Someone near and dear to me recently suggested I consider sharing Jamillah and David Lamb’s tome, Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living & Loving Together with Triple B. My initial interest was piqued but I was even more intrigued when I learned the Lambs are also the powerful duo behind the popular long-running off-Broadway play, Platanos Y Collard Greens. Yet what really made me want to feature this book for Marriage Matters was hearing a friend share how inspiring the couple has been to her – she attended the Lamb wedding a decade ago and reveals that their outdoor nuptials were intimate and heartfelt. She confirms that the Lambs not only talk the talk but also walk the walk — sweet!

So what exactly is in this book you’re wondering? Well, it includes honest reflections on what has worked (and hasn’t) in the couple’s relationship, why leaving the past in the past (easy to say; a lot harder to do) is important for the success of any union and the painful, but ultimately happy journey to having their first child. Plus, it is packed with practical tips for “cooking up” love and romance. The Lambs seemed to avoid the preachy, lame relationship advice book formula of years passed and put their disappointments, pain and hurt on front street to sincerely help others.

 The dynamic duo share that being a “perfect combination” doesn’t mean never having a conflict… it means working together to answer the questions: What is Love? What is Romance? What is Marriage? Jamillah and David have:

• Each suffered with past relationship-sabotaging behaviors they found hard to let go

• Struggled to figure out that mutual appreciation is more important than gender roles

• Learned you’ve got to let yourself learn love lessons, even when you don’t like the lesson

Now you’re intrigued too, right? I’m sure. Kudos to the Lambs for being vulnerable enough to pen this much-needed book. Happy reading!

Planning to read this book yourself and/or share with your partner? Have you already read it? Leave me a comment with your thoughts (good, bad or indifferent)!