A Perfect Fit by Kellan McKnight is an entertaining age-gap contemporary romance that proves that everyone is worthy of love and affection.
High School English teacher and former volleyball star, Ella Gardner lost out of playing in college when she became pregnant with her daughter during her senior year in high school. She’s finally acknowledged her sexuality and at thirty-five is dipping her toes into the online dating world. While her first date doesn’t go as planned, she has a chance encounter with a woman that will change her life forever.
Parker Chase is content with her life, she’s everybody’s friend and confidant. She’s a college student by day and a bartender by night who is always looking for her next one-night companion, that is, until a beautiful blonde saunters up to her bar and makes her question her theory on love at first sight. Can she overcome a traumatic past that leaves her feeling unworthy of affection?
Can these two women overcome past hurts, present worries, and future concerns to find their happily ever after?
Writing
Kellan McKnight, with her debut book, has created an emotional story with multidimensional main characters who you can’t help but fall in love with. The storyline has a lot of moving pieces and McKnight has done a fantastic job providing details throughout their evolution. If you’re paying attention, the elements of foreshadowing help enhance the overall narrative and make the plot twists all the more delightful. The dialogue flows so naturally and at no time becomes stilted. I am truly impressed that this is Kellan McKnight’s first book as the quality of the writing is on par with writers that have been publishing for years!
Pros And My Favourite Parts
Kellan McKnight has knocked it out of the park with her debut novel! I honestly wasn’t prepared for how deeply emotional this story would be. I fully expected it to be a light, breezy, romance with a lot of laughs. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are laughs and some breezy dialogue, but with some intense scenes that lend themselves to a lot of character growth for both main characters. Paker’s trauma is handled with care and her vulnerability with Ella is beautiful.
Ella is in a transition phase of her life and has accepted her sexuality but she’s terrified to tell her teenage daughter, A.J. I adore the evolution of their relationship as the lines of communication open. Their strength, courage, and honesty allow them to bridge the gap that has formed since the divorce. A.J. has a wonderful spirit and is wise beyond her years! Ella and A.J. are lucky to have one another.
The relationship between Parker and Ella includes some drama but their story is so perfectly paced that at no point did I heave a big sigh and roll my eyes at Ella’s inability to give into her feelings. I felt like I understood where she was coming from, much to Parker’s chagrin.
As I look back at this book in its entirety, I am blown away by the number of subplots it has. The book takes place in around a three-week time span. A lot happens in those three weeks, I mean a lot. Despite the short timeframe, everything that happens is perfectly described and paced. And most importantly, it was all extremely believable! There is a lot of character growth for Ella and Parker but also for A.J. and Parker’s parents whose dismay with Parker’s life choices caused a chasm in the relationship. The fact that this book works so well is a major nod to Kellan McKnight’s talent as a writer.
Heads Up
One of the main characters experienced sexual assault in high school which the original synopsis of the book didn’t prepare me for. The incident is off-page as it happened a few years prior, but she does share her story and the trauma of it affects her present relationships.
The Conclusion
A Perfect Fit is a wonderfully written age-gap romance that kept me engrossed right up to the very end. What starts as a chance encounter over a bar top leads to life changes for Parker and Ella. The story flows naturally with a multitude of engaging plotlines that are woven together perfectly. This twisty and turny tale is emotional, enchanting, and exquisite and had me giggling one minute and tearing up the next. It’s a story that will make readers truly believe in love at first sight! Kellan McKnight has truly blown me away with her talent and I can’t wait to see what she dreams up next!
Excerpt from A Perfect Fit by Kellan McKnight
Ella heard “what’ll you have?” just before she looked up from the drink menu on her phone. Time stood still, and the noise of the room faded away.
In front of her was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Dark, wavy locks cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, framing her heart-shaped face. Smoldering eyes the color of dark chocolate stared back into Ella’s sea-green ones as one side of her mouth curled up into a wry, knowing smile.
“Uh…” Ella stuttered as she ripped her eyes away to look down at her phone. The delicious-looking drink she had been pondering was no longer there. Frantically, she scrolled and ordered the first drink that popped up while her brain functioned on autopilot. “A Screaming Orgasm?” she said, and as soon as the words fell from her mouth, she felt the blood drain from her face. Danna elbowed her incredulously from the side as the beautiful bartender laughed out loud.
“Really, now? You did mean the drink, right?” she said with a wink.
It was just then that Ella snapped out of her trance and realized what she said. “Wait, no, sorry. I’ve lost my page here. Just a second,” she said as she tried to scroll back. No matter what the striking drink-maker thought, the folks behind her started to voice their wishes for her to get her drink and go…now. Ella couldn’t function. She couldn’t make the page come back up on her phone, so she opted to order something she knew she would enjoy for the first drink and perhaps she could get creative when she came back through the line. Danna made it obvious she wanted them to drink more.
“Let’s just do a vodka soda with lime,” Ella said to the lovely woman in front of her, who smiled and nodded and went about crafting the drink. “Make it a double, please,” she added as she stood red-faced and ready to sink into the floor.
The bartender nodded and, without looking up, added, “Do you want to pay for it or leave your card and cash out at the end of the night?”
Ella dug her credit card out of her back pocket and handed it over. She had come to the bar with the intention of hanging out with Danna and her friends for a while, but she now had a new objective: to drink more than she ever had in her life in order to lose herself in those eyes as often as possible.
The bartender picked it up and nodded, sitting it on a shelf behind her before tucking the drink receipt under it. She handed the drink over, and for the briefest of moments, their fingers brushed. Ella drew in a deep breath to steady herself.
“Here you go. You didn’t specify your brand of choice, but the well vodka we have here is terrible. So, I substituted something top-shelf for you, no charge,” she said with a beaming smile, showing off pearly-white teeth. “My name’s Parker Chase. It was very nice to meet you, Ella Gardner.” Parker said very in an alluring way that made her pulsate deep in her core. “Come see me if there’s a new drink you’re wanting to try. I have many recipes I want to try and am always looking for a willing participant,” Parker continued.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 979-8866333288
Publisher: Indie Author
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