As I've come to expect, stories by Ms Doyle are captivatingly emotional..with a message that serves us the reader well...Tuck and Karen's story is no different. Returning to Inspiration, Iowa is like going home if you have been reading the Dream Team's story from the beginning. The original characters have become like family, having them pop up throughout the story was rewarding in its own way.

There were quite a lot of emotions that were threaded through the story, not only for Tuck and Karen, but for Taylor and Gabe as well, and especially the athletes who were impacted by the message pertaining to concussions, athletics, and the repercussions of not taking their seriousness into account. Ms Doyle had a message to deliver here, it was done in such a way that not only was it impactful, but memorable as well...when emotions are involved, the message is not easily forgotten, especially when the perfect note between fact and entertainment is hit...as it was done here.

I truly hope this is not the last of Inspiration, Iowa that we'll see...some friends are just too hard to let go of.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Short and sexy, Holiday House Call takes us back to Inspiration, Iowa and introduces us to Officer Hottie, John ‘Tuck’ Tucker and new-to-town neurosurgeon, Karen Carmichael. The lady who also happens to have been the best one-night-stand Tuck ever had.

”Officer Tuck and Dr. C sitting in a tree…”

The path to HEA isn’t a smooth one for these two and whilst being in their late thirties brings established careers and the notion of being older and wiser, for Karen it also brings a stubbornness and someone who doesn’t form relationships—friendship or otherwise—easily. And, irrespective of how attracted to Tuck she is, she can’t risk losing her heart to someone whose career itself is a risk.

”I can perform an awake craniotomy like no one’s business, but I’m a total mess in my personal life.”

Tuck is a persistent bugger though and with his sweet gestures, honesty and patience, Karen starts to lower her barriers and let him in and, despite finding her running hot and cold a bit frustrating at times, I did very much like her. But it’s when the residents of Inspiration pull together and show her the meaning of a tight-knit community, the emotion comes into play and there were some moments when I sat fighting the lump in my throat.

”I think I could be happy with you.”

Due to its shorter length, everything does have that feeling of being a little speedy but that aside, it’s always a pleasure to visit Inspiration and this time was no different. And whilst previous characters from the Calling It series do feature, Holiday House Call can easily be read as a standalone.

Holiday House Call by Jen DoyleSix years ago, neurosurgeon Dr. Karen Carmichael acted completely out of character and had a wild one-night stand with a man she met in a bar. She has an incredibly stressful job and is cruising down one of the back roads on a Tuesday night (the night she's allowed to cry) when she encounters that man again.

He may not remember her name, but Tuck sure remembers the encounter. When it turns out the car he pulls over for weaving is the woman he hasn't forgotten, Tuck is ecstatic to have a second chance. He's not thrilled that she's a doctor since he spent a LOT of his childhood in hospitals. He can see forever with this woman, if only she'd give them a chance.

This is the second book I've read in this series and I'm really enjoying it. The characters are somewhat undeveloped (we only get a glossing of why Karen and Tuck dislike each others professions) but the series seems to be a fast, fun, and fluffy series that works beautifully if your looking for an HEA without too much angst.



Three and a half stars

This book comes out October 1

The enjoyment and pleasure I got when reading this story, will just need to be experienced by you. Hot and sexy yet sweet and caring story with great love scenes is all around wonderful and a great read. Looking forward to the next book in this series and by this amazing author. Would recommend

There were so many things working against Tuck and Karen having a relationship together. Which makes it all the more sweeter when they fight the odds and win. So much heartache, made me glad I had some Kleenex nearby.

