Rose for Maggie [Paperback]

This book is gutwrenching so be warned, do not attempt to read it
without a full supply of tissues. I was floored by the intensity and the
realism the characters exhibit. They are not perfect super people who
handle troubles without a doubt, guilt or worry. I liked that everything
wasn't sugar coated and their thoughts weren't always pretty, they were
human, and I always admired both Joe and Allison throughout their story. I
read this book with my stomach in knots and an ache in my heart. I felt
deeply for these characters and wasn't once tempted to skim. Although this
is a very serious book there are bits of humor scattered throughout the
story and the excerpts of Joe's children's books are charming. A ROSE FOR
MAGGIE was a truly incredible story and the ending, wow, it was wonderful!
I give this book my highest recommendation with absolutely no reservations.
If you're lucky enough to find this treasure hold on tight to it

Maggie, the heroine, is a baby facing a challenging life with the help of her tenacious and loving mother. What that mother needs is someone with whom she can share her life -- and Maggie.

Allison shares with us her deepest concerns and makes us realize our human frailties as well as our small triumphs. Joe is equally as lovable, and wins your heart....

Kathleen Korbel has written an excellent 'keeper.' "A Rose For Maggie" is a timeless story that has something for all of us. I highly recommend it as a gift for your friends, and for you.

Kathleen Korbel's A ROSE FOR MAGGIE touches on a sensitive subject but with great care. A child with Down's Syndrome. Allison Henley married a man who did not want to have children. She loved him completely so when she became pregnant it was hard for her to accept him distancing himself. Okay, I have to mention what occurred to me while reading this part...why didn't he have a vasectomy or, at least, use a condom if he didn't want children? It was mentioned in the storyline that the pregnancy was an accident.

So Allison has the baby and her husband is with her in the delivery room until they realize something is wrong. He takes off and we don't hear from him again. She is left to raise the baby. Without any assistance from her family she moves, takes a new job working for a publishing house that will comply with the hours she needs, hires a housekeeper/ sitter and, for the most part, takes care of Maggie.

Weeks pass and one day she comes face to face with the reclusive L. Wood Dowd, aka Joe Burgett, an author of some popular children's books. He is nothing like she imagined. The remaining story is about how he pursues Allison and tries to get her to open up. They have their ups and downs but he doesn't let anything interfere with getting to know her for the better. For him, she is 'the one'. He just has to convince her of that.

Kathleen Korbel retired from trauma nursing. Her experience in the medical field helps to solidify what could have been a very sad subject with a romance. She shows the good and the bad when you are the parent of a child with continual medical needs. She wrote the character of Joe Burgett as though he was made for Allison. And Maggie. Lastly, the epilogue was a great ending to a heartwarming/heartwrenching romance.