Wednesday, November 25, 2020

#ContemporaryRomance Review ~ You Can't Buy Love (Life Lessons, Book #3) by Melanie A. Smith @MelASmithAuthor

 

Money can’t buy happiness, but neither can pride …

Julianna Magnusson is tired of working her tail off at her thankless job as a nurse practitioner for the cardiac unit at Rutherford Hospital. Tired of having little to no time for her own life. But most of all, she’s tired of pretending that she’s happy about it all. So when her boss insists she attend the annual hospital charity gala, spending a ton of money on a dress to impress a bunch of stuck-up snobs doesn’t exactly sound like her idea of a good time.

Still, ever the dutiful employee, she makes an appearance. Only to meet a handsome stranger named Noah who stops her from drunkenly confronting the man who owns the hospital about all the issues at work. Then Noah does so much more, giving her a night of passion that she’ll never forget. Still, Jules has no intentions of taking it further. As timely as meeting him was, Noah is many things she’d never want in a man: Clearly elitist, arrogant, and bossy, he’s nothing more than a one-night stand.

Which was a great plan until he turns up at her hospital with a mind to shake things up in a way that could affect her career and her decision to write him off, igniting an epic battle between them as the chemistry that sparked the initial attraction transforms into a battle of wills. Their clash could jeopardize everything Jules has worked for — or, if she can look past her own pride, it might lead to everything she needs. In the fight between what we think we want and what life has in store for us, what wins?

Publication date: August 11, 2020
Print length: 227 pages
Publisher: Wicked Dreams Publishing
ASIN: B08B51WKPH
Purchase Link: Amazon

My Review:

Julianna "Jules" Magnusson is a nurse practitioner in the cardiac unit at Rutherford Hospital. Her hard work and loyalty prevent her from having a social life, especially since the hospital keeps downsizing even though the patient population continues to increase at alarming rates. When she's forced to attend a charity gala for the Rutherford Group, she plans to give good ol' Mr. Rutherford a piece of her mind. Fortunately, a mystery man named Noah steps in to prevent her career suicide. One night of passion her satisfied and she pushes him into unavailable category. Jules most likely won't ever see him again anyway, since they move in different social circles. The game changes when Noah steps foot in her hospital and makes thing worse than they already are right now.

Jules and Noah are truly fantastic characters. Jules is strong, caring, and wants nothing more than the powers-that-be to take a good look around at what's going on in their hospital and make appropriate changes. When Noah steps in and begins making changes that may affect her job, the jobs of her co-workers and friends, and still doesn't attend to the problems at hand, Jules assumes her her battle stance. The battle of wills between Jules and Noah stems from the chemistry displayed during their initial meeting but continues to evolve into something else entirely. They are good for each other but Jules and Noah need to work a few things out that require discussion, not conversations with themselves. 

I really enjoyed You Can't Buy Love. The author's writing style is conversational and invited. The book is engaging, with wonderfully developed characters, and a setting that is described perfectly. I was able to get into the story, stay connected to the characters, and work through the frustrations of both Jules and Noah. I understand Jules' concerns with the continued decrease in personnel, leading to an increase in responsibilities. The author did a great job realistically delving into the methodical way employers continue to eliminate jobs, requiring current employees to absorb those tasks along with their own. It's frustrating, stressful, and completely unethical and shameful. Yet, it happens all the time, in every industry. 

You Can't Buy Love is a great book and I highly recommend it.

I was provided a copy of this book to read.



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