Finding Perfect

Pia O'Brian's life is turned upside down when she learns that a good friend left her the embryos she and her husband had not had time to birth. Pia is astonished and certain that she isn't the right person for that awesome responsibility. After all, no one in her life has stayed. Her father committed suicide when she was a Senior in High School and her mother decamped to Florida with no intentions of coming back or asking Pia to go with her. A few boyfriends along the way also left her.

Pia has made a good life for herself in Fool's Gold, California. She works for the City planning events and festivals and is wonderful at the organization and details needed to make each event a success. She is supposed to have a business meeting with show more former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Raoul Moreno who has moved to Fool's Gold and is in the process of setting up a camp for underprivileged city kids. The first meeting doesn't go well because she is still so floored by the lawyer's news but Raoul is both nice and sympathetic.

Raoul is speaking to a class of fourth graders at one of the Elementary Schools when the school catches on fire and is totally destroyed. He volunteers to let the school use his camp since the summer season is over. Pia manages to arrange a fundraiser to get supplies for the new school in just three days. Raoul connected with one of the fourth graders from his class and becomes concerned about him fearing that he might be being abused. After the school takes over his camp, Raoul forms a friendship with young Peter and even takes him in when Peter breaks his arm falling off some playground equipment and his foster parents can't be found.

Meanwhile, Pia has decided to have her friend Crystal's embryos implanted even though she isn't sure that she'll be able to handle the responsibility. Raoul offers to be her pregnancy partner and even offers to marry her. He's offering everything but his heart which was trampled on by his first wife Caro who kept an awful secret from him and lost his trust.

Pia goes along with this engagement for a while but breaks it off when she realizes that she's in love with him and not conent to marry someone who doesn't love her just as much. It takes interventions from many of the people of Fool's Gold before their situation is resolved.

This was a great romance and well narrated by Tanya Eby. Fans of small town romances will enjoy this excellent addition to the Fool's Gold series. show less

I wasn't sure what to think going into this story. I could see what was coming a mile away and didn't know how to feel about it. The idea of someone leaving their frozen embryos to another person is mind boggling. Especially when that person does it without telling anyone, namely the person who's inheriting them.

That was my main issue with this book. Crystal didn't win me over by dropping that on Pia without thought or consideration. Having a baby is a huge thing. Asking someone else to carry and raise your babies after you're dead, without discussing it beforehand, is almost too much.

Otherwise I really enjoyed the book. I had problems with both Pia and Raoul, and how much they took on themselves, but mostly I was able to look past show more that. I adored how strong and giving Raoul was and how Pia had to learn to lean on him. show less

Finding Perfect
2 Stars

On the day she learns that she has inherited her BFF's frozen embryos, Pia O'Brian meets sexy ex-quarterback Raoul Moreno. Considering that she can't even take care of a cat, Pia struggles with the idea of becoming a single mother, and her inconvenient attraction to Raoul isn't helping, especially as he has suggested becoming her "pregnancy buddy".

Oy! This has got to be the most ridiculous, plot hole ridden storyline ever.
Why would Crystal leave her unborn children to a woman she knows doesn't have a maternal bone in her body? Why does Pia insist that having the babies is the right thing to do? Since when is having children out of a sense of obligation appropriate? Why would a man with as many trust issues as Raoul show more be willing to take on a ready made family?

Add in to the mix the fact that Pia and Raoul have zero chemistry and this book is a recipe for disaster.

