In The Pastor's Wife, Maura Sullivan Shepherd is a "runaway wife." She forsakes her pastor-husband, Nick Shepherd, when her life becomes too much. After six years of separation, she is forced to return to him because of the reading of a will involving them both.

A parishioner has made them both joint beneficiaries of an old theater, but the conditions state they must live together for six months before they can inherit it. Now Maura must face both Nick and the congregation she left behind. Somehow, she doubts she can satisfy either of them, nor Nick's God whom she used to serve so fervently. Complicating matters, it appears that Nick may have a younger and much more suited love interest, even though he is still legally married to Maura. Although the plot is simple, the book is an interesting read, especially when Nick and Maura begin to realize their mistakes.

Embracing the sanctity of marriage as well as the concept of free will, this book would be a good read for most any woman, especially those who have sometimes felt that their marriage was not necessarily made in heaven.
-Beth Anderson

The Pastor's Wife
Jennifer AlLee
Abingdon Press
softcover, 288 pages, $13.99
978-1-426-70225-9

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