Peace By Piece - Carol Fragale Brill

5 Stars!

ABOUT THE BOOK -

Six years after Thomas’s unfaithfulness in college, Maggie has nearly given up on love.
Enter Izzie, a motherless eight year old, and every maternal instinct kicks-in. With Donald, Izzie’s dad, Maggie waits for the thrill—for anything magic: a spark, a quickening, a quiver racing up her spine. The magic never comes, but it is precisely the ordinariness of his kisses and subsequent proposal that make her feel safe. She imagines that loving Izzie is enough to finally lock Thomas out of her heart.
Over time, Donald sways Maggie to quit work and be a stay-at-home mom to Izzie, dismisses her desire to finish her degree, cajoles her to wait for the right time to have a baby.
Izzie is the center of her world, but some days Maggie cannot think over the roar of her biological clock. Unable to win the baby debate, she returns to college, graduates, and accepts a teaching job. She has what many women long for: the house and minivan, the daughter and spouse, a career and steadfast girlfriends.
But there’s an empty space inside that no amount of bingeing can fill.
By chance, Maggie and Thomas, also a teacher, reconnect when Maggie attends a teacher’s conference in her college town, a handful of miles from where her heart first came alive—and where it was irrevocably shattered.
Can Maggie and Thomas mend their relationship? And, will she return to her loveless marriage for the sake of the daughter who has become her own, or this time around, will she trust Thomas and follow her heart?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -

Carol Fragale Brill, earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Poets and Writers named her fiction the 2010 Maureen Egen Writer’s Exchange first runner-up, A novel excerpt turned short story was selected as a favorite for the Philadelphia Stories Anthology. She writes book reviews for New York Journal of Books. Her work has also been published in Wide Array, Philadelphia Stories, and The Press of Atlantic City. 

Find her blog - HERE 

MY REVIEW -

Very sweet book! I finished it in 24 hrs.

I really liked the feel of this story. The author's writing style is a little different, I can't put my finger on what makes it different, but I like it! Its just relaxed, Like the two of you are sitting having coffee and she is just talking to you telling you Maggie's story. It has a nice easy going flow that makes you just drift along while reading it. There are very good descriptions. So you really makes you feel like you are right there.

I think She got the character development spot on. I loved Maggie. She is simple minded, meek, tender, loving, fearful and obedient. She felt like a wife of the 40's or 50's to me. She is so needy, you just want to hug her. 

Izzie is sweet, adorable, and wanting a mother so bad. I just loved to see the relationship between her and Maggie come alive between the pages. 

Even Donald's character was done very well. He was not hated or loved by me, he was blah - as he was suppose to be. I kind of pictured as a young Ryan O'neal with the thick glasses, nerdy looking.

This story also talks about some issues with alcoholism and eating disorders. I thought the whole story was done very well. It really made you think - What would I do if...
This is a real nice sweet love story, quick and easy reading, nice for the end of summer.

A huge thanks to the author - Carol Fragale Brill, for sending me this e-book for my honest review! I am really looking forward to reading "Cape Maybe" next week!

Get your copy from Amazon (only 2.99!) - HERE