With Holiday House Call we have two very sensitive people who have jobs that often require them to put on emotional armor to protect themselves from the pain they see in others. But can they do that without hurting those they’ve sworn to save and protect?
Karen is a neurosurgeon who treats brain tumors and other diseases affecting the brain. On any one day she may see a mother of five who needs tricky surgery that could go wrong, refer a high school basketball star who has taken a bad fall on the court to a doctor who treats dangerous concussion injuries, or a three year old with an inoperable brain tumor. Sometimes she can give hope, sometimes she can’t but she never lies to patients.
Tuck is the sheriff in the small town where he grew up. He has a phobia of hospitals and doctors due to what he went through with his parents. He also has a problem with relationships. When he meets Karen mid meltdown in the middle of a street he realizes that he’s actually met her before, on a one night stand. The sex between them is great but the intimacy needs work.
Karen and Tuck are thrown together in a number of circumstances. Karen does not live in the town of Inspiration where Tuck is the sheriff but the community draws her in like a magnet. There are grateful patients and families and others not so much. It’s the nature of what she does. Some of their friends urge them to be together. How long can they fight what they feel for each other? Can Karen trust Tuck to always have her back when he has demonstrated that he might not be able to do that?
This is a sweet romance that is part of Jen Doyle’s Calling It series. I liked that there is diversity among the secondary characters, including LGBT friends. There is a strong HFN ending that you just know is going to end as an HEA. A charming ending without taking the MCs out of character makes it even better. This is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone.

I am a big fan of the author and this is a novella in the series Called Up. It stands alone and you do not need to read the series but if you do you will understand the characters more. This story is about Tuck who has been a big part of the series so far.

Years before Tuck and Karen had a one night stand in the big city. Now years later Tuck finds her living very close to his home. He wants to get to know her but she only wants sex. This is their tug of war story and road to love.

Karen is a nuerologist. She is very regimented and she only wants shallow relationships. Her work is very painful and so she tries to keep a distance from people. Tuck stops her to give her ticket on a very bad day and that is where she recognizes him from her one night stand.

Then they run into each other at the hospital she works at. But she wants just sex and Tuck wants more. This is his story about how he fights for a relationship with Karen. Karen resists very hard. But she is a sweetie and I really liked her. Tuck and her are kinda perfect together and it was fun watching her try and understand that.

Tuck kinda blew it at one point but it was great how hard he works to win Karen back. This is a well written and angysty/fun small town romance and I really enjoyed it.

As with all the other books in the Calling It Series, I loved Jen Doyle's Holiday House Call. Everything from a one night stand is thrown right back into your face when you are having a mental breakdown in the middle of the road. Who finds you at your weakest- none other than the one night stand that broke all your rules and still haunts your thoughts. Karen Carmichael is fresh of a shift at work that has resulted in hit by hit of devastation and she is heart broke for her patients. While trying to be a tough as nails neurosurgeon Karen deep inside hides a passion to heal and help others. Being in her profession women are seen weak when displaying their emotions so she politely keeps her emotional distance from her patients- UNTIL Tuesdays! Her free day to cry!

John "Tuck" Tucker thinks he has pulled over a drunk driver who stops in the middle of the road. Then he sees HER and notices that she is crying. Right before him is unforgettable one night stand whose name he can't remember but her body he could never forget. (Be professional! Don't let her see her effect on you- I can do this!) When Karen Carmichael turns on her charm and her blatant request for a repeat of their last encounter, Tuck tries to remain professional while remembering the emotional state of his DUI suspect. Sending her on her way neither would know just how close fate would be bringing them together.

Tuck and Dr. Karen soon find themselves face to face in several situations bringing them together in emotional, stressful and trying times for those around them. They soon start relying on one another but there are so many scars and pain in each of their path it is difficult for each of them to drop their walls and allow the other person in. When Karen keeps getting drawn back to the town of Inspiration- where Tuck lives- she feels she just might be releasing demons and allowing herself to feel part of a community. Tuck has his own issues and they are playing with Karen's emotion like a yo-yo. He wants her, but she isn't his girlfriend, yada yada. These two just need to be together- baggage be damned! Easier said than done when they both allow the walls to lower and end up hurt.

Can she ever trust him to be there for her, to have her back? Does she want to step out of her comfort zone and be a part of a community with tons of emotions and drama that could possibly hurt or reject her? Can Tuck allow himself to be free to love and support Karen? Can he be her backup first and foremost behind his duties to the community?

Great story as always by Jen Doyle. I love the Inspiration community and the idea of such affection and support for your neighbors. Escaping to a world that this exists gives me just a little bit more hope that we can have this in the real world!