I recently finished Isabel Sharpe’s WOMEN ON THE EDGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKTHROUGH. Thanks to my pal Jamie Sobrato for talking up Isabel’s first women’s fiction release on her blog last year, because I loved this book (yes, I’m ashamed to admit it can take me a year or longer to buy and read a book that’s on my Must Buy list). WOMEN ON THE EDGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKTHROUGH is like a slice of Desperate Housewives on paper. Hmm, I guess that sounds wonderful if, like me, you love Desperate Housewives. If you don’t dig the ladies of Wisteria Lane, try WOMEN, anyway. After all, I’m recommending it. What more do you need?
Because I bought this book based on Jamie’s recommendation and because I’m familiar 
with Isabel’s category romance career, I bought it during an Amazon binge without reading the back cover copy. From the cover, I assumed it was a murder mystery, but it isn’t. As I read, I realized the cover reflects more of a “Mother’s Little Helper” vibe, which suits the story to a tee. Plus, well, I don’t want to give away the plot, but the red carpet on the cover is symbolic.
Back cover copy:
Welcome to Kettle, Wisconsin, a town where everyone knows nothing bad ever happens.
Enter Lorelei Taylor—notorious, glamorous, and hot off a not-guilty murder verdict that stunned the nation. To the women of Kettle, bad things seem suddenly inevitable . . .
Sarah Gilchrist—A perfect house and garden can’t quite make up for a marriage that’s a wreck. Sarah is determined to rise above her opinion of Kettle’s dreadful newcomer and give her a perfect welcome. But in the face of Lorelei’s outrageous provocations, Sarah’s control starts to unravel.
Erin Hall—What her husband does to her behind closed doors stays hidden. But Lorelei’s acquittal gives Erin hope for the first time. Convinced Lorelei did kill her abusive lover . . . and got away with it, Erin thinks she may have some power after all.
Lorelei Taylor—In Lorelei’s eyes, peaceful, heavenly Kettle could not look any more like hell. She vows to shake up the town—smug, priggish Sarah; mousy, downtrodden Erin; and while she’s at it, her widowed neighbor, Mike. Except the harder she shakes, the more the shake-up is happening to her.
Sometimes the only thing women on the edge need . . . is a push.
We won’t get into who pushes whom. Nope, you have to read the book to find out.
I notice on Isabel’s website that her second women’s fiction release, AS GOOD AS IT GOT, is also now available. You can bet it’s going on my Must Buy list. And this time it won’t take me a year to read it. (She says bravely).