This is book three in the Darling, VT series and I did read the first two books but you don't really need to read the other books to get into this one.

I have enjoyed all the books so far and yes I have enjoyed this one. It is very well written and I do enjoy the story and characters.

I am giving this 4 out of 5.

3.5 ~ Another one bites the Kissing Bridge dust ~ Stars

Donna Alward knows how to write about real people with real struggles. I was expecting a light easy read but what I got instead was a deeply emotional story about two people who have been hurt in the past and survived by coping differently. They were able to lock the hurt up tight and learned to live life with little to no expectations of real love.

Oaklee and Rory were two people so confused, so wary of committment, of co-dependancy that it was heartbreaking to see them fighting their attraction. I'm not one for long drawn out drama but getting inside both Oaklee and Rory's heads helped me connect with them. I might not have liked some of their decisions and wanted to jump in a time or two and demand they stop flitting around the truth and just lay it all on the table, but if that had happened this story wouldn't have rang so strongly with raw emotion.

What stood out for me the most was Buster. Buster is the foster dog that Oaklee has for a majority of the story. His role in Oaklee's life was pivot and touching, it literally brought me to tears. I was sad to see him go (no need to freak out peeps, his family claims him!) but I think that Ms. Alward did a great job using him as that extra push Oaklee needed to snap out of her funk.

Each book in the Darling, VT series has featured down to earth people from every day life that have to overcome every day fears and doubts. They all have great romantic couples and sweet love stories but Somebody's Baby has touched on every one of my emotions. I laughed and cried, fell in love, got scared, felt the bite of panic and grew frustrated right alongside the MCs. It wasn't easy and it wasn't all roses but in the end I believed that Oaklee and Rory had what it takes to make their love last a lifetime.

If you've read the series or if your looking for a small town romance I would highly recommend you check this author out. The legendary Kissing Bridge gets another romantic couple to add to its infamous track record and we're left wandering just which unsuspecting Gallagher sibling is up next to kiss for a moment and love for a lifetime!

What do you get when you put together two commitment phobic people and add a cute dog? A really good Donna Alward novel.

In the beginning of this novel, I really struggled to like Oaklee. She had been mentioned in the previous novel, but no one really got a good feel for her and in this book, she just struck me as such a spoiled brat. As the novel progressed, I came to understand more about her and gradually began to like her.

Rory I liked from the start. I have to say, I was fooled by the title of this book, thinking it might be further developments from the last involving Willow and Ethan, but I was glad the author went the way she did with this. Not only did we get more experience learning about Darling, but we also got to explore more members of the Gallagher family in depth. These books make you feel like you just came home again after being away for years.

This one didn't have quite the same emotional effect on me that the last one did, but I still enjoyed it--the ending was a nice touch, especially.

If you are looking for a sweet, romantic read, this is a good book to choose.

This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a really sweet story with really relatable characters. At first I thought this book was going to be such a downer and depressing because she was so depressed over everything in her life. It just seemed to keep going downhill by hitting the dog then having a hard time paying for it. I was very happy to see the book turn a bit more positive and see her perspective on life start to change one she had the dog at home. Broke my heart when the dog left and how everything went down after that. Loved the ending and how sweet it was. I do wish her brother was in the story more then just them talking about him or their past relationship with him. I loved the twitter parts of this book, it is like I am secretly looking into someone else's account and it feels sneaky but I love it. Overall great characters and story line.

If there ever were a step-by-step guide for how to start a successful and lasting relationship, I imagine it would look like this: boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after, but without the baggage and hurt. Alas, there is no such thing as both Rory Gallagher and Oaklee Ferguson have learned the really hard way.

Both casualties of love gone wrong, Rory and Oaklee have reason to be wary of the emotion and have devised various methods of dealing it. For Rory, serial dating is the best way to avoid emotional entanglements and for Oaklee, keeping busy and avoiding dating is her preferred method. Until an injured dog brings them into closer contact and changes everything for them.

Rory and Oaklee have always had feelings for each other but Rory's friendship with her older brother effectively put the kibosh on anything developing between them back in the day, but now it's their fear of getting hurt again that stands between them and possible happiness.

