GRR Reviews WOMEN WHO DARE: Three Book Bundle by Bobby Hutchinson

NOTE: This is a 3-book bundle. The three titles included are reviewed separately.

A Legal Affair -- Jenny, from her experience with the court system, wants a law degree to help promote social justice. Zach, the senior lawyer advisor for the free legal clinic, is there to date beautiful law school students. After all, the big shot corporate lawyer doesn't need to be there. But Jenny's love for lost cause horrified his sensible side, and Zach's corporate law and lifestyle is everything Jenny would not want in a man... He's mercenary and rich, and would never imagine going on contingency only for a low-probability case. But for Jenny... can he change his mind?

Swoon-y and above average, as both end up bending for the other, but he bent a bit further. 4/5

Menu for a Wedding -- Francesca "Frankie" has a hat-making business, so shopping for a caterer with her mom for her sister's wedding was not exactly high on her to-do list. At 26, Frankie's the oldest and due to her single status, is considered spinster of the family. When the caterer Eric, who's an ex-footballer (NFL) turned restauranteur met with mother, the menu was NOT settled, nor was Frankie's heart. Eric knew this catering job would not be easy, but he did know he wanted to see Frankie again. When Frankie is determined to put her business first, Eric would have to find help from a different quarter...

Cute, good slow-burn large-family and messy gossip, with the guy being incredibly sweet and impossible to live with. Light mood. 4/5

Island Sunrise -- Charlie, a carpenter, with her two best GFFs just got their dream assignment: a special construction job out in Hawaii, of all places. The only problem is Ben Gilmore, the local liaison, and technically her boss. Their job is to bring an old resort back to life, and Ben's clumsy meetcute ended up with his ankle broken, and the two can't stand each other. But someone is sabotaging the construction project, with graffiti, vandalism, broken equipment, and worse. Ben couldn't possibly leave the "girls" out there... but it used to his aunt's resort, and he needs the job done... and nobody local would do it, believing the place is haunted. As the two get to know each other, their hostility lessened, but that saboteur is still out there...

The "hostile meeting" meetcute is good, the transition is good, and the mystery kept the momentum going. The ending was both a bit sad and happy. 4/5

Category: Contemporary / Collection

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Drastic Measures (Doctor 911) by Bobby Hutchinson

Dr. Alexandra "Alex" Ross loves her job in the ER department, and she's happily married to Sgt Cameron Ross of the Narc squad. However, when Ross's superior, who has a drug habit, endangered one of the undercover cops under Ross, Ross turned him into internal affairs... and earned the hatred of the entire force for being a rat. With no one to watch his back, he requested a transfer to a small town on the other side of the province, and Alex had no choice to give up her career and leave with him. While Cam got used to being a beat cop, Alex found the clinic admin and the senior doctor were on the town council together and detested the new doctor. In the meanwhile, Cam and Alex slowly grew apart, with Cam always busy on police work (now that he's wearing a uniform as a beat cop). When the senior doctor dropped a knife and killed a guy during gallbladder surgery, he blamed it on "previously unknown heart defect." Alex threatened to go to the admin, but the senior doctor just laughed because his family controls the hospital. When the nurse who was also there refused to testify (she has a family to care for in town), Alex found herself backed into a corner, as she contemplated leaving and a divorce...

The way they grew apart was very nicely drawn, and the way their situation paralleled each other was exquisite plotting. The details are quite good. On the other hand, the way the situation was resolved was all tell, no show (all handled in the epilogue).

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Husband, a cop, had to move family after work drama, and wife, an MD, is having problems fitting into the small-town clinic run like a fiefdom with an incompetent doctor as her superior...

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Stand By Your Man (Women Running Wild) by Bobby Hutchinson

Stand by Your Man is a great rom-com / mystery hybrid when a female PI is forced into multiple conflicting loyalties including love and family, and her attempt to walk the tight-rope keeping everyone happy resulted in even worse problems.

Maddie is a PI, that is being squeezed from all sides. Her sister Francie seems to have fallen for a criminal, Sebastian, and wanted Maddie to help her prove his innocence. However, Seattle Police was quite sure Seb is guilty of something. Then Seb's brother Finn hired Maddie to find the truth too. Finn makes Maddie tingle in all the right ways, and Maddie loves Finn's daughter Zoe. Now Maddie is totally conflicted as to how to go about the investigation... look for evidence to sink Seb... or to set him free? Can she play both sides while keeping Finn happy? Or will the whole thing just destroy her under an avalanche of conflicting responsibilities?

All the different conflicts were masterfully wrapped up at the end. The conflict is multi-layered and all escalated properly with deadlines. This is some masterful plotting to a great resolution.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: A female PI is caught between family loyalty and truth as she checks into her sister's beau and falls for the beau's brother

Overall Rating: 5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews The Baby Doctor (Doctor 911) by Bobby Hutchinson

The Baby Doctor is a "medical" romance between two doctors that's a bit of enemies to lovers plus some bit family drama.

Morgan is an OB/GYN that tries to take care of all others except herself. Her house is big but mostly empty, so she filled it with pets... but pets nobody else wanted. When a teenage mom Terri (15) needed a place to stay, she became a foster parent too. She liked almost everybody... except fellow baby doctor Luke. // Luke is a widower raising a teenage daughter alone. And the daughter is pregnant. He cut off all contact between his daughter Sophie with the baby's father, even though the kid wanted to do the right thing. Working with Morgan is almost torture, for they look at each other, only seeing the facade each put up and envy that, not seeing the pain hiding beneath. And the facade crumbled when Morgan's ex-actress mom India (whom she can't stand) moved in permanently. But India's hiding a huge secret, and when the two girls talked to the wrong people, two families will be turned upside down, and perhaps... unite in triumph against adversity.

This is a great novel because all of the different threads, like teen pregnancy, mom India, Luke's problems with the baby papa, sort of all got tied together in the big ending. And the part about using the facade to hide the pain was very well done indeed, not that I will spoil you the ending.

Category: Contemporary / Medical

Primary Plot: Baby doctors in the hospital seem to hate each other, but both are hiding pain and shame they can't show others...

Overall Rating: 5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Biggest Little Truckstop: Starwood Chron by Bobby Hutchinson

Clocking in at only about 60 pages, Biggest Little Truckstop was a pretty simple romance where a quirky guy found a woman with a big heart.

Kate and daughter Susie had to run from a stalker and when their car broke down in Starwood, they had to go to Truckstop Diner and met up with Mac, the eccentric owner. Kate needs a job, and Mac needs a hostess / waitress, But Kate wanted to move on, and Mac... had a heartbreak and vowed to stay away from women (except his cousin, who was the hostess / waitress until she went to take care of her animals). The attraction was mutual, but both are keeping secrets, yet both can offer something the other wanted... Can such a quirky romance work?

The romance worked when Mac relented and made minor changes to the menu because he no longer had to take orders, while Kate can use her previous experience to make the Truckstop diner and success. In a way, it's about going home. And that makes it sweet, if a bit, vacuous.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman and daughter had to help a grumpy cafe owner to help themselves... can they live with each other?

Tropes: different worlds, scars,

Overall Rating:  3/5