Divorcing Dwayne - J. L. Miles

If maintaining a marriage is this hard, I ain't never gettin' hitched.

Divorcing Dwayne (which gives part of the story away in the title - it would've been more appropriately called "Dealing with Dwayne") is one hell of a ride. Francine Harper's trying to hold her marriage to Dwayne together, but finding him in bed with town hussy Carla and discovering his plans to open up a topless barbershop with her (because you can never have enough of those in your town) puts quite a bit of strain on Francine's trust. Even more, when his band, the Rocky Bottom River Boys, suddenly go from independent demos to big-movie soundtracks with perhaps a little involvement from the local mobsters, Francine really goes crazy. Put a gun in her hand during all this, and we've got a story fluidly combining a menagerie of genres (chick-lit, suspense, mystery, action, comedy, law) with ease.

Miles' characters are well developed with their unique and catchy personalities (Nanny Lou is a riot), and the plot, though occasionally confusing, is entertaining and filled with twists and turns. Any fan of Sophie Kinsella will enjoy Miles' slang-filled writing in this book.