GRR Reviews Close To Home (Westen Series, Book 1) by Suzanne Ferrell

Close to Home is a contemporary small town romance about making the best of a situation, and learn how to love against despite prior wounds.

Emma Lewis is raising twin rambunctious boys alone. Her husband divorced her while she's pregnant with the twins, then somehow cheated her out of child support, forcing her to quit medical school altogether and move back home to Westen, Ohio. Now her mother is showing dementia and can't be relied on to watch the boys. When both boys jumped off a tree and both broke their wrists, Emma met Clint Preston, the new doc in town, who's the nephew of the old doc and taking over for 6 months while the old doc took his wife for a trip around the world. Clint was burned out by ER in the big city. Angered by the boys being unsupervised, he was determined to show Emma how to properly care for the kids, only to find that he had misread the situation... Emma is not neglectful, she's just in over her head, and Clint attempts to help her, without triggering her independent streak. When a threat from Emma's past threaten their life in town, Clint and Emma must unite to protect their family and admit their love for each other.

I personally think the antagonist was way too sociopathic, and the way good guys (i.e. the MMC and FMC) just sit and take it was way too passive on their part. I don't see ANY family court or judge would approve of splitting up the twins. And why hasn't she sued for back child support for preceeding years that was owed, with interest? Otherwise, it's a nice Damocles sword to hang over the couple for suspense.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Overwhelmed single mother falls for the new doc who initially thought her to be incompetent but came to enjoy her little family

Tropes: small town, doctor patient, single parent, evil ex

Overall Rating: 4/5 (rounded up)