Review: Breaking Even by Kathleen Kole

"Meet Penelope Whittaker, an accountant. A sensible, do things the right way, soon-to-be-married accountant. Penelope is engaged to the wonderful, kind and caring Ben Miller ... a man she has known forever.

Enter Single Dad.

While on a school run, Penelope accidentally locks her keys in her car. A seemingly boring event, until she is offered aid by a very handsome (hubba, hubba) and personable Single Dad. Shaken by the encounter, or, more to the point, shaken by her reaction to the encounter, Penelope tries to put it where it belongs: on a shelf marked "Chance Encounters".

Life has different plans.

Just when Penelope thinks she has blown the whole encounter out of proportion, and made much out of nothing, she is thrown together by chance (or fate?) with Single Dad. Suddenly, he’s a part of her life and, even though Penelope knows it can only cause trouble, she is helpless to stop it. Besides, she doesn’t want to. At least, not until she finds out the unsettling truth about Single Dad.

Penelope is confused. Her family, friends and, most importantly, her fiance, Ben, even more so. Will she be able to find her footing and go back to where she used to be, safe in her carefully structured world? Or, will she take the path of redefining herself, possibly leaving Ben behind?"

Kathleen Kole's debut novel was such a fun, fast read. Penelope is an average woman with an average life until a chance meeting leaves her questioning when life became so routine and why she wasn't having a more spontaneous side. When future sister-in-law, Kris, innocently suggests that Penelope try some retail therapy, little did she know that she set Penelope off on a journey to change her life. I cheered Penelope on as she started to make changes, found myself sad for her when she became conflicted, and ultimately thrilled that she figured out her happiness. The supporting characters came in the form of her future sister-in-law's and their husbands, her fiance's brothers. They all had their strengths and weaknesses, but the ripple effect of Penelope changing her life brought on their own changes as well, which was handled in a believable way. Ms. Kole definitely has a knack for storytelling and knows how to captivate her readers and keep them intrigued. Anyone that has ever wondered if the grass is greener on the other side is going to love this book that not only explores that option but answers the question. Put this on your must read list!

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Kathleen and Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours (Hosted by the lovely Samantha) on Wednesday, June 29th at 8PM CST for a twitter party. Use hashtag #CLPKathleen to ask your questions and participate.