Love in Bloom (Kismet #140)

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Synopsis

Paige Conrad followed in her parents footsteps, becoming a doctor, but after spending several years on medical missions in impoverished parts of the world, she's burnt out. When she learns that an old physician friend of her father's is going through a health crisis and needs help running his clinic back home in the States, she decides it will be the perfect opportunity to clear her head and take a breather. Life in small-town Langley, Maryland is agreeing with her when she meets Clay, a local guy who sometimes helps Doc with yard work and small home repairs. Paige has been dealing with a particularly difficult teenage patient who feels like his life is over following a serious accident, so when she learns that Clay had an accident of his own years earlier and seems to be doing fine, she thinks he may be just the person to help lift her patient's spirits. The more Paige gets to know Clay the more she begins to fall for him, but she senses he isn't being entirely honest about his past. And with her mother pressuring her to return to the field, she's also reluctant to get too close, since she has no idea what the future holds for her.

After recovering from a devastating rock-climbing accident, Clayton Reynolds moved to Langley, in part to get away from his father and in part so that no one would know his secret: He can't remember the first twenty-five years of his life and never will. Clay's father always thought he would take over the family business, but after the accident, Clay's life was completely changed. He had to relearn nearly everything and he no longer had any interest in the electrical business. Instead, he forged a new path, starting a little lawn mower shop of his own, something his father is still upset about. Clay's ex also left him, unable to deal with his nightmares and memory loss, so he keeps that part of himself locked up tight. When he meets Paige, he's very attracted to her, but when she asks him to help her patient, he unequivocally says no, concerned that it would only stir up the nightmares he'd finally put to rest. However, she eventually persuades him to change his mind. But still Clay struggles with entrusting Paige with his past, and if he can get there, he's worried that she may return to her medical mission in Africa, leaving him alone like everyone else has.

Review

Love in Bloom is a small-town contemporary romance that's listed as Book #6 in Karen Rose Smith's Finding Mr. Right series. However, from what I can tell, this appears to be more of a theme series rather than one that has common characters, so the book stands perfectly fine on it's own. Dr. Paige Conrad was working on a medical mission in Africa, which she thought was her life's calling, but finding the oftentimes harsh nature of the work at odds with her tender heart, she decided to take a break. She returned to the States to help out at the clinic of a small-town doctor who was good friends with her parents, while he recuperates from open heart surgery. There she meets Clay, the owner of a local lawn mower sales and repair shop. When she discovers that Clay suffered severe injuries from a rock climbing accident ten years earlier, Paige thinks he might be the perfect person to talk some sense into a troubled teenage patient who's all but given up on life after his own devastating accident. At first, Clay isn't inclined to help, fearing that reopening that wound will only stir up the nightmares he thought he'd finally put to rest. However, Paige's gentle persistence eventually convinces Clay to give it a shot, and in the course of the pair helping Paige's patient, they slowly begin to fall for one another. But Clay has been keeping a big secret from Paige regarding the first twenty-five years of his life, which he cannot remember and likely never will. Several people in his life abandoned him because of his amnesia and he worries that if she knows the truth she will as well. Not to mention, Paige is struggling with figuring out whether she wants to return to her mission once Doc is fully recovered, and he may lose her anyway if she decides to go back to Africa.

