To Have and to Hold
2005 · book
What happens when your Prince Charming turns out not to be so charming after all? In To Have and To Hold, bestselling author Jane Greenoffers a sizzling, highly entertaining look at romantic relationships after we say "I do." Alice knows she should be happy. A charming twenty-eight-year-old with a successful catering business, she's always dreamed of a rose-covered cottage in the English countryside, filled with children and animals and home-cooked meals. Her favorite attire is comfy jeans, her best manicure features garden dirt under the nails. But when her teenage crush--the wealthy, dashing man-about-town Joe Chambers--wants to make her his bride, Alice is more than willing to play Cinderella to Joe's prince. Never mind that he wants her to change--a diet, ice-blond highlights, stilettos, snooty gallery openings--and that he's allergic to nature and kids. She tells herself she's happy to sacrifice for love, and besides, with Joe's stunning good looks and high-profile career at a top financial firm, every woman in London wants to be in her shoes. But that's just the problem. Despite Alice's efforts to be the perfect wife, Joe soon reveals a penchant for being hopelessly unfaithful. When a notorious indiscretion with a female colleague forces Joe to transfer to New York, Alice's life turns upside down. As Joe continues to sneak around, and her best friend's beau offers a tempting glimpse of what real love could be like, Alice must decide how much Cinderella she can take bef