THE SECRET DESIRES OF A SOCCER MOM

Author: Robin Harding ISBN: 0345476301 8/2006 CHICK LIT Publisher: BALLANTINE

"I felt fairly confident that I would take this information to my grave–even though it was the juiciest thing to happen in Aberdeen Mists in about eight years." Paige Atwell appears to have a fulfilling life in the cozy community of Aberdeen Mists–a nice house, a great husband, and two young kids. But behind the façade of neighborhood coffee klatches and carpools, Paige is growing restless with her increasingly busy spouse, the early onset of her ten-year-old daughter’s teenage hostility, and her young son’s alarming preoccupation with bodily functions. When her friend and neighbor, Karen, looking even more vibrant and gorgeous than usual, confesses to a passionate affair with a sizzling Latin lover, Paige assesses her own state of domestic ecstasy: not good. But Paige’s attempts to “re-sexualize” her marriage produce comically calamitous consequences. Just when Paige begins to wonder whether an extramarital remedy may be the key to happiness, Karen is found dead in her garage, lying in a pool of blood. The residents of Aberdeen Mists may be satisfied with the freak accident theory–that Karen fell and hit her head on a metal toolbox–but Paige knows the adulterous secret that could blow the closed case wide open. With sleuthing skills acquired from her favorite TV crime dramas, Paige vows to find out the truth. Her list of potential perps (that’s what Law & Order calls them, right?) includes Karen’s aggrieved husband, Doug, and sexy Spanish lothario Javier. As Paige’s Miss Marple—esque adventure winds through her allegedly quiet enclave to the boundaries of her own fidelity, what she uncovers may prove more shocking than she ever imagined.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I thought I was reading a Desperate Housewives script - but then I realized it was Robyn Harding's new book, THE SECRET DESIRES OF A SOCCER MOM. Either way you look at it, both are hot, spicy glimpses into the private lives of sexy housewives.

Paige Atwell has just been made a confidant to her friend Karen's deepest secret—that she's having an affair. Taken back by that admission and realizing that perhaps her own marriage is lacking some luster in the bedroom, Paige decides to re-sexualize her marriage. Although each attempt to seduce her husband is thwarted, Paige is still determined to spice up her marriage and evaluate her life thus far. Things come to a sudden halt when Karen is found dead in her garage and only Paige knows about her affair.

Paige is determined to solve the death of Karen on her own; she watched enough episodes of Law and Order to understand the basics of criminal investigation. She just knows that Karen's death wasn't an accident, and she's going after Karen's lover first. But first Paige must deal with the police questioning her about her relationship with Karen and if there were any reason that anyone would want to see her dead. Should Paige tell them about her friend's affair?

If that isn't enough to keep Paige occupied, there's also her two extremely funny children she must look after. Her six-year-old son is suddenly obsessed with bodily functions and her ten-year-old daughter is going through pubescent angst early. Paige's interactions with her children highlight Harding's exceptionally witty writing.

Can Paige discover what happened to Karen, attempt to raise two normal children and spice up her love life with her husband of twelve years? If you want to know the answers, you must pick up THE SECRET DESIRES OF A SOCCER MOM.

Harding has a gift for pulling the readers into her stories. I simply loved her first book, THE JOURNAL OF MORTIFYING MOMENTS, and her new release is helping Harding find a top place among woman's fiction writers. It's hard to believe THE SECRET DESIRES OF A SOCCER MOM is only her second book.

THE SECRET DESIRES OF A SOCCER MOM is a great summer read. Besides that, it has an ending truly resembling a Desperate Houswives scene. With her witty writing style and knack for telling an overall good story, I'm definitely looking forward to reading Robyn Harding's future books.

Julie Kornhausl