A Matter of Wife & Death, Secrets From Lulu's Cafe Series #2

especially when people expect you to be perfect.

Jennifer, who volunteers at a crisis pregnancy center, has waited years for a baby. Why is it so easy for girls like Jessica to get pregnant -- and so hard for her? Is it possible to want a baby too much?

Lisa's teenage daughter, Callie, is giving her the silent treatment. And her attitude at church -- when she goes -- majorly stinks. The board already criticizes her husband's ministry. What will they say now?

Mimi is overwhelmed. Baby Milo cries continually until she's so tired she can't see straight. Will anybody ever see her for her -- not just as a mom and a house slave?

Felicia's four-year-old, Nicholas, is biting people again. And the timing couldn't be worse...especially when Felicia's boss is about to close her Cincinnati PR office.

Then there's the snobby Katherine Katt, who's determined to lord it over them all....

A WORD FROM THE WIVES...

Mimi thought of her kids -- especially her second child, MJ. If she instituted a naughty corner, he'd basically end up living there. She could set up a small cot and etch the words MJ's Naughty Corner right into the wall. "If we could only have a naughty corner for ornery church members..." Jennifer said with a mischievous smile. -- Mimi

"Sometimes I look at my family and at the ministry and wonder if the sacrifice is too great. We're doing all this for God's kingdom...but, in the process, losing our daughter. Is it worth it? Is this really what God had in mind? I don't know." -- Lisa

"You listen to me, Kitty. If you tell Sam that secret, I'll tell Norm your secret!" -- Jennifer

"Hey, how tough can being a stay-at-home mom be, really? I ran a public relations office; I'm used to challenges. This should be a piece of cake." -- Felicia

Each chapter is focused on one of the women and the struggles in her life. Unless it is at Lulu’s cafe, each woman’s life is separate from the others. This gives the book a lot of subplots, making it somewhat hard to follow. The Lulu’s café chapters are mostly recaps of the previous four chapters and seem a little repetitive.

The conflicts that the women face are stereotypical (rebellious children, extramarital attraction, housewife vs. career), and are solved in rather simplistic and unrealistic ways. The accidental death of Kitty at the retreat seems pointless, as everyone else’s life continues as normal.

However, the book does stand alone well for being a second book. Key events in the first book are explained enough to catch the reader up, but are not over explained to the point that it slows the book’s pace. Kolbaba and Scannel mesh well, and it’s hard to tell where one writer leaves off and another begins. Minor characters such as Gracie, the waitress at Lulu’s, and Becky, Felicia’s maid, are engaging.

This book is best suited for mothers or pastors’ wives.

Overall it is intriguing, but there are no real matters of wife or death involved.-- Jessica Becker, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

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