Product Description

Clare Elias has always known the risks of being married to a rich, handsome, younger man like Marc. But when she gives birth to two gorgeous babies, she discovers motherhood isn’t quite the cinch she’d expected, and Marc is better with them than she is. Desperate to regain her independence running a successful chain of boutique flower shops, Clare hires Jenna, a confident, efficient nanny keen to escape a relationship that is going horribly wrong.

Before too long, a deadly rivalry emerges, and as events spiral out of control, Clare finds herself forced to make wrenching decisions about love, loyalty and motherhood.

Praise for Tess Stimson

‘ [a] superior tale of immorality and lust...Stimson's skill ensures we are gripped to the finish. Warmly recommended.’ Daily Mail

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10614 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
'In this tense domestic drama who will be the first to crack?... Stimson delivers a fast-paced page-turner.' --Image Magazine

Review
'We've always been big fans of Tess Stimson's chick-lit-with-a-twist, and this is her best yet... A racy roller coaster of a read.'

Review
'This really made me smile, right from the first paragraph. It's traditional chick lit and very funny... I couldn't put it down.'

Customer Reviews

Unputdownable!
I loved this novel so much, I couldn't put it down! I stayed up all night to finish it. It's such a satisfying read - the characters are believable and rounded, and I really didn't see some of the twists and turns of the plot coming. It's a fantastic book - dark, seductive, each character clearly defined.
The author uses different character's points-of-view in each chapter, which turns the tables and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I love that her characters are flawed and not always likeable or perfect, because it makes them seem so real. You really feel like you know someone like Clare, the mother, or Jenna, the nanny. She's taken a familiar theme and turned it into something totally new and unexpected.
I've read both Tess Stimson's other novels, The Adultery Club and The Infidelity Chain, and thought they were brilliant, but this is her best one yet. Her style is so easy and readable, and yet the book is also incredibly clever and well-written.
Even though she deals with serious themes, it's totally gripping. This is brilliant escapist fiction, which we all need right now! If you only buy one book this year, this should be it!

Perfectly pleasant
Main character Clare Elias has always known that she was running a risk by marrying a handsome man so much younger than herself. In the beginning, though, it didn't appear to bother Marc that his wife was earning more than him, running her own very successful florist business whilst he slogged away in banks. However, things change for the happy couple when Clare gives birth to twins. Thinking she'll cope with the babies the same as she copes with everything else - with complete efficiency, nobody is worried about Clare's state of mind. Until the twins actually come along, that is.

After giving birth to babies on the street, things go from bad to worse when one of the children is taken ill, along with Clare. Clare is in one hospital, one of her babies in another, and the other child at home with its father. So when everyone finally gets together at home, over the worst, everything should have worked out. But Clare soon comes to realise that she can't actually cope. One child is as good as gold, the other, not so good. And when the worse one upsets the better one... Clare's life becomes one long stream of screaming, nappies, cleaning up sick and breastfeeding. Feeling more and more depressed, Clare gives in and hires a nanny.

Jenna bounds in and takes over, making motherhood look a breeze, and Clare feel more inadequate than ever. However, as time passes and things start to calm down, Clare gets used to looking after children. But just as one area of her life appears to be calming down, all the others are in severe danger of crashing down around her ears. Somehow, she must emerge from the other side unscathed... easier said than done.

This wasn't a bad book. On the one hand, I liked the multiple viewpoints because it gave you an understanding of what all the characters were thinking. But this was also a downside because it means you didn't get an in-depth knowledge of any one person's viewpoint. But it balances out. There's plenty of action: blood, sweat and tears. And some sex thrown in there for good measure. For saying this novel covers many bases with its plot and various subplots, it still ties together really nicely and comes to a satisfactory ending. My personal opinion, though, is that it could have been more powerful had it been told from a single, or possibly duel viewpoints.

Regardless, if you like chick-lit, this is a perfectly pleasant way to spend some time chilling out. I'll be looking out for Tess' other novels too.

Another Triumph for Tess Stimson
No words are wasted here, as best-selling author Stimson delivers another pacy, gripping tale. Contemporary and cunningly crafted, "The Cradle Snatcher" gets below the surface of middle-class motherhood and family ... who says professional parents are dull? Read it!