The Good Woman (A Brennan Sisters, #1) by Jane Porter

The Good Woman (A Brennan Sisters, #1) Reviews

• 
  Sharon Redfern

  On the surface, Meg Roberts has it all. She has a loving husband, three children and a job she loves doing PR for an area winery. But Meg is feeling as though she is missing something, that her life lacks some essential thing that she can’t put her finger on. She and her husband Jack have been married for seventeen years but she feels as though they are losing the connection between them. Meg discovers that her charismatic boss Chad has been harboring feelings for her and drifts into an affair which causes the disintegration of her life as she knows it.
  Meg is an interesting character. She has always been the good girl, the good wife, the good mother and she has a strong sense of loyalty and a need for structure. This story looks at how someone who has been so tightly controlled all of her life finds herself doing something that she knows is wrong and also knows could ruin her life. The book does not make excuses for her behavior or paint her husband in a terrible light. Yes, he is sometimes distracted and may be a little selfish in the marital bed, but does that excuse adultery? Meg’s family is an old school Irish Catholic one that is having issues of its own. Her sister Kit is getting over the breakup of her long term relationship. Her sister Sarah is married to a professional athlete who cheated on her in the past. Needless to say, Sarah is not sympathetic to Meg’s situation. Meg’s parents are supportive but unhappy with what she has done and they are dealing with their own problems as well. The story weaves all of their lives into Megs and gives the reader a variety of viewpoints of Meg’s situation.
  When I started the book, I was concerned about the theme because I wasn’t sure I could relate to a character that cheats. However, the way the topic was handled in this book made it relatable and not uncomfortable. The resolution of the situation is handled realistically and appropriately. Ms. Porter did not take the easy way out for the character.
  This is the first book in the series about the Brennan family. Based on the characters from this book it looks like they will all be pretty interesting. The next book is due out in February, 2013.
  
• 
  Cheryl

  Meg Brennan Roberts is a publicist for Chad and Craig Hallahan. The Hallahan brothers own Dark Horse Winery. The winery is growing thanks to Meg. Chad approaches Meg and offers a golden opportunity. To go to the London Wine Fair with him to help promote the winery. Meg would like to go but there is the problem of her husband and family. She would have to leave them to attend. Meg’s husband tells Meg to go. Soon Chad and Meg are spending time together. The more time that they spend together, the more Meg starts to reevaluate her marriage.
  
  I have read several of Jane Porter books and enjoyed them. What I do like about them is that the women are strong and experiences. What I mean by this is that they are not young and have lived for a while. It has been a while since I have picked up a book by Jane. So when I saw she had a new book releasing I thought it was a good time to try her again.
  
  Unfortunately for me, this book did not hit the spot. I mean that Meg and Chad were fine and I thought that Chad was great. He and Meg made a good couple. It was easy to see why Meg fell for Chad. He was kind, respectful and was not Meg’s husband. Meg’s husband was a jerk. So this book would have been better for me if you had taken out Meg’s family out of the equation. Their constant bickering got on my nerves and even prompted me to put this book down and walk away from it. It took me a while to go back to it. Then I had to flash forward to when Chad and Meg’s story actually started. Probably will not read the rest of the books about the Brennan sisters but I do look forward to picking up another Jane Porter book outside of this series.
  
• 
  Nancy

  How can I write a review on this book? I'll start by stating that it halted my reading addiction. I didn't want to jump into another book. I wanted to sit, savor and think about it. It also gave me a few epiphanies. Porter is brilliantly insightful.
  
  We are introduced to the Brennen sisters. Meg is the oldest and highly pious and responsible. She expects herself to be perfect and sets the bar high. She is capable of doing it all and she does. But she is so tired of it. She's also feeling the effects of gravity and age. Working full-time for a pair of brothers as a marketing director of wine, she is also a wife to Jack, a brilliant architect who specializes in vintage properties, and mother to three children; each of them extremely busy and working on their high goals and accomplishments.
  
  Meg is questioning her existence and purpose. She's also vividly aware that she has unmet needs. Jack hasn't touched her for months. Additionally, although he is a great provider, she is not only working but also arranging all the transportation, children's activities, shopping, cooking, etc. She ends up having the opportunity to go to the best wine show in London and goes with her boss, Chad Hallahan, where he admits his attraction to her. This opens the window of possibility. Someone finds her sexy and attractive. Someone finds her interesting and wants to be with her. Someone that she respects and admires admits that he can't stop thinking about her and has been thinking about her for years.
  
  Meg begins the spiral for having an affair. This is brilliantly written. When she actually crosses that threshold, she can't believe it happened. She can say it just "happened" yet the reader can see the purposeful yet seemingly small decisions Meg made to be involved with Chad. Meg's strong Catholic upbringing can not be understated. She has horrific guilt. She tries to justify her actions by pulling at the faults of Jack but she still can't quite do it justice. And Chad loves her. Chad is a good man who deserves a good woman. Meg is terribly conflicted.
  
  What stands out to me is how a good woman can feel that she has unmet needs and make choices to get those needs met without involving her husband. She's unhappy and talks herself into believing that if she could find happiness, she would be a better mother and wife. Meg's decisions and ultimate betrayal of her marriage vows have absolutely nothing to do with Jack or her children. Meg is dissatisfied and, rather than pin her husband into a corner and tell him what she needs, she seeks it elsewhere. She loves the way her body comes alive under Chad's touch but hates the self loathing she feels after spending an afternoon with him. I loved that Porter included the details of Meg's guilt along with her unmet needs.
  
  What Meg soon discovers is that she can choose her actions but she can not choose the consequences. When she began her affair with Chad, it didn't cross her mind what Jack might do if he found out. She knows he'd be hurt but that's the extent of it. She doesn't consider what the fallout might do to her children nor that her sister might take it as a personal affront since her own husband had been caught in an affair a couple of years earlier. She doesn't consider that she might hurt Chad.
  
  Additionally, the book follows Meg through her self flagellation, Jack's rage and devastation, her children's actions, right through where Meg finally understands that her debilitating guilt needs to be accompanied by action. This book could also be entitled The Anatomy of An Affair. None of the characters are all good or bad. I loved Meg and identified with her up to so many points, although I have not had an affair. I understand her feelings and unmet needs and understood her justification. My heart hurt as she suffered the consequences.
  
  I am looking forward to this trilogy. Jane Porter is brilliantly insightful of the middle age woman and her struggles. She is brilliantly insightful of the anatomy of marriages and motherhood.
  
  The book contains mature content. Best read by a middle aged woman.
• 
  Meg

  It’s been a while since I sank into a book like Jane Porter’s The Good Woman. From the description, you might think, “Eh, great -- another story about a mid-life crisis.” And to be fair? It sort of is. It’s obvious Jack isn’t paying Meg much attention. After 17 years of marriage, he’s just sort of . . . around. Not helping with the kids, not helping with things around the house. Not showing Meg any care and affection. Just there.
  
  The events following Meg’s realization of discontent are gradual -- so gradual it took me a while to realize what was happening. But I liked that about it. Porter’s pace is deliberate, and she lets us into Meg’s head often enough to feel the frustration and boredom without playing all her cards at once. Though I felt parts of the narrative became repetitive (Meg hadn’t felt this way in so long, Meg just needed something more), Porter’s in-depth exploration of her main character’s emotions made this book for me.
  
  While The Good Woman stays in the present, flashbacks to the Brennan sisters’ childhood and teenage years provide backdrop for how Meg -- sanctimoniously called “Sister Mary Margaret” by a sneering sister -- became such a control freak. Known as an extreme perfectionist, Meg is the quintessential “good woman”: a good wife, good mother, good daughter. She works so hard to maintain these ideals that she rarely pauses to figure out what she wants. And who hasn’t felt that way?
  
