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A review by anya_doesntmatter
The Imperfection of Swans by Brandon Witt
5.0
Pat yourself on the back Brandon Witt! You wrote yourself a winner :)
A little back story:
After months of not being on GR’s I logged on to peruse my “to read” shelf when I literally stumbled upon a video Brandon Witt, posted. The video was a sit down interview he did with his best friend Kevin Eksterowicz, to discuss The Imperfection of Swans, Witt’s latest book, which is loosely based on Kevin’s life. I was immediately intrigued. I remembered when Brandon spoke about this book several months ago during a con I attended. I pre- ordered it weeks before it’s release date waiting and had it sitting on my online bookshelf waiting for it to go go live. As I watched the video, the love, respect and affection these two had for each other became apparent. It reminded me of the relationship I have with my best friend who coincidentally attended the con w/ me. The second thing I noticed about Kevin, is in fact how handsome he is. As the interview progressed, I saw beyond the surface. I saw a man that loves life, cherishes his family and despite his beauty, he has struggles and is human like the rest of us. It turns out that Kevin, has been battling anxiety and bulimia. I no longer saw just a beautiful man on that couch, I saw a person expressing feelings of inadequacy that I could identify with. I was instantly hooked, after all, I tend to think “beautiful people” have no problems, the world is their oyster, right? Kevin’s story quickly disabuses that notion. I was so moved by that interview that I once again hopped on Dreamspinner and BOUGHT the book AGAIN. I introduced my BF to mm while in San Diego, and once I realized I had purchased not one but TWO copies of this book I knew it was meant to be. I gifted her the second copy and decided we would buddy read it together :)
Main Characters
So, Kevin, is a handsome divorcee, who has worked hard to achieve success in advertising. He is successful, however; his heart isn’t in it. Kevin’s dream is to one day open a luxurious wedding dress shop, a sanctuary for brides to be, to go and be pampered by knowledgable staff that truly love what they do. He quits his job, takes out a loan with his family and after securing help from his cheating ex- husband, he invests the loan into a dilapidated building in a prime location of Boston to pursue his dream.
As I mentioned in the beginning, I instantly fell in love with Kevin’s character bc of the interview. I had RL Kevin’s voice in my head as I read the story. But what about Casper? Would I care as deeply for him as I already do for Kevin?
The answer is yes :)
Casper, is a successful pastry chef who dreams of opening his own bakery one day. His Aunt & Uncle passed on, leaving him a sizable inheritance he’s been saving in hopes of investing in his dreams. It is through a chance meeting *fate*, that Casper and Kevin eventually end up as business partners when circumstances beyond Kevin’s control jeopardizes the loan. The more I read the more I saw a man who believes in fate ( I do too). A focused man willing to distance himself from his unsupportive family and tolerate insufferable roommates in order to realize his own dreams. Casper’s strength of will and determination is what makes him so appealing. I also love the fact that though he too initially finds Kevin physically attractive, he actually took the time to get to know him and fell in love with the person flaws and all. Flaws that no one else in Kevin’s world realized existed. He helps Kevin fight his personal demons, pays keen attention to him and is so supportive and unwavering throughout that I couldn’t help but love Casper as much as I love Kevin.
Now, I don't know about you but I tend to dismiss supporting characters bc they tend to come across as fillers, one dimensional or uninteresting in most books. Well, the Bivanti’s (Kevin’s Family), are anything but that. They are so vibrant, loud and infectious! I love how diverse their personal relationships are and how close knit they are as a family. I fell in love with every colorful one of them and felt just as overwhelmed like Casper did as Witt introduced them all one by one. These characters are rich and full of depth, their personalities so distinctive, so in your face that I often found myself laughing, crying or cringing whenever they appear on page. I also instantly gravitated toward them, wondering how they would impact Kevin and Casper’s working and evolving personal relationship.
Overall Impression:
There is so much to love about this story. Some may find the story overly detailed or think it centers too much around the wedding boutique. I do respectfully disagree. The Boutique itself is pivotal role. It is the physical crystallization of dreams fulfilled. The boutique and how far it comes along reflects the ebb and flow of Kevin Casper’s progressing relationship. The renovations and setbacks reflect the stumbling blocks, we all deal with in some way, before we successfully move on and accomplish our goals. You also get the sense of “real time”. As I read, I felt the months passing bye, I felt how long it took before these two FINALLY got together and trust me, when it finally happened it was well worth the journey and the wait. As I read I wondered how Witt, would tackle writing intimate scenes. Let’s be real, who wants to write sex scenes featuring their best friend? Wait. Don’t answer that! I was nervous he would drop the ball, after all, it IS a contemporary romance and readers, ok, THIS READER would expect that. He passed with flying colors :). Cleverly incorporating sex mostly via fade to black and he incorporated enough explicit scenes tastefully enough to whet my voyeuristic appetite. . again, the story flows so smoothly and easily that once it does happen you’re happy for Casper and Kevin. Besides, the story, the journey itself makes up for everything else.
