The Best Next Thing by Natasha Anders
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Juggling a meaty topic such as physical abuse and the recovery from a relationship defined by that with a romance can be a bit of a challenge. That's exactly what Natasha Anders does in The Best Next Thing and she manages to pull it off incredibly well.
Charity has been hiding away from the world since the death of her physically abusive husband. (Although it would be more than fair to say that he was sexually and mentally abusive as well.) For the last three years she has been working as a housekeeper for Miles Hollingsworth, without them ever really seeing one another. She has become adept at blending into the background and giving the impression that she's much older than she really is. When Miles comes to spend time recuperating at the house, it isn't long before the barriers between them begin to crumble.
I really loved Miles, he was sweet and caring without being wet or pathetic. He and Charity work really well together and there was clearly much more there than the initial chemistry that we often see in romance novels. I loved the way that Charity was shown as such a strong character, despite what she had faced. Like many things, dealing with abuse and recovering from it is something that will never be a quick fix or overnight solution and this story didn't try and hide that.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I loved reading about Mile's and Charity's relationship and couldn't help but cheer them on from the sidelines.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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