  Honestly, as the eldest of five kids (four of them women), just about anyone born into that large Irish-American family would struggle under the collective weight of expectation. The Brennan sisters, all at various stages of their lives, are dealing with some heavy stuff -- and Meg tries to be there for all of them (save free spirit Bree). When she finally cracks, succumbing to a handsome man’s advances, I didn’t feel nearly as annoyed with her as I should have. By the time the real stuff goes down, we’ve bonded with her. I felt like I knew her. And while not excusing the behavior, I just felt really sorry for her.
  
  The Good Woman is more than mommy-breakdown-lit -- and more than a book on infidelity. With three-dimensional characters, a captivating storyline and many emotional twists, Porter’s first in a new trilogy centered on the Brennan women held me hostage. I devoured the book in less than a week, picking it up whenever I had a few minutes, and will eagerly anticipate the next novel in the series.
• 
  Lu Bielefeld

  3 ⭐⭐⭐ - OK decent reads.
• 
  Donna McBroom-Theriot

  
  I am a huge fan of Jane Porter, having read and reviewed many of her books. This book was exceptional. It was as though she grabbed a chunk of real-life and put it between the pages of a book.
  
  
  
  The Good Woman makes the reader examine the choices they've made, past and present. The book makes the reader contemplate the mistakes they've made and how they might have done things differently.
  
  "He said her name as if it were something delicious in his mouth and she blushed, dazzled by his energy...His eyes searched hers, and it was so intimate that blood rushed to her cheeks. Jack couldn't look at her and Chad couldn't look away...Heat rushed up through her..."
  
  The book portrayed the dynamics of family accurately; the conflict between the sisters, the anger of the betrayed husband, the hurt children, and the spurned lover. She captured the stages of life that we traverse and the feelings of happiness and discontent that we experience, and our actions and consequences of the paths that we take related to discontent. Some of us put on the perfect facade and keep it there at all costs. Jane shows what happens when it all becomes too much.
  
  "How long have you been here?"..."A little bit after you got here."..."You could have joined me."..."Why?"..."Because we're sisters."..."What does that mean?"..."That we're family."..."Oh, because we've got the same gene pool?"
  
  Jane wove complicated family and personal conflict into a story that was impossible to put down. She captured real-life and wrote an amazing book.
  
  "Your mom and I weren't mad at you. We were proud of you. Thought you'd done a great job getting dressed. But you, you were mad at yourself. You expected more of yourself. Even at two and a half."..."No one has ever expected you to be perfect, Meg. No one, that is, but you."
  
  What I loved about the book? It was a wonderful read. It had all of the above, along with wonderful, well thought out characters that played their parts in the book perfectly. The story line was realistic, and while the book came to ending with one story, it left the opening for the next book.
  
  What I did not like about the book, other than it ended? Nothing. I normally stop reading a series after the first book, but I find myself anticipating the next book.
  
  This review first appeared on my blog
  http://mylife-in-stories.blogspot.com
• 
  Elisabeth

  Wonderfully well written novel. Honest hard warm story about real women dealing with everyday situations as well as the hard situations they are put in.
  
  Jane Porter´s "The Good Woman" is a good modern lit novel but somewhat different from her other books. If you know Jane Porter´s other novels and expect "The Good Woman" to be exactly the same you might be a little disappointed.
  But that said. It´s a really good modern lit novel and Jane is really evolving in her writing style and is a fabulous writer. I love reading all her books and have almost read every book she has written. I loved Jane´s "She´s Gone Country" and still think this is her very best book to date. But I´ll take that up to review when I have read all tree books in The Brennan Sisters trilogy. I have already pre-ordered the next book "The Good Daughter" and can´t wait for it to be released on February 5th 2013.
  
