REVIEW: The Cajun Doctor by Sandra Hill

In The Cajun Doctor (Cajun #10) by Sandra Hill, Pediatric oncologist Dr. Daniel LeDeux knew that he and his twin brother Aaron, a helicopter pilot, had family in Louisiana but he never expected that after tragedy touched their lives they would be summoned to the bayous. Growing up in Alaska didn’t prepare them for the crazy folks they’d meet or the laid back way of life that would greet them in Louisiana. And now with loads of time on his hands after giving up his medical career, Daniel still isn’t ready to face up to the fact that he’s falling for beautiful Samantha Starr. With a push from Tante Lulu and a dangerous threat drawing them all together, he can no longer deny things are getting interesting with Samantha. But he’s still not sure where it will lead them.

“I’ve just come to a decision…no, not a decision…a realization…of inevitability. You and I are going to have sex.”
To his surprise, instead of slapping his face, or making a snarky remark, she paused for a moment, thinking, then leaned up to kiss his cheek. “You’re on, Doctor Dreamy.”

Samantha had hoped to put her messy past behind her and forget about how stupid she was to ever trust her ex-husband, a doctor with cheating and money perpetually on the brain. But no matter what she does he keeps popping back up in her life. And somehow so does new to town Daniel LeDeux. Who unfortunately also happens to be a doctor. Samantha isn’t sure if it’s Tante Lulu’s doing or if there really is some force throwing her and the admittedly hot physician together. So when she’s forced to ask him for help when her stepbrother runs into some trouble, and Daniel agrees, Samantha knows it’s only a matter of time before things get very heated. And very problematic.

‘Since she’d first met Daniel…there had been a spark. She’d always considered it a spark of hostility, but now she was beginning to think there had been an attraction from the get-go, and she’d chosen to handle it with snarkiness.’

Things got even more hot & steamy in Louisiana with Sandra Hill’s newest addition to her Cajun series, The Cajun Doctor. Here we had a slow burn romance complicated by a run in with some unsavory characters, plus a whole lot of quirkiness thrown in thanks to Tante Lulu.

While this was a contemporary romance with loads of Southern humor, I do have to mention that there are some scenes/passages that may be difficult for some readers to get through. Our hero Daniel LeDeux was a pediatric oncologist so he had to deal firsthand with the devastating effects cancer had on his patients and even a family member. There were some grief filled moments that were quite touching and heartbreaking–especially those with two children he treated–but I think it showed us just how sensitive and caring Daniel truly was.

I always get a kick out of Sandra Hill’s slapstick humor and how she can turn what would normally be an everyday conversation into so much more. And that was definitely true for this book and her wacky Cajun characters. For some reason I felt like the humor might work better for her paranormal books overall, but I did enjoy the funny bits here and thought it went a long way to lighten what might have been a somewhat heavy situation.

Daniel was a broody almost grumbly hero who was great guy but who was rather lost after letting go of his medical career. I liked watching him figure his life out and realizing that he was deserving of love. Daniel’s relationship with his twin brother Aaron was pretty cool. I loved seeing that “twin bond” and how close they were but yet how different they were in personalities. How fun! Samantha ended up being a solid heroine as well. She had some Southern sass in her but at the same time was a compassionate, loving woman. Her menagerie of rescue animals had me laughing with their crazy antics and I fell for them as much as she did. And I did think Samantha and Daniel were a good match. It took them a while to get past the teasing and flirting, but once they did, whoo-boy! Sexy stuff.

With lively characters each having their own distinct personality, including of course the force of nature known as Tante Lulu, and passion aplenty between our hero and heroine, The Cajun Doctor was an enjoyable romance. Fans of the series will be happy to finally get to know Dr. Daniel a whole lot better as he was basically knocked over the head with his HEA.
 

Book Info:

Publication: Expected publication: May 30th 2017 | Avon | Cajun #10

New York Times Bestselling Author Sandra Hill delivers another Tante Lulu Adventure as twin brothers leave Alaska to discover their Cajun roots

Dr. Daniel LeDeux and pilot Aaron LeDeux travel to the swampy bayous of Louisiana, where they discover a long-lost family. The usually stoic Daniel, a burned-out pediatric oncologist, is especially startled by the interfering LeDeux matriarch, Tante Lulu, bless her crazy heart, who wastes no time in setting him up with local rich girl Samantha Starr.

Scarred by a nasty divorce from a philandering New Orleans physician, Samantha has sworn off men, especially doctors. When Samantha’s step-brother gets into serious trouble, she must ask Daniel for help. But Samantha faces even more trouble when the handsome doctor casts his smoldering Cajun eyes her way.

The steamy heat of the bayou, along with the wacky matchmaking efforts of Tante Lulu, a herd of animal rescue rejects, including a depressed pot belly pig, and some world-class sexual fantasies create enough heat and humor to make both Daniel and Samantha realize that love and laughter can mend even the most broken heart.