A nurse, her puppy…
And the family he never thought he'd have?
After losing his wife and baby to his best friend,
guarded GP Ben Mitchell's sworn off love. But nurse Toni Butler and her
adorable therapy dog, Archie, are drawing him out of his shell. When a romantic
weekend in Vienna leads to an unexpected pregnancy, Ben's painfully reminded of
the family he lost. What will it take for Ben to believe this family's for
keeps?
Terrific book about two people who have been hurt in the
past and are reluctant to risk their hearts again. I enjoyed seeing both Toni
and Ben overcome their fears and open their hearts.
Ben moved to the small village of Great Crowmell for a
fresh start. After finding out that his wife and the baby she carried belonged
to his best friend, he needed to get away from the memories and the pitying
looks. He has no interest in entering any new relationships.
Toni moved back to Great Crowmell to care for her
grandmother and stayed after her grandmother's death. After a series of
relationships with men who turned out to be selfish jerks, Toni no longer
trusts her judgment and has sworn off men.
Ben and Toni got off to a rough start when he tripped
over her therapy dog, Archie. After Ben comments about dogs not belonging
there, and Toni snaps back, both retreat to their corners. Fortunately, neither
one holds a grudge, and they clear the air the next day. Toni is a friendly and
kind-hearted woman and wants Ben to feel at home in the village. After inviting
him to dinner, where he gets to know both her and Archie, the beginnings of a
friendship form. I loved watching Toni and Ben spend time together, getting to
know each other, and sharing the hurts of their pasts.
Neither expected the sparks of attraction they felt.
After an evening of Ben comforting Toni after losing a friend turned into much
more, they had to make a decision. Do they allow past hurts to rule their
lives, or take a chance and explore whatever is between them? I loved how they
were open and honest about their wants and needs and decided to move their
relationship ahead slowly. It was sweet to see the things they did together,
from dinners to sightseeing to quiet movie nights. Their romantic weekend away
was incredible.
Everything moved along quite nicely, then Toni became
pregnant. I wanted to shake Ben, who let his past get into his head and cause
him to make a boneheaded mistake. I ached for Toni, who suddenly felt her past
happening all over again. Fortunately, Ben's idiocy didn't linger too long,
helped along by an emergency with his sister's family. I loved Ben's big moment
at the end, with his heartfelt apology and admission of his feelings. I didn't
blame Toni for being wary at first and making him work for her forgiveness. The
epilogue was fantastic, with a nice little twist at the end.
I loved the view of life in Great Crowmell. Like small
towns all over, everybody seems to know everybody else and all of their
business. I loved how quickly Ben felt at home. I would love to live/visit
there myself, especially during their nineteen-forties weekend. Archie was
another big part of the book. His obvious joy at being around people and
ability to sense what they needed made him an excellent therapy dog. I loved
how he turned Ben from an anti-dog person to a dog lover.
On a personal note, I loved Ben and Toni's trip to
Vienna. Having been to the SiSi Museum, I agree entirely with Toni's love of
what she saw. From their carriage tour to the concert to the pastries they ate,
it all brought back wonderful memories.
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