{Review} Father of Emily by Kristofer Oliver

ISBN #: 978-1463660253

Page Count: 334

Copyright: July 25, 2011

Publisher: CreateSpace

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Ben Millar's life feels like any other ex-pat romance, he drinks too much coffee, moans about the French and has just found out he has an unfaithful girlfriend. Almost a decade after he has left England he is forced to take on an emotional journey of discovery as fourteen-year-old Emily, the daughter of his teenage love Clara, comes to visit him in Paris. This new relationship makes Ben face his fears, his past and the guilt of leaving her mother - the girl he said he would never leave. Nothing could prepare Ben for the surprises that Emily brings with her.

Mandy's Review:

Ben's life has gone quickly downhill. His girlfriend is cheating on him with his (seemingly) gay boss, Greg. Greg, due to his affair with Ben's girlfriend, has fired Ben on the grounds that it would be awkward for them to work together. Then, out of the blue, Ben's ex-girlfriend's mother calls him up and asks him to watch his ex-girlfriend's daughter for a few weeks. Ben reluctantly agrees, feeling as if he has no choice. What then ensues is a discovery, for both Emily and Ben, about who Clara, Emily's mother, really was.

Watching Ben and Emily's relationship was a little strange. At first it almost seemed as if Emily had a teenage crush on Ben and desired his 'attention.' I began feeling a little uncomfortable for Ben and wondered a time or two where the story was heading. I'll go ahead and put your mind at ease and let you know that Ben and Emily's relationship stayed platonic (thank goodness!).

I must say I was confused by Nicolas, a wealthy acquaintance of Ben's. To be honest, I did not see the whole point of him being included in the cast of characters. The entire Nicolas section could've been removed with a few minor re-writes to change the introduction of Elodie, which I feel is the only reason why the section with Nicolas was written to begin with.

Despite the changes I recommended, this is an interesting story with an engaging plot.


*An ecopy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.