The Widow

I love Anne Stuart's books and this one's no exception. Her 'heroes' are always so deliciously anti-heroic yet heroic despite themselves if that makes any sense at all. Dark, romantic and suspenseful they always think they're much worse than they are - and in actual fact, an Anne Stuart hero will always be willing to sacrifice everything in the end for his love. Great book!

While on a road trip in the wilderness, we had a flat and my husband was...shall we say...less than patient while spending 2 hours changing it on a gravel slope. Thanks to THE WIDOW, I didn't even notice the time passing, the mosquitoes, the sun beating down...I just thought I'd been swept away to a magical villa in Tuscany. The characterizations just sparkle in this one, and I couldn't put the book down as the layers of secrets and lies were slowly peeled away. Fantastic book, I can't recommend it highly enough. I never once said, "Honey, how's that tire change coming along?" and therefore we are as happily-ever-after as Maguire and Charlie.

The Widow is both a romance and a mystery. What made it a special book was the relationship between Charlie and Maguire, watching each of them change through their relationship. The painter Pompasse is murdered and there are several suspects. Charlie was married to him and returns to their home, to see his funeral. Maguire is there to cover the painter's life, his scandals and his women. I liked The Widow because it was so different. I liked the relationship between Maguire and Charlie. I liked trying to figure out who killed Pompasse. The location, the characters are all very interesting. I found I had to read the book slowly to understand the true development and change of the relationship between Maguire and Charlie. Maguire seemed like a shallow person, until you really saw where his feelings came from. Charlie is hard to understand until you realize she really never had a father. Perhaps she was looking for him in her men. Maguire will change that. Enjoy this book for both the romance and the mystery.

Astride Pompasse was a famous painter from Tuscany. Charlie was his child bride, his favorite model, his inspiration. Charlie eventually leaves Pompasse, due to her disenchantment with him, and her own growing lack of self respect. Pompasse had many vices, and one of them causes his murder.Connor Maguire is a burnt out war correspondent. Due to his wishes for escape from a career that took too much from him, he becomes a reporter for a scandal magazine, THE STARLIGHT. His new career will send him to cover the murder of Pompasse, and the women who have surrounded the famous painter, including Charlie. He will go to Tuscany undercover, and meet Charlie on her return for Pompasse's funeral.As sparks fly between Charlie and Connor, they will fight a mutual attraction, as well as try to solve the mystery of the murdered Pompasse. Due to the painter's desire to be surrounded by very young, attractive women, there will be several suspects to choose from. Charlie's mother, Pompasse's latest model, and even some of his now older, previous models will all be suspect. For me, the strongest part of THE WIDOW is the personification of the two leads, the tension between them, and a very sexy consumation. The supporting cast is interesting, but I was really caught up in the drama between Charlie and Connor. By the end of the book, I really felt like I knew them.The weakest part of the book, for me, was the mystery. Aristride Pompasse, most of the supporting cast are so unlikeable, that I didn't really care who the killer was. For that reason alone, I would have given THE WIDOW 4 1/2 stars, instead of 5. Connor is not one of Anne Stuart's darker heroes, but he is a charmer. I would read this book again, just to read about him. (But, I do want to read about those dark heroes again, too.)

In his Florence apartment, someone murders renowned philandering portrait artist Aristide Pompasse. The body is discovered by tabloid reporter Connor Maguire who planned to write a tell all book about the infamous artist. Upon learning about his death, Aristide's wife Charlie returns from New York City, where she had started a fresh life without her domineering spouse five years ago, to her husband's Tuscan, France villa. Now she just wants to bury her memories of him by shutting down the estate quickly and re-crossing the Atlantic. However, before she can attain some peace, Charlie must contend with her husband's slew of mistresses all claiming a piece of the estate. Worse is Maguire who obviously wants something from the widow. As they yell at one another while together looking for Aristide's missing paintings, the danger and the passion mount. The story line of THE WIDOW emphasizes the romance much more so than the suspense until very late in the tale. The war of words between the lead protagonists is fun to watch as they are an engaging duo who seem both right and wrong for one another. However, anyone expecting a terse suspense-laden tale will be disappointed in Anne Stuart's latest novel. Those readers who relish a powerful love story with torrid passion and a dab of action will fully enjoy THE WIDOW.Harriet Klausner