Review: The Things We Do for Love by Alice Peterson
Note: This ARC was provided by Quercus Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ward is right. In so many ways our friendship is like a book. We have turned a few pages, a few chapters perhaps, but there's still a long way to go. And it's true to say that since our kiss I have done as much as I can to distance myself, to stop turning the pages, scared of where the end might lead.
January Wild has persevered when it comes to the trials life has set before her. She knows she's more fortunate than most--with grandparents who cared for her and her older brother after their parents passed away, a best friend who has been her rock, a dog that she adores, and a daughter who inspires her every day. For the first time in quite a while though, January is facing the unknown, what with a new boss who is the complete opposite of her fatherly and doting former boss. But beneath Ward Metcalfe's seemingly cold and driven exterior lies a heart and mind that Jan finds herself becoming increasingly fascinated by, yet can she allow herself to fall for a man who may not be able to give himself fully to her?
The Things We Do for Love is a beautifully written standalone contemporary romance from author Alice Peterson and one of my favorite reads this year. January Wild is a thirty-five-year-old independent and confident woman with an eleven-year-old daughter named Isla who has cerebral palsy. From the loss of her parents to her boyfriend abandoning her when he found out she pregnant, Jan has survived and is focused on creating the best possible life for herself and Isla. When she meets her new boss, she's immediately turned off by his brash manner in handling the estate company they work for, but the more time she spends with Ward Metcalfe, the more glimpses she gets at a broken man searching for happiness.
January was such an inspiring female lead character, someone who was not at all perfect but tried to be the best possible woman, mother, granddaughter, sister, and friend she could be. Her wants and needs were simple enough but even those can become complicated when certain circumstances come into play. Yes, she makes mistakes, but she learns from them and she knows when to admit she's at fault. There's no need for her to pretend to be stronger than she is and she's able to lean on others without much hesitation. Her love for her family was touching, but it was her relationship with her grandparents that was most endearing, and when time caught up with one of them, I couldn't help but shed quite a few tears.
While I enjoyed January and Ward's love story, the book was really more of January's continuing life journey. She's had to fight and work for certain things in her life but she's also been blessed to have other things come easily to her--the love and support of her grandparents, the unwavering friendship of her best friend, the offer to work in Sherwoods. She rarely takes anything for granted and she knows when to fight for something and when to step back. This is, by no means, a quick read, but I got through almost four hundred pages on my e-reader in one sitting and time simply flew by. That's what happens when you're wrapped up in a book as good as Alice Peterson's The Things We Do for Love. It receives five-plus stars. ♥
Release Date: 10 September 2015
Date Read: 08 September 2015
Learn more about Alice Peterson here.
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