Review: Lori, Runaway Wife by Valentine Dmitriev

ISBN #: 978-1606721735

Page Count: 229

Copyright: 2008

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Pretty, young Lori Becker is a nursing intern at a Queens hospital and is a battered wife.  Professionally skilled, she is socially naive.  Intimidated by her brutal husband, Lori lives in the fantasy world of romance mysteries, idolizing their handsome author, Ian Damion.  A car accident sends Francine Ross, an unmarried, pregnant woman to the maternity ward where Lori works.  The distraught man accompanying Francine is Ian Damion.  Francine's full-term infant is delivered.  Her casual liaison with Ian is over, and she grants him custody of his newborn son.  Ian must return to Washington State.  He needs a baby's nanny.  Concealing her identity, Lori volunteers.  This is her chance to escape from her husband.  Lori matures, develops self-esteem and falls in love with Ian, but when he returns her love and proposes, Lori must confess that she's a married woman.

Charlene's Review:

I was first drawn to review this book due to the focus on an abused woman.  Being a domestic violence survivor, I read everything I can on this topic.  Ms. Dmitriev paints a believable picture of what abuse looks like, along with the fear and desperation that drives an abused woman to escape.  The main character, Lori, is a typical battered woman always fearful of her past coming back to haunt her.  Her boss and love interest, Ian, is a man determined to escape his own past, and unwilling to let anyone close.

The plot is a bit contrived, with Lori happening upon a job as a nanny to the very man she romanticizes.  Alongside this plot are several other sub-plots that weave together to end in a happily-ever-after smorgasbord.  A romance story that's part mystery, part Cinderella tale.  A quick, enjoyable story with many layers, albeit a tad predictable, Lori, Runaway Wife is an entertaining story with a message of hope and new beginnings.  Ms. Dmitriev stresses the importance of having an education and life skills as a means of escaping abuse.