Maeglin’s debut offering is layered and clever

Surprisingly layered with deeply realistic characters and situations that many are facing, Maeglin’s debut offering is clever, heartwarming and full of situations that range from laugh out loud funny to tear-inducing.

Valerie has just celebrated her forty-fourth birthday with a husband who needs a break, an aging mother who is requiring more care and supervision, a thriving business and not enough hours in the day. When her mother’s health requires her to have some additional help around the home, she flatly refuses. But a brainstorm had Valerie thinking that handsome, qualified and referenced male medical care workers would encourage her mother’s cooperation, and perhaps be a viable business, everyone deserves some eye candy.

This is not a simple story about her struggles and successes with the business though: her relationship with her mother, her best friend Pam, the dissolution of her own marriage, her mother’s new love interest and the blossoming relationship that is now developing for Valerie all combine for laughs, tears and are completely believable and relatable to all readers. Don’t let the cover put you off – the story is far more substance than fluff – and the issues will feel familiar and possible, if not ripped from your life at this moment.

Narration in this story is provided by Anne Hancock, who manages to completely capture the ‘feel’ of Valerie, while managing to vary her tone and delivery just enough to distinguish between characters, and provide their appropriate emotional feel. She doesn’t overreach in her male voices, a lowering of her normal register and change in pacing and delivery are all more than adequate to distinguish without distracting.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from the author via AudioBook Jukebox for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

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