I can imagine it must be so hard to be living a life where everything feels out of sync for you, not quite how you imagine your life should have turned out....
Meet Alys, married to Hugh with a daughter Esme...
Feeling somewhat controlled by her husband Hugh, Alys is dissatisfied with her life, bored if she'll admit it and going nowhere...
Having had her redundancy requested by Hugh, she finds herself with more time on her hands and nothing to do with it....
When her ex husband suddenly comes back into her life, he manages to turn everything upside down again for her....
An ex husband who chose another life away from her when she didn't want him to and when he needed her most....
How does she even begin to tell her daughter...
Will their lives ever be quite the same again..
I didn't care for the authors character Hugh in this one but I must admit I enjoyed the others...
Oh but I did enjoy Nancy's spark.......
Everyone needs a Nancy in their lives don't they.....
Very well written and for quite a while, I'd no idea where the author was taking us...
I found it an emotional read and one that stayed with me a while...
Well worth your time 💕

This has been on my shelf for quite a while , a bit different to my usual book but I picked it up last night and oh my goodness I really couldn't put it down . It really is written so well I probably experienced every emotion there is and there were quite a few tears along the way . Alys is married to Hugh with a grown up daughter , it is her second marriage , her first ending abrubtly when her husband had a terrible accident and cut him off completely and disappeared from her life . Her daughter a newly qualified chef gets a fantastic new job at a newly opening restaurant . Imagine Alys' total surprise when her former husband is one of the owners , The past is raked up with lots of secrets , lies and regrets . With such great strong female leads and very easy to read I devoured this in one sitting . Brilliant !!

Wowza!! A beautiful book with careful etching of characters where each either pulled my heartstrings or caused me to frown in anger. Author Emma Davies was brilliant with her words. Each had the perfect imagery and the power to invoke intense emotions.

Alys was married to Hugh. Their daughter Esme had the opportunity to work at the new restaurant. But there was someone there who had links to Alys’s past. Secrets were hidden, but the time had come for the final reveal.

Having read many books by this talented author, I eagerly opened the first page and was pulled into the story like the lure of a siren’s song. Alys, though not perfect, drew my attention to her. I loved her forbearance and patience. I was sure I would not have had half of hers. There was so much love in her. Goodness shone from her even in a tough situation. I could see why all characters gravitated toward her.

The strength of a true friendship was worth its value in gold, even when it was a new one. The author brought home this fact with a couple of other characters. Throughout the book, I kept hoping that Alys eould see the truth of her life. And when she did, oh glory be!! It was powerful and filled me with awe. I cheered her on as she discovered herself. Her husband Hugh was a louse, and I loved to hate him. Never trusted his words in the entire book.

Women gave up so much in a marriage, yet nothing was more dynamic than when she stood up for herself and became who she was supposed to be. The words in the entire book were filled with power that they caused me to read the book late into the night.

One of my best midnight reads in recent times. Emma Davies has done it again. A brilliant book!!

Highly engaging though morally relativistic fairytale

There is much to like about this book & I did enjoy it, despite a few weaknesses. It poses questions about the choices we make: keeping secrets, telling lies, their interdependency & which is worse? I found it intriguing as well as engaging. The author revealed things at a good pace. It's a well written story.

Alys isn't as passive as I thought she'd be from reading some of the other reviews. It's simply that she's usually the calm, rational one when others are following their emotions. She appeases others more than she should, but it's most often like an indulgent mum who's the only grownup in the room trying to placate the tantrumming (or threatening to be) emotionally childish. Which means I liked that she was usually in control of herself & tended to use reason before emotion, though I didn't like how she coddled & enabled the wrong behaviors or choices of *others* at times. I also liked that she tried to be sensitive to timing, but didn't inordinately put off telling things otherwise.

Though the story is well written, my biggest criticism is that the stereotyping of characters & situations meant that things happened in such a way & so much as I expected, that I never really lost sight of the fact that it was fiction. There were a few times when characters reacted in ways where it didn't seem psychologically true but was how the author wanted them to react.

The end of Alys's marriage with Tom is romanticized by some of the secondary characters, but romanticism in its negative, critical sense. I was glad that she wasn't buying into it as "so romantic". I really appreciated that Alys was determined to try to make her marriage to Hugh work - that was refreshing in a secular book - yet I couldn't help wondering why she would. It seemed like gratitude & a sort of loyalty based on that + time served were her only motivations.

