My new bath book to start tonight. I have really enjoyed Erica James's other books so hope this is as good. ( )

Ethan is something of a womaniser - but who can blame him, married to the shallow, materialistic (albeit attractive) Francine. Their cleaner Maggie is married to Dave, who could best be described as a sexist slob... so she dreams of romance and loses herself in library books. Then there's Ella, who is commissioned by Francine to paint a mural in her dining room. Ella has just broken up from Lawrence due to the continual aggression from his teenage daughter. However she gets along extremely well with Lawrence's son, who would love to see them get back together again...

The novel follows each of these different people in their own lives and interacting with each other. It provides wonderful character studies - even if Francine and Dave are both rather caricatured examples of their type. All have made promises, all wonder whether or not they can keep them. As Ethan's business suffers in the recession, he becomes increasingly frustrated with his extravagant wife and their daughter (who is made in the same mould as her mother); Maggie determines to stand up for herself against her husband and his unpleasant relatives; Ella, who I related to best, has to discover who she really loves and what she wants to do with the rest of her life.

The novel was perhaps a little over-long; I found that in the middle I was skimming a bit as there wasn't much happening, but the writing is good, the dialogue believable, and the outcome satisfactory, even if somewhat predictable.

Recommended. ( )

This tale of two women and a man who each change their lives has a few darker elements than some of James's early books, but was still very enjoyable. James is a keen observer of the behavior both of nice and not-so-nice people. It wasn't completely obvious how it would all end, so I stayed up till 2 am to finish the book. If you like this kind of book, this is one you will like. ( )