[Serenity House 01] • Practice Makes Perfect

Welcome to Kathryn Shay’s first book in her “Serenity House” trilogy. This novel features complex characters, heart-wrenching emotion, and no easy answers.

Dr. Paige Kendrick is a successful pediatrician with a troubled past. As a pregnant teenager, Paige was one of the first residents of Serenity House, a group home for girls. When her drug-addicted parents were killed in a motorcycle accident, and seeing no alternative, Paige gives her child up for adoption. Upon her 18th birthday, Paige gets down to business raising her younger sister, and throwing herself into her chosen profession. While she now has a strained relationship with Jade, all the work has paid off - Dr. Kendrick has a thriving practice working with an upscale clientele.

Dr. Ian Chandler is an OB/GYN who is starting up an inner city clinic to be named after his late adoptive mother. There’s only one piece of the puzzle missing - a pediatrician. Naturally, Ian wants the best, and that which means Dr. Kendrick. After much convincing, she finally agrees - but not before Ian finds himself hopelessly intrigued. What makes Ms. Coldly Professional tick? And why won’t she let him in?

Paige is a complicated woman who had resisted accepting Ian’s offer because she’s afraid it will bring back unpleasant memories. She has dealt with her past by not dealing with it, and she just can’t get Ian to leave well enough alone. Worse still, she finds herself wanting more - more than what her lonely personal life has provided, and all the promise that a relationship with Ian may hold.

Shay’s novel is a sheer joy for readers looking for a contemporary story with honest-to-goodness issues. Paige comes from a troubled place, and has serious trust issues. Ian has had a much more stable life, but he too finds himself in a lonely place - working through the grief that continues to linger one year after the death of his adoptive parents.

My plot summary really doesn’t do justice to the kind of story the author has chosen to tell. Shay has literally created a whole town, full of interesting townspeople itching to have their own stories further explored in the next two installments. The author has a real talent for writing about younger women from troubled circumstances, without succumbing to cliché. Her background as an educator is apparent from the first page, and a real asset to the story. The Romance Reader

Kathryn Shay pens a poignant winner with Practice Makes Perfect, Paige Kendrick’s journey from emotionally scarred teenager to an accomplished woman who learns to love, laugh and enjoy life. RT Book Reviews 41/2 stars

“Author Kathryn Shay has a gift for boldly presenting challenging life situations that offer no easy solutions. Practice Makes Perfect once again exhibits Shay's deep compassion for her flawed, yet marvelously portrayed characters. A sympathetic, heart-warming tale that presents families, adoptions, and love with beauty and sparkle.” Word Weaving