JayneB+ Reviews / Book Reviews / C- Reviewsangsty / Australia / Contemporary / doctor hero / dogs / Harlequin / Harlequin Medical Romance / paramedic / Rural RomanceNo Comments

She puts everything on the line for her patients, but is this paramedic willing to risk her heart for a gorgeous doctor and his adorable son? Dive into the first story in the Paramedics and Pups duet from Harlequin Medical Romance author Marion Lennox.

Colleagues, housemates…

Soulmates?

After a disastrous relationship, paramedic Jenny needs this fresh start in remote Willhua. When her living arrangements fall through, gorgeous local doc Rob offers Jenny and the injured pup she’s just rescued a room. Their immediate chemistry is overwhelmingly intense, but it’s clear this single dad’s life is currently in limbo—placing him firmly off-limits! Jenny’s scared to open herself up again. Is this instant family worth taking a chance on?

Dear Ms. Lennox,

I find myself at a bit of a loss about grading this book. On the one hand, parts of it are lovely. Jacob, hero Rob’s four year old son, is a delight. I’m not usually a fan of children in romances but for Jacob I’d make an exception. Rob and Jen are caring and wonderful people. Rob made the decision to stay in small, rural Willhua because of the desperate need the small community has for a family medicine doctor. Jen chose to go there from Sydney after a disastrous break-up from a toerag (asshole). They click immediately both medically and personally. But wow, there is a big reason why Rob is “Off-Limits” and I’m torn about this.

For a small town, Willhua is packed with medical needs. It seems as if disaster after disaster after incident occurs. There are deaths, there are cancer patients, there is an unwed eighteen year old who has been hiding her pregnancy from her parents and the world because of how it occurred (and I needed to see

I didn’t get this), there are people frantic to make sure that their livestock are looked after, plus two dogs who lose their person who need (and yay, get) new homes. And that’s before the dam overflows after torrential rains and the whole valley needs rescuing. The hits just kept coming. 

But there are charming scenes of Jen getting to know irrepressible Jacob (and we can see how good a dad Rob is to have achieved this despite being run off his conscientious feet). Stubby the corgi is a sweet delight. I approve of the fact that Jen tells Rob the whole sordid truth of what she ran from, I approve that Rob tells Jen about his marriage and the horrible outcome of his wife’s pregnancy. There’s one thing that Jen doesn’t find out about until after she boldly proposes a night of mutual enjoyment (which they both enjoy a lot). That one detail sent me – and Jen – into a spin. 

It’s a small town and people sure do talk so I can understand why Rob might have just assumed that Jen had been told and that she knew. After what happened to her in Sydney, finding out what she didn’t know was devastating to her. She was told about how Rob’s grief stricken in-laws have acted over the past four years and Jen herself gets a taste of this. It’s …. a lot. It’s a tragic situation – there’s anger and grief enough to go around. And I’m still conflicted about Jen and Rob’s relationship. I mean really conflicted. On the one hand, these are two people who, along with Jacob, deserve to be happy. On the other hand … wow. This

might be a step too far for a lot of people. This is a bold authorial choice and I happily grade part of it a B+ but the rest, no matter how conscientiously and tenderly portrayed, is not what I’m looking for in a romance. B+/C-

I look forward to what people’s thoughts are.

~Jayne      

 

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