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Every Woman Needs a Wife
Bursting with originality and controversy, author Naleighna Kai has created a provocative, and at times heart-warming tale about an age-old problem that will strike a chord with all women.
Every Woman Needs a Wife is the hilarious, but thought-provoking story of a wife who does the "unthinkable." Strolling in on Vernon and his mistress one night, Brandi Spencer insists that the new woman in his life come home and earn her keep the honest way—on her feet helping the wife clean the house, keep the children and pay the bills, instead of laying on her back servicing the husband.
Tanya Kaufman has had one shock too many—one minute she's a fiancée, the next she finds out she's been the mistress all along. When Tanya shows up during the surprise anniversary party to take Brandi up on her offer, the women seize the opportunity to teach Vernon that infidelity will no longer come at the expense of the women's time, money, and happiness. Vernon fights back by launching a high-profile court battle that doesn't have a thing to do with splitting the money, keeping the house, or visitation rights.
Had any married couple ever fought for custody of...the mistress?
Every Woman Needs a Wife is the hilarious, but thought-provoking story of a wife who does the "unthinkable." Strolling in on Vernon and his mistress one night, Brandi Spencer insists that the new woman in his life come home and earn her keep the honest way—on her feet helping the wife clean the house, keep the children and pay the bills, instead of laying on her back servicing the husband.
Tanya Kaufman has had one shock too many—one minute she's a fiancée, the next she finds out she's been the mistress all along. When Tanya shows up during the surprise anniversary party to take Brandi up on her offer, the women seize the opportunity to teach Vernon that infidelity will no longer come at the expense of the women's time, money, and happiness. Vernon fights back by launching a high-profile court battle that doesn't have a thing to do with splitting the money, keeping the house, or visitation rights.
Had any married couple ever fought for custody of...the mistress?
- GenresFictionAfrican American
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2005
26 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Naleighna Kai
74 books283 followersNaleighna Kai is the USA TODAY bestselling author of Every Woman Needs a Wife, Open Door Marriage, Kings of Devon, Slaves of Heaven, and Kings of the Castle. She is a contributor to a New York Times bestselling, Mercedes Benz and the E. Lynn Harris Author of Distinction. She started writing in December of 1999, independently publishing her first two novels before acquiring a book deal with an imprint of Simon & Schuster and then a book deal with an independent publishing house founded by two national bestselling authors.
Naleighna is the CEO of Macro Marketing & Promotions Group, the founder of the author support group M-LAS, as well as the marketing consultant to several national bestselling and aspiring writers. She is also the brainchild behind the annual Cavalcade of Authors event which takes place in her hometown of Chicago. Naleighna pens contemporary fiction, erotica, and speculative fiction and is currently working on her next novels. Visit her on the web at www.naleighnakai.com, Face Book and Twitter under Naleighna Kai.
Naleighna is the CEO of Macro Marketing & Promotions Group, the founder of the author support group M-LAS, as well as the marketing consultant to several national bestselling and aspiring writers. She is also the brainchild behind the annual Cavalcade of Authors event which takes place in her hometown of Chicago. Naleighna pens contemporary fiction, erotica, and speculative fiction and is currently working on her next novels. Visit her on the web at www.naleighnakai.com, Face Book and Twitter under Naleighna Kai.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
May 8, 2009
I did a google search on my name and found reviews by people on this site. Thank you all! I'm not going to cheat here. I gave the book 4 stars as I save my five star ratings for books by authors that I love such as Harold Robbins, Sidney Sheldon, Anne McCaffrey, Sandra Brown, Iris Johansen, and Octavia Butler.
Believe it or not, Every Woman Needs a Wife was written in 4 days. Four Fridays in a row, from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., in long hand at a little hole in the wall on the south side of Chicago. I did it because I had been self-published for a few years and wanted a book deal with a major house. It worked! My teenage son and I received a contract from Simon & Schuster on the same day. The novel went to press nine times within a six month period and is one of the more successful books within that imprint of Simon & Schuster. My son's book, Superwoman's Child: Son of a Single Mother was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.