  
• 
  Amy

  Gosh...if I could rate this more than 5 stars I definitely would. I knew I was going to love this book because I loved She's Gone Country, Easy on the Eyes and Flirting with Forty, her previous series. I always get emotionally caught up in Ms. Porter's novels. The Good Woman is filled with romance, drama, happiness, sadness and many more heartwarming emotions. Books like this one make me wish I had siblings, specifically a sister or two. Family and love are the most important two things in life and Ms. Porter illustrates this perfectly with wish such wonderful heartfelt writing. The Good Woman has depth, believable characters, and more romantic passion that you will be able to handle. Ladies > BEWARE! Can't wait till The Good Daughter, the next book in this trilogy.
• 
  Anita

  Jane Porter has been one of my favorite writers for a long time. It is so easy to connect with the characters in her books and her writing style is wonderful. The Good Woman might be her best yet. I can't wait for the next part of the trilogy!
• 
  Christine Bode

  Stars: 4.5
  
  It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Jane Porter’s contemporary women’s fiction. I’ve read almost every book in that line (she also writes for Harlequin) that she’s written. So I was really excited to hear that she’d written a new series about the Brennan Sisters that’s been published by her new publisher, Berkley Trade. The Good Woman is the first novel in that trilogy.
  
  The first thing that struck me about The Good Woman is its exquisite cover – the model who was chosen to represent leading character Meg Roberts is exceptionally lovely and beautifully photographed – as well as its tag line, “sisters always know…” I have two sisters who are among my best friends in the world so that phrase really rings true for me.
  
  The Good Woman is the story of Mary Margaret Brennan Roberts, a.k.a. Meg, who on the outside would appear to have it all. She’s married to a successful architect (Jack), has three children (Tessa, JJ and Gabi), a gorgeous home, drives a Lexus SUV, and has a great job as a publicist working at a Napa Valley winery called Dark Horse for a very kind, warm and ruggedly handsome boss, vintner Chad Hallahan. We just know something’s going to happen between Meg and Chad, but it’s the way Porter reveals how her heroine feels, why she ends up doing what she does, and how she deals with the consequences that is remarkable. Porter writes with such a truthful and authentic voice about the issues that women deal with, that her stories are always completely relatable.
  
  Meg is the oldest child of a large Irish-American family. She’s smart, ambitious and a perfectionist with control issues, but she’s also a faithful wife and loving mother who constantly makes the right decisions. Her father Tommy is a sixth generation San Francisco firefighter and her mother Marilyn is battling breast cancer. Meg’s brother Tommy is also a firefighter and he and his wife Cass are struggling with long-term fertility issues. Meg is closest to her sister Kit, a Catholic school English teacher, who has been with her boyfriend Richard for 10 years and has never received a proposal. Her youngest sister Sarah is married to professional baseball player, Boone (who has had an affair on her but she’s stayed with him), while Kit’s fraternal twin Brianna is the family wild child who has never married and is an activist who works in the Congo in Africa.
  
  The sisters meet up with their mother for their annual Brennan Sisters’ Getaway at the family beach house in Capitola and it’s not long before Brianna and Meg are at each other’s throats. They don’t get along and constantly rub each other the wrong way. Meg’s relationship with her sisters is both rewarding and realistic and sometimes the family’s gossiping astounds her. However, her family dynamics are an important part of her life and we see how they perceive Meg and how her decisions impact them too.
  
  Years of being “the good woman” has left Meg feeling burned out, empty and lonely as she finds herself disconnected from a distant Jack. A perimenopausal woman in her forties, Meg wants sex all the time, her husband barely wants it at all, and when they do have sex, it’s wham, bam, thank you ma’am, and Jack doesn’t seem to care that Meg never has an orgasm. There’s no touching, no lingering, and no intimacy and Meg is not happy or satisfied. However, rather than try to talk to her husband about it, she thinks that she has to just suck it up and deal with it, and that her role in life is simply to look after everyone else. But we women know that you can only live like that for so long before something has to change. And when it does for Meg, the shit really hits the fan.
  
