The
hospital’s least eligible bachelor and its aloof administrator hate each other…
so why are they pretending to date?
Dr. Owen Gagnon and HR
director Erin Andreas are infamous for their hospital hallway shouting matches.
So imagine the town’s surprise when Erin bids an obscene amount of money to win
Owen in the hospital bachelor auction—and Owen ups the ante by insisting Erin
move in with him.
Copper Point may not know
what’s going on, but neither do Erin and Owen. Erin intends his gesture to let
Owen know he’s interested. Owen, on the other hand, suspects ulterior
motives—that Erin wants a fake relationship as a refuge from his overbearing father.
With Erin suddenly heading
a messy internal investigation, Owen wants to step up and be the hero Erin’s
never had. Too bad Erin would rather spend his energy trying to rescue Owen
from the shadows of a past he doesn’t talk about.
This relationship may be
fake, but the feelings aren’t. Still, what Erin and Owen have won’t last unless
they put their respective demons to rest. To do that, they’ll have to do more
than work together—they’ll have to trust they can heal each other’s hearts.
Buy links: Dreamspinner Amazon
Cat gives this one 5 Meows with a 2 Purr
heat index...
OMG where to start! This
book ticked off everything I like in a book... Exceptional characters. Unusual
Characters. Not your unusual knight in shining armor but an Ogre(given a sexy,
hot Ogre) a shy, wealthy man that is not afraid of the Ogre. Several connected
storylines, a unique story, and a twist.
I mean a story that starts
out telling how the main character fell in love with a guy at first sight then the back story begins at a teen telling
a bit of a story that shows him meeting the leading man fantasizing about him being an ogre that steals him away (
this is important later in the book), how he makes some close friends and how
he cowers to his dad…Fast forward to the present where Erin(yes I spelled this
correctly and another cute bit of backstory) Is the Hr director at St Ann’s in
Copper Point, His dad is president of the board,
Everyone sees him as stiff and stays away thinking he is like his dad…Except for Owen the Ogre whom everyone fears and cows down to…Except Erin. And as bad as Owen may sound, he is very likeable character as his backstory unfolds you can’t help but fall in love. There are many more characters, some from the first book and it would be good to read the first one as some things are mentioned but you can enjoy this quite well as a standalone.
Everyone sees him as stiff and stays away thinking he is like his dad…Except for Owen the Ogre whom everyone fears and cows down to…Except Erin. And as bad as Owen may sound, he is very likeable character as his backstory unfolds you can’t help but fall in love. There are many more characters, some from the first book and it would be good to read the first one as some things are mentioned but you can enjoy this quite well as a standalone.
The blurb tells you all you need to know. If you like Dr’s, anesthesiologists, Nurses, CEO’s Office personnel, wealthy men, Millionaires, Ogres, Shy men, sweet romance, sexy sensual love scenes that are not overly explicit but smoking hot, a touch of mystery and a twist and an ending to die for, read this!
Excerpt…
WHEN OWEN Gagnon’s
friend Simon came by his house and asked him to be part of the hospital
bachelor auction Valentine’s Day fundraiser, he simply snorted and resumed
arguing on an online political board.
Unfortunately Simon
wasn’t easily deterred. “Come on. We’re short so many volunteers, and it’s for
a good cause. We need this cardiac unit.”
Owen continued to type.
“Then you and loverboy sign up.”
“Hong-Wei and I can’t.
They want unmarried men.”
“You and Jack aren’t
married yet.” Owen waggled his eyebrows. “Get on the stage, and I’ll bid
for you.”
Simon swatted him. “They
don’t want married or engaged men. Jared’s already said yes. I
need one more volunteer and I’ll have met my quota for the committee.”
“This is sexist as hell,
only asking men. Why can’t they do a gender-neutral auction?”
With a sigh, Simon sat
beside him. “I know, but I’ve about sprained my back trying to yank the rudder
on this ship so we stay away from insensitive areas. You wouldn’t believe some
of the racist, sexist, homophobic things these people wanted to do for a
fundraiser.”
“I would absolutely
believe it.” Owen ran a finger down Simon’s nose. “Which is why I’m steering
clear.”
“Please, Owen.
I didn’t ask you to be part of the entertainment committee like I did Hong-Wei.
I just need you to stand on stage for ten minutes while people bid on a date
with you for charity.”
Owen closed the laptop.
“First of all, Jack loves performing, so it’s no hardship. I assume your fiancé
is playing with his damn quartet?”
“You could
be in the quartet too. Ram keeps saying he’d make it a quintet if you came in
as the other violin. He can play cello and double bass too.” Simon bit his lip.
