Sweet, light-hearted romance; love the whole best friend's little sister scenario and that the male lead works with animals. Oaklee and Rory have known each other for years; she's had a crush on him, but he's only thought of her as his best friend's little sister. Plus, Rory isn't exactly into the whole being in a committed relationship type, so Oaklee isn't pursuing him. Both are wary of being in a relationship because of past hurts. Oaklee ends up hitting a dog, so she brings the dog to vet, Rory, and ends up fostering the dog. This scenario leads to Oaklee and Rory seeing more of each other, which leads to romantic feelings. Both try to deny their feelings, so the romance is a bit of a slow burn. There's a bit of the opposites attract scenario going on too. Both are likable characters, and I enjoy the small-town vibe. Overall, I enjoyed this cute romance!

It is a slow burning romance. Rory is a vet and Oakley is his best friend's sister and both have known each other since young. Both have some baggage from previous relationship and deal with it in different ways. When Oakley hits a dog with her car, she bring it to him for treatment and it is a slow burning romance.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

I read another book in the Darling VT series called Someone to Love. I loved it and thought this would be another good book in that series. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

This book was about the same family, Gallagher. Rory is a veterinarian and likes things neat and orderly. Oaklee Collier is the social media director for the town and is a bit of a slob. When Oaklee hits a dog and takes him to Rory to help, their history starts up again. Rory is best friends with Oaklee’s brother but has always wanted to get together with Oaklee but didn’t want to cross a line with his best friend.

The story revolves around Oaklee’s feeling of responsibility for the dog, Rory’s wanting to take things to the next step with Oaklee and how it all works out. In my opinion, too much time was spent on Rory’s neatness and Oaklee’s sloppiness and didn’t get on with the main story.

Donna Alward is one of my favorite authors of sweet feel good small town romance. Here you have Rory Gallagher, the town veterinarian who love playing the field with women. One evening the younger sister comes in upset because she accidently hit and injured a scared dog. Oaklee used to crush on Rory but he was never interested in long time relationships especially with his friend's kid sister. Now he notices Oaklee in a new light the more they see each other and you discover why he has felt the way he did. I love their new chemistry and spark, sometimes the story has you laughing and sometimes you might be reaching for a tissue. I love the Gallaghers and I can't wait for more by Ms Alward. 4.5 Stars

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion

**My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is a very sweetbread where a brothers best friend becomes the guy for our leading lady.

Both Oaklee and Rory have baggage, they have both been very badly hurt by previous lovers and have taken many years to get to the point at which they are now.

Both are actually softer in heart than they think they are and end up not only confiding in each other, but taking the step from their comfort zones into a world where they may get hurt again and into each other arms. Both finally move past the stale existence where Oaklee has been isolating herself and Rory has been having meaningless dates with woman to a relationship with someone they care about. All it takes is a moment of stupidity on Oaklees part and a stray dog to get their worlds to forever change.

Donna Alward’s migration to the lengthier contemporary (from MissB’s beloved categories) has resulted in hit-or-miss romances. With the third in her Darling, Vermont series, Somebody’s Baby, Alward hits her stride. Like one of Miss B’s favourite categories, Alward’s Her Rancher Rescuer, the protagonists of Somebody’s Baby are young – really young – not the usual put-together super-people that contemporary romances tend to give us, but callow. And because Alward makes them somewhat unlikeable, at least initially, in their callowness, their growth is the more believable.

Oaklee Collier is 24 and works in Darling’s publicity department. She is all things FB, Twitter, and promoting tourism and local businesses. It’s no wonder Twitter plays a clever, interesting role in the narrative. As a Twitter aficionado, MissB enjoyed this, among many others of the novel’s aspects. Oaklee is texting, tweeting, and all around being distracted by her phone when she hits a mangy dog. Overwhelmed by guilt and hoping to save the dog, she carries him to the local vet’s, where her brother’s best friend and high school “white-steeded knight” works, Dr. Rory Gallagher. When Rory overhears her, as she enters the clinic muddied, bloodied, and carrying a whimpering doggie, he has the typical rom response to the best friend’s little sister, “Unless he was mistaken, that voice belonged to Oaklee Collier. A complete and utter pain in the ass.”

