Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Kay Stockham's HIS PERFECT WOMAN

Author Kay Stockham http://www.kaystockham.com/ writes Harlequin Super Romances, a line that I had steered clear of for years because I thought they were simply frothy fluff. WRONG! I've read several in the past couple of years including those by Kay and some of Brenda Novak's, and they are all sweetly romantic, sensual without being over the top, and often thought-provoking. I can't help but wonder how many other great books I've missed because of this misconception.
HIS PERFECT WOMAN is the story of a breast cancer survivor, Melissa York - surprisingly, a young breast cancer victim, who has a long life ahead of her but is a little low on courage and strength, especially when it is offered by Bryan Booker, the town doctor with a hearty reputation as a womanizer. Adding to Melissa's insecurity is the fact that her father, after several years of being alone following her mother's death, has fallen in love and intends to marry. Kay made these characters come to life on the pages, and they remained on my mind long after I put the book down.
I emailed Kay a couple of days after finishing HIS PERFECT WOMAN, to tell her how much I enjoyed her book and how much it touched me, something I don't always do. I often intend to, but just don't follow through. I think it must be very satisfying to an author to know that you've connected heart-to-heart, so to speak, with your readers.
My only disappointment was that Melissa didn't embrace her father's new romance from the beginning, thinking how excited I would be if my mother, a widow for 29 years, had found someone to share her life, but given the fact that Melissa's father was her caregiver after her surgery, and the past heartaches she suffered with the loss of her mother and baby daughter, I guess she has a right to be a emotionally fragile and maybe even a little selfish with her father's affection.
I hope you'll all check this book out - it's not on the store shelves for long, so you'll have to scoot (this peeves me at series romance -why can't they leave these books out for two months?) Or you can always drop by Amazon and order it - click here: http://www.amazon.com/His-Perfect-Woman-Harlequin-Superromance/dp/0373714246/ref=sr_1_3/105-2447986-2238813?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182445338&sr=1-3
I almost forgot to mention that Kay is very generously donating a portion of the proceeds of this book for breast cancer research - so when you buy your copy, snag an extra copy for a friend or relative too! Big hugs to you, Kay!
Thanks as always, and don't forget the drawing for THE WRITE INGREDIENTS tomorrow night - scroll down a couple of posts for details if you haven't entered!
Laurie

4 comments:

Stacy~ said...

I haven't read this line in years, but this book and the previous one by Kay - Man with a Past I think, sound really good, and I've heard so many great things about them.

Great review Laurie.

Cheryl said...

I emailed Kay about this one the other night too. Like you, I always mean to send the author a note about how much I've enjoyed a book but somehow always get sidetracked. This book had me up till 1:30 a.m. when I had to get up for work at 6:00. Just couldn't put it down.

Cheryl

Judy F said...

This books is wonderful. I tell Kay all the time when I see her. Its up as my staff pick at the bookstore. Its a deeply moving and just plan awesom book

Jodi said...

I too wrote Kay after I read this book, something that I very rarely do. It was one of the best books that I have read. It was an emotional read that pulls you right in and keeps you long after the story ends!