She came to sell a town…

But she found a home 

Never in her wildest dreams could single mom Ella Monroe imagine co-inheriting the small town of Second Chance, Idaho–or falling for its curmudgeonly doctor, Noah Bishop.

Despite his rough edges and protests for isolation, Noah has her believing in love at first sight again.

But when she’s pressured to sell her stake, Ella is torn between family loyalty and following her heart.

Titles in The Mountain Monroes series include — The Secrets to My Success (prequel) – Kissed By The Country Doc – Snowed In With The Single Dad –

Title:  Kissed by the Country Doc
Series:  The Mountain Monroes #1
Author:  Melinda Curtis
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  February 5, 2019
Publisher:  Harlequin
My Rating:  4.5 stars

KISSED BY THE COUNTRY DOC is the first story in Melinda Curtis’ new series, The Mountain Monroes.  Although, I would strongly suggest you also pick up the prequel, THE SECRETS TO MY SUCCESS, which sets this series up nicely with an emotional, touching story.

Over time we will get to know the quirky, small town of Second Chance, Idaho – and it’s residents quite well.  But for now there are a lot of mysteries surrounding the history, and the present of this town… and in many ways, the future is up in the air as well.  This small town was owned, lock, stock, and barrel by millionaire Harlan Monroe.  He, in turn, leased back the business to their former owners for a tiny yearly rent.  Harlan’s recent death changes everything for he has some hard lessons to be taught to his entitled, spoiled children and most importantly to his twelve grandchildren who may not be as entitled but certainly have lived a well and prosperous life… up until this point.  His grandchildren, together, have inherited the small town of Second Chance, Idaho – and what they do with the town, with the changes that have now happened in their family will show the true colors of each individual one of them, even the ones who are Monroe through marriage.

I easily got lost in KISSED BY THE COUNTRY DOC for it gave me an interesting story in the now, but also endless possibilities for what is to come and that is what will keep me returning to a series, those little tastes of what might be around the next corner.

Ella and her adorable toddler, Penny, are up first in this series and her story is at times heartbreaking and yet full of promise as well, depending on the choices she makes in the near future.  Her husband’s death changed so much for Ella.  They’d fallen in love at first sight, had a whirlwind romance and a fast marriage.  His father always saw her as an opportunist not as a woman in love with his son, although Ian has been civil… until now.  Ella has spent much of her life in the foster care system, so have a boisterous, large family like the Monroes as her own was pure heaven to her.  Now that’s in danger as sides are taken, and choices between staying loyal to her family will clash with falling in love with another man quickly, but this man has complications that will make life challenging for them both.

Noah once lived a far, far different life than that of a country doctor.  One moment, one life-altering event changed his future to a dark and cloudy nightmare.  He has held himself aloof from most of the residents of his new home, dealing only with what’s necessary to survive.  That’s about to change because Harlan Monroe’s death is going to open up a lot of locked doors that the residents would prefer to lose the keys to… and Noah has been recruited to keep an eye on one Monroe in particular because it looks like the grandkids are about to sell off their town, and there’s not much they can do about it.

I love a series’ opening story, the people we get to meet, the first impressions that I make about the characters… and often discovering that I’m off-base about some people comes as a pleasant surprise.  There are a lot of people to meet in the first chapters, but in reality, we aren’t going to be dealing with them all right now, plus we have several more offscreen that we’ve yet to meet face to face.  Yes, it’s going to be a long series.  I’m already in love with Second Chance, Idaho – it’s quirky, mysterious and I can’t even imagine being snowed in there as often as the year-round residents do.  It would be a place to prove yourself to yourself, and that’s a fascinating concept to me.

Noah and Ella are a couple that fit together.  In spite of the obvious challenges for them, they simply fit.  Watching them face their issues, make choices that are difficult but necessary and discovering who they truly are at the heart was an enjoyable, engaging journey.  Expect layers in KISSED BY THE COUNTRY DOC, the surface is interesting but dig down a bit deeper and you’ll find a treasure chest full of emotions, decisions, choices that will change lives.

I was so caught up in this story that I was surprised to find myself at the end.  That doesn’t happen often, folks.  I don’t want to give away the details that matter so I’m going to strongly recommend that you pick up KISSED BY THE COUNTRY DOC and discover this brand new world for yourself… you will not be disappointed.  You’ll discover mysteries, histories, interesting secondary characters who light up the pages, characters that you want to know more about and a couple you’ll want to find their happy ending for they both so deserve it.  I’m officially hooked on The Mountain Monroes, and I’m betting you will be, too.

I own a Kindle edition of this story.

Available in paperback and for the Kindle