The Senator's Wife

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Book
Review: I loved this book! I really felt like I knew the characters and was happy that everything worked out well for Ronnie and Tom. I loved how it wasn't just some cheesy romance novel. It had lots of suspense, struggle, and emotion.

Rating:
Summary: Don't "listen" to other reviews-read it for yourself!
Review: I read the reviews and then read the book afraid that this was going to be one that I put down before finishing. But I didn't come out with the same results as other reviewers. Ronnie was raised in a poor, torn-up family, with little love. She set the goals of marrying wealthy so she would never have to do without again. She was even careful with her reputation and didn't date just anybody. In her college years she met a wealthy older man that had it all. His first marriage had had problems and was in its final stage (all that was left was signing the papers). He offered Ronnie a job in his political arena and started pursuing her heavily. Finding out that it was going to take marriage before he could get her in bed he made the offer. Marriage! Thinking he would have a young, beautiful, "trophy" wife. He continued having other woman, though. By their third year Ronnie was on longer giving him rights to her bed due to his other affairs. Divorce wasn't a question, though, due to her husband's political career for re-election. A 2nd divorce would ruin his chance for re-election.

I do feel that KR made her characters rather shallow for the reader, not giving us enough information to feel some warm for them. But I did not come away feelig like other readers did about Ronnie and Tom. Ronnie was young & beautiful, with her guard up since she was the 2nd wife, accused of breaking up a marriage (though it was on the rocks before she even showed up). She thought having material things and money would feel the void of love until she found someone that showed her kindness and later on love. Remember (if you have already read it), that Ronnie had not reached out to any other man during her marriage until Tom came on the scene. So she was trying to deal with it.

Tom was hired by Ronnie's husband as a campaign adviser to help get his campaign back on track. He, himself, was in the process of rebuilding his business with his partner and was good at his business. He started working with Ronnie, seeing right off a woman that was being treated harshly by the public as well as being alone in her private life. He reached out to her with lust in his mind when they first got together sexually- but then it turned into love, realizing that they cared for each other. Doesn't that happen in a lot of relationships?

Then there is the murder of the senator and Ronnie is accused of doing it. It turns into a "who done it" story. It's not the best I have read, but it sure isn't the worse, either. I really wanted to judge it with a 3 1/2 stars but felt bad about all of the other low reviews that I went with a 4 stars. Read it for yourself and see what you think!

Rating:
Summary: Karen--where are your morals??
Review: I've read many of the reviews written here and I can't believe all the people who still liked Tom.
I agree completely that Ronnie is the most selfish, shallow, mercenary character I have ever encountered in a book. In any other book, she would have been the protagonist, not the heroine. She isn't a character that you love to hate. She is a character that you wish had been killed off early in the book to make room for more interesting characters.
But, it seems that everyone is ignoring the past history of Tom and many of the reviews are making him out to be Ronnie's victim. The man openly admitted he cheated on his wife, but when he caught her cheating on him, he went ballistic and a messy divorce ensued. I threw the book across the room in a fit of rage after reading that bit of hypocrisy!!! Can anyone say "double standard"? The sanctimonious, self-righteous attitude of his made me want to puke. How could anyone admire a "man who is trying to turn his life around" when he is the one who sent it into the toilet to begin with? He blamed his wife for setting him on a path of self-destruction, but he totally justified the fact that he had been cheating on her for years by saying he was only having one-night stands with "women who made themselves very available". Let's have a dose of reality here, buddy! If it's good enough for the gander, it's good enough for the goose.
I'm very glad I found this book at a used book store and didn't pay full price for it. I would truly be tempted to ask for my money back otherwise. Karen Robards has always been an author that I automatically bought her books without reading the back cover. You can bet I will be more careful in the future. This book offended my moral standards of right and wrong. All the characters in this book were just plain WRONG!

