Independent Wife (Best Of The Best Series)

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money.
Review: I couldn't believe this was a Linda Howard story! The author draws an abusive, overbearing man and a spineless, wimpy woman as the characters in this book, then tries to rehabilitate both of them in the last chapter. Sorry, but that won't do.

Spend your cash on some of her more recent books--they are great.

Rating:
Summary: Call me crazy but I loved this book
Review: I have been a Linda Howard fan for years and when I read this book I know why. so ok the Rhy is controlling. But I like the strong alpha male in my book reading. What I read was the story of an insecure girl who married "the perfect" man for the wrong reasons. He leaves for reasons you discover in the story. But leaving was good because Sally finally comes into her own self worth. She gets off her butt and finally does something worth while. Now that she is where she wants to be she is now ready for the right love at the right time. Enter Rhy. He can't believe this spitefire is his wife and he falls in love all over again. He wants to put her in a plastic bubble and protect her. Okay, he's out of line but he learns and together they learn that love can conquer all.

Rating:
Summary: Linda Howard? Is that You?
Review: It is and I am saddened. I am being generous when I give this one 2 stars, because it deserves one, but in seeing how it was well written and the only thing I didn't like about it was the fact that the characters were unlikeable and the storyline was bland, I couldn't bring myself to completely trash it. I am a HUGE Linda Howard fan so you see why I am surprised and reluctant to toss this one, even if it's her worst IMO.
The brutish 'hero', if you want to actually call him that, is so overpowering that I felt smothered by his presence in the book, never-mind the heroine. He was completely irrational and borderline stalker/nutcase. He had nothing worth liking and I couldn't fathom why the heroine even thought much of him, never-mind loved him at all.
They marry 7 years before and only live together, if that, for like a year at most. Most of that time he is gone on journalism assignments in Africa and South America doing God knows what while she is at home and worried to death, but I wont go into that irritating part of the story.
He dumps her without a backward glance because in his words, 'you aren't woman enough for me.' Again, I won't go into it, I don't want devulge the storyline too much.
He calls her a sorry 'kid' and pretty much breaks her heart to pieces and leaves her alone without a backward glance for over 7 years. Not only is she alone now, but she has no job and no education.
Thinking to better herself, she enrolls in school and becomes a reporter for a famous magazine. She is well respected and loved in her circle. Life begins again for her and she is happy once again never thinking her estranged husband would destroy her newfound peace.
All this time passes without one word from him and he doesn't even worry how she was or if she was even dead or alive while he runs around the world with models and so forth, using his being married as an excuse to not get serious with these unsuspecting women.
Then Fate steps in and comes crashing her new life like a tornado. Her husband has purchased the magazine she works for not knowing she works there.
Well, soon he finds out and boom, suddenly she belongs to him and wont give her a divorce. He takes her off assignments and refuses to let her work. She must become his sex slave for his enjoyment simply because how dare she refuse her 'husband' his marital rights??? Not to mention he still is dating a model in the open...
The heroine Sallie is weak and far from 'Independant Wife' material. She caves in on every issue and makes excuses for his behavior over and over again to the point of agony to the reader. She never stands up for herself or even tries to put this loser in his place.
Even in the end when he tries to redeem himself I found it really hard to swallow. I was left feeling sorry for Sallie because he will never let her go and she is like a trapped animal.
Stalker. Nutcase. Creep. Only words that can convey how I felt about him. At times he is mean and downright violent to the point of being borderline abusive and crazy. Obsessive and wacko.
Take a look-see if you are a diehard Howard fan, if not, skip it!

Tracy Talley~@