Review: Strong Characters and Stunning Plot Twists
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 10, 2013
Find this review and more at Lusty Penguin Reviews!Leslie C. Ferdinand's intense and entertaining characters are caught in a love triangle in Picture Perfect. Set in a post-Katrina New Orleans, Ferdinand shows the struggles of a city rebuilding while at the same time showing the demise of one relationship and the birth of a new one.Ferdinand successfully develops three very different characters for her love triangle. Cold-hearted Rachel, a lawyer with serious financial problems, is engaged to Elliot Walker for one reason only, his bank account. Rachel does everything in her power to try and keep Elliot. Her acts of desperation, some of which are downright disturbing, make her a character who you just love to hate. Successful businessman Elliot realizes that he isn't in love with Rachel. Elliot knows that he isn't in love with, and never really loved, Rachel when he meets and hires Alexis Morgan to decorate his home before his wedding. Alexis finds Elliot to be the most handsome man ever, the first time she lays eyes on him. Although she is attracted to him, Alexis fights her feelings because of his engagement. Alexis does not want to be like her mother--fall in love with a married man and have his child. Alexis is a sympathetic character because she is trying to rebuild her business and fight her feelings toward Elliot. When Elliot tells Alexis he has broken his engagement, Elliot and Alexis stop fighting their mutual attraction to each other. Their bedroom play is passionate and sexy. One major complication in Elliot's life is his overbearing mother, Julia. Julia wants Elliot to marry Rachel with absolutely no regard to Elliot's feelings, which makes her another character you love to hate. With no public announcement of the broken engagement, Alexis feels like she is being played and she tries hard to stay away from him. Elliot's lack of spine when confronting his family, especially his mother, about who he really loves makes it difficult to fully embrace his character. But, when Elliot finally realizes that Alexis is his true love and announces it to his family it is a wonderful sight to see.Another aspect of this novel I really enjoyed was the placement of quotes at the beginning of every chapter. These quotes were insightful and added an additional layer of depth to the story.Picture Perfect's strong characters, stunning plot twists, and a gripping love story make this book hard to put down.I received an eBook copy from the author for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, and all conclusions are my own responsibility.