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I Have EVER read!
Review: I've read some of the other reviews and a common theme was that the main characters, and particularly Ronnie were not likeable. I definitely agree. I can't think of another book ever with such a totally selfish, destructive, narcissistic main character as Ronnie. The story opens with Ronnie covered with red paint and called a name,while her protectors stood and watched unable to apprehend the woman. I was sympathetic until the author developed Ronnie's character more. Ronnie sold herself to the highest bidder and then refused to sleep with her husband or wholeheartedly try to help him win his election. She did continue to enjoy the lavish lifestyle provided by the horrible husband. Then, when Tom was hired to change her image, she scornfully refused to cooperate. When Tom refused to sleep with her, because he had a second chance to turn his reputation around and become a success professionally, Ronnie kept up the pressure until she eventually destroyed his business and reputation. Well if it dresses like a duck, quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, it must be a duck(or high-priced prostitute). I also had no sympathy for this poor thing whose x-rated pictures were published. Wow, take off your clothes and seduce a guest at a large party, don't bother to shut the curtains. I'd say the person wanted to be seen. When Ronnie refused to cooperate with the lawyer because she couldn't believe anyone could think she killed her husband, it was truly ridiculous. Ronnie may have graduated from college, but she never showed a sigh of intelligence. I tended to have sympathy with Tom for part of the book, however, any man who throws away a girlfriend of several years and a chance to redeem his reputation and business because he can't keep his pants zipped deserves no sympathy. Tom criticized his best friend for a short fling, and turned around and destroyed the business and their reputation for an affair with a married woman. What a self-centered, hypocrite! Ronnie didn't deserve the millions from her dead husband, but I guess she will need it to take care of Tom after destroying his business. I guess that will make him for sale as much as she was. I really think Marla was the only character with moral value. At least she knew what she was. I can't believe I spent the money to buy a hardback book. I would have felt cheated if I'd paid a quarter for the book at a yard sale. Well, enjoy Karen Robards. From my feelings and the reviews of some of the other readers, I think you'll lose money on future books. The suspense wasn't there, the romance wasn't there, the story continuity wasn't there; and steamy sex between characters you don't like doesn't cut it.

Rating:
Summary: Ho Hum...
Review: If romances were only about the hero, this book would be fine. But they're not - you also need a heroine who's relatable and some sparks between the characters.

I guess my problem with this story was that I didn't really like Ronnie that much. I mean - she seemed nice enough, but Robards never really discussed why she had such a *need* for money... and had been essentially willing to prostitute herself for it. She also seemed to have a superior attitude towards people who didn't wear designer clothes. Ronnie was more like the lead characters in a Jane Krantz book than a Karen Robards book (all glitz and glamour and no substance underneath it all).

And I liked Tom enough. But again - not enough character development. He had a lot of potential, and certainly was sexy, but I didn't *care* about him like I like to care about the hero in a good romance.

I guess that's the problem with this book - the characters were interesting... I just didn't really care about them. When I finished, I looked around and said "What next?" rather than wishing the book wasn't over.

Rating:
Summary: Superficial character, unimpressive plot
Review: Ronnie must be the most unlikeable character of all the Karen Robards books that I have read. The author kept highlighting how incredibly beautiful and sexy Ronnie was that all men were drawn to her like bees to honey. However, beyond the surface, she was selfish, vain, snobbish, materialistic and displayed a questionable level of intelligence and common sense. There was little character development of how she attracted Tom, except through dressing up sexily and flirting shamelessly. All I could see was that Ronnie was irresistible to the organ on the lower part of Tom's body. She found herself pitiful that there was no love in her marriage, that her husband was sleeping around from the first day of their marriage. Come on! Ronnie did not marry the Senator for love in the first place! She tried to believe that her husband loved her so that it would be less unpalatable to marry him for money. So there was nothing to lament about, she got what she wanted. But Ronnie wanted more from the bargain, she wanted good sex and love but still wanted to enjoy the glamorous lifestyle and money of being the Senator's wife. I really despised her so much that I didn't think she deserved to get what she had in the end.

Tom had the potential to be a real intelligent, magnetic and sexy character. But the author failed to demonstrate how good he was as a political consultant, worse, he appeared to just fall for Ronnie for her looks and body, not to mention his double standard with his wife's adultery and his partner's fling.

All the unmoral and irresponsible actions were almost justified because the characters fell in love with each other. I failed to see love between them other than lust. All I could say that perhaps they really deserved each other, very superficially. For a relationship which lust formed the basis, the sex scenes were unimaginative and stale. If the author decided to write a trashy book, at least make it hot and erotic.

The plot was very amateurish, especially coming from Karen Robards. The sub plot of the murder on board the ship was distracting and converged with the main story too late and too weakly. I always love her books but this one was too disappointing. My advice is: give this book a miss.

Rating:
Summary: Superficial character, unimpressive plot
Review: Ronnie must be the most unlikeable character of all the Karen Robards books that I have read. The author kept highlighting how incredibly beautiful and sexy Ronnie was that all men were drawn to her like bees to honey. However, beyond the surface, she was selfish, vain, snobbish, materialistic and displayed a questionable level of intelligence and common sense. There was little character development of how she attracted Tom, except through dressing up sexily and flirting shamelessly. All I could see was that Ronnie was irresistible to the organ on the lower part of Tom's body. She found herself pitiful that there was no love in her marriage, that her husband was sleeping around from the first day of their marriage. Come on! Ronnie did not marry the Senator for love in the first place! She tried to believe that her husband loved her so that it would be less unpalatable to marry him for money. So there was nothing to lament about, she got what she wanted. But Ronnie wanted more from the bargain, she wanted good sex and love but still wanted to enjoy the glamorous lifestyle and money of being the Senator's wife. I really despised her so much that I didn't think she deserved to get what she had in the end.

Tom had the potential to be a real intelligent, magnetic and sexy character. But the author failed to demonstrate how good he was as a political consultant, worse, he appeared to just fall for Ronnie for her looks and body, not to mention his double standard with his wife's adultery and his partner's fling.

All the unmoral and irresponsible actions were almost justified because the characters fell in love with each other. I failed to see love between them other than lust. All I could say that perhaps they really deserved each other, very superficially. For a relationship which lust formed the basis, the sex scenes were unimaginative and stale. If the author decided to write a trashy book, at least make it hot and erotic.

The plot was very amateurish, especially coming from Karen Robards. The sub plot of the murder on board the ship was distracting and converged with the main story too late and too weakly. I always love her books but this one was too disappointing. My advice is: give this book a miss.

Rating:
Summary: This would not be my favorite Karen Robards.....
Review: This is one book by Karen Robards that I cannot whole heartedly recommend. I just could not get past the fact that the "heroine" has an affair and then tries to justify that fact (to the son of her lover) by saying she has not slept with her husband in over a year. If the marriage is that bad, you move on. Ronnie doesn't because she is so materialistic and doesn't want to give up all those millions. Oh, eventually she decides that she is so in love with her lover that she will divorce, but for me that decision came to late. I just did not have a lot of empathy for these characters. Ronnie was supposed to be an intelligent and educated person, so I did not see the need to make her so dependent on her louse of a husband to "keep" her. If you have never read a Karen Robards book, please do not read this one first! Find one of her earlier books and you will see how capable she is of writing, strong, intelligent characters who are worth reading about. I will get off my soapbox now.
Ree-views

Rating:
Summary: ok
Review: Why do we read romance novels?!?!?! For realism or for the fantasy?!?!?!? Who cares how she dressed, or that she sold her body to the highest bidder...she wanted a better way of life for herself...maybe if her husband was a better person, then maybe she and Tom would not have been together!! Hence there would be no book to write about! I loved this book, it was the first one by Karen Robards that I have ever read. This book made me go out and buy more of her books and I can't get enough of her! I think she is a very imaginative writer and she keeps ME hooked with her outlandish stories... To any one who wants to read this book I think that it is a great read. It's just a book of fiction enjoy it.