Thank you to everyone who supported with a read. I knew that it wasn't likely that everyone would love it, but I knew for certain that it was a different twist on infidelity--one that I would do in real life.
All the best,
Naleighna Kai
www.naleighnakai.com
Believe it or not, Every Woman Needs a Wife was written in 4 days. Four Fridays in a row, from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., in long hand at a little hole in the wall on the south side of Chicago. I did it because I had been self-published for a few years and wanted a book deal with a major house. It worked! My teenage son and I received a contract from Simon & Schuster on the same day. The novel went to press nine times within a six month period and is one of the more successful books within that imprint of Simon & Schuster. My son's book, Superwoman's Child: Son of a Single Mother was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.
Thank you to everyone who supported with a read. I knew that it wasn't likely that everyone would love it, but I knew for certain that it was a different twist on infidelity--one that I would do in real life.
All the best,
Naleighna Kai
www.naleighnakai.com
November 19, 2025
This book was primo!! Every woman who’s been cheated on should read this!!
October 19, 2020
Sample read to get a feel of the storyline.
It certainly something different asking "the mistress" to become part of the household and take part in everyday life that a family has.
I will go on to read the book because I'm intrigued enough to want to know how this "triangle" ends.
It certainly something different asking "the mistress" to become part of the household and take part in everyday life that a family has.
I will go on to read the book because I'm intrigued enough to want to know how this "triangle" ends.
April 20, 2018
If you like Tyler Perry movies, you will probably find this book entertaining. I hate Tyler Perry productions. In fact, Tyler Perry would probably write a more entertaining novel than this.
Where do I even begin? The first 300 pages of this book was the explaining of the situation to different characters. The sentence "The mistress is moving in with the wife" was replayed OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN in 500 different ways. There was literally no plot.
Also, the author tried to make the contract seem as if it was somehow "legal" and "binding." - It isn't.
"Oh, I have a notarized contract, so it holds up in court. I get CUSTODY of the mistress." That's silly.
I know that the book was written in the 2000s, but there were a lot of outdated gender and LGBT stereotypes that were downright offensive. It was as if being referred to as a "lesbian" was the most offensive thing for the main character. "Oh, NO! People think I am gay because I am living with the mistress? Even though I joke all time how she is probably amazing in bed? This is outrageous! I must end this escapade before more people think I am lesbian!"
Please save your time and money and skip this awful book.
Where do I even begin? The first 300 pages of this book was the explaining of the situation to different characters. The sentence "The mistress is moving in with the wife" was replayed OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN in 500 different ways. There was literally no plot.
Also, the author tried to make the contract seem as if it was somehow "legal" and "binding." - It isn't.
"Oh, I have a notarized contract, so it holds up in court. I get CUSTODY of the mistress." That's silly.
I know that the book was written in the 2000s, but there were a lot of outdated gender and LGBT stereotypes that were downright offensive. It was as if being referred to as a "lesbian" was the most offensive thing for the main character. "Oh, NO! People think I am gay because I am living with the mistress? Even though I joke all time how she is probably amazing in bed? This is outrageous! I must end this escapade before more people think I am lesbian!"
Please save your time and money and skip this awful book.
September 26, 2019
from back cover:
"...the hilarious, but thought-provoking story of a wife who does the "unthinkable." Strolling in on Vernon and his mistress one night, Brandi Spencer insists the new woman in his life come home and earn her keep the honest way––on her feet helping clean the house, keep the children and pay the bills, instead of laying on her back servicing her husband.."
Highly recommended! I picked up this little goody secondhand to leave lying conspicuously around the house when I found out my husband was cheating. Just thinking about him finding it helped me keep a tiny sense of humour. Not long after, I got curious and began reading it. And oh lord, the story thoroughly entertained me. It provided me with a fresh set of eyes to envision the powerful situation I was going through. I adored Brandi. Yes she's devastated at first. Yes she *is* mad. But she doesn't lock down and keep it all to herself. She utilizes it. Takes life in her own hands using whatever means necessary. And while it wouldn't have made much sense trying to replicate that particular sequence of actions in my own every day life, I sure did have fun thinking about it.
