This is an enthralling enemies to romance emotive story with great characters and a very moving story. Dr. Aaron Kendall works as a paediatrician at the Lafayette Falls Medical Center which is where a very sick infant is brought in for treatment. Not long after that the child is orphaned and Aaron starts making the arrangements to adopt him. Things were going well till the child’s aunt, country singer and songwriter Lia Montgomery, arrives on the scene. The two clash as she is determined that her half-sister’s son will be well cared for and isn’t convince that living with Aaron, together with Aaron’s Dad and brother, is the best for him. However, as she gets to know Aaron, she discovers just why he would be a great Dad . . . in fact he’d be great for Lia, too, he’s everything she’s ever dreamed of. After their rocky start, will love find a way to guide them to their own HEA together? You’ll just have to read it yourself to see!

This is a brilliant feel good read with great characters, especially the two main ones who have so much from their past to get over to enable them to move on to a possible loving future. It is a contemporary romance with an emotional plot but is also well paced and packed with love and humour. I have no hesitation in recommending this great story to anyone who is looking for a well crafted romance to pull at the heartstrings and leave you smiling, with a song in your heart!

I requested and was given a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion after choosing to read it.

This book is another clever and sweet installment in Patricia Preston’s series featuring doctors at the Lafayette Falls Hospital. Dr. Aaron Kendall, the medical director of newborn care, had never considered himself father material, until he assisted a woman to give birth to a premature baby named John. Shortly after the birth, John’s mother dies of a drug overdose. The baby has medical issues and needs Aaron’s help. He provides the baby with kangaroo care, trying to give him the nurturing he needs. He has come to love the little boy and plans to adopt him.

Lia Montgomery is the baby’s aunt. As his only relative, she wants to be part of his life and, based on her first impression, she is convinced Aaron has nothing to offer her nephew in terms of a stable environment. Lia is hostile at first. But as they get to know each other, she admires Aaron’s dedication to give his little patients the best care possible. Lia is privileged but her private life is a sham. Her father is famous in the music industry and she lives in a world of celebrity, money. Her celebrity relationship is a fake. She finds the simplicity of Aaron’s life appealing, he has a close-knit family and a great job.

I really enjoyed this one, enemies to lovers is definitely a great trope! Aaron and Lia’s story is sweet and heartwarming. The two main characters are endearing and relatable. I liked Lia. She’s a strong, kind, compassionate woman, trying to do right by her sister’s baby. Aaron is a wonderful hero. He’s sexy as sin, caring, sweet and protective. Even if he’s a little damaged, he’s perfect for Lia. The way he cares for baby John is truly heartwarming. John has been struggling to live since he was born, but he is a real fighter.

The way Lia and Aaron’s relationship progressed is a slow burn. Aaron is divorced and he needs time to overcome his past and his fear of abandonment. I loved the way their interacted with each other, the way they came to know and trust each other. Their chemistry was palpable. This is my third book by this author and I definitely recommend her books. She creates engaging, relatable characters and well-written, charming and romantic stories that I enjoy reading. This novel is a standalone, with some cameo appearances of characters from the previous books in the series.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley.

3.5 Stars

Not Through Loving You is the third title in the Love Heals All series, but can easily be read as a standalone. Overall this is a fast paced, enemies to lovers contemporary romance with heart and humor.

Aaron is a completely charismatic hero. The heroine Lia on the other hand at times I found a tad frustrating the way she had a tendency to fly off the hand before gaining all the facts. The chemistry is intense and palpable between this pair. Both the heroine and the hero have baggage from their pasts they need to overcome before they will be able to find a happy ever after.

The side characters were very entertaining. I particularly enjoyed Aaron's family members, especially his bother Stevie.

Overall a well written heartwarming romance, of family, love and forgiveness told in a dual point of view, and I look forward to reading more of Patricia Preston's work in the future.

A definite feel good story - albeit a bit too predictable for my taste. And, you will want to ignore the bachelor party immaturity at the beginning of the story. Not sure why the author wanted to lead with that one...the rest of the story definitely improves beyond that!

