Prime Time by Jane Wenham-Jones

Title: Prime Time by Jane Wenham-Jones
Publisher: Xcite Books
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Comedy
Length: 370 pdf pages
Book Rating: B

Summary:

A British romantic comedy by Jane Wenham-Jones, author of ‘Perfect Alibis’.

Laura Meredith never imagined herself appearing on TV– she’s too old, too flabby, too downright hormonal, and much too busy holding things together for her son, Stanley, after husband, Daniel, left her for a younger, thinner replacement.

But best friend Charlotte is a determined woman and when Laura is persuaded on to a daytime show to talk about her PMT, everything changes. Suddenly there’s a camera crew tracking her every move and Laura finds herself an unlikely star. Wined, dined, and pampered, she begins to see the charms of a younger partner herself. But as things hot up between her and gorgeous TV director, Cal, they’re going downhill elsewhere. While Laura’s caught up in a heady whirlwind of beauty treatments, makeovers and glamorous film locations, Charlotte’s husband, Roger, is concealing a guilty secret, Stanley’s got problems at school, work’s piling up, and when Laura turns detective to protect Charlotte’s marriage, things go horribly wrong.

The champagne’s flowing as Laura’s prime time TV debut looks set to be a hit. But in every month, there’s a Day Ten …

The Review:

Prime Time by Jane Wenham-Jones is an absolutely marvelous novel that is smart, sassy and wicked funny. When her husband leaves her for a much younger (and skinnier) woman, Laura Meredith’s self-esteem plummets. Compounding her problems are her concerns for her son Stanley, her suspicions about good friend Charlotte’s husband, and her contentious relationship with her soon to be ex-husband Daniel.

Laura Meredith is a fabulously flawed yet immensely appealing protagonist. She has a multitude of issues that are easy to relate to, and her reactions to the various situations in her life are realistic. It is easy to understand how she finds herself caught up in the hype of her upcoming stint on the reality show. Some of the situations she finds herself in are cringe worthy, and I found myself squirming in embarrassment for her on occasion. But overall, Laura is easy to relate to and I sympathized with the emotions she was dealing with.

Laura’s close and longstanding friendship with Charlotte is easily one of the novel’s best qualities. Laura’s quandary over what to do about her suspicions about Roger is well executed. I would have done the very same thing if I had been in her shoes. Charlotte’s reaction to the situation was understandable and their resolution of the entire issue was superbly done.

The plot surrounding the reality TV show is refreshingly unique and I found myself just as caught up in the glitz and glamour as Laura. Ms. Wenham-Jones takes the storyline in an unexpected direction I did not see coming until it was actually occurring.

Prime Time by Jane Wenham-Jones is a delightful novel that is engaging and humorous. The romantic angle is understated yet adds the perfect finishing touch on Laura’s transformation. Prime Time is an entertaining read that I highly recommend.

4 Comments

Filed under Comedy, Contemporary, Fiction, Jane Wenham-Jones, Prime Time, Romance, Xcite Publishing

4 Responses to Prime Time by Jane Wenham-Jones

  1. Tamsyn

    Sounds like one of the sit-coms on TV. Very enjoyable. Thanks.

  2. Timitra

    Thanks for the heads up on this new to me author Kathy!!!