Book Review ~ "The Better Man" by Amy Vastine

The Better Man by Amy Vastine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Clean Contemporary Romance

Book Description:  This might be his last chance at fatherhood… 

Kendall Montgomery's six-year-old son has barely spoken in the past year, locked in his world of silent grief. Then one day, he spots his dead father across a crowded street. 

Max Jordan moved to Chicago to be closer to his own son and prove he can be a better father than his deadbeat dad. His striking resemblance to Kendall's husband and his track record with fatherhood make her determined to keep her distance…until Max helps her little boy come out of his shell. But can she trust him with their future? How can she be sure he won't take off just when they need him most?


My thoughts: I enjoyed reading this book! Amy Vastine has taken a realistic look at family and what it means to be a good parent.

Max has trust issues. His father abandoned him and his mother before he was born. He didn't understand that paying child support on time did not equate being a good father. Now, he has moved to the same city as his son and ex-wife. He wants to be a part of his son's life, but isn't sure how to go about it.

Kendall is the mother of a boy with select mutism. Her husband died as a soldier in Afghanistan. She struggles to make ends meet and take care of the unique needs of her son.

The twist in this story lies in the fact that Max looks like the twin of Kendall's deceased husband. Her son, Simon, makes an instant connection with Max. He begins to open up. The issue is determining if he trust Max because of his resemblance to his father, or because of Max's merits alone.

I can't say there was anything that I didn't like about this book. I loved the emphasis on family and what it really means to be a good parent. I enjoyed the look at taking care of children with disabilities. I loved that Amy Vastine showed that good parents put their children first, despite their own insecurities and feelings.

This is a great, clean, romance book. I look forward to reading more books of Amy's in the future.

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This book is currently part of a blog tour run by Prism Tours.  To enter the tour giveaway, go to this LINK!  Please do not read the review posted there, read this one instead. :)  I have had a bad week with football coached bullying my son and I was not with it when I wrote the first review.  I had taken Ambien to help me sleep because I was furious.  My first clue that I should have left things alone was when I realized that I couldn't see the keyboard or computer screen clearly.  My sincerest apologies to Amy Vastine.  I am extremely embarrassed and will not get on the computer again while on sleep aids.