Somebody’s Baby has a conventional small-town romance feel to open, but the humour and, frankly, the adorable dog, which Rory convinces Oaklee to foster, kept MissB reading. Besides, Alward has always had a smooth, likeable style that appeals to Miss B. But Somebody’s Baby turns into something quite out of the ordinary and delightful as one reads on. First, there is, as MissB. mentioned, Oaklee and Rory’s realistic youthfulness. They’re paying student loans, have landed their first jobs after college, and carry the psychic wounds of the broken-hearted after the painful end of their first loves. Miss B. thought Alward perfectly captured two fairly well-adjusted (from loving, supportive homes) young people who, at the occurence of this disappointment, discover the world doesn’t always go one’s way. Oaklee and Rory are neither vain, nor arrogant, they’ve simply never suffered before.

Oaklee and Rory have coped with their broken hearts in what appear to be different ways, but, in the end, are about closing themselves off from being hurt by locking up their hearts. Oaklee isolates herself by focusing on career and being such a workaholic she barely sees her loving parents, even though they live in Darling. No boyfriends, not even that many friends, and work work work it is for Oaklee. Rory, on the other hand, is a serial dater, surfing dating sites and out with a new lady every week. After the first two or three dates, however, he politely breaks off, having warned the lady that he doesn’t do serious or long-term.

And yet, he and Oaklee are friends and it’s not long before their former teen-age friendship-lite is now accompanied by genuine affection and attraction. They navigate the attraction well, kissing and flirting, and concluding:

“Neither of us seems to want anything serious. But we do seem to want each other.” Something felt off when she said it, just a niggle of conscience that said she couldn’t take sex so lightly. That it was supposed to be meaningful on an emotional level, and not recreation. But where had that got her for the past two years? Celibate and … emotionally frozen, too.

The above passage is why MissB. loves Alward still and stuck with her longer-contemporary growing pains. Because Alward understands that the essence of romance is the recognition that attraction and sex are emotionally complicated to two people who are, at core, serious, caring, and honourable. While romance often contains love scenes (Alward’s are definitely on the tame side), it’s never about sex: it’s about commitment. And commitment consists of the giving over to the other of body and heart. To the romance protagonists and genre, these two aspects of the self are inextricably linked. Here, Oaklee is a modern, albeit conservative, young woman, as is Rory, conservative that is, and, while modern mores have moved away from strictures against premarital sex, they haven’t moved away from the idea, even in this initial Oaklee niggle, that it’s “supposed to be meaningful on an emotional level.”

Oaklee and Rory are young, strong, and beautiful. Their bodies are in sync, but their ability to communicate with and understand each other are thwarted by fear and loss. Alward can write a meaningful love scene, but she can also really write how, sometimes, the aftermath may be disconnecting and lonely. Because the body-work may be done, but the heart has yet to catch up. Here are Oaklee’s thoughts:

… [Rory] nodded, as if he understood. But he didn’t. She knew he didn’t. Suddenly they seemed very far apart, when only minutes earlier they’d been extremely close … Nothing had gone right tonight. As she got closer to her apartment, she realized it was because neither she nor Rory knew what they wanted. All they knew was that it involved each other.

Oaklee and Rory’s HEA-journey is about learning to love and trust again. They don’t have much to go on, except a mutt, good examples of loving couples, love-mentors in their families and friends, and good will.

Not much is said in romance critique about the key to a loveable couple is the “good will” to take a chance, persist, think things through, ask for advice, and take a risk in communicating the heart. Seems simple, but it’s frightening. Oaklee and Rory are scared, but they have good will and sufficient inner resources to take an emotional risk. How they do so is funny, endearing, and original and tells romance readers that Alward hasn’t lost her magic touch. Witness this beautiful summary of the HEA-journey from the first, tentative stirrings of the heart to its surety, from first kisses to last” … it was definitely the sort of kiss laden with hesitant possibilities and unanswered questions. … They’d had many kisses already, but this one was the best, because all the others had been questions and this one felt like the answer.” The answer to Alward’s Somebody’s Baby, with Miss Austen’s assent, is “there is no charm equal to tenderness of heart,” Emma.

