The Unwanted Wife

What a surprise!

Wow... what a surprise book! I wasn't expecting such an in depth story...but wow... The female characters was surprisingly... tough...

Most of these sappy romance stories have the women falling all over the man, and just ooze forgiveness after the man hurts them. Women are emotional and you rarely ever see a woman actually get pissed and stay pissed for significant about of time in these type of books.

Teresa was a great character, as she found out why her marriage was horrible from day one, and the man she thought loved her, really didn't.

Alexandro was a good character too, as he found out that Teresa had no knowledge of their fixed marriage, so the entire time, he was hurting her thinking she knew about everything when she didn't.

Nice drama, and awesome smexyness... although it wasn't graphic, it was subtle but intense. I totally loved it. Great to see how Alexandro changed over the course of the story.

Well worth a credit, buy or sale... book is not all that expensive...under 10 bucks!

Nice narration... Good shift in male to female voices...plus the Italian accents weren't all that bad either...

18 people found this helpful

horrible, horrible narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I really, really wanted to hear this book because of the recommendation of a friend. I can't easily read a whole book in print, so I was happy to see it was available in audiobook. However, this is one of the most offensive narrations I've ever listened to. I've heard young readers who should never have been hired to read an audiobook. Justine Eyre doesn't have this excuse. I have heard books she's read that have been fine, although I don't really love her voice. This narration is so extremely affected that it's actually quite ridiculous. It's not clear what accent she is trying to use for the heroine; the hero is supposed to be Italian and it's not completely off, it's just so over the top silly. But the main narration is so extremely bizarre, it's hard to imagine what Ms. Eyre thought she was doing. I know from other books that Ms. Eyre is NOT good at accents. She apparently believes that she is. I know that she records at a home studio and doesn't use a producer, which she desperately needs. I honestly hope that anyone who wants to hire Ms. Eyre to narrate will insist on having both a producer and an editor/director working directly with her. She's Canadian but even her French accent isn't good; she's been trained (at least a little) but her British accents are poor. Really the only accent she's good at is Canadian/American and if she tones her style way, way down. If this rant sounds like I'm upset, I am. The reader of a book should NEVER put herself into a book in this way; we readers want to appreciate the book; the narrator does the best work when he/she disappears into the work and is only appreciated after the fact when the listener relishes a good book that was really well read.

So listen to this book at your peril. If you can read it in print, do that instead.

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Would you be willing to try another one of Justine Eyre’s performances?

Only with reluctance; I do know that she can do a good job, but when she's bad, she's really really bad.

Any additional comments?

Please, whoever chooses narrators for books, take it more seriously. If you don't make a good choice, the book will not sell; readers are getting more and more selective.

10 people found this helpful

Okay

I felt so bad for Theresa. It felt like her father and Husband were just overly cruel to her. I did like the fact the the H tried to make his bad behavior up to her. He did work hard at it. I didn't like him calling her a B. He deserved everything she dished out to him. The story took too long to end. After he professed his love for her, the book should have ended. I think a writer should be careful in making their characters too mean, nice, sympathetic, etc. When they are too much of something, it makes you focus on the attribute and less on their other qualities. I spent the majority of this book feeling sorry for Theresa wishing her husband and father would leave her alone to be happy. It was hard for me to see the romance because of Thersa's victimization by her father and husband. The author made her too much of a victim. It took away from the love story between the characters.

4 people found this helpful

Nice story.. Confusing, annoying accents

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The narration really annoyed me and grew more irritating over time, so I'm not sure I can recommend this audiobook version.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The accents were distracting and confusing. It was hard to understand what Justine Eyre was aiming for. It didn't sound South African .. more like a bad French/Australian accent.

4 people found this helpful

Totally Different, LOVE Kick A$$ Women!

So the story starts out with them already married, which is a change from most. So you don't get too much back story on how they were before marriage, but that isn't the point. After being madly in love with her husband from the moment they met, Theresa realizes that her marriage isn't what she wants or needs. Alessandro (her husband) begins to see that he may have misjudged her. After a bit he realizes that he is totally to blame for their situation and works like a dog to change it before he loses her for good.

I have to say, this was a good one, wasn't sure, different from my norm but the story was great. It takes place in South Africa so Justine Eyer's narration was different than what she does for the British books, she did a great job! Theresa was a strong and confident woman, though it may have taken her a while to get there, she is there! I love a strong woman and a groveling man (it's the married woman in me :) But Alessandro has redeeming qualities as well.

There are some areas I felt could have been explored more deeply, like his relationship with the woman in Italy, it seemed swept under the rug.

For the most part, this is a great book, on the shorter side of ones I usually get but very good.

9 people found this helpful

This guy is a jerk...and hard to like

Any additional comments?

I realize the guy thought his wife was using him in some way, but still he treated her like crap for so long and in so many horrible ways that I could never forgive him, and I couldn't forgive her for being such a doormat. Do people really carry around resentment like this and never say anything? Seems unrealistic. Nonetheless, even when the husband finds out that his wife married him for the right reasons he is still an ass and his excuses don't make it better. I can't believe people think this is romantic.

8 people found this helpful

Pass This One Along - Unwanted Book

What did you like best about The Unwanted Wife? What did you like least?

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I am not sure what I was looking for or expecting from this book but whatever it was it was not there for me. The summary perfectly explains the first half of the book...but the 2nd half takes a 180 degree turn.

The Theresa has been married to the Sandro De Luca for 18 months and he just wants to have sex with her as a means to an end. There are no gentle kisses or any sort of affection. She knows it is because he wants a son and shortly finds out later exactly why he wants a son.

He is described as this cold and hateful man and she the ever-loving, kind woman who is in love with her Sandro.

Until about 18 months after they're married she has decided that she has had enough and she asks for a divorce. From then on we find she's pregnant and he begins to warm up to her. It was a complete 180 and didn't really make any sense, why-what was the point? The ending was predictable and I'm not sure why there is a follow up unless it is to give Sandro' POV.


Justine Ayres narration, which is usually great, was very confusing to me. I was not sure if this was a historical romance or a contemporary one. The characters all had accents from Italy or Scotland, but a few clues did help me understand that it was a contemporary work.

Notes Mature themes & a few cuss words

Credit worthy/$: No way, I think that I may return this one

3 people found this helpful

Sad

I could not finish listening to this audio version. I got the ebook version in 2013 and have read it several times. The accent was awful, sounding strained at time's. I wish I could return it.

2 people found this helpful

Horrible Male Voice

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

It was very excruciating to listen to the male voice of sandro. I found myself speeding through his parts as much as possible. I found myself cringing through most of the story. She should never use this voice ever again in life.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was predictable for the genre. Its a romance for petes sake!

How could the performance have been better?

A more authentic voice or an entirely new narrator. Ms Justine did not do this book any favors narrating this book.

What character would you cut from The Unwanted Wife?

None they all work well.

Any additional comments?

This book needs to be re-narrated.

2 people found this helpful

Tiresome Misunderstanding..

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Maybe if Justine Eyre is not the narrator. Her nasally, over the top accented narration grated on my nerves.

What could Natasha Anders have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Clear up the stupid misunderstanding between Theresa and and her husband post haste. It was tiresome to hear Theresa whinning about the supposed lover and true love for her husband throughout the book till the end. It made for a boring reading.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She spoke in a low and nasally tone. It was especially bad when imitating a man.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

2 people found this helpful