Everyone has a plan.
Dr. Guy Hunter secures his dream fellowship with a beautiful free spirit by his side. Two unexpected blue lines don't even shake his resolve—he is on his way to having it all. Until he isn’t.
Abruption: a sudden breaking off
Jules Chiappetti loves her boisterous over-involved Italian family but is determined to pave her own way. An MBA and boardroom job is her ticket out. Until it isn’t.
Abruption: an unexpected event
Four years later, Guy is consumed by the challenges of being a single father, still struggling with the aftermath that derailed his life and left his son with special needs. He doesn't realize his world went dark the same day his wife's did, until Jules, his son's new nurse, shows him the light.
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4.5 stars
Review by Natasha Gentile
I was first introduced to these two writers last year when their two books- Beautifully Awake and Beautifully Done left me picking my jaw up from the floor. I was very excited when I found out we were finally getting another book by them and I couldn't wait to dive in. I will say that I was scared; especially after they gutted me the last time.
Everyone has a plan.
Dr. Guy Hunter had always known what he is going to do. The future was written in the stars but just like that the fates decided, he was going down another path. A safer path for him. I mean it's not every day your wife finds out she's pregnant with your second child within what seems like days from her delivering your first bundle of joy. When push came to shove and ultimatums were given he went with the only logical choice; the only choice he could make. He chose his family over his dreams.
My family or my career.
One choice.
One that took absolutely no thought.
I just never dreamed that my wife would make me choose.
Four years later Guy has many challenges, being a single father is one of them. Being a single dad to a special needs child is his biggest challenge to date.
Abruption: a sudden breaking off.
When another visit to the ER has him locking horns with a new nurse. Not new to the ER but new to Guy.
Jules Chiappetti loves her job. She's especially drawn to children. She wants to be that one that makes a difference. I really loved her as the heroine.
She had never had the pleasure of going toe to toe with Guy. Let's just say that if their first meeting was any indication of the future, then this friendship was doomed.
I crossed my arms and shrugged. I owed him nothing, and I certainly wasn't going to coddle after his recent immature behavior towards me.
It seems the only one who has an issue with Jules is Guy. His son Finn has already formed a friendship with his new nurse.
Abruption: an unexpected event.
Guy doesn't know what it is about Jules that has him twisted in knots. He's got two kids to take care of. Many surgeries to perform. His life has no spare time to give, but he just can't stay away from her.
Jules is a mystery to everyone including her big boisterous Italian family. She's been going through the motions of living, not ever giving her heart away again. But then she is thrust into this family. Guy's family, his two beautiful children, Maxie and Finn.
She too can't seem to look away from what is happening right in front if her. She goes with it.. She takes a chance on it.
Guy's laughter filled the small restaurant. And I thought I loved his laugh before. This one topped it. I also figured out where Finn got his humongous cheese and adorable dimples. Although I wouldn't use the word adorable in this case. Nope. Definitely not adorable. The adjectives I'd use were not for this PG crowd.
What starts out as just a friendly date slowly grows into something more. Something that neither of them thought possible. Both of them guarding their hearts. Both unsure of what they are actually capable of giving. But both falling ever so fast in love with each other.
Your life is like this tree, deeply rooted with a solid foundation and countless branches linking your past throes with future dreams.
Every tree faces inevitable storms and strong winds testing the strength of its roots. Branches break. New ones grow. It will flower and leaves will fall. And from your tree new life will emerge. In the end, rough with purpose and perseverance your tree will prevail, and each will be beautifully individuals and uniquely different. A full circle of such.
I fell in love with these characters. I fell in love with the family that went through hell and back and in the end prevailed through it all. A family that in the end was compete.
Everyone has a plan.
Dr. Guy Hunter had always known what he is going to do. The future was written in the stars but just like that the fates decided, he was going down another path. A safer path for him. I mean it's not every day your wife finds out she's pregnant with your second child within what seems like days from her delivering your first bundle of joy. When push came to shove and ultimatums were given he went with the only logical choice; the only choice he could make. He chose his family over his dreams.
My family or my career.
One choice.
One that took absolutely no thought.
I just never dreamed that my wife would make me choose.
Four years later Guy has many challenges, being a single father is one of them. Being a single dad to a special needs child is his biggest challenge to date.
Abruption: a sudden breaking off.
When another visit to the ER has him locking horns with a new nurse. Not new to the ER but new to Guy.
Jules Chiappetti loves her job. She's especially drawn to children. She wants to be that one that makes a difference. I really loved her as the heroine.
She had never had the pleasure of going toe to toe with Guy. Let's just say that if their first meeting was any indication of the future, then this friendship was doomed.
I crossed my arms and shrugged. I owed him nothing, and I certainly wasn't going to coddle after his recent immature behavior towards me.
It seems the only one who has an issue with Jules is Guy. His son Finn has already formed a friendship with his new nurse.
Abruption: an unexpected event.
Guy doesn't know what it is about Jules that has him twisted in knots. He's got two kids to take care of. Many surgeries to perform. His life has no spare time to give, but he just can't stay away from her.
Jules is a mystery to everyone including her big boisterous Italian family. She's been going through the motions of living, not ever giving her heart away again. But then she is thrust into this family. Guy's family, his two beautiful children, Maxie and Finn.
She too can't seem to look away from what is happening right in front if her. She goes with it.. She takes a chance on it.
Guy's laughter filled the small restaurant. And I thought I loved his laugh before. This one topped it. I also figured out where Finn got his humongous cheese and adorable dimples. Although I wouldn't use the word adorable in this case. Nope. Definitely not adorable. The adjectives I'd use were not for this PG crowd.
