I am almost finished with THE HUSBAND HABIT and wanted everyone to know it is a fabulous story told in a different voice and style than THE DIRTY GIRLS SOCIAL CLUB. Like a good stew, THE HUSBAND HABIT simmers wonderfully from the first sentence and cooks up a great story full of food references and delightful word play, sensuous and intelligent, with rich characterizations throughout and a storyline anyone can relate to.

My only complaint is the jarring use of fragments. That's why I am giving the book 4 instead of 5 stars. ( )

The ocassional romance that I pick up isn't required to deliver a lot. But when the promise of more is made and not delivered on, I can get cranky.
Although the set-up seemed trashy and unbelievable, I was caught by several features: 1. The prose is unusually structured, third person present tense. 2. The protagonist seemed comfortable in her own skin without the typical necessities of American females - heels, make-up and dress clothes. 3. The food and gardening material appeared to have some real substance and knowledge behind it, and played a big part in the first half of the book. This lent veracity and interest.
The character of Paul was well caught, and very attractive, and complex. BUT the author went way over the top and he became too good to be true. Sorry, the Air Force doesn't take fighter pilots and use them as translators and interogators. One or the other, not both. And then, he ends up being too rich, with properties in at least two states.
Vanessa, as lead chef, has way too much time on her hands. Sorry, this profession doesn't give time off. Especially when opening her own restaurant. This part of her story is given no more than a nod after she acquires backers, and devolves into just another romance.

Boo. Hiss.

This book is so much more than being about food and gardening. Like the way Paul kept surprising Vanessa, I judged this book by its cover and found, to my surprise, a very important message about war and forgiveness. I think this book is badly titled and marketed. I really enjoyed learning about a returning Iraq war soldier and how dangerous it is to rely on stereotypes. ( )

I found this to be a quick, only OK, read. I've read a few of Valdes-Rodriquez's other books and this seemed like a much different kind of book for her. Not sure that I would really recommend this book to others, unless they were looking for a beach read. ( )

hilarious! ( )