The Better Man

The Better Man by Amy Vastine

This might be his last chance at fatherhood…

Kendall Montgomery's six-year-old son has barely spoken in the past year, locked in his world of silent grief. Then one day, he spots his dead father across a crowded street.

Max Jordan moved to Chicago to be closer to his own son and prove he can be a better father than his deadbeat dad. His striking resemblance to Kendall's husband and his track record with fatherhood make her determined to keep her distance…until Max helps her little boy come out of his shell. But can she trust him with their future? How can she be sure he won't take off just when they need him most?

This author has become a go-to for me. I love the way she spins a tale and can keep you interested.

Kendall deals with more than any widow/single mom should have to. Her husband Trevor a Marine died during combat. When he died so much was going on that their son Simon stopped talking to anyone but his mom and grandma. Kendall felt like she was failing him, he hated going to school and he was just sad most of the time. One day after she picks him up from school after another episode, he sees his dad getting in to a cab and runs after him almost running right in to the street. The man looked so much like Trevor that it's completely understandable why Simon would think it was him. Chalking it up to the old saying that everyone has a twin somewhere, Kendall explains to Simon that while he looked like his dad, his dad was most definitely not coming back from Heaven. Besides they probably won't ever see this guy again. Chicago is a big town, it would be highly unlikely their paths would cross again.

Max has screwed up big time. He's let another man take responsibility for his son for the last three years and now that his rights as a father are being threatened he's dropped everything in California to move to Chicago and fight for his son.  Little did he know that he'd meet a woman and child that could help him in that pursuit. What he doesn't know is that he bears an uncanny resemblance to her dead husband. I'm not talking, oh he has the same eyebrows or nose, he's just about a carbon copy of the dead man. Max is totally freaked out by it. He deals with it though because he discovers that his relationship with Kendall has more going for it than just a character witness, she means more and so does Simon. They help him realize that it doesn't matter what the path was to get to Aiden, his son, its just that he's there now and wants to be there.

Loved their love story and how it played out. Nothing just happened, they worked for it, like in the real world. I loved her sisters and parents. I could of done without her father in law Paul, he was condescending and rude to her at every turn.  The big plot twist was pretty cool and I loved how everyone reacted to it. On another note I loved the reactions that everyone in Kendall's family had when they saw Max for the first time, it was awesome! Run and get this book!! You won't be disappointed!