initially for me, was quite a frustrating character to read about.

This is where Amanda Prowse excels as a writer. All personalities are gathered up and written about in her novels, cast as different characters. We may not warm to all of them but we can definitely associate ourselves with a few.

Rosie Tipcott has a gentle personality. She is someone driven to despair and back. Does she have the resilience to stand up and be counted? Will she survive? Has she enough courage?

Well…to answer all these questions, you will just have to read My Husband’s Wife and find out yourself.

And for all you fans out there of Amanda Prowse, this book will surely tick all the right boxes.

Please let me know what you think.

M xx

Stuff You might not know about Amanda Prowse:

Amanda has always obsessively crafted short stories and scribbled notes for potential books, but it wasn’t until she was forty that she began writing full time.

The result was Poppy Day, the story of an army wife, whose incredible love for her husband gives her the courage to rescue him from hostages in Afghanistan. This was followed by the number 1 bestseller What Have I Done? Amanda now has ten novels and four novellas published.

All of Amanda’s books in the No Greater Love series share common themes in that they are contemporary love stories, the main characters are women, who find themselves in extraordinary situations for love.

Her new series is the No Greater Courage series, tales of women facing the trials that life throws at them and having to dig deep to find the will and strength to succeed. This series includes the A Mother’s Story and Perfect Daughter, which continue to receive brilliant reader and press reviews. Another Love is the third book in this series. And now we have My Husband’s Wife.

Amanda’s ambition has always been to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades…

Currently, Amanda lives in the West Country with her husband and their 18 & 19 year old boys Josh and Ben.’