  Meg decides to attend the London Wine Trade Fair with her boss, Chad, who over late night business dinners and multiple glasses of wine, ends up revealing his deep-rooted desire for her. At first she’s determined not to give in to her feelings for him, but ultimately she just can’t, and “the good woman” Meg becomes the wanton adulteress who risks losing her entire family because of her reckless and irreversible decision.
  
  I love that Jane has brought up the issue of oral sex in Meg’s story and the fact that some men don’t seem to like to reciprocate although they certainly enjoy receiving it. Every woman I know, including me, wouldn’t want to be with a man who wasn’t into oral sex, that’s for sure!
  
  Infidelity is also an issue that has touched most of us at some time in our lives and as a woman in her late forties, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard about men screwing around on the women that I know, and I’ve been cheated on as well, so it’s an issue that’s very close to the surface of my emotions. In The Good Woman, Jane Porter writes about what drives a woman who would never be suspected of it to cheat on her husband, and rather than be angry with her, I found that I couldn’t blame Meg for her actions at all. I cried while reading her story, but what I was amazed by was how she chose to accept the consequences of her actions and decided to fight to keep her family together after realizing that she really was meant to be a good woman after all. That decision is something that I think that only married women with children can truly understand.
  
  The Good Woman is a captivating page turner and one that I finished reading very quickly because I didn’t want to do anything else but read it. Fortunately for Porter’s readers, the next book in the trilogy, The Good Daughter (available February 5, 2013), will focus on Meg’s sister Kit. I’m fortunate to have received an ARC copy of it, so I’ll be reading it right away. I think that the third book will be The Good Wife, but the sister’s story that I want to read the most is Brianna’s…because I’m more of a wild child than a good woman.
  
• 
  Desere

  I have always been a major fan of Jane Porter as I find her writing style simply beautiful and she is always able to transform any story into a memorable and powerful read.
  
  In The Good Woman I met the character of Meg Brennan on the surface she has it all,she has a successful career,wonderful children and a loving husband. Her live has become what could be referred to as "normal" as she just goes from day to day handling everything that goes along with being a faithful wife and mother,yet she feels run down and tired with it all,and she and her husband has drifted into a comfort zone where they love and respect each other but the passion has gone out of the relationship.
  
  So when she comes face to face with her sexy as sin and very temping boss telling her that he has for a long time harboured feelings for her she is at a loss.She has the choice to carry on with her life as the normal plain wife and mother always doing the right thing Meg or be daring and reckless for once in her life.
  
  And so the story unfolds and Jane Porter takes us as readers behind the scenes of choices in life that when made can deliver a hard blow in the end or decide our fate and show us the way to where we really need to be, or even get back to where we are meant to be,and also just how hard a mid life crisis can be to handle.
  
  The author packed so much vivid and true emotion into her book that I found myself crying my heart out for Meg and the difficulties she faces,and the tears Meg sheds along the way gave me a very clear mental image of just how strained and stressed out Meg is.
  
  The book was truly compelling and I read it in one sitting. Without spoiling the book for other readers all I am going to add is ,if you love reading about true life situations and the series of events that follow this is the book and the author for you.
  
  The author truly delivers the message that she knows all about love and life after the happy ending wedding and she has again proved why she can write her way into the heart of readers. Her unique writing style simply just adds to powerful punch a Jane Porter book will give you.
  
  I look forward to the next book The Good Daughter.
  
  Excellent work Jane please do keep them coming !
  
  5/5 star review
  
  Romantic life altering drama at it's absolute best
• 
  Tiffany

  The Good Woman is the story of Meg Brennan Roberts, a forty-something-year-old married woman with three children. She works as a publicist for a successful winery and attends as many baseball games, dance recitals and horse back riding lessons as she can. But something is missing. Meg is becoming depressed and is feeling alone and neglected by her husband, Jack. When she travels to London for work, Meg's boss, Chad, takes this opportunity to let her know how he feels about her. This couldn't come at a worse time. Meg is confused and conflicted. Could she really risk losing her family just for the chance to feel wanted?
  
