Ann McIntosh

Good slow-burn romance with an unusual hero. Ailani is a pediatric nurse from Hawaii who did a job swap with a nurse from Boston. She's always wanted to experience a white Christmas, so she jumped at the opportunity. One of the first people she met was Javi, one of the pediatricians. She is attracted to him, but when she learns he is recently divorced from his husband, she figures he is out of her reach. Not that it really matters, as she is only there for three months and has no intention of getting involved in a fling.

Javi is a pansexual divorced single dad of an adorable little girl. He's feeling a bit disillusioned about life in general, with the only bright spot being little Mabel. He's tired of being looked at with pity by his coworkers but hasn't been able to do anything about it. Then, sunny Hawaiian nurse Ailani bursts into his life.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Ailani and Javi. Because she believes Javi is gay, Ailani first looks at him as a friend. I loved how well they worked together; that comradeship bled over into their developing friendship. Then, they bonded over Mabel, who quickly grew attached to Ailani. Ailani worked hard to bury her attraction to Javi, believing it was useless. At the same time, Javi discovers he is attracted to Ailani. But he fears history repeating itself, so he denies his growing feelings.

When he finally admits those feelings, he makes a boneheaded move that makes Ailani feel that her desires and needs aren't important. This disregard drives her away from Javi. I liked the self-examination that opened his eyes to how he let his past dictate the future. Once he saw that, he realized he was ready to change. I loved seeing him go to Ailani and explain what happened and promise to keep the lines of communication open if she'd give them a second chance.

The epilogue was terrific and showed what a difference a year makes.

#netgallley… (més)

A heartwarming and emotional story of love, loss, and letting go. It all starts when Dr. Theo Turner finds a newborn baby girl on the steps of the midwife center, Carey House. He and chief midwife Nya Ademi call the little girl Hope while social services try to find a foster placement. Theo and Nya step up to share fostering duties when that proves problematic.

Theo and Nya have been friends for many years, but seeing him with Hope has Nya looking at him in a whole new way. Nya has been a widow for twenty years, and Jim's absence is always in her mind and heart. She closed herself off after his death, preferring not to risk another devastating loss. Instead, she has filled her life with work, friends, and community. She's not about to risk a treasured friendship with inappropriate feelings.

Theo is recently divorced and still dealing with his feelings of rejection and guilt. He's spent the last eighteen months burying himself in work to avoid dealing with the emptiness of his life. His loneliness is amplified when he finds out he won't see his adult children over the holidays.

I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Theo and Nya. Because they've been friends for so long, their interactions are mostly easy. But the more time they spend together, the more the attraction between them grows, and the harder it is to stay in control. I loved how little Hope drew these two lonely people together. There are sweet scenes of simple actions, such as bathing and feeding the baby, that make Theo and Nya feel like a family. Each tries to fight the feeling, believing that the other is not interested in pursuing a relationship, but neither can resist daydreaming about what could be.

I ached for both as their fears kept them from believing in the possibilities. Giving into the attraction brings those fears to the surface and causes each of them to pull back. All awkwardness falls by the wayside when a medical emergency with Hope unites them in their worry for her. An unexpected twist removes Hope from their care, and Theo and Nya are forced to accept that their idyll is over. Nya's pain was overwhelming, but I liked how it caused her to look at her life and realize how much she'd hurt herself. Her big moment at the end was terrific and led nicely into the epilogue. I liked how the epilogue brought everyone back together the following Christmas. I especially enjoyed seeing the massive changes in Theo and Nya's lives.

#netgalley… (més)

Good book about two people who feel that love has let them down, so they keep their emotions under lock and key. She keeps any romantic encounters superficial and physical only - no emotion allowed. Kendra is a nurse who has spent the last several years going from job to job as she traveled the world. Her newest job is at a small clinic on the Amalfi coast.

I liked the first meeting between Massimo and Kendra. Before starting her new job, Kendra visited a beach at Positano. Halfway down the path, she stopped to admire the view and was passed by a man who struck her speechless. They teamed up a short time later to save a boating accident victim. After dinner together, they indulged in a passionate encounter, never expecting to see each other again. Fate had other ideas, and Massimo was stunned when he discovered that Kendra was the new nurse at his clinic. While both agreed to act as though nothing had happened, neither could forget their night together.

