Notes From Nancy: The Doc's Holiday Homecoming by Author Virginia McCullough **Book Blast** *Review*

Welcome to Notes From a Romantic's Heart. Today, we are pleased to welcome author Virginia McCullough and her new Harlequin Heartwarming release, The Doc's Holiday Homecoming. This is the second book in Virginia's Back to Adelaide Creek series. You can find all the stops on this tour at Goddess Fish Promotions. Also, don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter drawing for your chance to win a $50 Esty gift card. The entry form is at the bottom of the post.

GENRE: Sweet Contemporary Romance

Could her closed heart…
Still have room for him?

Olivia Donoghue’s life has turned a corner. The radiologist’s eleven-year-old daughter is finally healthy, and she just moved to her best friend’s dreamy hometown of Adelaide Creek, Wyoming. If only her friend’s prodigal brother, Jeff Stanhope, wasn’t complicating matters. It's clear Jeff's kindness knows no bounds, having taken in his late roommate's teenage son and also offering her a cabin to stay in, but Olivia’s heart is already full…and safe. Is the former rancher worth the risk?

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TALK ABOUT A first impression gone wrong. Please, give her the previous five minutes back and Olivia would start over and do much, much better. As she watched Jeff walk away, she resolved that from now on she’d watch her tongue when it came to his relationship with Heather. As was only right, she’d leave that to the two of them. At the same time, she might have known Jillian would plunge right into a conversation with Jeff about horses. In her daughter’s mind, Heather’s legendary horse-loving brother was a kindred spirit. Maybe it was inevitable that Jillian end up a girl devoted to horses and riding, but not when her body was still recovering from the effects of chemotherapy. Even if the assault to her body wasn’t obvious to the untrained eye, Olivia had absorbed almost too much information about what chemo could do to a child.

Then there was Jeff himself. Olivia had seen photos and even his mother’s paintings of him done over a period of years. No way had those images prepared Olivia for the real guy. They hadn’t done him justice, not even close. He had a presence about him that went beyond his thick dark hair and deep-set eyes that brought to mind luscious dark chocolate. With his wide shoulders and muscular arms, he had a body sculpted by the physical work of ranching or more recently, crewing on trawlers and freighters.

Olivia had expected him to be more as Heather described him, still hardened and bitter about losing his family’s legacy, this very ranch. If those old feelings were still a part of Jeff, he wasn’t showing them at the moment. At least not today, and not with Carson nearby. Whatever. It wasn’t her job to analyze any of this. His feelings about this ranch and his former home were completely irrelevant. She had formed an opinion that would guide all her dealings with the man. No matter how friendly, even charming Jeff Stanhope might be, he was a runner. A man who ran away from anything that smacked of responsibility. Like her dad. And Jillian’s father. She didn’t need a third runner messing up her life.

☆☆☆☆

Given the introduction to our characters was in such a sad way (e.g., cancer, death of a mother), The Doc's Holiday Homecoming could have turned into a very morose story. Yet, the author fills the pages with hope, kindness, and... eventually... love. The trope is not a new one. However, it gained new life as we experienced the trials both Olivia and her daugther, and Jeff and his step-child, went through to get to where they are, and why they came back to Adelaide Creek.

For the most part, the supporting characters added a lot to the story. I could have done without Olivia's creepy boss. He was there, and then he was gone, and it almost felt like filler, rather than an actual plot point. Still, that didn't detract from this heartfelt holiday story. I recommend to all readers who enjoy a clean, wholesome holiday romance.

Virginia McCullough is thrilled to share her eighth Harlequin Heartwarming release with readers. The Doc’s Holiday Homecoming, available November 29th, is the second book in her Back to Adelaide Creek series. Like all of Virginia’s romances, this holiday story comes straight from the heart and features characters who could be your neighbors and friends struggling with everyday life issues.

Born and raised in Chicago, Virginia spent years as a ghostwriter, producing more than one hundred books for physicians, business owners, professional speakers and many others with information to share or a story to tell. She’s moved around a lot, and a few years ago she landed in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where she enjoys hanging out with other romance writers, walking on trails, and downing mugs of dark roast at local coffeehouses. Her other award-winning romance and women’s fiction titles include The Jacks of Her Heart, Amber Light, and The Chapels on the Hill. Virginia is always working on another story about hope, healing, and second chances.

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