"...the hilarious, but thought-provoking story of a wife who does the "unthinkable." Strolling in on Vernon and his mistress one night, Brandi Spencer insists the new woman in his life come home and earn her keep the honest way––on her feet helping clean the house, keep the children and pay the bills, instead of laying on her back servicing her husband.."
Highly recommended! I picked up this little goody secondhand to leave lying conspicuously around the house when I found out my husband was cheating. Just thinking about him finding it helped me keep a tiny sense of humour. Not long after, I got curious and began reading it. And oh lord, the story thoroughly entertained me. It provided me with a fresh set of eyes to envision the powerful situation I was going through. I adored Brandi. Yes she's devastated at first. Yes she *is* mad. But she doesn't lock down and keep it all to herself. She utilizes it. Takes life in her own hands using whatever means necessary. And while it wouldn't have made much sense trying to replicate that particular sequence of actions in my own every day life, I sure did have fun thinking about it.
September 12, 2011
I really enjoyed reading this book. I got it for my Kindle recommended by a friend/fellow book connoisseur/budding author Lady Dujour.
I don't know if this will be relevant, but this book is the first full length novel I have started and finished in about three years. It feels good to be reading again, it's something that's always been part of my life.
I have also been married and divorced, have recently remarried, and can relate to many of the issues in the story concerning relationships. What I really appreciated about this book is that it was written in a way that it could be someone you know. It wasn't over the top or overly dramatic. It was as real as a fictional story can possibly get. And I love the fact that it shows how two different women of different races worked through and overcame a difficult situation without falling apart.
I don't know if this will be relevant, but this book is the first full length novel I have started and finished in about three years. It feels good to be reading again, it's something that's always been part of my life.
I have also been married and divorced, have recently remarried, and can relate to many of the issues in the story concerning relationships. What I really appreciated about this book is that it was written in a way that it could be someone you know. It wasn't over the top or overly dramatic. It was as real as a fictional story can possibly get. And I love the fact that it shows how two different women of different races worked through and overcame a difficult situation without falling apart.
July 31, 2007
Comical - I think that all women should read this book. If this unfortuate situation happens to you, this book may be invaluable!!
September 26, 2008
Man if you've ever been cheated on please read this book she switched the game up on her husband. A very very very great book.
December 9, 2008
great twist to the cheating man story
March 20, 2009
a must read.
January 12, 2016
Interesting read. Not to say I would consider the same method of punishment. But interesting none the less.
May 30, 2012
Easy to read. The story flowed well and I liked that she could have made her female characters super catty and bitchy but she chose to make them intelligent women and I appreciated that!
March 1, 2013
It lacked cohesiveness...Feels like the author threw stories together to make a book. Would not recommend!
August 20, 2013
very entertaining and sexy....great story.
October 27, 2015
This book was PURE COMEDY... with instances of real life and tragedies sprinkled throughout. 3.5-stars, full review to come.
October 13, 2009
omg crazy story line , but great book
December 31, 2020
This book was so good and I think most women will relate to it. I enjoyed how they made Brandi be so strong through the most hurtful situations her husband put her in. She was able to put her feelings aside and encourage and inspire the mistress to also be strong get her an education. I don’t know no women that would do that but that showed Brandi’s character as a person. I also enjoyed that the book made Vernon come to realize that the only reason he really cheated was to impress his father and try to get the love and the acceptance of his father but at the end no one really mattered because he knew he loved his strong independent wife but will have a lot of work to do to prove it. Not only women should read this book but men should as well. Great Book!!!!!!
August 21, 2017
Naleighna Kai is an amazing writer and I couldn't put this book down. The book that started from a conversation with a friend, the author says, was absolutely amazing yet new. The idea of a Woman have their man's mistress as a wife? Oh the possibilities. I enjoyed this book because there were two things that Brandi and Tanya shared in common. The book shows that not everyone raises hell in difficult situations. The originality and the different parts of this book set it apart from the "normal" stigmas of urban fiction. Very great read. I look forward to reading some of her other books.
