Blurb:
I’m Dr. Nick Raines.
Brain surgeon and notorious over-thinker, I take the analytical approach with everything, until I can determine the best, carefully calculated plan of action. It’s no shock the producers of the popular reality series The Doctor Is In have decided to call me Dr. Neurotic.
Besides my more than full-time job as Chief of Neurosurgery at St. Luke’s Hospital, I’m a single dad and my number one priority is my daughter.
But life had plans to add another priority to my list.
Charlotte Hollis. Outspoken, impulsive, and beautiful, she’s everything I didn’t know I was craving.
She makes me wonder What if?
What if I don’t have to be alone for the rest of my life to give my little girl the father she deserves?
It's a battle—my battle: Head vs. Heart.
3.5 Stars
Review by Lisa Kane
I’ve read everything from the writing team of Max Monroe. When I read Scoring the Billionaire, I remember the loathing that I had for Winnie’s baby daddy, Nick Raines. He was the guy who skipped out on Winnie when she found out she was pregnant. He had a major offer in another part of the country that would fast track his neuro career. He wasn’t going to let a baby or a pregnant girlfriend stand in his way. So Winnie became a single mom, eventually met Wes and married him. Nick came in and out of her daughter Lexi’s life. Towards the end of the story, he made a better effort to become a good dad-he had moved back to New York and was spending time with Lexi. But in my mind-a douche is still a douche.
So imagine my surprise when I realized that the hero of the last book in the St. Luke’s Docuseries series is about Nick Raines. Apparently, it’s a few years after Scoring the Billionaire’s timeline, Nick has Lexi every other weekend and his life revolves around work and his daughter. His co-worker, Will Cummings, convinces him to be one of the bachelor’s on the reality show that he is featured on –a decision that all of the guys have since regretted.
“I don’t feel like talking. I don’t feel like commiserating over your fallen reputation, and I don’t feel like forgiving you for talking me into this mess.” I knew there was no real way Will could have known the direction this show would go or the unintended consequences it would have on my life, but anger wasn’t reasonable. Neither was I.
Charlotte Hollis works for as a headhunter for a hospital based company recruiting the top talent for their system. She’s finally back in New York and is thrilled not to be travelling as much. Nick Raines is on her list as a possible candidate for her group. At their first meeting, it’s obvious that they both are more than a little attracted to each other. Where’s this going?
Basically, if this was Nick Raines, he was sexy as fuck. Most forty-year-old neurosurgeons looked like they’d been run over a few times by a van thanks to unforgiving schedules, unreal pressure, and a stubborn inability to delegate.
Once Nick finds out that the job, as lucrative as it is, is out of state, he shuts down the possibility. He won’t leave his daughter again.
Even though they won’t be doing business with each other, there’s lots of unfinished business between them. There is more than a little angst in this story. Nick is a dad first, and he makes decisions based on what he thinks is best for his daughter. I hated one of those decisions. Hated it…
Charlotte has made some mistakes in her past, and they aren’t going to stay in the past. Expect your mouth to make little “O’s” when things come to light. Did I totally forgive Nick? Nope. I have to admit that I had a hard time seeing past this guy’s mistakes. And clearly, he kept on messing. Up. For the most part, I liked Charlotte, but she tries way too hard to win Lexi’s affections. While it’s natural to want to get along with Nick’s daughter, I guess she must have felt that if she didn’t win her over, maybe things between her and Nick would nosedive.
Lexi Winslow was a gifted little girl. There was no doubt about it. The only doubt I had was whether I was making the actual cut or not.
While I wasn’t as crazy about this one as the first two in the series, if I hadn’t known Nick’s back-story I may have been a lot more forgiving of his mistakes. As always the writing from Max Monroe was solid, it was the disconnect with the main characters that held me back.
I guess I was biased, but when it came to love, wasn’t being biased a good thing?
It meant that you only had eyes for that person and you loved every little piece of them, even their flaws. Through your eyes, they were everything.
About Kristen Ashley:
