Book Review and Giveaway: Tempting Fate by Jane Green

Pages: 352

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pub. Date: March 25, 2014

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Number one bestselling author Jane Green gives a powerful portrayal of a marriage rocked by betrayal in the stunning Tempting Fate. When Gabby first met Elliott she knew he was the man for her. In twenty years of marriage she has never doubted her love for him - even when he refused to give her the one thing she still wants most of all. But now their two daughters are growing up Gabby feels that time and her youth are slipping away. For the first time in her life she is restless. And then she meets Matt . ..Intoxicated by the way this young, handsome and successful man makes her feel, Gabby is momentarily blind to what she stands to lose on this dangerous path. And in one reckless moment she destroys all that she holds dear. Consumed by regret, Gabby does everything she can to repair the home she has broken. But are some betrayals too great to forgive?"

Gabby's life is pretty average. She's married to a doctor, has two daughters, and works on refurbishing furniture from her home.  She's been married to Elliott for years and she knows her future is set.  However, she's been in a rut lately and when she goes out for a night on the town with her girlfriends, she is feeling pretty blah.  Her friends are all dressed to the nines, talking with older men and flirting shamelessly. Gabby is hoping to just blend into the crowd.  That is until she meets Matt, an extremely good-looking and young businessman (he's pretty much famous!) and they hit it off immediately as friends.  She feels like she is old enough to be his mother; plus, he doesn't actually like her, right?  Or does he? Their friendship slowly blossoms into something more and Matt makes Gabby feel desired, sexy and young.  Could she really risk her future, her marriage, and her family for a night with Matt?  Tempting Fate by Jane Green is fabulous women's fiction that I was completely addicted to. I just had to know what was going to happen to Gabby.

Gabby is clearly having a mid-life crisis in Tempting Fate.  She's hard on herself and is feeling old, fat, and inadequate…..until she meets Matt.  Even though they are just friends at first, he puts a hop in her step, and their friendship inspires her to lose weight and take care of herself.  For the record, I did not agree with Gabby's decisions and she was a really annoying character from time to time. However, Green is a fantastic author because she made me care about Gabby even though she drove me nuts.  Gabby's life and what unfolds is like a car wreck.  I knew it wasn't going to be good, but I just had to watch it unfold.  I was desperate to see what was going to happen to Gabby's life and boy, does Green put some plot twists in there.  I found myself saying, "Well played, Jane Green, well played."

Tempting Fate really made me feel all the emotions. I was angry, I was sad, and I was frustrated. This book is heart-wrenching.  Green does a good job really showing readers how one stupid mistake can impact not only your life, but the consequences of your bad choices can spill over into other people's lives, too.  And perhaps we shouldn't take things for granted.  The grass isn't always greener on the other side; it's greener where you water it, right? Anyway, I really liked how Green examined various aspects of marriage, mid-life issues, fidelity, family, regret, life-altering secrets, and lastly, love in its many forms.

I highly recommend Tempting Fate if you like your women's fiction to be thought-provoking and emotional.  It was serious, but felt completely indulgent and that's why I feel this book would be the perfect book to take with you on spring break.  This is my first Jane Green novel (shocking, I know!) and I definitely plan on reading more of her work in the future.

Thanks to St. Martin's, I am hosting a giveaway of two copies of Tempting Fate for two lucky US readers.  Please refer to my giveaway rules and the deadline is April 5th.  Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway