Kissed by the Country Doc
by Melinda Curtis
The Monroe family is the center of this new Heartwarming Harlequin series The Mountain Monroes. The first novel, Kissed by the Country Doc, by Melinda Curtis, opens with the reading of Grandpa Harlan Monroe’s will. Full of surprises for the Monroe heirs, the will sends some of the younger generation of Monroes off to Second Chance, a small mountain town in Idaho. One of them is Ella, a Monroe by marriage, but widowed for two years, with an adorable two-year old. What will happen when Ella, after a childhood of foster homes and seeking a love that will last, encounters Dr. Noah Bishop, whose successful career as an orthopedic surgeon was crushed in an accident?
As snow strands the four Monroes in Second Chance, we learn more about them, the inhabitants of the town, and its mysterious history. In fact, we discover just enough to pique curiosity about the origins of the town and why Grandpa Harlan left the town to his grandchildren. The Monroes are divided about what should be done about the town—sell it off, try to inject new life into it, reinvent it as a high-end tourist destination, or some other solution. Their inheritance could be a blessing or a disaster, and perhaps the hardest part will be to get all of the grandchildren to agree on a decision.
Since sixteen relatives of Harlan Monroe are shown on the handy family tree included in the book, I feared I would have trouble distinguishing and remembering all of the characters. That actually is not a problem as only four of them, plus Ella, are characters in this book.
Ella is a very likable character as is her daughter Penny. More of a puzzle is Dr. Noah Bishop who struggles with his identity as a former surgeon whose hand injury keeps him from what he and his family view as his full potential. The author cleverly helps the reader understand the dual nature of Noah as he struggles to disassociate the man who falls hard for Ella and her daughter from the jaded, self-loathing failure, Dr. Bishop, by sharing the reactions of both. For example, “Dr. Bishop fell off his stool in a dead faint. Noah’s reaction was equally shocking. His mouth dropped open and his waffle-loaded fork hung in midair.” Both Ella and Noah have issues to overcome to be able to give and receive love. Read Kissed by the Country Doc for a sweet romance in a snow-covered mountain setting. Add in a lovable two year old and an injured dog and hang on to your heart so you don’t lose it in Second Chance. I am looking forward to more stories about members of the Monroe clan and the fate of this little town and its residents.
I would like to extend my thanks to Melinda Curtis for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: 1. #1 in The Mountain Monroes series
2. Clean and heartwarming romance
Publication: February 1, 2019—Heartwarming Harlequin
Memorable Lines:
“My four sons are too old to unlearn the privilege of the silver spoon, too busy to enjoy the priceless beauty of a mountain sunrise, too calloused to appreciate the comfort that comes from loyalty, or the joy that love for love’s sake can bring.”
“Don’t get attached to people. They always leave. And when they go, they take a piece of you with them until you feel like you’re dying inside.”
The dog did what Ella and Noah couldn’t. Penny’s sobs subsided. She snuffled and buried her hands in Woof’s fur, her lower lip trembling.
education pathways 
Lovely cover
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The snowed in town in the book makes me think about my Chama home. They recently got over a foot of snow over a 10 inch base. Here in Mexico I can get out in a t-shirt. We had a short winter here! Chama needed the moisture so I am glad it snowed there.
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It’s been rain and are snow is all gone. The West coast seems to be getting a lot of moisture this year.
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Are you in Belgium today as I have 11 click for that country?
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No, I am in Mexico. You must have another international follower.
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Sounds very cute!
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It is! It’s a good book when you want something interesting, but not intense. I love the little girl in it.
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Sounds like a sweet read Linda.. I read such romances rarely nowadays, I used to be a big fan of harlequin romances years ago… This had a sweet cover too.. Maybe love exists somewhere
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I don’t read the blushing red Harlequins, but I have dipped my toes recently into the Heartwarming Harlequins and like what I have found. I couldn’t do a steady diet of it, but they make a nice change of pace. I became disillusioned with romantic love in stages. The first one was when a couple that were friends of ours who were always holding hands, etc. got divorced. The second was when a friend who proudly proclaimed her husband was her best friend found out he had been having an affair. Despite these discouraging tales, I hope you find the love you seek someday.
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I enjoyed your review of this one, Linda. At first when I read about the 16 characters I was like 😳. But when you clarified I felt much better. 😌 I’m glad you’re enjoying the heartwarming line. This particular series by Melinda Curtis sounds like one I’d enjoy, too. But first I have to get back to reading, period. 🤦🏽♀️
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Thank you, Laurie. It is a good start to a series. I hope your health issues will abate so you can do the things you want and need to do.
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Thank you, Linda. I have two doctors appointments this coming week so I hope I can get some answers. Some close friends are having major health issues too, so 2019 is shaping up to be a real challenge thus far. But hoping things will brighten up. 😊
I truly appreciate your kind words. 🤗
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This one sounds like one I would enjoy LInda. Is this going to be like the Blackwell series, written by different authors? Nice review.
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Thanks, Carla. I think all of these will be written by Melinda Curtis, but she will focus on different family members in each book in the series. In that way it reminds me of the Blackwell series.
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Sounds good.
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