This was just okay. Not the best kindle first choice for me. Found it very slow. ( )

I never would have thought of mixing a romance (with some very hot moments!) with the more important themes of the difficulties and rewards of raising an autistic child and growing up in an abusive household, but it worked quite nicely. And the antagonist was good. Well done. 3.75 ( )

‘The First Word’ by Isley Robson is an excellent debut novel that tugged at my heartstrings. Andie Tilly, who is emotionally scarred from a childhood accident of which she feels responsible, is a pediatric occupational therapist hired by wealthy alternative energy magnate Rhys Griffith. Andie takes a live-in position as a therapist to Rhy’s autistic toddler son, Wil. Wil is incorrigible at times, and the first word that he ever utters is ‘Andie.’ Although it is so typical of a romance story for sparks to ignite between Rhys and Andie, I was especially moved by Rhys character as a devoted dad to a child of special needs. Because the author has experienced being a parent of an autistic child in real life, she is able to portray the seemingly irrational demands with such realism. The story even provides an errant ex-wife and seems to get rather dramatic at times, but overall I felt that the writing was worthy, and the story held my interest throughout to award it five stars. Also, please be aware that the sexual scenes are quite explicit and descriptive. ( )