Donna Alward’s Somebody’s Baby is published by St. Martin’s Paperbacks. It was released in April and may be found at your preferred vendors. Miss Bates received an e-ARC from St. Martin’s Paperbacks, via Netgalley.

This was the third book in the series, but reads well as a stand alone. It is a brother's best friend trope, which I love. It definitely adds a little something to the romance if it's not supposed to happen because "you're my best friend's little sister". This book kept me turning the pages.
The two main characters in the book both had some abandonment issues. I loved that Alward had the female character, Oaklee, filling up her life and having it appear less empty to herself by leaving belongings strewn all over her apartment. It was very symbolic and very clever. The hero's reaction to the mess was highly amusing.
There is a dog in the book that Rory, a veterinarian, kind or coerces Oaklee into fostering. She is not an animal person at all. The results were hilarious, charming and totally heartwarming as she fell in love with the dog. He becomes her "baby".
Rory, the super hot childhood crush of Oaklee, has suffered a loss as heartbreaking as hers. Neither wants to risk love again even though the warmth factor between the two is off the charts .It seems as if they will never take down the wall around themselves. Will they eventually lay it all on the line and take a chance on each other?

Great beach read! I enjoyed lounging around reading it.

I love this series!! Each book gets better and better! Rory and Oakley start out as reluctant friends but soon become so much more. I loved watching their relationship grow and their struggle for a HEA. Add in cute dogs and visits from Rory's family...excellent story. I hope this isn't the end of this series!

This is book 3 in the Darling, Vermont series and it features Oaklee Callier and Rory Gallagher. This is a story about overcoming the pain of our past, good friends, love and family. The story line is great and so are the characters.

Don't miss this visit to Darling, Vermont. Surprises are in store for you when you turn the pages of this fun and introspective small town romance. I can't wait to visit again.

Special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Donna Alward for gifting me with an ARC of SOMEBODY'S BABY enabling me to read this fabulous book and write my honest opinions.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens with Rory and Oaklee and the stray dog.
5 stars

A BOY, A GIRL AND A DOG
Eastern Canadian author Donna Alward delivers Somebody’s Baby, the third novel in the Darling, Vermont, series starring the Gallagher siblings. The third Gallagher brother, handsome heartbreaker Rory, is awakened late one night with a call for help. Beautiful Oaklee Collier, the younger sister of Rory’s best friend from high school, turns to veterinarian Rory to treat a dog she accidentally hit with her car. When her concern for the dog leads to her spending more and more time with Rory, Oaklee quickly discovers that her schoolgirl crush on her older brother’s friend never went away. In fact, she finds the adult Rory even more attractive. The two bond over the injured dog, and before long, the dog is living in Oaklee’s apartment and Rory is spending more and more time there as well. Both Oaklee and Rory have had their hearts broken in the past, and both are wary of becoming involved. They’ve been friends since childhood—will becoming lovers result in the loss of that important relationship?

This warm, endearing friends-to-lovers tale features an engaging hero and heroine who encounter very real and human obstacles in their relationship, while a solid cast of secondary characters lend texture to the small-town setting.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved revisiting Darling and all the friends I have made. Rory and Oaklee don't think they believe in love, beside her big brother is Rory's best friend and he promised her brother that Oaklee was off limits.

I can't wait for the next installment.

This book is a very easy read and you will enjoy it.

Enjoyed this heartwarming emotional book about taking a chance on love a second time. Oaklee have always had a crush on Rory as a teenager. Now as a adult she's still attracted to him but he's a player. Rory have always noticed Oaklee but she's his best friend's sister. As the spend time together their feelings for each other grow however insecurities from their past hinders the progress of their relationship. They both eventually learn to trust in their love and help each other with their insecurities. Recommended read

This was a cute story with a very misleading title. There is no baby in this book. Baby is used in lieu of "sweetheart" if you want. I was disappointed after waiting the whole book for a baby to happen. Nice read though.