Despite his ego, Hugh is very controlling & insecure - fearful that he's not enough in himself.
Nancy is the opposite of Hugh. She's a free spirit who takes life as it comes. She's confident, fun and serves as the quasi-omniscient, enlightened "guru" or sort of spiritual guide to Alys. So of course she's gay. 🙄 (which isn't a spoiler because it's not a big deal, and again, the book's trajectories are pretty obvious)

The message of female "empowerment" is really just part of the human search for truth & embracing & living that truth. Looking at the development of the male characters helps illustrate that - for example, Sam's empowerment was in finding the truth of his post-accident limitations, as well as learning the results of what actually happened vs what he had intended. & Hugh was a mess till he recognized & accepted the truth of what he was doing to Alys.

I especially appreciated that the author didn't portray Alys as a helpless victim here, but had her recognize & accept responsibility for the decisions she had made throughout it all.

So it's a likeable story with some worthwhile things to say, but there are a few things that you'll need to wade thru in getting there.

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*Clean romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic, a stereotyped depiction of a secondary gay couple

*Language: very minor - half dozen uses of d--n & b-----d, 3 uses of h--l & sh-t

*Religion: a few mentions of prayer but not specific about to Who or consistent in why, beliefs that are mentioned are rooted in moral relativism & secular humanistic psychology - and the pop psychology is a trifle preachy at times

First I want to thank Emma Davies, Bookouture and NetGalley for this book so I may bring you this review.

Emma Davies is back with another incredibly inspirational, emotional and beautifully written story in The Wife’s Choice. Emma shares some meaningful messages within so many of the storylines. It is one book that you will not forget.

This book is dedicated to all the dreamers out there.

This cover is perfect for this book. Not only is it beautiful yet simplistic it is very meaningful to the stories. Butterflies to me always had a special place in my heart. This butterfly symbolizes beauty in one’s transformation. There is a lot of that in this book. Plus, the tea cup-these characters sure love their tea. The graphic artists did an incredible job.

The prologue was unlike any others I have read-and-I have read 126 books this year. It was deep and made you think.

Personally, I connected with the Tom/Sam storyline and how he overcame great obstacles to get him where he was today. Not only on the outside did he change but his mentality too. His backstory to where he is today is extremely motivating! It was a story that I needed to hear.

The Wife’s Choice is filled with secrets with even more shocking revelations! Some that shocked me.

I was laughing when Emma mentioned there are two types of writers at Bookouture one set that writes for The Dark Side and those who write for The Sparkly Step! I read and review for both teams lol! However, I have never heard of the genres being called that though!

I was intrigued by, and enjoyed, this book, but felt like I was missing something. I could identify with Alys’ outlook on just about everything, especially that feeling of what might have been. I think every woman who has reached a certain age totally gets that one. While I related to most of the situations Alys was dealing with, I found the writing style to be a little bit jarring. And I especially appreciated the strong female friendship between Alys and Nancy. 3.5 rounded to four for some strong female characters and relatable situations. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

Alys is married to Hugh. She has worked for many years in a department store for many years where Hugh is the manager. Today, she has received a redundancy notice from HR. She is angry with Hugh for not letting her know this was coming. Alys is also a very talented seamstress.

Esme is the daughter of Alys and Hugh. She has finished university and wants to cook in a restaurant. There is a new place opening in town called The Green Room. It is part of a restaurant in London that is very posh. After interviewing with Nancy, she is told she has the job. She will be working with Nancy’s son and she is thrilled.

When Alys drops Esme off at the restaurant, she meets Nancy and finds her to be very outgoing and she knows they will be great friends. After chatting, she learns that Nancy had been married to Sam and they are divorced. Alys is shocked because Sam was once Tom and Alys had been married to him. He had a terrible car accident leaving him severely injured. He told her he wanted a divorce which broke her heart. Not long after, she married Hugh who had also known Tom, now Sam.

Hugh is a domineering man who has squelched Alys’s desire to work with conserving antique fabrics. When Alys uncovers a big secret he has been keeping from her, she is furious and ready to strike back.

Alys meets Sam again as he is in town for the opening of The Green Room. He has been left with many scars and walks with a cane. He sees that she is hungry to finally be able to do what she wants and learn to bloom. They have some nice chats to heal old wounds. There is one last secret that she tells him that shatters him.

