Review: Another outstanding novel written by Alison G. Bailey!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 16, 2014
4.5 Stars.  The debut novel written by Alison G. Bailey, Present Perfect, was included as one of my favorite novels of 2013 - a beautifully written story about two children who grow up to become lovers.  I now have the honor of reviewing the second novel in the Perfect series, Past Imperfect.  I am so excited to share that Alison G. Bailey has written another outstanding novel!Mabry Darnell found her mother dead after she took her own life.  Her father was so affected by this tragedy that he became unable to provide emotional support for his only child.  Mabry essentially lost her entire family and support system on that tragic day.  She became afraid to give and receive love.  She feared relationships.  Mabry was afraid that if she allowed herself to love someone, she would either lose or be abandoned by that person.  She began to self-harm when she was a teenager as a coping mechanism to deal with emotional pain from losing her parents and the anxiety from beginning new relationships.Brad Johnson learned early in life that he was unplanned, unwanted and unloved by his parents.  He grew up having the best of everything, except for parental guidance and love.  Brad always avoided relationships, especially with women - having sex is the closest he has allowed himself to be with anyone.  Brad is a character in the first novel of this series, Present Perfect.  I was extremely interested to read about him, and I knew that something very serious would have to happen to cause positive change in his life.The author chose to write both past and present scenes from the perspective of the two main characters.  This writing style allows readers to experience life-changing events for Brad and Mabry in scenes from their past.  We are then able to see how these events continue to affect their lives in the present.  The author was excellent at communicating the struggle Mabry has in fighting her addiction to self-harm.  By reading this novel, I personally gained a better understanding of why individuals actually harm themselves in order to deal with emotional pain.  Both characters initially fight their feelings for one another, but they eventually transition to a struggle to overcome emotional obstacles to find love.  The plot of this novel was interesting, and the story definitely kept me engaged.  The writing was comparable with that of the first novel in the series, which I found to be excellent.  I truly enjoyed reading Past Imperfect, and I am so very excited for Alison G. Bailey and her writing career!