Verdict:
This book is a labor of love which is evident in the sheer perfection of the title, how well developed each character is and how Witt made their world come to life in my mind. Every detail is well thought out and executed *i.e* I even love how Witt indicates who’s head I’m about to hop into whenever I’m starting a new chapter: wedding dress for Kevin, a cake for Casper. Everything about it is heartwarming w/o being sugary sweet. In sum, If you’re a romantic at heart. If you’re looking for something to restore your belief in Fate and making the impossible, possible, if you’re looking for colorful characters and MC’s you can’t help but root for then this book is for you. I enjoyed every minute of this story, and I personally think it was meant to be for me to stumble upon that interview and to ultimately buy 2 copies to share w/ my bestie! Oh, and Kevin +"Casper", if I weren’t already married for 14 1/2 years I would have loved to shop in your bridal boutique and satisfy my sweet tooth w/ one of Casper’s mini wedding cakes. Decadent and ingenious! Wishing you both years of love, success and happiness :)
A little back story:
After months of not being on GR’s I logged on to peruse my “to read” shelf when I literally stumbled upon a video Brandon Witt, posted. The video was a sit down interview he did with his best friend Kevin Eksterowicz, to discuss The Imperfection of Swans, Witt’s latest book, which is loosely based on Kevin’s life. I was immediately intrigued. I remembered when Brandon spoke about this book several months ago during a con I attended. I pre- ordered it weeks before it’s release date waiting and had it sitting on my online bookshelf waiting for it to go go live. As I watched the video, the love, respect and affection these two had for each other became apparent. It reminded me of the relationship I have with my best friend who coincidentally attended the con w/ me. The second thing I noticed about Kevin, is in fact how handsome he is. As the interview progressed, I saw beyond the surface. I saw a man that loves life, cherishes his family and despite his beauty, he has struggles and is human like the rest of us. It turns out that Kevin, has been battling anxiety and bulimia
Spoiler
since middle schoolMain Characters
So, Kevin, is a handsome divorcee, who has worked hard to achieve success in advertising. He is successful, however; his heart isn’t in it. Kevin’s dream is to one day open a luxurious wedding dress shop, a sanctuary for brides to be, to go and be pampered by knowledgable staff that truly love what they do. He quits his job, takes out a loan with his family and after securing help from his cheating ex- husband, he invests the loan into a dilapidated building in a prime location of Boston to pursue his dream.
As I mentioned in the beginning, I instantly fell in love with Kevin’s character bc of the interview. I had RL Kevin’s voice in my head as I read the story. But what about Casper? Would I care as deeply for him as I already do for Kevin?
The answer is yes :)
Casper, is a successful pastry chef who dreams of opening his own bakery one day. His Aunt & Uncle passed on, leaving him a sizable inheritance he’s been saving in hopes of investing in his dreams. It is through a chance meeting *fate*, that Casper and Kevin eventually end up as business partners when circumstances beyond Kevin’s control jeopardizes the loan. The more I read the more I saw a man who believes in fate ( I do too). A focused man willing to distance himself from his unsupportive family and tolerate insufferable roommates in order to realize his own dreams. Casper’s strength of will and determination is what makes him so appealing. I also love the fact that though he too initially finds Kevin physically attractive, he actually took the time to get to know him and fell in love with the person flaws and all. Flaws that no one else in Kevin’s world realized existed. He helps Kevin fight his personal demons, pays keen attention to him and is so supportive and unwavering throughout that I couldn’t help but love Casper as much as I love Kevin.
Now, I don't know about you but I tend to dismiss supporting characters bc they tend to come across as fillers, one dimensional or uninteresting in most books. Well, the Bivanti’s (Kevin’s Family), are anything but that. They are so vibrant, loud and infectious! I love how diverse their personal relationships are and how close knit they are as a family. I fell in love with every colorful one of them and felt just as overwhelmed like Casper did as Witt introduced them all one by one. These characters are rich and full of depth, their personalities so distinctive, so in your face that I often found myself laughing, crying or cringing whenever they appear on page. I also instantly gravitated toward them, wondering how they would impact Kevin and Casper’s working and evolving personal relationship.
Overall Impression:
There is so much to love about this story. Some may find the story overly detailed or think it centers too much around the wedding boutique. I do respectfully disagree. The Boutique itself is pivotal role. It is the physical crystallization of dreams fulfilled. The boutique and how far it comes along reflects the ebb and flow of Kevin Casper’s progressing relationship. The renovations and setbacks reflect the stumbling blocks
Spoiler
ex husband, old hurtsVerdict:
This book is a labor of love which is evident in the sheer perfection of the title, how well developed each character is and how Witt made their world come to life in my mind. Every detail is well thought out and executed *i.e* I even love how Witt indicates who’s head I’m about to hop into whenever I’m starting a new chapter: wedding dress for Kevin, a cake for Casper. Everything about it is heartwarming w/o being sugary sweet. In sum, If you’re a romantic at heart. If you’re looking for something to restore your belief in Fate and making the impossible, possible, if you’re looking for colorful characters and MC’s you can’t help but root for then this book is for you. I enjoyed every minute of this story, and I personally think it was meant to be for me to stumble upon that interview and to ultimately buy 2 copies to share w/ my bestie! Oh, and Kevin +"Casper", if I weren’t already married for 14 1/2 years I would have loved to shop in your bridal boutique and satisfy my sweet tooth w/ one of Casper’s mini wedding cakes. Decadent and ingenious! Wishing you both years of love, success and happiness :)