Series: SOS Docs (Book 2)
He couldn't save his friend…
Can she save his bruised heart?
Haunted by the fact he couldn't save his best friend,
brooding surgeon Chase Barrington dedicates himself to saving lives. He won't
get close to anyone again but is blindsided by a passionate kiss with stunning
ex-army doc Kristina Morton. Suddenly Chase is on a roller coaster of emotions,
but can he leave the past behind and embrace a future with Kristina?
Very good, emotional book. Chase Barrington runs a Medicine
For All medical ship in the Mediterranean, rescuing and treating refugees. He
had made this mission his life's work, all in an attempt to assuage his guilt
over not being able to save his best friend during an avalanche disaster when
he was a teenager. The work is perfect for him - critical, but short-term
contact with the patients, allowing him to keep his emotions tightly contained.
All of that begins to change with the arrival of Dr. Kristina Morton. She stirs
up feelings he's kept buried for years.
Kristina has a mission of her own. After years of not
having a place to call home, she's ready to find a permanent position and put
down some roots. The director of the previous medical center Kristina worked
for suggested MFA as an interim while she looked for that position. Kristina
also carries some guilt from an incident in the army when she was unable to
save an injured soldier. She's making progress, but the memories still jump up
and bite her from time to time. She doesn't expect the sparks that fly between
herself and Chase, a man who has no intention of ever settling down.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between
Chase and Kristina. The sparks between them are immediate and intense, and not welcomed
by either one, so they do their best to ignore them. In spite of that, they
develop a tentative friendship, as each recognizes the pain that the other
experiences. I enjoyed the banter between them as some of their walls begin to
weaken. There are some terrific scenes between them, usually taking place in
Chase's retreat on the ship, where each of them opens up a little more about
their pasts. I especially ached for Chase after the death of one of his
patients and loved how Kristina was there for him. But the lowering of those
walls also allowed other things to happen, not the least of which was the chemistry
between them. Both found themselves thinking far too often about what could
happen if they let it, but neither would allow it to gain traction. Kristina wants
roots and knows that Chase will never give up his nomadic lifestyle. Meanwhile,
Chase is determined not to let himself get that close to anyone ever again.
Things changed when Kristina went home with Chase for his
mother's birthday party. Suddenly Chase discovered that he missed home far more
than he thought he would. It didn't take him long to realize that it was mainly
because of the effect that Kristina had on him. It didn't seem like such an
impossibility that he could have a future after all. For Kristina, this trip
had multiple effects. First, being with Chase away from the ship made her realize
how strong her feelings had grown. Second, having worked for Chase's
brother-in-law, Jerrod, at the medical center, had reinforced her vision of
what she wanted. Visiting her former coworkers gave her further validation. And
third, she was stunned to receive a job offer from Jerrod for after her time
with MFA, with everything she could possibly want. I ached a bit for her
because the only thing that could make it better would be if Chase came home,
too. But even as they gave in to the passion between them, Chase panicked when
he thought of letting go of his grief and guilt over Nick's death. I ached for
both of them as Chase pulled away from what had been the beginning of hope.
Having gotten to know Chase and his story somewhat in the
previous book, Saved by Their One-Night Baby (Ethan and Claire's story), I enjoyed
seeing Chase's newly repaired friendship with Ethan. When Ethan returned to the
ship to finish his commitment, he noticed the strain between Chase and
Kristina. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him poke at Chase and his stubborn
refusal to admit that things had changed. I almost lost hope that Ethan would
get through to Chase, but eventually, he did. I liked seeing it dawn on Chase
that Ethan knew exactly what he was going through because he'd experienced the
same roller-coaster of emotions. The ending was fantastic. Chase's
"conversation" with Nick was heart-wrenching, but also freed Chase in
a way he hadn't felt since he was sixteen. I loved his big moment with
Kristina, as he opened his heart fully to her.
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