“I don’t know the whole story on why you don’t want to play anymore, but
it has been a long time—”
Owen held up a hand,
unwilling to let Simon see how the simple mention of the violin made him
queasy. “I’m not joining Ram’s strings club, and I won’t be auctioned off for a
date. Don’t start a sob story about the cardiac unit either. No one is going to
bid on me if you put me on the block.”
Simon’s blush said this
hiccup had occurred to him. “It’s not only for dates. People can ask for favors
or things. Plus I have a plan.”
Oh hell. “Absolutely
not. I’m not standing on stage so you and Jack can pity bid on me or so some
nurse’s aide can get revenge.”
“Owen—”
Rising, Owen went for
the door, grabbing his coat on the way. “I’m going to work.”
“But we don’t have
surgery until ten today.”
“I’m going to sit in the
lounge and glare at people until your hubby needs me.”
This was exactly what
Owen ended up doing. The house he shared with Jared—which he used to share
with Simon and Jared, before Simon went and fell and love—was only a
mile from St. Ann’s Medical Center, and three-quarters of a mile from the condo
where Jack and Simon lived. It had snowed again the night before, bringing the
on-the-ground total to a foot and a half. Damn lake effect snow anyway. The
temperature was in the midtwenties, which for the end of January in northern
Wisconsin was practically balmy. He considered walking, but since half the
sidewalks were undoubtedly still not cleared, he drove.
He met Simon’s fiancé,
Dr. Wu—Hong-Wei to Simon, Jack to everyone else—in the parking lot. Jack was
huddled into his hat and scarf and shivering. “Owen, how are you not freezing?”
“Because this isn’t
cold.”
Jack, born in Taiwan and
living in Houston until last year, grunted as he hustled to the door. He held
it for Owen, which was nice of him.
It was also suspicious.
Owen cast a side glance
at him. “You’re here early for Monday. Since you didn’t have call this weekend,
you don’t have any patients to see in rounds.”
“Need to go over a few
files before surgery.”
Something fishy was
definitely going on, and Owen was sure Jack was here because Simon had sent him
to fulfill the mission he’d failed on. “I’m killing some time before surgery,
so I guess I’ll see you later.”
Jack waved as they
parted ways, Owen heading for the elevator, Jack the clinic entrance.
In the lounge, Owen
surveyed the paper over coffee, reading the minutes of the most recent hospital
board meeting, scanning an editorial that questioned where the funding had gone
for the proposed cardiac program. Two of the visiting specialists were in the
room with him, the speech therapist and the podiatrist. They were having a
pleasant chat near the soda machine, but after a glare from Owen, they changed
it to a hushed conversation. Two family medicine doctors entered, guffawing
about something; then one of them shushed the other. “Gagnon’s here.”
Owen smiled behind his
paper. He enjoyed his reputation as the resident pariah. It allowed him to live
his life in peace.
The door opened again,
and this time Jack entered. Owen groaned and slid deeper behind his paper.
Jack waved at the other
doctors and returned their polite greetings before settling beside Owen. “Don’t
mind me.” He tugged at the edge of the local news section. “Anything good?”
“The usual nonsense.
Someone is up in arms about the cardiac unit, convinced the fundraiser won’t
bring in enough money because there’s some kind of backroom conspiracy. Someone
wrote a letter to the editor about the mine ruining the environment, and
someone else wrote how we need more jobs. Then there’s one complaining about
whoever is kicking over his garbage cans.”
Jack looked bemused.
“I’ll never get over small towns.”
Owen pretended to read
the paper a little longer, then folded it. “I’m tired of waiting. Ask me to
take part in the auction so I can tell you no.”
Jack stared back
implacably. “I wasn’t going to ask because I knew you’d say no.”
“Seriously, you can
stand down. Obviously I’m not going to participate, but I’ll help Si find
someone to fill his quota.”
Jack shrugged. “Don’t
worry. I’m looking.”
“You don’t need to. I
can do it, I said.”
Jack glanced around the room
at the other doctors, who regarded Owen with unease and Jack with respect
bordering on awe. “I think it’ll be better if you leave it to me.”
Oh, now Owen was going
to find Simon’s last person for sure.
Author of over thirty novels,
Midwest-native Heidi Cullinan writes positive-outcome romances for LGBT
characters struggling against insurmountable odds because she believes there’s
no such thing as too much happy ever after. Heidi is a two-time RITA® finalist,
and her books have been recommended by Library Journal, USA Today, RT Magazine,
and Publisher’s Weekly. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading
novels and manga, playing with her cats, and watching too much anime.
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