What starts out as just a friendly date slowly grows into something more. Something that neither of them thought possible. Both of them guarding their hearts. Both unsure of what they are actually capable of giving. But both falling ever so fast in love with each other.
Your life is like this tree, deeply rooted with a solid foundation and countless branches linking your past throes with future dreams.
Every tree faces inevitable storms and strong winds testing the strength of its roots. Branches break. New ones grow. It will flower and leaves will fall. And from your tree new life will emerge. In the end, rough with purpose and perseverance your tree will prevail, and each will be beautifully individuals and uniquely different. A full circle of such.
I fell in love with these characters. I fell in love with the family that went through hell and back and in the end prevailed through it all. A family that in the end was compete.
“I’m not playing games, Dr. Hunter.”
I backed up until I was leaning on the opposite counter, crossed my legs, and folded my arms against my chest. “Then explain to me why I haven’t heard from you all week. I get it was our first date and it turned into a really shitty night, but I thought we ended on a high note.” Jules’ eyes widened and she bit her bottom lip. Yeah, she thinks it ended on a high note too. “I text, I call a few times, and not once did you think to pick up the phone or text back. I’m the first to admit that I’m rusty in the dating department, actually if you want to know the truth, I haven’t dated since my wife died. I’ve hooked up, not going to lie, but I haven’t dated someone with the intention of getting to know them. You’re the exception. So I’m asking, what’s with the games?”
“I needed a minute.” Her voice was low and trailed off. So much so, I thought I misheard. Then she broke eye contact and scurried away, opening cabinets and drawers for plates and silverware.
“A minute, as in four days?” We apparently had a different definition of a minute, so I needed clarification. Suddenly, the anger I thought I was over began to resurface. “Look, Jules, I’m sorry I don’t have the luxury of tiptoeing around your feelings here, so I’m going to come straight out and tell you that your minute doesn’t work for me. And it sure as hell doesn’t work for my family. I’m not trying to pressure you into anything, but I have kids, kids that already know you. Kids that already like you. This was not news when we hooked up. So if you aren’t into it, into me, or you decided all of a sudden you have an issue with my baggage, I need to know and we’ll end it now.”
Before they get too attached. Liar. Before I get too attached.
Damn, she was making me soft. She froze mid-plate grab and pivoted back around with her eyes squinted together at a peculiar angle. This expression was a new one and not one of my favorites if I had to compare. “Baggage?” She dragged out the word and cocked her head more to one side. Shit. “You think I consider Maxine and Finn baggage?” The tide changed, and I sensed she wasn’t exactly feeling me right at this moment. “Is that what you’ve been thinking all week? Seriously ... seriously?” The second seriously hit an octave I’d yet to hear from her and probably could do without hearing again, so I opted to use my northern brain and keep my mouth shut. “How could you even think that? Not for one point one second. Do you hear me?”
Nope, still not answering. That was a trick question.
“Have I ever given you any inclination that I had an issue with Finn or Max, ever? No. Never!” She answered for me, loudly, and she was pissed. “I adore your children, and I’m just as attached to them as they are to me. That’s why we needed a minute. Everything was moving so fast. You don’t even know anything about me and you opened your home to ... to me. You called me a natural, for God’s sake. You have no idea. So I didn’t know what to do with that, and you needed time to think about all that. I’m not sure either of us were ready for what we already let happen, never mind more. That’s why I didn’t call.”
Oh, we needed a minute. What were we, French now? I was tempted to call her on it, especially on the half of what she said that made no sense, but the look in her eyes stopped me. There was a vulnerability there, a softness, so I let her have that play. For now.
“Tell me, are you sure now?” I asked with a bite. She turned her back to me and unwrapped and plated the breakfast sandwiches.
Don’t think so, doll. You got your answer, my turn.
I walked up behind her, pressing my front to her back, pinning her in. She involuntarily shuddered, sucking in a bit of air when I kissed the spot where her neck met her collarbone. “Are you sure, Jules?” This time I asked against her skin.
Her entire body stiffened and she whispered, “No.”
Fuck.
Riley Mackenzie~Authors
Yep. That's an “s.” There are two of us!
We’re East coast girls separated by Long Island Sound who met in Physician Assistant School and have been besties ever since. We can safely say that thirteen miles of water does not get in the way because we talk or text, no exaggeration, at least 150 times a day. No, really, we do—about everything and nothing. Shockingly, we never (we mean never) run out of things to say. Umm, ever. We definitely laugh A LOT and we’re a tad sarcastic. And if we’re being totally honest, one or two people might have, on occasion, used our names and ‘dramatic’ in the same sentence. But it’s hard to trust the sources since they married us.
It only took twelve years, two husbands, five kids, two dogs, and a two-week vacation in Cape Cod later to decide the romance world needed a splash of medicine. Write what you know.
So you can easily find us at 4 o'clock on Bank Street beach with a glass of cold Prosecco brainstorming. And guaranteed if we bump into you, literally, it’s only because our iPhones are glued to our hands (totally out of our control) either writing or editing our next novel (and yes, it is possible to do from your iPhone, we mastered it … damn those straight quotations).
When we are not working on our book or reading the latest angsty romance on our kindles, you basically name it and we have it going on. Soccer, lacrosse, golf, swimming, dance, gymnastics, football, chess, baseball, basketball, skiing, ice skating, school, homework, and more school.
Oh yeah, did we forget to mention our careers in medicine?
Needless to say, we realized fast that something had to go, so we opted for sleep. It’s completely overrated (yet so AMAZING) and delirium makes everything funnier. Good thing we share a brain and can pretty much complete each other’s sentences (definitely weird, we know).
So that’s our story, who we are … just add AUTHORS to the list!
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