Rating: 4 stars out of 5
An unexpected detour sets two men on the path to love and healing.
After being attacked by a drug addict, Dr. Josh Parker fled New York, his career as an ER doctor, and a failed relationship. Determined to start fresh, he takes a job as a concierge doctor to the wealthy older population of sunny Naples, Florida. Nothing to fear there. No trauma. No stress.
It’s a good idea that doesn’t last long. Traveling to his new home, he discovers a car accident and is forced to make a detour to render aid. There he meets sexy paramedic Ian Manolas.
Since Ian returned from the Army, every day has been a struggle to atone for past mistakes. The Glades Free Clinic is his chosen path to redemption. The people Ian helps are a world away from Josh’s wealthy clients though. Addicts, prostitutes, gang members: they all come to Ian’s clinic for help, not judgment. He’ll do almost anything to keep the clinic going, including roping in one reluctant—and hot—ex-ER doctor.
The attraction is immediate, but Josh wants nothing to do with Ian’s clinic. For them to have a future, both men must work together to find a path to love, while helping those who need them most.
The Doctor Takes a Detour by Bren Christopher represents a new contemporary romance by a new to me author. After finishing the story, Bren Christopher is a writer whose backlibrary and future releases are on my list to be read.
Well written, characters I got quickly invested in, and a story that pulled me in, The Doctor Takes a Detour was a smooth ride of a contemporary romance, one I really enjoyed. The author has a mixture of serious elements here, PTSD, addiction, that are addressed through both characters. One through Josh’s past history, a traumatic ER attack, the other through paramedic Ian Manolas. Both men were compelling, interesting, and I would have loved to have had an expanded section containing more of both men’s backgrounds, It would have added a richness to the story and depth to their characters.
The author has so much in place to have given this a 5 star novel. The setting was lush and vibrant, in some cases you could almost feel the Palmetto bugs and mosquitos! The clinic had an authentic gritty, beat down feel to it. Same goes for its patrons and staff. This was a clinic you might see barely existing on the outskirts of towns of this everywhere where someone tries or tried to make a difference.
I loved the relationship and romance between the men, the dynamic was hot and the chemistry believable. As I said I thought the book came close to a much higher rating.. As it is it’s a terrific read and a romance you will definitely enjoy. It is one I recommend.
Cover Art: L.C. Chase. Light, colorful. In keeping with the title although not the seriousness of the story which deals with PTSD and drug addiction.
Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | Amazon
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 214 pages
Published April 6th 2019 by Riptide Publishing
ASINB07QGQH2FM
This is the sixth book in the series. If you don’t read these in order, you will miss some inside couple things, references to their friends and background for Jude’s family. Still, this plot is not connected to the other books, so you could jump in with this one and follow the story, it will just have less emotional impact. There is enough recapping to get by for new people, and annoy those already following the series.
It’s the height of summer in Las Vegas. Everyone believes the serial killer Seven of Spades is dead—except Levi Abrams and Dominic Russo—and it’s back to business as usual. For Levi, that means investigating a suspicious overdose at the Mirage that looks like the work of a high-class call girl, while Dominic pursues a tough internship with a local private investigator. The one bright spot for both of them is their blossoming relationship.
Trust is hard earned and all too easy to lose.
Omega Milan Pryor knows his duty. He must travel North through the continent towards the snow, the cold, and his new betrothed. They say that Lord Alpha Raphael Ledford, the man he is to marry, is as arctic as the weather of his land. But Milan has always been an optimist. Perhaps he might find friendship in the arranged marriage. Even love.
Stetson Major and Curtis Traynor are about as opposite as two cowboys can get. Stetson is a rancher, tied to the land he loves in Taos, New Mexico, while Curtis is a rodeo cowboy whose wanderlust never could be tamed. But now Stetson’s momma is dying of Alzheimer’s, and she can’t remember that Curtis hasn’t been Stetson’s boyfriend for a long time. Curtis’s absence makes her cry, so Stetson swallows his pride and calls his ex-lover. To Curtis, Stetson is the one who got away, the love of his life. And Momma is his friend, so he’s happy to help out. Yet returning to the ranch stirs up all sorts of feelings that, while buried, never really went away. Still, the rodeo nationals are coming up, and Curtis can’t stay—even if he’s starting to want to, especially to support Stetson when he needs it most. Stetson and Curtis want to find a place where they both fit, to be there to catch each other when they fall. But family, money problems, and the call of the rodeo circuit might end their second-chance romance before it even gets started. 
There are moments in your life that become part of you. They become so ingrained in your memory that you can’t let them go, no matter how hard you try. Some may seem small and insignificant when they happen. Others are so big and important that you know, even while you’re in the moment, that your life will be forever changed. For me, almost all those moments—both the small and insignificant as well as the big and important—were moments I shared with Chance Wyrick. 
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 