This is such a good story. The characters are beautifully written. I really liked Nancy above all. What a wonderful woman who knows who she is and where she is going in life. There is angst and some heartbreak, but it all comes together.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This, my second novel by the gifted author Emma Davies, was as absorbing and exhilarating as I was expecting it to be.

In The Wife's Choice the reader is privy to an intriguing and thought-provoking, if short, prologue that grabbed my attention in immediately. I was introduced to Alys, living with her second husband, Hugh and their daughter, Esme. Alys feels that she should be happy, but instead, she is discontent and sleepwalking her way through life. She used to be Sam's wife, until he had a terrible car accident that left him fighting for his life, resulting in an eventual split between him and Alys for reasons that she could never fathom. As Alys struggles with life's many challenges, a chance meeting forces her past and present lives on a direct collision course...

The Wife's Choice is a cracking story with a comfortably-paced plot, together with oodles of drama. A domestic tale of secrets, hopes, family tension and life's turmoil, no one made it through unscathed and its unpredictability made it all the more interesting. The chapters were succinct and concise, and I read this engrossing story in one sitting.

The author's writing is addictive and her novels are very strong, and cleverly written. With its wonderful depth and emotion, I highly recommend The Wife's Choice to fans of Emma Davies or to anyone who gets a buzz from the genre.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is a really good read about second chances and living life to the full. It is a bit of a slow burner. The characters are good and interesting and the storyline is well thought out. It is a bit predictable in places but still an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The premise of The Wife's Choice is intriguing-what do you do when you have a second chance at happiness with your first love but in order to do so you risk losing everything? What a difficult choice that would be for anyone, especially for Alys. A mother and wife in her late 40s, Alys feels stifled in her career as she has sacrificed her dreams for her family. When her daughter's first job after university leads Alys directly to her past she will be confronted with choices that can lead to happiness or devastating consequences for everyone.

There is a lot of promise and potential in this book and while the middle fell a little flat, with some unnecessary filler and lack of dialogue of action. The last section of the story picks up and moves quickly. While the revelations were a little predictable it was a decent read.

Thank you to the publisher, writer and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you to netgalley and Bookouture for the arc of The Wife's Choice written by Emma Davies.

2 decades ago, Alys whom is married to her husband Sam when he was involved in a what terrible and horrific car crash in which left him so physically injured in that he was actually fighting for his own life!! . Sam's response was to push his wife Alys away even ended up divorcing her and telling her in that he never wanted to see her again.... Alys was broken... but went on to marry her next husband named Hugh and then ended up having a daughter named Esme. Many years later Alys is at a crossroad in her life....

4 Stars
definitely recommend- i read this so fast and was a hooking read!!

Well described characters in an emotional story. Some of it was a bit predictable but well worth a read . I enjoyed it

I am a little cautious about this book.
On one level I enjoyed it and thought it was good and on another level there were times when I wanted the plot to move on a bit quicker. There were definitely parts that were trying to hang on to a reveal, but which felt blatantly obvious to me.
I think I preferred the second half of the book more than the first because there was possibly a little more tension in the latter section. I thought that right near the end there was more emotion for me to connect with, almost poetic in parts, but even then, although I loved the romanticism of the ending, I actually didn't realise I had reached the end. I thought I had missed a page or two!
I guess the ending was what I suspected all along would happen, although at one point I was left wondering whether Hugh would end up with more than he deserved.
I can empathise with a middle aged woman such as Alys is, adrift after being made redundant from the department store her husband Hugh manages, looking back at a past where she was younger, had dreams and ambitions and also a different husband, the one true love of her life.
Tom however loves her so much that he makes the decision for both of them that Alys will leave, following a devastating and life changing car accident. Not even knowing whether Tom would live, once he recovers partially he determines that her life should not be about nursing an invalid.
There is romance in this book and really tough decisions that were made, and as the present catches up with the past, still to make, and yet I felt a lethargy in me, an emptiness that meant I was not as emotionally invested in the outcomes as I think I should have been.
Yes, there are developments that enable fresh starts, that can be viewed as hopeful and promising, but there was also a huge sense for me of a quarter of a century wasted which made me feel drained rather than optimistic.
I could understand some of Hugh's motivations and therefore could feel sorry for him but I also felt rage at his deceit and his subtle but constant coercion that ruled Alys's life so that she ended up making no real decisions of her own. Is it any wonder she got so lost along the way?
If you are looking for a family drama, set in Norfolk and featuring a bit of food (courtesy of The Green Room, where Esme, Hugh and Alys's daughter ends up working as a chef) and you want a splash of romance and some relationship reflecting then this may well be the book for you.
For me it was good but just needed a secret ingredient to add an unexpected flavour to the tale.

This is a book about self discovery and second chances. The characters are intriguing. The story is emotional. The blurb doesn't really do it justice. There were a couple of surprises along the way. I found myself invested in all the characters and I loved the ending. This is a great beach read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Bookouture for this #ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. The Wife’s Choice has an intriguing premise of a middle-aged woman finding herself trapped in an unsatisfying second marriage, with no career prospects to fall back on, and with a beloved adult daughter soon leaving home. By chance, she happens upon her first love/first husband, who forcefully “sent her away” 23 years ago after he suffered a horrific accident. She’s never gotten over him. You can guess where the story goes from here.

Unfortunately, the author does not deliver the compelling, psychologically centered novel I was hoping to read. The execution was flat, with little to no substantive events in the first half, and predictable outcomes in the second.

What I did like about the book is how sympathetically certain characters (the strong sidekick friend, charismatic ex-husband, lovely and mature daughter) are written with a decent backstory, and it’s easy to root for them. I did not care much for the main character herself. The transitions in the book were awkward; the author tries to paint a picture of a dynamic, bright young thing who suddenly shrinks into herself and becomes a mousy, dominated woman (then back again); it was just not that believable. The wife’s “deepest secret” teased in the summary was predictable and as such, the book anti-climactic. The ending had me questioning whether there was another chapter, or even a page; the conclusion was all very abrupt.

I think the book will appeal to women who are at a crossroads in their life, albeit under perhaps less dramatic circumstances. There are also some quality female friendships written about in the book, which is nice to witness. Overall, a lukewarm assessment, as this was not my cup of tea.

I have read and enjoyed a lot of Emma Davies books. This book is written in a different genre to her earlier books, more dramatic than romantic. She has made the transition well.
This book is very emotional, and there are many twists and turns. It is a little predictable in places, but well written, and a good read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC. I look forward to reading more books by this Author in the future.

A novel of second chances. Alys was crushed when her first husband Tom pushed her away after an accident but she rebounded, married High, and had a daughter Esme. She's not been really happy if she's honest with herself but now things have come to a head. Hugh's a creep who controls their lives and now had allowed her to be let go from her job at a company he controls. Seriously? Yes, that's how rotten he is. Esme is off into her own life. And then she has a chance encounter with Tom, now known as Sam, who has changed his own life. How these two can reconcile, how Alys negotiates a turning point in her life- all of this is relatable (even if the circumstances of how she parted from Tom originally is a bit outre). Good characters and storytelling made this a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It would be a good beach book if we were doing that but it also made a fine armchair read on a hot day inside in the AC.

a sweet low key somewhat predictable story of a woman's growth and true love. It felt more like a story from the 70's than currently

First time I have read a book of Emma's and what a beautifully written book this one is. It tells the story of Alys and Hugh, who appears to have control over Alys. She was married to Sam twenty years previous, but following an accident one New Years Eve, he tells her to go, that he doesn't want to be married to her any more. She meets Hugh whom she marries and he takes on the role of dad to Esme, who is Sam's child. We pick the story up where Esme is about to embark on her first job and Alys is about to be made redundant from her job by Hugh. Alys begins to start to think for herself, do things and have a life for herself. A totally engaging read and look forward to reading more by this author.

The Wife's Choice tells the story of Alys, a woman who has not had the chance to make many choices. She married Sam Walker, a chef who dreamed of opening his own restaurant. After a devastating car crash left him disfigured and with a permanent link, he ended their marriage. Alys abandoned her dream of becoming a textile conservator and took a dead end job at a department store, married the owner Hugh Robinson, and raised their daughter Esme.

Now, twenty years later, aspiring chef Esme is hired to work for famous restaurant The Green Room. The restaurant is owned by Nancy and she and Alys become friends. Then she introduces Alys to her husband Tom who is…Sam. And now, Alys’ carefully organized world turns upside down.

There’s a very fine line between secrets and lies” reads the first sentence in The Wife’s Choice. Alys, Hugh, Nancy and Sam are all hiding secrets and it is not until the very end of this book that all are revealed and Alys has made some interesting choices. Reading The Wife's Choice is a guilty pleasure. It’s full of love, drama, jealousy and ambition with yummy descriptions of food thrown in. I loved it. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Emma Davies for this ARC.