Rory and Oaklee were a really adorable couple and I enjoyed every bit of their effort to get past their heartbreak and find happiness with each other. It's obvious that their attempts to avoid being hurt again have pretty much starved them of meaningful connections with other people and they are very lonely, no matter how exciting their lives look from the outside.

It's like watching a baby learn to walk; you wince when they fall and cheer when they succeed and I think the author did an amazing job, getting readers invested in and rooting for Rory and Oaklee to find happiness with each other. SOMEBODY'S BABY was a real joy to read and I hope we get more stories soon, especially Hannah's.

This has been a really fun series but if you haven't read the others, you'll be fine with this one because the story of Rory and Oaklee is pretty self contained. You know there two are meant for each other right away but it's going to be a fun struggle to get past both of their issues to become a pair, Loved that Rory was a veterinarian, which added to the atmospherics. I occasionally wanted to tell both of them to grow up and get over themselves but that would have meant the end of the book, which is a quick, entertaining read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I'm hoping Alward writes more books either set in Darling or in a new series.

This was my first time reading this author, and it won't be my last. I now am going to get the other books in this series. This was a sweet, fun romance.

Somebody's Baby is a delightful book. It has a well written plot and well thought out characters. A good relaxing read.

This is Book 3 in the "Darling, VT" Series and I found this book as the rest of this series, great!

There is a great combination of characters, small town life, family ties, romance that makes each book a wonderful read!

Rory Gallagher is a vet. He loves animals and women! When he meets one lady who is immune to his charms, he falls hard. Oaklee is back in Darling. When she finds face to face with Rory, her old crush, she decides that she won't suffer for him again.

This is a sweet romance. The characters are great and their chemistry is awesome!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley

****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review****

This is a sweet small town romance which is a brother's best friend and two commitment-phobes story. I liked the characters and the setting, but I thought it was missing a couple of elements to really make it sing. Spoilers below for those who don't mind knowing the ending.



<spoiler>There's no showdown/resolution to the fact that Oaklee is Rory's best friend's sister - who he's been told not to date. Which wouldn't be a problem, if one of Rory's major reasons for staying away back in the day and at the start of their current relationship wsa that she was Cam's sister. Now if the next book is Cam coming back to have a go at his bestie and maybe fall in love with Rory's sister as pay back (just an idea) this wouldn't matter so much - but there wasn't a epilogue to that effect or a preview of the next book in my advance proof. So I felt there was some resolution lacking here - if you're going to make something a big thing at the start, you can't just forget about it at the end.

I also got a little narked with the idea that Oaklee needed to learn to be a good housewife/cook. Luckily she was doing it to herself rather than Rory wanting it or it would have been a big fat 1 star review - but it did feel like the author was saying that Oaklee could fill the holes in her "empty" life by being better at housework and more "womanly". Ick.</spoiler>