Both main characters have excess baggage to overcome, get advice from others, work on building a relationship with one another, learn the importance of patience and forgiveness, etc. all of which makes a good story - just one that doesn't leave the reader guessing the outcome.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

book 3 in the love heals all series, not through loving you, picks up the story of pediatric surgeon dr. aaron kendall and singer-songwriter lia montgomery. divorced and burned by his ex, aaron thought his dream of having a family was over until one day a patient gave birth to her baby and gave him away. at that moment, aaron knew he was destined to be the child's father. and he would put all his expertise on the line in order to save his son.

but before he could legally adopt the baby, who he had named john aaron, he needed to clean up his bachelor pad and prepare his home for a home study and for the baby. but there should still be time for his father to sneak in a bachelor party before everything changes. except that's the night lia montgomery, john aaron's aunt, stops by. and she is not at all impressed by what she sees.

lia has a temper and a habit of going off half-cocked, although once she calms down she can usually see reason. in fact, this ended up being a somewhat disconcerting personality trait because too often she had already calmed down out of her temper by the time aaron went to talk things out or beg for forgiveness.

as aaron and lia get closer while they deal with prepping the house for john aaron and taking turns watching over him in the nicu, their relationship deepens too. they go from friends to lovers pretty seamlessly. except lia has a complicated romantic landscape. in the world's eyes she is dating country star dallas james, they've been country music's hot couple since the moment she realizes he had the right voice to bring her songs out to the world. dallas and lia haven't been romantically involved for a while, but celebrity has a way of making things complicated and lia also needs to navigate things with her father, who happens to be their manager.

they both struggle with things from their past before they are truly free to move forward, but john aaron and the promise of family that has eluded both of them so long, as well as their insane sexual chemistry makes it all worth fighting for.

**not through loving you will publish june 20, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/kensington books (lyrical shine) in exchange for my honest review.

This book is part of a series, but rest assure, it's a stand alone.
I have to confess that I almost stopped reading it after the first few pages. I was totally turned off by the bachelor party and my first impression was that Aaron was not acting like a man that would soon be adopting a young child. Once I got over those pages, I was totally engaged in the story.
Aaron is a pediatrician about to adopt a little boy that was abandoned at the hospital. A little boy that not only is a premie, but also one in the NICU, in an incubator and whose prognosis is not very positive. Lia is a songwriter, whose Dad is a famous Country music entrepreneur. Without letting him know, she has come to meet Aaron. The baby's Mom was her half sister.
It's a story filled with the scars a divorce leaves, it's about expectations parents make , about the love of a man for this defenseless boy, about a young woman standing up for herself, and about love. Finding and holding on to love is sometimes a very bumpy road, but so well worth it.
I story that was engaging, complex and worth my time.
I was gifted this copy by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

NOT THROUGH LOVING YOU- BY PATRICIA PRESCOTT


NOT THROUGH LOVING YOU caught my attention from the very beginning. Starting out with a crazy bachelor party that included blow up dolls and a Marilyn Monroe lookalike, I was scratching my head as to whether or not I really wanted to read this after all. I am so glad that I continued on.

If a man who is determined to adopt a very sick and what he thought was abandoned baby doesn’t touch your heart, it must be made of stone. Dr. Aaron Kendall, a pediatrician, finds himself falling in love with this baby who was left at the hospital. In the story, we see a man who will spend the night in the NICU and open his shirt to place the baby on his chest to bond with him. And from there, do just about anything else to ensure that baby will come home to a loving home.

But hold on…not so fast. Dr. Kendall finds out that little John Aaron wasn’t really alone in the world. His aunt, Lia Montgomery, storms in to rock Dr. Kendall’s world, threatening to take the baby and break his heart.

Lia Montgomery has made it big in the music world, but all of the fame and fortune doesn’t matter when it comes to doing what it takes for her family. Lia and Aaron have this instant chemistry (some may call it ‘love/hate relationship’) that is explosive at times, and Aaron needs the unexpected help of his younger brother Stevie to figure her out.

Not Through Loving You is a little bit of drama, a lot of humor, and a whole lot of love. You don’t want to miss it!

This book was provided to me by NetGalley for my honest review.

What an engrossing, fast-paced, wonderful read Ms. Preston has penned in this story, encompassing the enemy to lovers trope with Aaron wanting to adopt the baby and Lia determined to make sure her half-sister's baby goes to a home she feels will give the baby the love it deserves. Is Aaron the right choice to Lia? What will happen if she believes he isn't? How far is the hero willing to go to prove he is the right person to adopt her nephew? The way this story started proved to be a bit of an eye-opener, as Aaron's family go a tad wild with the bachelor party his father is hosting. However, it was from the moment that Lia and Aaron met that had me flipping the pages quickly, determined to know how Lia would react to the situation, because what's going on at the bachelor party is something Lia believes is unsuitable for someone wanting to adopt a baby.

As for the dialogue, I was hooked by both the main characters back stories, as what Lia is doing by making sure her nephew has a good future could lose her everything she's work hard for. Since she's living a lie; a lie that she knows she can no longer keep secret, and yet, if it comes to light she's afraid it could break the bond she shares with her father. Although, at times, it seemed the man cared more about her career than her as a person. However, I'm glad that her father proved me wrong in a critical moment where Lia needed him more than ever. Even if his advice wasn't something she could consider paying attention to because she'd fallen in love with her nephew.