Paige's parents were both doctors who dedicated their entire lives to healing suffering people in the underdeveloped world. As such, she had an unconventional upbringing which included living in the field and attending a boarding school in England. By the time she graduated, she was convinced she, too, wanted to do the same thing with her life, so she went to medical school. After her father died, Paige accompanied her mother on medical missions, but on her most recent trip to Africa, a devastating loss proved difficult for her to recover from. Around the same time, an old friend of her parent's suffered a severe heart attack and needed surgery, so Paige decided to go live with him and run his practice while he recuperates and also to give herself a break. Ben, a teenage patient who feels his life is over after an accident has left him unable to play football anymore, isn't doing well, so Paige approaches Clay, who she's been told suffered an accident of his own years ago. She doesn't understand his reticence to help, but after gently prodding him a few times, she finally gains his agreement. As the pair try to help Ben, they grow closer, but Paige can sense that Clay isn't being entirely honest with her about his past. She's also worried about getting too close to him when her mother expects her to return to Africa soon, and she doesn't want to hurt him if she does. Paige is a kind, compassionate heroine who would be difficult not to like. She's a rare modern-day virgin who still has enough confidence to know what she wants and to embrace her passionate side. She's dedicated her life to helping and healing people. Paige thought she wanted to do the same thing as her parents, but because of pressure from her mother, she's never really considered another path until she meets and falls in love with Clay. I love how open and understanding she is with him when she finds out the truth about his amnesia.

After the rock-climbing accident, Clay had to rebuild his entire life. The physical scars were bad enough, but the mental toll of not being able to remember the first twenty-five years of his life and having to relearn nearly everything was the truly devastating part. His mother and sister were supportive of him throughout his ordeal, but his dad always expected him to take over the family electrical business one day. When Clay moved away and forged his own path into lawn mower sales and service, his dad just couldn't cope and they've been all but estranged ever since. Clay also had friends who abandoned him after the accident, as well as a girlfriend who couldn't cope with his nightmares, so he keeps his amnesia to himself. When Paige comes asking for his help, he's very attracted to her, but keeps his distance, both from her and from the patient she wants him to talk to. He fears that if he opens up that part of his life again, it will take him backward instead of forward. He also can't allow Paige to get too close without telling her the truth, but worries that if he does, she'll leave him like so many others in his life have. Once he finally opens that can of worms, then he's afraid she'll choose to go back to Africa and he'll be heartbroken. Clay is a great guy who's experienced a lot of trauma and heartache in his life. As a result, he's been living a fairly isolated existence with many people knowing him as the guy who fixes their lawn mowers, but few people actually know the real person inside. I like that Paige is able to gently pull him out of that lonely place and show him that not everyone views his invisible scars in a negative way.

Overall, Love in Bloom was a very good read. I liked both Clay and Paige a lot and think they made a great couple. I think I understood Paige pretty well and didn't have any major issues with her. Some readers may find her to be a bit immature, but I related to her struggles to balance her own independence and desire to follow her own dreams with her mother's expectations. Clay can be a little prickly at times, but given all that he's been through, it was understandable. At first, his reasoning for keeping other people at arm's length felt lacking in logic, as most of the people who'd rejected him because of the amnesia seemed to think that he'd changed too much after the accident. By contrast, he'd just met Paige, so she wouldn't have had any preconceived notions about him. As he started to reveal more of his past, though, I related to his fears much better, so overall, he was a likable guy. The story begins a bit slowly. There's some repetition as Paige asks for Clay's help, he turns her down, and then the same dance ensues a few days later until he finally gives in. Once they start to grow closer, there's a little of the same, with passion beginning to ratchet up between them, only for Clay to shut it down because of his fears. This frustrated me just a tad, but once he's finally able to tell the truth about his amnesia, things really start to take off between them. Clay and Paige's relationship was imbued with all the romantic and tender moments that I expect. Their love scenes are surprisingly sensual and passionate for a category romance, too, which only added to their emotional connection and the intimacy of the story. I love how it ended with both of them finding the courage to step out their respective comfort zones and try something new together. Because of the lovely romantic aspects and the beautiful ending, I toyed with giving Love in Bloom keeper status, but ultimately decided it was just a very strong four-star book. It was my first read by Karen Rose Smith, but it was certainly enjoyable enough to earn this author a spot on my watch list.

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Karen Rose Smith

Themes

Amazing Animals
Amnesia
Doctors, Nurses, & Medical Professionals
Physically Imperfect Heroes
Tortured Heroes