Donna Alward
Somebody's Baby (Darling, VT #3)
St. Martin's Press / April 4, 2017 / $7.99 print & digital 
I’ve read all three books in Donna Alward’s Darling, VT new series, and thoroughly enjoyed all three. Isn’t it fabulous that the wait time between the books has only been a month. If you missed the start of the series, don’t worry, each book stands on its own.
Now as much as I’ve enjoyed the other books I must admit that Somebody’s Baby is my favorite. Of course, I had an inkling that it would be –since the hero is a veterinarian.
Rory Gallagher and Oaklee Collier grew up together. Rory and Oaklee’s brother Cam were best friends and two-years-younger Oaklee always wanted to follow along. Rory and Cam still keep in touch, but rarely get together since Cam is now a big-time hockey player. Still, Rory vividly remembers the slug, and Cam verbal warning that his sister was off limits after Rory was caught looking at her... physical attributes.
Rory and Oaklee left Darling for college, and both fell in love there. Each suffered a harsh disappointmen, and now both are back in Darling.
Even though it is a small town, Rory and Oaklee don’t interact that much, until Oaklee accidently hits a stray dog and Rory is on duty when she brings him in.
There is so much to like about the book, it is difficult to pick just one.
Of course, animal lovers will love the animal scenes—the good and the bad. Because if you have dogs then you know there are the bad.
Oaklee didn’t grow up having a pet and she is very reluctant to foster a dog. There is the prospect of being tied down, keeping the dog in her apartment with no backyard, and the expense. But she is guilted into it by Rory. He cunningly plays on her remorse, since she was the one who hit Buster. Grudgingly she agrees to foster and almost immediately discovers the downside of having a dog:
 “He crapped on one of my favorite shoes, and peed on my stool, chewed through his bag of food, and now there’s kibble all over the kitchen, ate one of my handbag straps and pulled my laundry basket with my newly-clean clothes off the sofa and now they’re all over the goddamn floor!” . . .
His eyes cooled. “Apparently he’s not as housetrained as I thought. Or—”
“Or? How can there possibly be an “or”?” . . .
“It might have been anxiety. From being left alone all day.”
“Well, what am I supposed to do? Quit my job?”
“Of course not.”
She finished with the cleanup got rid of the bucket, and moved to the living room. The handbag had been a special purchase, and her heart sank when she realized it was ruined. “Do you realize that this is a Kate Spade bag? Do you know how much it cost?”
“Maybe you can get a new strap.”
“Sure. I’ll just go into the Kate Spade store and ask if they have any Kate Spade replacement straps for a bag that was out two years ago. It doesn’t work that way. Duh.” She wanted to cry. She hardly ever bought designer labels. She’d bought the bag the day she’d landed the job at town hall. It had sentimental value, too.
Still there are so many other things beside the great animal scenes that will resonated with you in the book.
Small town books have been big for a while, and I suspect that they will continue to be, because we readers love the concept of familial and neighbor connections. However, if you ever lived in a small town you know that they’re not quite the panacea that they seem. There are advantages – of course—but still there are disadvantages, and Alward like showing the disadvantage of dog ownership, is not afraid to incorporate those in the story. Like one very important one—you make less money in a small town:
“I suppose I have no pride left now, do I? I’m not making big money at the town office, you know. In addition to the regular expenses, I’m paying off my student loans.”
Rory considered. He, too, had a loan, but he also got a great break on his rent, his utilities were included, and his salary was still pretty decent. “Does Cam know? I mean, he’d pay off your loans in a heartbeat. You know he could.” He took the plate from her hand.
She met his gaze, her eyes wide and earnest. “I won’t cash in on my brother’s success. Or ask for a handout.”
“But you know he’d be happy to do it. You’re his sister.”
“And I can stand on my own two feet.” She frowned, then led the way to the sofa—apparently the substitute for a proper table and chairs. “Honestly, if I didn’t like this job so much, or Darling, I could make nearly twice as much the private sector.
Then there is dating. Rory is a member of a dating site but he’s still not over his broken romance. Ditto with Oaklee. Not a new concept but Alward with a few scenes just captures the feelings that we’ve all felt—of being lonely and of wanting more. There is a difference between big city loneliness and small town loneliness because small towns have a small pond with fewer dating choices so finding someone can be a bigger challenge:
The wine was tart and crisp and Oaklee relaxed into the cushions. Truth be told, she liked having the place cleaned up a bit. There was something soothing about it. At the same time, she always felt a little more alone anytime everything was put away. It seemed to highlight that she was by herself, that no one else would be coming through the door to drop their jacket or shoes before sneaking a kiss. . . .
It was times like this that Rory really missed having his brother as a roommate. He’d gratefully take a few things lying around the apartment just to have some company to take away the emptiness. He turned on the TV so there was at least a bit of background noise, and grabbed a beer from the fridge.
One of Alward strengths, in this series, and especially this book is the wonderful sense of balance —-for lack of a better word. Which creates a feeling of authenticity to the story and the characters. On one hand. she shows the advantages and then on the other, there are the disadvantages.
And with that sense of realism, you easily get involved and vested in the story and the characters.
And speaking of characters –Rory and Oaklee are adorable. Both still young enough not to have a lot of baggage but still they have enough that there are some realistic conflicts on their road to happily-ever-after.
And the ending. Perfect! But you’ll have to read the book for that.
Alward books just seem to get better and better!