Hopefully the next book will be better. show less

Another great series by Susan Mallery. Finding perfect is my favorite book in this series. Thanks to Susan Mallery I now have a dream of living in a small town. I am ready to pack my bags and head on over to Fool's Gold. In Finding Perfect you learn about the towns former bad girl Pia and her past. You meet Raoul, a football player who moves to Fool's Gold to start over. When Pia and Raoul cross paths immediately there is chemistry between the two. They both have a past and are both trying to not let it bring them down and destroy who they are today. Pia is under a lot of stress and has to make a very big decision about something that can change her life completely. Raoul who is just drawn to Pia, decides he will help her out and stand show more by her side no matter what.There were so many things about Pia that reminded me of myself. She was very sarcastic, had a great sense of humor, and did not really let anything get to her. She accepted the way her life was and everything shes done for herself. And talk about finding the perfect man, Raoul is everything a woman can dream for. He truly was perfect in every way. Susan, gives you a very strong & emotional story and very believable. The ending made me cry, but they were GOOD tears. A great beginning and great ending. This series really is "The Land of Happy Endings..." A great series and a must read! show less

Finding Perfect is an incredibly realistic romance in an unconventional situation. Pia's best friend died and instead of leaving her the cat, she left her three embryos. After short, yet frantic contemplation, Pia decides to have the babies. Former football player and new Fool's Gold resident Raoul offers to be her pregnancy buddy. It's his way of helping out and giving back without actually having to form attachments to people.

Raoul offers an interesting deal, one that seems perfect on the surface. But, as these things go, closeness fosters emotional attachments and soon Pia finds herself wanting more. And true to form for most of the women of Fool's Gold, she'd rather go it alone than even appear to pressure a man into doing what she show more wants.

I loved the pregnancy buddy concept and how the relationship progressed. I loved that the pregnancy wasn't without complications, adding both realism and heartbreak to the story. I loved the school at camp side story. The only thing I didn't love, and it got on my nerves a lot, was Pia's repeated thinking that that miscarriages could be caused by being less than excited about a pregnancy - even after being reassured by her doctor.

Fool's Gold continues to be an interesting community and a wonderful setting for this series. Finding Perfect tells Pia's story in near perfect fashion. show less

If you can overlook some of the more unlikely scenarios in this novel, it's a sweet romance with an unusual premise. Pia's closest friend has passed away after a battle with cancer, and Pia has not inherited her cat as expected, but instead Crystal's three frozen and fertilised embryo's. Pia's agonising over the decision she now faces has some authenticity, though really it is never in doubt what she will choose to do. New to the town, Raoul by amazing coincidence, met Crystal's late husband in Afghanistan, and feeling partially responsible for his death, offers to support Pia through her pregnancy. Though unrealistic, it's a unique start to their burgeoning romance. Pia is sufficiently complex to be interesting and likeable. I liked show more Raoul too, yet his characterisation is awkward. I can see that Mallery tries to justify Raoul's contradictions between his emotions and his actions, but it didn't quite resolve for me. What I don't think was handled well were the realities of IVF. Too many women have had some sort of relationship to the process to be fobbed off with this more romantic view. Mallery has tried to justify the events with optimistic possibilities, but it doesn't work because the reality for most is so different, except in terms of the storyline.What I did appreciate is that Mallery writes with warmth and heart about her characters and the town. I did enjoy the story and would happily read more by the author. Finding Perfect is a thoroughly contemporary romance novel, with an unusual premise for the romantic at heart. show less

There was just too much in this one that was hard to believe. The fact that a dying woman wouldn't tell her best friend that she's leaving her her three embryos is just the start. Who does that? And if Pia talked one more time about how she'd never have a relationship again once she got pregnant and had the baby/babies, I was going to scream. Sure, having kids may turn off some men, but women with children get into relationships and get married all the time. Yes, she was doing something selfless and caring, but yeesh, she was sure being a drama queen about it. Except for the part where she told NO ONE (except for a man she barely knew) about having the embryos and getting them implanted until it was done. Seriously, she has so many show more close friends--I can't believe she wouldn't want to talk any of this over with them before just running out and getting herself implanted. I finished it just so I could say I knew what had happened; but there was a lot of eye rolling on my part before I got there.

And what was up with the guy who grew up with her (Josh) showing her fiance the home she grew up in (where her father committed suicide and her mother left her) as a potential home for them to live in together? Even the most clueless guy couldn't be that insensitive, I'd like to hope. show less