  As if this isn't enough, Meg has a large family with their own problems. Her mother is sick and her sisters are all struggling in their own ways. Meg has always been the strong one, the good one, the perfect one. The choices she makes will not only affect her husband and children, but the entire family will be caught up in the storm.
  
  
  Jane Porter is a brilliant storyteller. This is my first time reading one of her books but I can promise you that it won't be the last. In fact, I am anxiously awaiting the release of The Good Daughter in February, the second book in The Brennan Sisters trilogy. Even though this book was over three hundred pages, it felt as if it was only one hundred. It was incredibly easy to read and it sucked you in for hours before you even realized how much time has gone by.
  
  I'm glad this series started with Meg, the oldest of the Brennan sisters. Her story is one that just about every woman can relate to, especially if you have been married for a long time. Meg has three children between the ages of ten and sixteen, all of which have their passions. Meg works very hard at her job in a winery, yet still comes home every day to make sure each child makes it to their activity. Even with babysitters helping out, she is exhausted. Jack, her husband, doesn't help out nearly enough when it comes to the house or children and Meg is burning out quickly. If that isn't enough, Jack doesn't seem very interested in Meg at all lately, even at night when she tries to start something physical.
  
  I found Meg to be very authentic and I quite liked her. She is trying to juggle work, kids and a large family into her hectic schedule. She doesn't get much help and she is embarrassed to tell her husband that she feels ignored. I could fully understand and sympathized with her. I think anyone who is trying to do too much with little help is bound to break eventually.
  
  Aside from Meg, the other family members felt just as real. Each sister had their own personality and life situations that were not far fetched. There is a lot going on in this book, but it never felt like too much. In fact, it just served to drive home the fact that this family could actually exist. No family is perfect, but the way you chose to interact with one another is crucial. The Brennans are a unique clan, yet so much like every other family.
  
  The only concern I had going into this book was the sexual aspect. I know Jane Porter is a romance author, and I wasn't sure how graphic this book was going to be. I don't usually read romance books, I prefer to not have any details when it comes to character's sexual encounters at all. But Jane handled it tastefully and I was not bothered by any of the romance scenes.
  
  The relationship between sisters is always a complex one. Sometimes the bond is close and sometimes there is barely a bond at all. Porter does an insanely good job capturing the real side of life within a large family, as well as married life. Her characters are genuine and believable, their actions relatable and real.
  
  
  I can't praise this book enough. If you love Chick Lit, family drama or are just looking for something to help you forget about your own struggles and to suck you in completely, this is the book for you.
  
• 
  Romancing the Book

  Reviewed by Shannon
  Book provided by Edelweiss for review
  Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
  
  Mary Margaret (Meg) Brennan Roberts is the oldest of the Brennan siblings. Being the oldest in this large, close knit Irish-American family, often meant Meg was the one in charge of her siblings and made sure everything was “right”. That trait, of making everything right, stays with Meg into adulthood and into the family she has with her husband, Jack. But while her family might appear “right” on the outside, Meg begins to question her relationship with Jack and just how “right” their life is.
  
  Meg isn’t a very happy woman in The Good Woman. While she may wear many hats and wear them well, deep down Meg finds herself unhappy with how her relationship is with Jack and desperately needs to feel some kind of tactile validation from him that he still loves and wants her like he did when they were first together. Those needs and doubts lead Meg down a path where she gives makes choices that threaten to destroy everything she hold dear.
  
  While you may not agree with Meg’s choices throughout the book, Jane Porter does an excellent job of creating a character who could be any one of us making a bad choice. Meg is that big sister that you placed on a pedestal and then were devastated to find out wasn’t as perfect as you thought she was. But she is so agonized and destroyed over every choice and decision she’s made, I found myself forgiving her and sympathizing as she struggles to come to grips with everything and wanting her to fight to get back what she almost lost.
  
