I love a good read. Honestly, there's not much else I'd rather be doing with my spare time than curling up with a good book and getting lost in some other world for a few hours.
Ever since just before Jim was born and I discovered the world of Kindle Unlimited, I've burned my way through countless books. One of my favourite discoveries in this time was discovering R.S. Grey and her amazing range of romance novels - and the fact that all of them are included on Kindle Unlimited is incredible. I quickly fell in love with each character, wishing I had the strength of the heroines and mentally touting each hero as my new book boyfriend. So when I was kindly sent an ARC of Rachel's latest book, 'Doctor Dearest', you can imagine me doing a little squeal of delight.
Natalie
Dr. Easton is part man, part myth.
He's a formidable surgeon. Highly respected in his field.
He also happens to be an ex-collegiate quarterback with a classically handsome face.
Are you catching on yet?
He's horrible.
Beautiful.
A walking Ralph Lauren ad.
He's also so off limits he should come with a warning label: This way lies heartache.
Not only is he an attending at the hospital where I'm training, he's also my brother's best friend. If you've lost count, that's two reasons why I plan on putting this ridiculous crush behind me. Besides, it's definitely not mutual.
Dr. Easton has never once paid me special attention. No tempting smirks/ Not even one subtle innuendo. To him, I'm just another resident - all but invisible.
Connor
For the last five years, I've mentored Natalie in the OR, stayed in line, and kept my hands to myself, but it's been agonizing.
Natalie is trouble in scrubs. A walking temptation I've been forced to ignore.
For so long, I've wanted her in silence. By the time fate finally gets around to throwing me a bone, my patience has run out.
Natalie's brother is leaving town, and he wants me to watch over her while he's gone.
He has no idea how I feel about her.
Neither does she.
But she will.
Haven't you heard good things come to those who wait, Natalie?
Well...I've done my waiting.
'It feels like it lasts forever as we stay suspended in this mutually wrought fairy tale.'
I don't know why, but there's honestly just something I love about books with the 'brothers best friend' romance trope. Plus, when you add in the fact that all of the characters are Doctors within the same hospital, I knew 'Doctor Dearest' would be a book that sucked me in straight from the outset. Thank you Grey's Anatomy for ensuring I can no longer get enough of an infusion of romance and medical drama.
Rachel has a way of writing characters that you can't help but fall in love with, or can't help being pulled in by. Natalie is the definition of a true, feisty heroine, and I immediately loved her from the outset for how dedicated she is to her work. And whilst I loved this side of her, Rachel also tugged at my heartstrings a little with how she portrayed Natalie as being so dedicated, she wonders if she is missing out on other areas in her life.
Connor is nothing short of dreaminess personified walking the halls of the hospital, and one of the main things I loved about him was how dead certain he was on his feelings for Natalie from the start. There wasn't any confusion on his part and he knew he was attracted to her but had never acted on it, instead choosing to wait it out until they were of a similar standing at the hospital and he was no longer in a position of authority.
The angst builds up nicely throughout the book, with both the characters acknowledging their attraction but dancing around it at a nice pace that fits well for the book. The dynamic with Natalie and Connor's relationship is a good one, and the push and pull between the two is at times electrifying.
'Sure, maybe love can be simple, but sometimes, it's a real struggle. People have gone to war over love, Natalie. They've spanned oceans. They've left their families and their homes behind. They've given up their jobs. They've put their dreams on hold. Love isn't simple. That's a lie. Love is a fight. Love is a plight of the human condition. You either choose to suffer it, to feel it like a cancer inside you, or you give up and you walk away unscathed.'
Even the secondary characters in the book have a way of pulling you in and making you like them, which is sometimes something I struggle with in books. Natalie's BFF at the hospital, Lindsey, is probably one of my favourite characters out of the bunch, and I adored their friendship and the banter between them. Every girl needs a friend like Lindsey in their life.
The majority of the book takes place either at Natalie and Connor's home or in the hospital, which when you think about it kind of makes sense with them being so dedicated to their careers. What amazes me with each book Rachel writes though is the depth that she goes into regarding their backgrounds and careers - it's honestly so intruging the way that she writes it all, and it feels so natural and not like an information dump. I loved learning about the character's journeys in medicine, and you can tell some serious research has gone on in the background.
Overall, this book has to be my favourite yet to date from R.S. Grey, narrowly beating out 'Settling The Score' and 'Hotshot Doc' (another medicine-based romance, can you sense a theme here?). My only niggle was with Natalie being a bit back and forth with her feelings, and being so reluctant to admit she was in love with Connor for a while. But even then that was minor, and so I'd still have to give this book 5-stars overall. So happy release day Rachel - and thank you so much for bringing us Natalie and Connor's story!
Are you adding 'Doctor Dearest' to you TBR? Or have you already read it? Let me know in the comments below!
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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