Review: A Perfect Book!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 2, 2014
"Courage isn't the absence of fear, it's being afraid, but going forward anyway."When Lauren Wilson found out her baby was imperfect, her entire life changed. Her husband gave her an ultimatum--him or the baby. Lauren was divorced and carrying an imperfect baby and she had accepted that it was the way it would always be. Then entered Ethan Campbell, a childhood friend of her brother's that Lauren had a crush on for years. Ethan was a photographer that traveled around the world and he had no desire to settle down--until he ran into Lauren again. Not only did he fall in love with Lauren, he loved little Joseph as well despite the fact that he wasn't a perfect baby. But could Lauren trust him to stick by them? Or would he walk away just as her husband did?Imperfect Love is a testimony for mothers of babies with special needs. The anger, guilt and fear these mothers go through was portrayed so beautifully. Lauren struggled with whether or not to abort her baby but, in the end, knew she loved him too much to let him go. I loved the way she thought of her baby. She called him her, "perfectly imperfect son."She faced so many hard decisions and she felt so alone, even though her mother and sister were there for her. Raising a special needs child alone was terrifying. You could feel her turmoil and distraught emotions.I wanted to shake Paul. As an imperfect baby myself, I couldn't imagine my dad turning his back on me. But, at the same time I could understand his fear of the unknown. Ethan, however, is my hero. Not only did he love a pregnant divorcee', he loved little Joseph despite everything. I loved the sweet moments they sometimes shared and they often left me smiling. Like the scene below.__________________Book Quote__________________"You mean back when you were a kid?""Yeah." A nervous laugh fell out of her mouth. "You know, that awkward girl with the frizzy hair and big gap between her front teeth.""I don't remember."Warmth ran across Lauren's cheeks--he probably didn't remember her at all. "Oh.""Confession time." He kept looking straight ahead.She watched him with trepidation.His dimple showed as he smiled. "I always thought you had beautiful eyes."Her heartbeat increased. "You did?""Still do."Can someone get the license plate of that truck that just ran over me?He laughed. "Your face matches your hair." He stuffed his hands into his pockets.She touched her cheeks. "You're trying to embarrassed me.""If I remember right, that's pretty easy."__________________End Quote__________________The book really highlighted the Holocaust also and I loved the part about Milda, whose family had hidden Eva's family, therefore, saving their lives. This subject matter in this book was so well done. And, I have to say, I loved Lauren's mother too. She got fired up easily when talking about Lauren's husband but she was her best cheerleader and supporter. Who doesn't love a mother like that? Overall, I completely loved this book. The storyline was strong and had a lot of depth. The characters are the kind you want to revisit. And the romance was so sweet and will leave you smiling. You might need tissues once or twice, too. This is my first book by Rebecca Talley but, I assure you, it won't be my last. If you're a mother of a special needs child, or are soon to be one, you will love this book. You will learn a thing or two in the process. But if you just like sweet, contemporary, hometown romances you'll love it, too. I very highly recommend this book!Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review. The opinions expressed are mine alone. I received no monetary compensation for this review.