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An Unexpected Christmas Helper–support dog
An Unexpected Christmas Helper
By Lee Tobin McClain
This book checks off lots of boxes for me, especially:
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Support Dog (Snickers)
Inspirational Romance.
When Evan’s ex-wife drops off a toddler he didn’t know he had, he heads to Chesapeake Corners to get advice from Gramma Vi who raised him. Unfortunately, she is in the hospital. Her caregiver Vanessa and her son Declan live with Gramma Vi. There is immediately conflict because Vanessa had broken Evan’s heart when they were in high school. They now have some troubled waters to navigate as they try to coexist in Gramma Vi’s house.
Both Vanessa and Evan had troubled homes as children that caused trust issues as they became adults. Vanessa is caring, kind, and a good mother to her son Declan. Evan is smart and generous and wants to be a good dad to his neglected daughter Lily. They are both Christians, but that doesn’t mean they are perfect. Sadly, Vanessa’s past causes self-worth issues, and Evan has a judgmental streak. They need to work on individual issues before they can have a successful relationship.
The dog Snickers and the two children, Declan and Lily, are key characters throughout the book. All three are delightful and realistically portrayed. Both Vanessa and Evan make their children’s well-being a priority in all of their decisions. This is a great read (or listen) for the holiday season.
I received a complimentary copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Romance, Fiction
Notes: 1. #38 in the K-9 Companions series which seems to consist of standalone books dealing with K-9 companions.
2. Narrated very well by Tanya Eby
Publication: October 28, 2024—Harlequin Audio
Lessons in Love at the Cornish County Hospital–many faces of love
Lessons in Love at the Cornish County Hospital
By Jo Bartlett
This series is the fictional account of several of the workers at St. Piran’s Hospital. It focuses specifically on two couples: Gary, a staff nurse, and Wendy, the head of housekeeping; and Danni who works in emergency medicine and her boyfriend Charlie, a children’s book author. Working on the fourth book in this series, Jo Barlett presents a lot of background about the various characters. Sometimes I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of a soap opera; and at other times, I admired Barlett’s handling of characters and situations that are serious.
Wendy had been married to Mike, unquestionably a philandering, narcissistic jerk who was the father of her two young adult girls. Now he is in a relationship with the much younger Chloe. Wendy struggles with doing the right things for her daughters as they form bonds with Chloe who is pregnant. Danni is also pregnant and is carefully cared for medically as an older mom with a first child. Both Gary and Charlie are caring and loving mates, but the women take the stage in this novel.
With relationship and medical issues, there is both trauma and drama for Chloe. Eating disorders affect several characters. Wendy struggles with jealousy over Chloe even though Wendy no longer loves or is attracted to Mike. It hurts that her daughters see Chloe as the fun “mom.” Meanwhile Chloe suffers from a deep seated and unfulfilled desire to be loved.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: 1. #4 in the Cornish County Hospital series, but could be read as a standalone.
2. Only 6 instances of swear words and no open bedroom doors.
Publication: October 3, 2024—Boldwood Books
Memorable Lines:
…borrowing tomorrow’s trouble was a sure-fire way to suck all the joy out of life.
If death could come from a thousand small cuts, so could the death of a relationship and it felt like that day was getting closer and closer.
Everything they’d been through had taught her that love really could be found in the most unexpected of places. There was no such thing as loving too many people, or being loved by too many people in return.
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