While the hero, I absolutely loved him. Lia coming into his life and disrupting it isn't going to stop him from adopting the baby, no matter how much of a fuss she puts up and I liked that he proved her assumptions about him wrong. He is the best choice for the baby, not only because he's a doctor and has been there for the little one since the moment he was born, but because he's kind and caring and would do whatever it takes to make sure the baby is well cared for and happy. Certainly, he goes to desperate lengths to prove to Lia he can be a good father to the baby, which is proven by the fact that he listens to his brother's advice for winning the heroine over.

Overall, Ms. Preston has delivered a marvelous enemy to lovers story in this book where Aaron and Lia have plenty of chemistry and where the story weaved the promise of love, family and happiness for the main characters, if they can overcome the challenges they face. Can Aaron understand why Lia has to expose the lie she's been living alone to those it'll have an effect on such as her father, so they can have a shot at happy ever after? Will Lia respect the ultimatum the hero gives her, or will she fight for their love? The way this story ended was delightful, as it illustrates love is worth fighting for. And besides, what a better way for the heroine to win Aaron back than to use her musical talent. Since, of course, her song was a beautiful array of words that reveal just how much the title of this story plays for the ending. I would recommend Not Through Loving You by Patricia Preston, if you enjoy the enemy to lovers trope, a story where the secondary characters will definitely tempt a reader to check out the previous books of this series as well as future books of it, or if you enjoy books by authors Tracy Brogan, Lisa Mondello or Victoria Pinder.

I really liked this book. If you can get past the Bachelor Party for old people in the beginning of the book, you are golden. This book is very touching.
Aaron Kendall, who is a hospital pediatrician, is at work when a mother who just delivered a sick baby decides that she does not want the infant. She surrenders the infant and Aaron says that he wants to adopt Baby John Doe. As Aaron is going through the adoption process, he knows that he must turn his bachelor pad into something that social services will find acceptable.
His Dad is throwing a bachelor party complete with porn and the stripper when the baby's Aunt shows up on the front porch. As soon as she sees what is going on, she is ready to contest custody. She wants her sister's baby to go to anyone but the doctor.
As Aaron works hard at trying to convince her that he is a fit parent, she starts to fall for him. Lia Montgomery has skeletons in her closet that she must get rid of before she can commit to a relationship with Aaron. Aaron has some skeletons too.
As they work through life's trials they start to fall for each other.
The only question that is left is if their relationship can stand the test of time.
You will have to read the book to find out.
I was given a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

His dad sounds fun.

Aw, he's willing to be a single father?

His wife was a witch.

You gotta admit that it's a funny story, Lia.

Wow, that's so cool! Both the necklace and the fact that she's interested in outlaws.

Sometimes if you love someone, you have to set them free.

Poor little baby.

Stevie doesn't know about expiration dates? And he's how old?

Hoist by your own petard. Why would he listen to frat-boy Stevie anyway?

That is a good hotel. Thank God they told her! So creepy!

I'm glad she owned up to her mistake right away.

I absolutely love when he tells the baby he's proud of him.

Chivalry is one thing, but he's a doctor; he needs his sleep.

Geez, Greg is very formal. Lighten up a little, bud. You know your brother's an idiot, deal with it.

He really rolls with his feelings, doesn't he? One night, and he's practically deciding on a wedding theme.

Dirty trick!

His ex really messed him up.

Just when I was starting to like her father, he goes and says stuff like that.

Stevie's apparently good in a crisis, but the rest of the time I want to strangle him.

Haha, take that boy! Carly is now my idol.

This book was really wonderful. It easily stands alone, so much so I did not realize I read two previous books in this series until near the end. I loved all the characters and really enjoyed the the story. This author reaally knows how to write a story that you cannot put down.

This is the story about two very lonely people, both who have suffered a loss in love and a baby that needs them both and brings them together.

Lia is the other half of a country western singer but her and the singer have broken up but no one knows yet. When she hears that her half sister has died but before she dies she gave away her baby.

The man she gave her baby too is Dr Aaron and he has had his heart broken by his ex wife and now he has baby John, a preemie that he is trying to save at the hospital. He and Lia meet and well it was definitely a scene.

Lia actually likes Aaron despite his first appearance and wants him to raise the baby. But she wants to be a part of the childs life. While both start caring for the baby they fall hard for the other.

This story was fun, sweet and very romantic. Some parts can be improved on and since this is an ARC it might get fixed. I felt some scenes transitioned badly but that did not take away from my love of this story.