REVIEW: Mending the Single Dad’s Heart by Susanne Hampton

In Mending the Single Dad’s Heart by Susanne Hampton, Jessica Ayers and Harrison Wainwright are both wary of love. However, the moment they meet, there’s an instant connection. Except there’s only room for one person in Harrison’s life at the moment and that’s his son, especially after his relationship with his ex-wife. Will Jessica and Harrison give each other a chance or will they walk away because their trust issues run too deep to give a relationship another chance?

He suddenly averted his gaze and turned to Melissa. “I hope you get a good block of rotation time in our Paediatric Unit with Dr Ayers. I think she’ll be invaluable in your journey. She’s certainly opened my eyes to many things this morning. There were definitely a few things I didn’t expect to hear.”

What a fun, intense, enjoyable read Ms. Hampton has delivered in this story, which began with quite the meet cute between Jessica and Harrison and kept me entertained from start to finish because of the medical emergencies these two have to deal with that had me concerned they might not be able to save every patient; the main characters had interesting back stories that had me reading quickly determined to discover why Jessica was so cynical about relationships; and the dialogue was intense and engaging because of the journey these two take to happy ever after. Will Jessica and Harrison give each other a chance?

With the main characters, I absolutely loved the challenges these two face to be together such as the hero believing he only has room in his life for his son and the heroine never believing she can trust another man again after her last relationship. Will Jessica be able to put her trust in Harrison? Will Jessica stay if Harrison asks her to? Will Harrison realize that he needs Jessica in his life before it’s too late? Moreover, the heroine is dedicated to her work and I loved her vast medical knowledge, even in areas Harrison never realized she came across as often as she does in paediatrics. She’s also resilient, courageous, independent, smart and I liked the decisions she made throughout this story because she needs Harrison just as much as he needs her.

While the hero, he’s smart, hard-working, a dedicated parent that would do anything for his son and I liked that he could still see the good in life, considering his ex’s abandonment of not just him but their son. Then again, the woman seemed quite selfish, so Harrison and his son are probably better off without her. Furthermore, it’s understandable why he’s wary of relationships after what happened with his ex-wife and why he’s so protective of his son. How can he even think about letting another woman — a woman that never stays in one place too long — into the little boy’s life after his mother’s abandonment? Yet, what I loved most about the hero was the choices he makes throughout this story that leads to a future he never realized he wanted again. Just because happy ever after didn’t work out the first time around for him doesn’t mean it won’t work with Jessica.

”I guess I took a leap of faith. I saw the depth of your love for your son; I thought that there had to be a reason for your actions. I thought perhaps you needed your heart to be mended too. And if I was wrong, then I’d have learnt another hard lesson about myself.“
“And here I was thinking that if I kept seeing you I would be the one who would get hurt when you packed up and moved on.”
“I don’t want to move on, Harrison. I never thought I would say it, but I feel at home here…”
“With me?” he cut in.
“Yes, with you.”

Overall, Ms. Hampton has delivered a really good read in this book where the chemistry between this couple is strong and convincing; the romance was well worth the wait, as these two get to know each other before taking their growing relationship to the next level; and the ending had me worried for one of the characters in this book, but had me loving how what happens brings Jessica and Harrison back together after their relationship goes awry. Furthermore, the epilogue wrapped this story up nicely and the final words between the hero and heroine are heart-warming and had me smiling that this couple achieved their happy ever after. I would recommend Mending the Single Dad’s Heart by Susanne Hampton, if you enjoy medical romances, the mysterious strangers trope, workplace romances or books by authors Becky Wicks, Dianne Drake, Charlotte Hawkes and Sue Mackay.
 

Book Info:

Publication: April 16th, 2019 | Harlequin Medical |

Sometimes temporary…leads to forever!

Dr. Jessica Ayers had the perfect life—until her boyfriend betrayed her. Vowing never to get close to anyone again, she decides being a locum doc suits her just fine! Until she meets dynamic, dashing Dr. Harrison Wainwright… But divorcé Harrison only has room in his life for his son. He’s clearly as wary of love as she is, yet could this guarded single dad be everything Jessica didn’t know she needed?