Wife for a Day
Grade : C-

Many years ago I went to see Splash with my parents. For those of you who may not remember, this fanciful film was a love story between a man and a mermaid. Although each of us enjoyed it, at one point my dad turned to me and said, "When she did that, it wasn't realistic." Given that the entire movie was unrealistic, I found his comments odd. Apparently my father was able to partially suspend disbelief while watching this fantasy. When I watch or read a fantasy, however, it's the total package. Either I am able to buy into the fantasy completely or not at all. The latter sums up my reading experience with Wife for a Day.

Patti Berg's latest is built around a Big Secret between millionaire rancher/restauranteur Jack Remington and down-on-her-luck Samantha Jones for the benefit of Jake's sister Lauren. Jack's girlfriend Arabella dumped him on the day they were to fly to Palm Beach for his sister's engagement ball. Rather than disappoint Lauren, he enlists Samantha, who is tailoring his tuxedo, to pretend to be Arabella for the evening.

In the course of a couple of chapters, we learn that Arabella wasn't truly suited for Jack's life on the range, that Jack's teenage son, whom he hasn't seen since he was a baby, has arrived at his Wyoming home loaded for bear, that Samantha is in debt to a loan shark after paying for a proper funeral for her prostitute mother, and that she was beaten up by a man she'd trusted. We also learn that Jack and Samantha are mightily attracted to one another, which is why Jack's concocting the Big Secret is supposed to be plausible.

It isn't, which is why the remainder of the book, although it features some strong characterization and plotting, didn't work. I've often wondered how someone can say, "It was well-written, but I didn't like it." In the past, if I've enjoyed a book, I always assumed it must have been written well. Now I know that's not necessarily so. If you can suspend your disbelief for this premise, you might enjoy Wife for a Day. But if you can't, you'll wonder, as I did, why two-otherwise street-smart people would create and act out this secret when a two-minute discussion between Jack and his sister would have easily sufficed.

To forge onward, Jack can't get Sam out of his mind after their evening, and when Lauren runs into Sam while she's working at a coffee bar, things become more complicated. Before you can say, "$320 dollars for a bra and underwear?", Sam is on her way to Jack's homestead to help Lauren nurse a broken heart after dumping her fiance.

Though the book is of decent length, not enough attention is paid to the sub-plot involving Jack and his estranged son Beau. He seemed to be there to play the part of "pathos;" he deserved better. Lauren, on the other hand, was a pistol - the way she told off her fiance after he took her to a posh English fat farm was a bit of comic genius.

Samantha's history and personality made her a likable character; Jack seemed more amorphous. Even with the relationship he begins to build with his son and the love he finds with Sam, Jack is never fully fleshed. Yes, he's handsome, rich, smart, and has a temper, but he never grows beyond the confines of "romance novel hero." We're supposed to believe in his goodness because of his protectiveness toward his sister and the fact that he lives on the range and works with his hands, but nothing boosts him from "stock character" category and into "believable character" range.

If you are a long-time fan of this author, you will no doubt feel the need to read Wife for a Day. If you can stop the forces from within, I recommend spending your time and money on a different book. And if you have never read Patti Berg before, better wait until the future to try her.

Reviewed by Laurie Likes Books
Grade : C-

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : August 13, 1999

Publication Date: 1999

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