  Jane Porter is a “must buy” author for me. Her women’s fiction novels have a knack for “speaking” to the reader and forming a connection that I don’t find in many other books. The Good Woman is no exception. The Brennan family is one that I look forward to visiting with more as the series unfolds.
• 
  Leigh

  Even with my strong feelings about adultery, I can read and accept it within certain circumstances. Some authors have the ability to create viable shades of grey that make me think, okay it is wrong, but I can understand why it happened. Ms. Porter is not one of them, at least not in this book.
  
  At forty-two Mary Margaret Roberts (known as Meg) is dissatisfied with her life. After nineteen years together – seventeen of those years married - her relationship with her husband is stagnant. She loves him dearly but he doesn’t seem to be interested in her or make her feel sexy. Sex is so mundane – he just rolls on top of her and does his thing, not caring if she is satisfied or not. And she is tired of having all of the responsibility of the house and kids. He acts like the household magically runs itself. And then there is her family – as the oldest she has always had more responsibility than the others. It is difficult to live up to the expectation of always being the good one. But of course she is. Putting her family and her husband first, and then her relatives, is what a good person does.
  
  Her employers Craig and Chad Hallahan make her feel appreciated though. In fact Chad tried once to work his magic charm on her, smiling at her with his sexy smile and really listening to her. She set him straight, quickly advising him that being happily married renders her immune to his allure. Although now, repeating that mantra doesn’t seem to be working.
  
  Review continued at
  All About Romance or click
  Here
• 
  Rachel Kramer Bussel

  Spoilers. Meg Roberts is used to having everything under control--her job, her three kids, her marriage, her family. She is the ultra-responsible oldest sister who never lets herself be anything more than totally prepared. In her role as a winery publicist, she has excelled, and has never let her think of her hot boss Chad as anything more than her boss, appreciating his good looks from afar, until she confides in him while on a business trip. Soon the gap between the intimacy she once shared with her husband and what she could and does want becomes more and more glaring, and she doesn't so much decide to have an affair as let herself get swept away by Chad's charisma. She leads a double life while trying to ask herself the bigger questions, while also grappling with her mother's cancer and her sisters' expectations of her, trying to still be a "good" wife and mother while following her heart. Porter deftly portrays this dilemma and especially Meg's feelings of guilt and estrangement from her husband. This is a bittersweet story because ultimately Meg is presented with two choices with no truly ideal outcome, but by stepping out of her comfort zone she has to both confront issues from her past that have haunted her, and ask herself what she wants out of life. There's a very telling scene where her father tells her that she's always been the one to put pressure on herself to be perfect, even as a toddler, that truly shows what Porter does best. An excellent read (prepare to get sucked into the story and not put it down until you're done), and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, The Good Daughter.
• 
  Samantha March

  I received a copy of The Good Woman in exchange for an honest review. Jane Porter is a fabulous author, and I could not wait to pick this one up. Disappointment? Not here! I loved every second of this book, and my only regret was that I was reading it over a holiday weekend and couldn’t dive into it as often as I could. What makes me even happier is that it appears to be the first in a series about the Brennan family, and I can’t wait for the next book!
  
  While the plot touches on each of the Brennan sisters – Meg, Kit, Sarah and Brianna, the main focus in on Meg. Mother of three, a doting wife, and a career woman, Meg has suddenly found herself unfilled with life. Her lacking passion in her marriage and the feel that she is always the one keeping the family together may have something to do with that feeling. When offered to attend a work conference in London with one her bosses, Meg accepts – and it changes everything.
  
  Like I said, I just wish I had more time so I didn’t need to keep putting this down! I loved the family dynamic, the relationships between the sisters, and getting to know Meg. It is easy to see how conflicted she becomes, and it’s interesting to watch her make decisions and get to know her inner thoughts. Porter writes with a trait that makes her characters very genuine and very realistic, and that goes not just for Meg, but her three sisters as well. I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest in this series, and suggest you pick this one up!
  