Though they initially manage to keep their distance, when a housing disaster makes Kendra homeless, she ends up staying at Massimo's grandmother's home. Forced into close proximity, Massimo and Kendra soon find it impossible to maintain their distance. The attraction between them continues to grow the more time they spend together. They also find that their emotions are getting involved, which scares them both. After her father's death when she was ten, Kendra spent her childhood being passed from relative to relative. She never felt wanted or loved, no matter how hard she tried to fit in. Since then, she hasn't allowed herself to get close to anyone. A few years earlier, Massimo fell in love with a woman who eventually left him, calling him stodgy and boring. Hurt by that experience, he no longer believes that love is possible for him. Both have a great capacity for caring, as shown in their interactions with their patients, Massimo's grandmother and the boy Pietro.

After an incredible weekend away together, the intensity of the experience causes them to pull away from each other. Each fights the knowledge that they've fallen hard for the other one. I enjoyed seeing their self-reflection and struggle to open themselves to the emotions they fear. It takes an event that endangers them both to break through the walls that keep them apart. The scene on the beach was very emotional as both Kenda and Massimo exposed their vulnerabilities before admitting their love and need for each other. The epilogue was great.

As much as I enjoyed the romance, my favorite thing about the book was the setting. The descriptions of Positano, the Amalfi coast, and Capri were vivid and made me feel like I was there.

#netgalley… (més)

I loved this book. Harmony escapes the city and her grief over her grandmother's death by taking a job on a remote Scottish island. With her mother spending Christmas with her new boyfriend, Harmony has zero Christmas spirit and plans to lose herself in her work. Having recently ended a two-year relationship, men are also off her wishlist. But all her plans are thrown off-kilter by her temporary boss.

I loved both Harmony and Cam. I ached for Harmony because she was so unhappy. She missed her grandmother fiercely and felt cast adrift by her mother's plans. But she has a good heart and refuses to make her mother feel guilty about moving on. I found it interesting that she stepped so far outside her comfort zone to take this job. She is a woman who likes her life stable and logical, and she doesn't like change. Much of her attitude stemmed from the loss of her father when she was a small child. He was into many different extreme activities and died doing one of them. She doesn't understand how anyone can put their lives at risk for something so ridiculous.

Cam is a doctor who lives a full and adventurous life. Diagnosed with diabetes as a child, he suffered from a fearful and overprotective mother until his doctor grandfather taught him how to manage his disease. Since then he has thrown himself into anything that caught his interest, from medical aid work to skydiving. At home on MacRurie island, he cares for the health needs of the islanders in between his adventure trips.

I loved the first meeting between Cam and Harmony. She witnessed one of his daredevil stunts as she arrived on the ferry and was dismayed to discover that he was her new boss. Though she was immediately attracted to him, she couldn't hide her disapproval. Cam was puzzled by her reaction to him but bowled over by her beauty. I loved his cheerfulness and how he tried to make things better by talking about Christmas. This only made things worse as she shuts down any holiday talk too. She's determined to do her job and nothing else.

I enjoyed the development of their relationship. Cam is pretty easygoing, which is a good thing, as Harmony can be very intense. Used to big city doctor's offices, Harmony doesn't quite know how to deal with the more laid-back attitudes of Cam's practice. Some sparks flew as Harmony's intensity and occasional bossiness ran up against Cam's easier way of doing things, but eventually they developed a good working relationship. That quickly grew into friendship as Cam learned more about why Harmony was so prickly. The attraction between them continued to grow, with both trying to resist it. Cam, because she worked for him, and Harmony because she couldn't see a future with someone like him. Eventually the sparks grew out of control, and they decided that enjoying each other for the time they had would be okay.

Of course, the connection between them was more than just physical. I ached for Harmony as she realized that she had fallen for him, but couldn't bring herself to accept his lifestyle. Her fear of losing him the same way she lost her father wouldn't allow her to take a chance. Cam, too, realized he'd fallen hard for her, but wasn't sure he could give up something that was such an intrinsic part of him, even for her. A conversation with her mother gave Harmony a different perspective and something to think about. I loved Cam's big moment at the end, and the thought and effort he put into it showed the depth of his love for her. I loved seeing what could happen when two people accept each other for who they are and find that love can overcome any obstacle.

The vividness of the descriptions of the island made me feel as though I was there. From the crashing waves during Cam's rescue of the boy, where I could almost feel the iciness of the water, to the descriptions of the Manor in all its Victorian beauty, I easily pictured each setting. I also loved each of the Crafty Islanders, with their individual quirks. It was fun to see them embrace Harmony and pull her into island life. I especially enjoyed the part each of them played in Cam's surprise for Harmony.… (més)