For anyone who wants to visit New York during the Gilded Age, Perfect is a must read. Kimberly Keagan brings the streets to life on the pages with her lovely descriptions. More than that, all the experiences of the characters are shared with wonderful sensory details. A reader can almost taste the food, feel the breeze in the park, and smell the binding of books. (And I have to say, visiting a book shop through the pages of a story is an added pleasure).
Ivy and Will make for a sweet couple. I cheered for them to come together and loved both of their characters. Will had a drive and sense of commitment, while also showing chivalry and kindness. Ivy and her hard work ethic, determination to preserve her parents’ legacy, and devotion to her family was super sweet.
The faith content sprinkled throughout the story centers around themes of honesty and of worth being found in the Lord.
And I’ve just got to mention the secondary characters. I can’t decide who was my favorite. Gran? Bert? Zella? Dickens? All of them added lovely elements to the story.
Needless to say, if you love historical fiction set in America’s Gilded Age, pick up Perfect. The story is sure to please.
About Perfect:
In the glittering era of the Gilded Age, the heirs of Philadelphia’s Denwall Department Stores navigate family expectations, relentless ambition, and unexpected love.
William Walraven’s picture perfect life is turned upside down when his fiancée jilts him for an English aristocrat and his father refuses to name him as his successor. To prove he’s worthy of leading Denwall, Will must open their first New York store under budget and before the Christmas shopping season. Overwhelmed by disappointment and a nearly impossible deadline, Will has no time for distractions—especially not the captivating bookseller he saves from being crushed by a beer wagon.
Ivy King and her aging grandmother are barely keeping their struggling bookshop afloat. Though drawn to the charming, enigmatic man who saved her life, Ivy has no illusions about her place in the world. It certainly isn’t beside a department store heir whose dazzling emporium threatens to close her family’s business.
Brought together in the wake of an attack on Will’s brother, Will and Ivy find themselves at a crossroads—torn between the expectations that define them and a future neither expected.