• 
  Jennifer Chow

  I love how this story shows the complex human nature of one woman. I actually wish the synopsis didn't give out so much detail about the storyline because it's more about the main character's thoughts and emotions than about a specific situation.
  
  Porter makes the main character, Meg, relatable, in her balancing act of mother, wife, daughter, and worker. I also enjoyed the precise details about baseball and wineries interspersed throughout the book. I enjoyed peeking into Meg's head so much that some of the earlier portions of the novel were harder to get into when the other female family members were explored. I understand, though, that Porter wanted us to see where the other women were coming from because this book is part of series about the different females in the family.
  
  I would give this novel a five stars based on just the second half of the book, where Meg has to confront a moral decision. It's a tearjerker, so be sure to have a box of tissues ready. I liked how everything was not cut-and-dried; the resolution was messy, but in a very realistic way.
• 
  Barb

  I chose The Good Woman because it was the first in a series by Jane Porter and I loved the cover of the next book in the series, The Good Daughter. Now you know I can be a shallow reader, LOL! I had never read Jane Porter before so I had no idea what to expect. Then last night right before bedtime the conflict in the story escalated and I stayed up to finish the book, ugh! Meg Roberts is 42, the oldest sister and child in a good Irish Catholic family with all the duties that come with that family position. She is always compelled to do the right thing in all circumstances. As a woman in an 18 year marriage she is feeling a little lonely and neglected by her husband, Jack, and overwhelmed by her duties at work and home. Then at work her boss, Chad, a younger and desirable man starts dropping hints that he is interested. Other family conflicts also included in the story to make it more real. As a fellow oldest child I could identify with a lot of Meg's personality traits.
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  Nas Dean

  THE GOOD WOMAN by author Jane Porter is a Berkley release for September 2012.
  
  Meg Roberts, despite being successful just falls in the rut of normal live. A life without passion. Then she learns that her gorgeous boss, Chad Hallahan has secretly desired her from far and has the hots for her.
  
  What will Meg do now? Will she move out from her comfort zone and embrace a secret but passionate liason?
  
  How will Meg make these choices? She's always been the good daughter, mother and wife.
  
  THE GOOD WOMAN is an astounding eye-opener of the real life situations and choices faced by so many woman. Meg is a strong character, and the story has good dialogue with tender and sweet moments. Author Jane Porter latest offering will keep you turning pages late into the night with it's captivating blend of drama, passion, intrigue and romance.
  
  Well worth reading and Highly recommended!
  
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  Mell Simons

  Meg is the perfect girl, the responsible sister, the diligent mother and wife. She is the oldest sibling, and everyone sees her as this type-A perfectionist. She keeps all her balloon strings tightly strapped and in a closed hand. Any needles threatening her life will be kept at bay. No one can penetrate the perfect bubble of Meg's life. Until one day she lets a needle too close. POP! Can Meg find her way back to the life she once had? The question you must ask yourself is, "how far would you go if your life was unhappy?"
  
  This was such a juicy, enthralling read! I really enjoyed it. So excited to read the next Brennan Sisters novel. It is rare to find an adult series that engages the reader, and keeps you wanting more.
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  Brooke Moss

  Excellent premise, excellent angst, excellent book. This book is a book that explores the in's and out's of infidelity from a perspective few authors have been able to adequately capture before. This is not a happy go lucky book with sexiness and giggles. This is a book written by a mature woman, for mature women readers, tackling a subject matter that only mature women could possibly appreciate. I loved it. I highly recommend this book for fans of Women's Fiction who don't get depressed by a non-happy ending. Not to say this book ends badly, on the contrary. But it ends....realistically. With hope. Well done, Jane.
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  K

  What a downer. This is well written but the subject matter is heavy and depressing. I was glued to the pages but I couldn't wait for it to end. It ends with a happy-for-now ending with hope for the future but don't read unless you're ready for a sad book.
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  Michelle Lynne

  more than halfway thru and couldn't torture myself any longer.. too slow moving....couldn't relate with any of the characters. Oh well,I tried!