The Godmother by Carrie Adams

The Godmother
Carrie Adams
Hardcover 400 pgs.
Harper Collins












Amazon Blurb -

While 30-something Londoner Tessa King questions her no-strings-attached lifestyle, she also witnesses her friends' difficulties in marriage and parenthood while playing godmother to their broods. Nick and Francesca battle to keep their sullen teenager out of serious trouble; Billy, a single mom, can't break ties to her now remarried ex-; Helen and Neil, fairy tale parents to twin boys, are hiding something; successful Claudia and Al struggle to conceive; and Ben and Sasha have no plans to have children. But Ben also happens to be Tessa's best friend, and perhaps the love of her life. When tragedy eventually strikes the group, bonds are tested, and Tessa is forced to re-examine what she thinks will really make her happy. A painful look into the fears, doubts and desires that make and break marriages, this debut novel from Londoner Adams is notches up from the usual chick and mom lit fare.

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I loved this book!  Yes loved it.  Not my usual genre, I read these types maybe, and that's a big maybe, 3 x's a year.  I wish Tessa King was my friend!  What awesome characters Carrie Adams has crafted, real people that you can actually have in your own lives.

Tessa has been away for 5 weeks.  An attorney in a law firm for 10 years, her boss wasn't just harassing  her, it turned into full blown stalking.  She was dealing with him standing outside her apartment, and the wife calling her on the phone and cursing and using horrid names on her.  She winds up taking a settlement and leaves the firm, and goes on a bit of sabbatical.  The story opens with Tessa coming  home and expecting her good friend Francesca to be at the airport to pick her up.  She looks all around and then hears her name being called and sees Francesca's husband Nick and their son,  her Godson, Casper has come instead.  Right there is where you get the first taste of Tessa's disappointment.  She wanted her friend not the hubby, even though he is her friend as well.  Sometimes you just want your girlfriend.  There are 9 in her group of friends 8 of them are married, and Billy is divorced.

As the story progresses, you see how they all lean so on Tessa.  She is the Godmother to 4 of her friend's children and she takes her role seriously.  They are always asking for her help and she gives it gladly.  Sadly she is starting to feel like the third wheel amongst her married friends, and suffers badly from unfulfilled love for her dear friend Ben who is married to Sasha.  Tessa and Ben have been friends since they were 15!  I felt sad for her, and the story takes such a twist that broke my heart.  What a wonderful friend Tessa is and it upset me because I think her friends just took her for granted, never really seeing that she needed as well.  Sometimes people are very good at hiding things but you just have to dig.

I highly recommend this book and I am most definitely going to read the Stepmother, Carrie Adams sequel to this one.  I just loved it and am so glad I found it for my book club.  If you like woman's fiction and don't mind heart tugging run and get this book : )

I give this book 4 cannolis!

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On a side note, I'm going to read Dance With The Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  It'll wrap up my Summer Romance Challenge with Book Chick City, and, really I can't face Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet right now.

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