I really enjoyed this small town romance. Perfect setting, sweet romance with lovable characters. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

This series just gets better and better. I really liked this one, and the dog added a nice touch. A handsome veterinarian and a sexy social media expert, make a great couple. As typical of these, each person has baggage to overcome, but the journey there was worth the trip. Great summer read and one I highly recommend.

Somebody's Baby

Darling, Vermont Series - Book 3


By Donna Alward

St. Martin's - April 2017

Contemporary Romance



Somebody's Baby is the third story in Donna Alward's Darling, Vermont series and does have minor spoilers to the previous stories. However, Somebody's Baby does stand on its own.

Oaklee Collier was surrounded by love and the procreative results, and she was so tired of it. She had thought by now that it would be her. She had even bought the dress, paid for the trip, only to be stood up at the altar. The only saving grace had been that they had been eloping so nobody was aware of her humiliation. Now she was home, working in a job she loved. And independent. She took care of herself, and she made a point of not needing to have her parents or older brother help her.

Rory Gallagher was living a life he hadn't wanted. Single, doing the dating scene, not committing to anyone. He was home alone in his apartment over the veterinarian clinic when Oaklee arrived with an injured dog. She obviously had no experience with animals, but was determined to see the animal helped, regardless of her financial situation. Once the dog was ready to leave the clinic, Rory had no qualms using guilt to convince Oaklee to continue helping by fostering.

Oaklee needed help with the dog, and Rory was more than willing to offer. In fact, the more time he spent with her, the more he realized that there was more to her than the persona she presented to the community. He'd thought he knew her, she was his best friend's little sister, but he realized she was hiding parts of herself. He understood that, he was doing the same, and the more she revealed, Rory realized the more he wanted her for himself.

Somebody's Baby was a fun quick romance that I enjoyed. Both Oaklee and Rory had been introduced previously in this series. I was eager to learn about the woman who single handedly seemed to make the townspeople dance to her tune. She was always actively engaged in everything going on, and promoting the events on social media. Rory was engaging, dedicated, and caring. I did find it difficult to understand why Oaklee was so adamant about not having her professional hockey player brother or parents assist her, especially considering if their situations were reversed, she would want to help them. I do hope that Ms Alward returns to Darling, Vermont to continue with the three Gallagher sisters.

What do you get when you have two people that can't let go of their past. You get Oaklee and Rory two people who grew up in the same small town, him best friends with her brother. Here they are years later both with a past, and never willing to admit where they stand.
This was a typical romance I gave it three stars as I could take it or leave it. I did read the whole thing but I wanted more of a story than what it was.



* I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review **

Post goes live 8 MAY

Somebody’s Baby is Book 3 in Donna Alward’s Darling, Vermont series. Like the others, this one is a classic sweet category romance. It features the youngest Gallagher brother Rory and Oaklee Collier. He is a veterinarian, and she is the town’s social media coordinator. The two have known each other most of their lives since Rory is Oaklee’s brother Cam’s best friend. Oakley has had a crush on Rory since they were in high school, but Rory has always seen Oaklee as his best friend’s annoying little sister. When they are forced together late one night after Oaklee accidentally hits a stray dog on her way home, both of them realize that neither is the person they knew before, and their attraction is not just one-sided. However, Rory is a one night stand kind of guy and he is not about to do that to his best friend’s little sister, and Oaklee has denial issues of her own. By the end of the book, it seemed everyone could see what was going on between the two of them except them. There were times when I wanted to reach through the book and shake them until they got a clue. I was relieved when they finally got it together because there was a feeling of “it’s about time.” I really enjoyed this book. If you’re a category romance fan, you will probably like this one. Like the last one, the one negative thing I could say is that at times the pacing of the story seemed slow, and I just wanted them to get on with it. Still, it’s a sweet and enjoyable book.