A Jeri Review: The Imperfection of Swans by Brandan Witt

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5  (4 1/2 stars!!)

Kevin Bivanti’s dream is to open a wedding dress shop, a place with the stunning gowns to make every bride-to-be feel adored. At thirty-eight, he quits a successful advertising career to buy an old brownstone in a trendy Boston neighborhood and to make his dream a reality. When one of his cosigners drops out, fate intervenes, ushering in Casper James, who hopes to open his own bakery. With Casper willing to take the risk, their ambitions meld into a wedding dress and wedding cake boutique.

Extensive renovations to the brownstone, an affair with his ex-husband, family drama with his mothers, and the anxiety of significant life changes push Kevin to the brink of a nervous breakdown. In the midst of stress and uncertainty, Casper becomes more than a business partner, a mutual attraction that adds another layer of intensity and risk.

With their dreams on the verge of reality, Kevin and Casper must find the courage to face the stress of managing their attraction, the gamble of a new business venture, and the resurgence of Kevin’s personal demons.

I really loved this book! The general concept of the story was not all that original. Two guys working together and don’t want to mess up their professional relationship, but fighting it gets harder and harder. We’ve read that before right?

Yep, we have. But what we haven’t read about is one of the characters who is at once so lovable and so flawed and the other, just as lovable and trying hard not to be flawed. It is the flaws and the way they are dealt with which made this book a BIG 4 1/2 star read for me.

Kevin is the character with the most issues. And like most people with issues like his, he denies them and makes excuses for them. His strength and vulnerability make you want to hug him and tell him it is going to get better. Kevin is finally taking a huge leap to live his dream- that of opening a bridal shop in Boston. With the help of his moms and extended family, it looks like it will become a reality. Until financing falls through.

Enter Casper, a head pastry chef who has his own dream of opening a bakery. He lives with 4 loud music majors so that he can save up enough money to open his own bakery. Kismet brings them together and with Casper able to help secure the financing on the multi million dollar building- it seems as though they will both be living their dreams.

This book contains some pretty serious subject matter- eating disorders and anxiety. Both could have easily been portrayed as overly dramatic or sensationalistic, but they are not. They are addressed head on, shown for the true colors that they are. How they affect not only the person living with them, but the people who love them as well.

There is also an outstanding cast of background characters in this book. Two of my favorites were Renata and Noelle- Kevin’s moms. Their yin yang relationship so mirrors the relationship that Kevin and Casper are trying to build together.

I laughed and I cried. I couldn’t wait to turn the page and I didn’t want it to end.

Cover Photo Credit Brandon Witt; Model: Kevin Eksterowicz.When I am reading a book by a new to me author, I always go all the way through to the end. Reading the “about me” section and anything else. There I learned that the cover art- oh so gorgeous- is not only the author’s real life best friend, but also the inspiration behind Kevin. It made me love the book more.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 284 pages
Published January 18th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634768175 (ISBN13: 9781634768177)
Edition LanguageEnglish