Better Together by Raymond Rose

Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Christopher Williams Books
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 2010

Successful horror novelist, Paul Rhoads, hits a stumbling block in his career when he experiences a writer’s block. He decides a trip back to his hometown in Pennsylvania would be just the thing to clear his head and help him get his career back on track. Instead, he runs into his high school sweetheart and best friend, Annie, and he discovers the chemistry is as strong as ever.

Annie is the mother of an 8 month old boy Max. Her husband walked out on both of them. They are divorced now leaving Annie as a single mother with no help from her ex-husband at all. It doesn’t take long before Annie and Paul realize they still love each other and are still the very best of friends. They marry, give Max a true family and are as happy as they’ve ever been in their lives. Then, tragedy strikes. Annie dies in a freak car accident, leaving Paul and Max to grieve and find their way.

Paul attempts to contact Max’s biological father, but he wants nothing to do with the boy. It’s then that Paul makes the decision to raise Max on his own. It doesn’t take long for him to realize just how difficult that can be.

Raymond Rose creates a group of characters that can be found in anyone’s day-to-day life. They are all realistic, experiencing everyday problems that readers can identify with. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. There aren’t any bullets fired or chasing bad guys, it’s the story of a man desperate to provide a good life for his son after he loses the love of his life. He has to tack problems most single parents face today.

I found using the father’s point-of-view to be quite unique and intriguing. Readers will truly care about Paul and Max. Their plight tugs at the heartstrings. This is an emotional read, fast-paced story with believable characters.