Oaklee is home now for two years from college she loves the town she lives in and she loves her job, but it seems that all there is any more is baby showers and weddings. She knows love is real but she has just about had it with relationships. Rory is home and is the local vet and he loves what he does he has sworn off love but it seems to every where around him. When his best friends little sister comes to him about an injured dog they seem to want to work together to help this homeless dog. He likes things neat and tidy and everything planned out perfectly, she doesn't mind a little clutter in her life and she will grab life by the horns but will the secrets they have hold them back from the one thing they both want to bad?
I so enjoyed this book you will be guaranteed to laugh, cry and laugh some more. The struggle between the two characters in their past makes the storyline that much more fun. I really enjoyed that the author through a dog who was rambunctious and had its own personality that added to the story and added so much fun to the story as well. I loved how the small town of Darling had such fun characters but also has away of showing what life is about, family, friends and coming together when all is needed. I loved how the story draws you in and you find yourself truly not wanting to put the book down for any reason, it truly seemed like a quick read. I had not read the other books in the series it was not hard to catch on what was going on, however it make you want to go back and read the others to see what fun they had. Grab this book you won't regret it.

Oh, how lovely this story is! This the story about a vet and his best friend's sister, Oaklee(what a cool name), when they reconnect after she accidentally hits a dog and stops by Rory's practice. Tugs at your heart, and makes you sigh with joy when you get to the end. Wonderful.

I received a request from the publisher to read an ARC of Somebody's Baby. It was a fun romance and I enjoyed my second visit to the town of Darling, VT. The characters are well-written and the chemistry between Rory and Oaklee makes for great reading. Any story with a cute puppy is a story I want to read, by the way. Can't go wrong there. The pacing was a little slow for me. This novel didn't draw me in as much as the previous one in the series. Fans of sweet romance who enjoy a friends-to-lovers plot with a small-town setting will enjoy this one for sure.

This is the third book about a small town in the Darling Vermont series by Donna Alward. Each book has focused on one of the Gallagher siblings. Rory Gallagher is a veterinarian and Oaklee ( I love this name!) works for the town as its social media manager. I enjoyed the bits of the book that had the tweets and twitter account used. Overall, this was another sweet book in this series of standalone. I enjoyed visiting the town and this storyline. It was a very easy read for me. The basic premise is that both parties have been badly hurt by previous relationships and don't want to take the chance on another relationship. Yet, there is an attraction between these two. I like the way the trust issues were not quickly resolved, but felt like a real timeline in how relationships work. All in all, this was another very good read about this fun small town. If you like sweet small town contemporary romances, this is a good book for you! Thanks as always to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

Somebody’s Baby is the third installment in Donna Alward’s Darling, VT, series and is centered around the youngest Gallagher brother, Rory and his best friend’s little sister, Oaklee. It is a lovely and heartfelt story of growing beyond your past and allowing yourself to be loved, set in a charming town with colorful and quirky residents.

I loved Rory Gallagher from the start. He is a vet, competent and accomplished. As a friend, he is easygoing and nice. But he doesn’t believe in HEA anymore, his heart was broken and he is not looking for anything serious in his private life. He seems emotionally unavailable. When Oaklee Collier brings a badly injured stray dog to his clinic, he is surprised to see her all grown up. As a teenager, Oaklee had a crush on him, but then life happened and they lost sight of each other.

Their chemistry and mutual attraction was undeniable. I loved their interactions, the banter, the tweets they exchanged. They are both endearing and relatable characters, Donna Alward did a great job at portraying their deep emotional connection in a very credible way. Oakless is strong, fun and caring, but she is convinced that they are not compatible. She was deeply hurt by her runaway fiancé and she is afraid of caring too deeply. We see her struggle with the emotional conflict between her attraction to Rory and her trust issues. But maybe the time has come for both of them to take a chance on love again.

