Balance

Phillippa Doubletree, Phil to her friends, has a trust fund, thus never has money issues. To give back to the community, she volunteers at a women’s shelter which takes care of battered women and their children. One night, she takes a severely battered woman to the Emergency Room for help and has a run-in with the handsome Physician’s Assistant, Decker Madina. Soon afterward, he asks Phil out. Hesitant at first, she soon recognizes they have chemistry. Phil deliberately hides the fact she is wealthy because she knows Decker struggles with paying his bills. Before she knows it, Phil is well ensconced within Decker’s family, consisting of him, his ten-year-old son, and his aged father. Phil has good intentions of revealing her wealth to Decker, but the time never seems to be right.

“Balance” is an exceptionally brilliant story crafted by Ms. Jaeger, enveloping the reader deep in the story as it unfolds. There is a viable tension underlying most of the story as we sense Phil’s insecurities. Descriptive passages help the reader imagine each of the scenes as they unfold. Phil and Decker are strong characters with fascinating back stories. Emotions run high in this novel, and one can feel the angst of the characters as they work through their feelings, coming to life changing decisions. A few scenes drag due to wordiness, but the pace quickly picks up again in this intense story. Phil and Decker come from different societies, but they both want the same thing – true love - and for it to work, they must find a balance between their two worlds. “Balance” is a must read!

Belinda Wilson