Review – Montana Actually by Fiona Lowe – The Book Pushers | Book Reviews

Publisher: Penguin Intermix
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley
Reviewer: MinnChica

A big-city doctor in a small-town Montana practice….A former nurse who has sworn off doctors forever….The scene is set for passions to ignite in Big Sky Country. For readers of Robyn Carr and Sherryl Woods.

City doctor Josh Stanton and his sports car don’t suit the country, but with his medical school debt about to bury him, Josh has to make the best out of a bad situation. Adjusting to his new job and life in the middle of nowhere isn’t easy, but at least the views of the mountains—and one distractingly attractive local—are stunning…

After eight years away, Katrina McCade is back in Bear Paw for a break from her life, bad choices—and men. But when a broad-shouldered stranger bursts into town, she finds herself unexpectedly saddled with the town’s sexy new doctor as a tenant. Katrina doesn’t need a man to make her happy, especially a disgruntled physician. But try telling her body that…
*Blurb from Goodreads*

I’m a big fan of small town romances, so when Lowe emailed me about her new books, I was excited to give it a shot.

Josh loves life in the city and the never ending stress of city emergency medicine, but taking a rural doctor job will put a dent in his student loans that he desperately needs. Adjusting to small town life is harder than Josh expected, especially as he finds himself working in both the town ER and the family practice. The only bright part of town is his landlord and former nurse Katrina.

Katrina has been burnt on city doctors before, and although her attraction to Josh is off the charts, she refuses to give into the chemistry. Watching Josh acclimate to small town life has Katrina torn. She loves watching him open up to a new way of life, but she’s also desperate to get him out of her head. But as they spend more and more time together, both Josh and Katrina will discover that between the city or small town life, neither is the same without the right person to share it with.

While I know that some people (especially people who work in the medical field) don’t like to read medical romances, it doesn’t bother me, and I found the rural aspect of medicine to be rather intriguing. I liked the fact that Josh struggled with going from a fast paced hospital environment to a rural farming doctor where he saw more cold and flu cases than he did traumatic emergencies. It was different and unique from other medical books I’ve read, and I really enjoyed that aspect.

The romance between Josh and Katrina was a slowburn, and one that was filled with sexual tension. It was obvious the attraction between them, but they both held back for different reasons. Josh wasn’t looking to get serious, and while he would have gladly jumped between the sheets with Katrina, he wasn’t looking for a commitment. On the other hand, Katrina had just been burnt by her last relationship, and she wasn’t looking for a quick roll in the sack. While she was beyond attracted to Josh, the lack of commitment was enough for her to keep her distance. I loved the way Lowe kept having these two run into each other and falling into one another’s path.

While I really enjoyed both Josh and Katrina as our hero and heroine, there was something about the way that Katrina constantly held back with everyone that was a little off putting for me. I could see it with Josh, especially the way she was burnt previously, however she kept her family at an arm’s length as well. I really would have liked to see her be a bit more open with her family, especially considering how close she was supposed to be with them.

The secondary characters were all fabulous. I loved the small additional storyline with Katrina’s brother and his romance with single mom, Shannon. It was a simple and sweet romance between a sexy but shy cowboy and the single mom who was scared to get involved with someone because of her impressionable teenaged son. It was a wonderful sub-plot that added so much to the overall story.

All in all, I really enjoyed the first book in Lowe’s new Medicine River series. I’m super excited to read the next book in the series, as the slight glimpse into the secondary characters Will and Millie. Fans of small town romances and medical romances should absolutely go pick this one up!
I give Montana Actually a B+