January 12, 2020
Best Story Ever
Brandi discovered that her husband was living a double life with Tanya. She decided to bust him and ended up having Tanya living with her as her wife. Tanya as well as Brandi were both trying to get past tragic incidents from their past. Vernon on the other hand was trying to sabotage his wife Brandi in order to force her hand so he could come home. This book is full of funny antics that Brandi uses in order to teach her cheating husband a serious lesson about love and marriage. You are going to love reading this book
Brandi discovered that her husband was living a double life with Tanya. She decided to bust him and ended up having Tanya living with her as her wife. Tanya as well as Brandi were both trying to get past tragic incidents from their past. Vernon on the other hand was trying to sabotage his wife Brandi in order to force her hand so he could come home. This book is full of funny antics that Brandi uses in order to teach her cheating husband a serious lesson about love and marriage. You are going to love reading this book
March 30, 2019
This book was definitely a page turner! The title threw me off and I admit I was already pissed in the beginning of the book because it resonated with my personal story but I actually loved this book in the end, I connected with Brandi on such a personal level and even sympathized with Tanya in this book. Definitely check this book out, I promise you won’t be disappointed! The message in this book is so much deeper then what you think
May 28, 2025
I've heard women say, "Every woman needs a wife." So, this title snagged me right away. Though Brandy and Tanya's back story was hard to listen to, it's an unfortunate part of too many women's lives. But I love how they came together to teach Vernon a lesson and ultimately became friends. This story deals with infidelity, family issues, and lessons of forgiveness and healing, with humor intertwined. I definitely enjoyed this story!
August 24, 2019
Yes every woman needs a wife.
This book had my attention from the beginning t the end. What Brandi did when she found out her husband is awesome. I know Brandi was hurt but she didn't let her some know what. Requesting equal time with Tanya since he was cheating seems fair to me. I loved it. Y
This book had my attention from the beginning t the end. What Brandi did when she found out her husband is awesome. I know Brandi was hurt but she didn't let her some know what. Requesting equal time with Tanya since he was cheating seems fair to me. I loved it. Y
September 23, 2022
This is hands down one of the most unique books I’ve read!! You HAVE to stick it out until the end if you start it. The character development is immaculate & you will not regret this read. It’s comical, touching, & a beautifully written wild ride of a story. I am sad to be finished such a work of art, but so happy to have had the opportunity to read it. Highly recommend.
September 18, 2017
Rollercoaster
This book was such an adventure read. The turns and dips made me feel like I was on a ride. I loved every minute of this book. All I can say is wow what a fantastic read.
This book was such an adventure read. The turns and dips made me feel like I was on a ride. I loved every minute of this book. All I can say is wow what a fantastic read.
May 1, 2017
The book was very funny. I could not put it down. Very though provoking. also very interesting twist on a common issue. Loved how it worked out in the end. thought it was great how everything in the book was handled. Very thought provoking and fun.
August 3, 2017
Awesome!!!
Loved it. I read it twice. It's that good. A definite must read. It will make you laugh and cry.
Loved it. I read it twice. It's that good. A definite must read. It will make you laugh and cry.
December 21, 2018
This was a great book. Every woman deserve a wife (I know I can use one right now). Second time reading.
January 20, 2020
An okay read to me. Brandi was a go get her in the beginning. Tanya's backstory was good but at the end kind of killed it for me.
December 23, 2020
Just Amazing
I loved this book. The first chapter had me saying wow and omg. Everything. This was a great storyline and I will definitely be reading more books by this author
I loved this book. The first chapter had me saying wow and omg. Everything. This was a great storyline and I will definitely be reading more books by this author
September 22, 2021
I have actually read this book twice. Definitely a twisted book and a great concept. If you haven't read this book, I would pick it up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews