The Unwanted Wife by Natasha Anders

The Unwanted WifeNarrated by Justine Eyre

If you are looking for something different and enjoy emotionally charged listens, then I highly recommend The Unwanted Wife. I will warn you though, this is not your typical light, fluffy romance. No, the road to love here is a tough one, fraught with overcoming betrayal, alleged adultery, jealousy, verbal abuse, and revenge. If you are up for the challenge though, I predict a special listen that will leave you truly believing and appreciating the love story in the end.

In the business world of the rich and famous, deals can be brokered for just about anything, even marriage. Such is the contract that brings Cape Town, South Africa native, Theresa Noble, and Italian-born, Sandro De Lucci, together.

Sandro may have married her, and is deeply attracted to her; but, eighteen months into his marriage, he still bears an intense dislike for Theresa. He thinks she is a spoiled, rich girl who got her rich daddy, Jackson Noble, to offer him the one thing he could never refuse, to get him to marry her. Now he lives with a compromise that required him to move away from Italy, where his family and Francesca, the girl that he and his family always thought he would marry, live.

When she first meets Sandro at a business dinner party thrown by her father, Theresa is an innocent girl, who all her life has tried to please her unpleasable father. She instantly falls head over heels in love with Sandro; and, before she knows it, they are getting married in a marriage ceremony contrived by her father. Believing that her dreams are coming true, she desperately tries to please Sandro; but the harder she tries, the more distant he becomes. Soon she starts questioning why, notwithstanding their undeniable shared passion, Sandro continues to treat her in an increasingly cold and indifferent manner. Instead, he pleads for just one thing, “Theresa give me a son.”

Finally, heartbroken and unable to further endure Sandro’s abusive treatment, including all the tabloid appearances with another woman on his arm, his refusal to kiss her even during intimate encounters, and his unwillingness to share his personal life with her, Theresa asks for a divorce. But that’s when the truth begins to unravel, and soon she realizes that she, via her evil father, may be just as guilty of entrapment as he. Sandro also learns the truth, opening him up to really appreciating the true Theresa for the first time.

This book was so well written that it actually made me feel a knot in the pit of my stomach at several crucial moments, and I got teary at others. This was my first experience with Natasha Anders, but I can guarantee you it will not be my last. Ms. Anders’ gift with expressing deep emotions and incredible skill with character development greatly impressed me.

Justine Eyre has a very distinctive narrating style that totally worked for me. Her portrayals of both Theresa and Sandro were spot on and I could just feel the emotion rolling off of her voice. She made me feel, not just understand, this story. From the utter desperation that both Theresa and Sandro feel at different points to the raw need and all-consuming love at others, you can actually hear not just the dialogue but the characters’ feelings.

But I will warn you, if thick accents bother you, then you should sound-sample The Unwanted Wife first before determining whether to listen or read it. I personally loved her accent, and thought it not only appropriate given that the story takes place in Cape Town (and a number of the characters are Italian), but it actually enhanced my experience.

In short, The Unwanted Wife is an original, highly emotional journey to discovering true love. Don’t be too quick to judge on this one, as Ms. Anders cleverly finds a way to justify many of the seemingly inexcusable actions at the beginning of the book, leading to a fascinating love story, and Justine Eyre’s fantastic narration further drives home this highly stirring listen.

BJ


Narration:  A-

Book Content:  A

Steam Factor:  Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence:  Domestic Violence (verbal abuse)

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Publisher:  Brilliance Audio

 

The Unwanted Wife was provided to AudioGals for review by Brilliance Audio.

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