Elliot Fletcher: One For the Road

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241986052-one-for-the-road

Book Blurb:

Opposites attract in this steamy Scottish romance between a grumpy doctor and the single mother who lives next door, from the author of Whisky Business.

Burned-out GP Alistair Macabe never planned to return to his tiny hometown on the Isle of Skye. Especially not to live next door to Isla, a newly single mom with zero time for grumpy doctors.

But when Alistair needs a popularity boost in order to start taking on patients again, and Isla wants to ruffle her smug ex’s feathers, a fake relationship seems like the perfect solution.

And with the pair taking their roles very seriously, they might just forget they are pretending after all

Tropes:

*Netgalley ALC *Opposites attract *Enemies --> more *neighbors *Doctor MMC x baker FMC

*Small town romance *Rom-com *single parent *family drama *spice *Scotland 

*grumpy x sunsine *forced proximity *fake dating *slow burn

Thoughts:

Alistair (MMC) returns to his small home town that he had always wanted to leave on the Isle of Skye after his father passed away and in his will left him his medical practice. 

Alistair followed in his father's footsteps and while he always wanted to be a doctor growing up now he doesn't know if he wanted it for himself or to finally be seen as worthy in his father's eyes and now his father is gone.  Returning to his small home town with nosy residents and his family that don't mind their own business either is bad enough... especially since his brother is with his ex-fiance, he's still salty about that.  But now he's living next door to Isla and her daughter they are messy and entirely too loud... in fact maybe he'll write some complaints to the land lord about them.

Isla is new to being single her ex-husband moved her out in the middle of nowhere (where he grew up) and even had her make friends with his high school girlfriend... who he later left her for now she's dealing with his poor excuses as to why he can't help pay for anything when it comes to their daughter and constantly canceling his plans with her when it's his day to pick her up... leaving Isla to pick up the pieces of their very heartbroken young daughter. 

Isla and Alistair get off on the wrong foot and spend quite a bit of time at odds... so it's quite a surprise when Alistair has come up with a fake dating plan he needs to be liked more in the area to get his ratings up for the possibility of selling his practice, and it would help everyone see that she has moved past the betrayal that was the ending of her relationship with her ex... you know what why not, it's just pretending for a few months... what could go wrong?

This was a super cute small-town romance I really loved seeing Mr. Grinch himself let down his walls and not only begin to care for Isla but her daughter as well, he really stepped up when it mattered time and time again.  

Isla and Alistair are both working on some emotional damage caused by people who should have cared more in their lives and they found each other at the perfect time... but now that walls are coming down lines are blurred and it's hard to tell that things are fake anymore.

Isla is so sweet but I truly wanted to have a chat with her with how she was dealing with her ex and his unacceptable behavior a number of times... ugh!  her ex made me so angry for Isla and for their daughter Teddy they both deserved better.  

Teddy (Isla's daughter) such a sweetheart I loved seeing her get closer to her grumpy neighbor.  

I loved Alistair beginning to build a better relationship with his family again and begin to think that maybe he could make a life for himself in his small hometown.  

There was drama from Isla's ex, small town gossip and a fun cast of characters that make you want to move to this small town in Scotland too.  I will be checking out the rest of this series!

I thank the author and Netgalley for this audio book Isobel Wood and Angus King were awesome and really helped to bring out the humor and heart to this story.

I did feel that some of the pacing was slower in places and there were some repetitiveness but overall enjoyed this one it was a cozy, feel good read! 

Have you read this one yet?  What did you think? 

Piper Rayne: Holding Ground

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256129950-holding-ground

Book Blurb:

I’ve been a single dad for five years. Then the wrong woman rented the guest cabin behind my house, and I knew right then she was going to ruin everything.

When Baylor's mother walked out, I made a promise—I'd be enough. Just the two of us. No one to disappoint her. No one else to leave.

Then Emelia Greene rolled into Echo Lake in a Mercedes and a power suit to convince the townspeople to change what makes our small town great. She’s everything this place isn't.

Emelia's not supposed to be kind. She's not supposed to be good with my daughter. She's definitely not supposed to be the one I find myself confiding in at the end of my dock every night.

She's leaving in three months. I know that.

The problem is, I can't stop wondering what it would be like if a woman like her belonged in a place like this.

In a life like mine.

Tropes:

*Hambright PR ALC *Small Town Romance *Single Dad *Opposites attract *Troubled past

*Forced Proximity *enemies --> More *Strangers --> More *Spice 

*fun small town residents *Grumpy/sunshine *banter *insta lust 

Thoughts:

I love a good small town romance and jumped at the chance to get an early listen copy when I saw this new series from Piper Rayne, thank you to the author and Hambright PR!  I enjoyed the narrators but the FMC's voice for Emelia was a bit off for me, still an enjoyable listen.

We have Emelia (FMC) she is originally from a small town in Alaska but never truly felt like she belonged there and moved away for school and never went back to stay, now working in Boston for a development company she knows it won't be easy to win over the residents of Echo Lake... and that's evident right away when she runs into the brick wall that is Elliot.

Elliot (MMC) is grumpy and standoffish but he has reasons to be he has been raising his daughter by himself for the last several years after Baylor's mom walked out because "she just can't do this anymore" now with deep seated feelings of abandonment on multiple levels he is doing the best he can do be there for his daughter in every way that counts which includes keeping this small town community together and not allowing a big corporation to come in and build a resort... or whatever other plans they have... not in his town!

Emelia getting off on the wrong foot pretty much immediately with Elliot then hoping to not have to deal with him much while in town is unpleasantly surprised to find that he is the owner of the rental that she booked for the next 3 months... looks like they are going to be closer than she ever imagined, just wonderful!

After a storm damages the rental unit Emelia is staying in she has now moved into the home with Elliot and Baylor, forced proximity at it's finest.  

I loved seeing grumpy, protective dad Elliot let down his guard and realize that maybe Emelia isn't as bad as he originally thought, she brings laughter and a lightness to his life he hasn't had in a long time and everyone in town (including his brother's) have noticed that he's in a better mood. 

This was a cute small town romance and had all the things I love about that including the nosy towns people and family getting in everyone elses business.  

There were some underlying themes of abandonment on both sides and a past history that made things feel more real and I enjoyed watching these two lost souls find each other on a deeper level, and Baylor so adorable loved how she was a 3rd lead character with a huge personality. 

I loved Elliot's brothers and I'm looking forward to their stories!  This was a great introduction to this new series and I can't wait to re-visit these characters as the series goes on it will be just like visiting an old friend.  

Have you read this one?  What did you think?