I loved the emotional aspect of this story, its sweetness was irresistible. The whole Gallagher family was ever present as the story unfolded and adds warmth to it. This heartfelt read takes you on a journey to Rory and Oaklee’s well deserved happily ever after, and is everything I have come to expect from a favorite small town romance. 4.5 Stars

Somebody's Baby!? When I saw the name of the book I assumed it was going to have to do something with what happened at the end of book two. I was sad but also a bit relieved to find out that the title has nothing to do with the last book!

Although, I was a little taken aback when I saw completely new characters! I went with the flow of course because this starts straight away with a little bit of drama. While looking at her phone Oaklee (what an interesting name) runs over a dog. We can get into how stupid it is to use your phone while driving but she knows and feels horrible. So much so that she takes the poor pup to the vet, which just happens to be the handsome Rory Gallagher.

Oaklee has had a crush on Rory since she was a kid. Of course all I could think of every single time she said his name was Rory from Dr. Who. The guy is cute but stud he is not! That took me a bit to get over and even by the end of the book I was still giggling a little. Go go inner 12 year old me.

Anyway! I read this in one day. I devoured every word. It was such a fantastic read but it's also a bit sad that I allowed myself to crash through the pages and fabulous story line. Fortunately for me, I have not read all of the series. I started with book two and immediately got book three. The characters do show up and there are some spoilers but each story is completely different with all the plots intermingling with each other. That said, there are a lot of characters in this, I'm sure it is much easier to start with book one and move along from there. But this one could be picked up and devoured without a worry about the others.

I really like the way Donna Alward writes. This one had two people, both with a lot of baggage, struggling to figure out life and if they want to be alone. I have to admit, I shed a few tears. It's so real, the pain that they have to go through. All the characters in all of the books. It brings it out of the print and makes it more lifelike. Hence the copious tears.

And a romance with a dog in it? I mean, how can I resist?! I'm a dog lover because of my hubby, so I have a special place in my heart for all book puppies. And what Oaklee has to go through with Buster is just hilarious. It was a lot of fun in between the tense times with Rory.

In short: I cannot wait for the next book. I need it now! Lovely, fast read. A few tears but they were worth it!

I've really been enjoying the town of Darling and the characters that live there. The Gallagher family have been a favorite of mine. With Somebody's Baby we are at #3 in the series and I sure hope the series continues. There are characters I still want their story.

But until then we can talk about Rory and Oaklee, isn't that a fantastic name? I'm loving it! My all time favorite female name. Not sure why it hit me like it did, but it does.

Poor Rory and Oaklee, both have been very unlucky in love. The real sad part is that they've let that fact shape their lives ever since. Both need a stern talking too.

Since I first met these two characters in Somebody Like You I wanted their stories. Never thinking that it would be with each other. What a great match! Like I said already, they both haven't done well in the love department and really need to get over their pasts.

More then once I wanted to go into the story (wouldn't that just have been so cool!) and tell them to just stop, it was enough now. The back and forth of not wanting a relationship, then wanting it at times got on my nerves but I sort of understood what they were feeling. I will tell you that the last few chapters in the book had me laughing, crying and not wanting it to end. You'll know what I mean when you read it. So well done!

Rory was so interesting and multi-layered, and watching him and Oaklee dance around each other was great fun. I really loved this story, and the town and his family.

Somebody’s Baby by Donna Alward
Darling, VT #3

Both Rory Gallagher and Oaklee Ferguson have been hurt by their significant other in the past. Both are back in Darling, VT but neither one is ready to seek a relationship. Oaklee is the younger sister of Rory’s best friends so they have known each other for years. There is definite chemistry between them that has never been acted upon. They are thrust together when Oaklee takes an injured dog to Rory’s veterinary clinic for treatment and then again when he talks her into fostering it in her home. Their relationship grows but with both fighting their attraction it seems to take forever for the two to be able to trust and truly communicate with one another to finally reach a HFN by the end of the book. This is a well told small town romance with family, friends and romance. I enjoyed the story but enjoyed the previous two books a wee bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – this is my honest review.

3.5 Stars