3.5 stars--CAN’T FIGHT THE FEELING is the third instalment in Sandy James’ contemporary, adult NASHVILLE DREAMS romance series focusing on three friends who own and operate Words and Music-a bar in Nashville, Tennessee: Brad Maxwell, Ethan Walker and Russell Green. This is co-owner/ former quarter back Russell “Russ” Green, and ER nurse Joslynn ‘Josie’ Wright’s story line. CAN’T FIGHT THE FEELING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Josie is best friends with Savannah Wolf (Can’t Walk Away).

Told from dual third person perspectives (Russ and Joslynn) CAN’T FIGHT THE FEELING follows the building relationship between Words and Music co-owner/ former quarterback Russell “Russ” Green, and ER nurse Joslynn ‘Josie’ Wright. Having met months earlier at Savannah and Brad’s wedding Joslyn wasn’t surprised when former quarterback turned bouncer landed in her hospital ER.

Struggling with his personal life, and the fall-out of his father’s rapidly, decreasing health, Russ believes he is in no position to pursue the woman that make his blood sing but pursue he does, only to be shot down on numerous occasions. Joslynn Wright has seen it all, and in the past has suffered her own share of childhood trauma and loss but Russ’ attraction to, and need for Josie, is met with our heroine’s ongoing reluctance to make a commitment, a commitment that pushes the boundaries between friendship and love. Never one to claim ownership or be in a relationship for very long, Josie’s developing friendship and romance with Russ is at odds with her attitude and the emotional fall-out of falling in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a fine line between fiercely independent and feminist b*tch, and Joslynn Wright crosses the line on more than one occasion. Unable to let go of the past Joslynn’s need to be self-reliant comes across as a negative component of her character development, and I was less than enthusiastic with my enjoyment of both the character and the story line premise.

We are reintroduced to Ethan’s business partners Russell Green, Brad Maxwell and Savannah Wolf (Can’t Walk Away #1), Ethan Walker and Chelsea Harris (Can’t Let Her Go #2), as well as the introduction of Ethan’s struggling parents Baron and Yvonne Green.

CAN’T FIGHT THE FEELING is a well written, character driven story of family and friendship; struggle and letting go of the past; realization and acceptance. The premise is engaging with some wonderful world building; the characters are colorful, dynamic, frustrating and flawed; the romance is seductive and hot.

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Can’t Fight the Feeling is a romance with emotional punch and characters who, at times, may take actions that are difficult to really understand. I think it’s very much a walk in my shoes story in some aspects because I do not know how I would react to Josie’s life fighting and winning the battle against leukemia and still living in fear of it returning to wreck havoc on her life once again. I do, however, have a better understanding of Russ having taken care of a beloved family member up to their death who suffered with Alzheimer’s . To be frank, I lost my grandmother long before her actual physical death, and this dreadful disease that steals lives and memories is brutal beyond words. So, I “got” Russ, Josie took a little longer for me to warm up to due in part to her fierce independence streak. My reaction to her was quite honestly, if you aren’t going to let anyone in, let them get close then you’re wasting that second chance at life you’ve been given by living in fear. But we can’t talk to characters, they do what they will and learn their own lessons.

Josie and Russ felt right from their start. It’s going to be a rough road, and that road is full of potholes, before they work their way to their happy ending. Two stubborn, hurting, people who need each other. There will be mistakes made, There also will be hearts healed along the way. This is a very realistic romance that doesn’t hold back on the reality of diseases or our reactions to them. I was easily captured by this world, and even though I hadn’t read the first two books (yet) I still got a sense of the tight friendships and caring between all of these characters. If you’re looking for a story that digs deep into human emotions, if you want a couple that will fight just as hard against falling in love as they will to stay in love then you’ll enjoy Can’t Fight the Feeling. I’d recommend this story to any Romance reader who enjoys realistic romance, sometimes tough to like characters and finding that person who really “gets” you even when you push them away. I have the first two stories on my TBR pile now and it will be interesting to see how I view this story after learning the whole picture.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This book was very well written and the third book in this series! I have not read any of the other books in this series and don't feel like I need to in order th understand this book. This is Russ and Joslynn book, Russ is a former quarterback and now part owner with his best friends in a Nashville bar called words and music! Russ has watched his friends find love but doesn't think he deserves it, his dad has the early stages of Alzheimer's and Russ has always had anger issues and used to deal with it best in the football field now he's a bouncer every once in awhile so he can take his anger out that way! That's where he gets in a fight and winds up in the hospital, joslynn or Josie to her friends is an er nurse ,and so they meet again! Josie had leukemia as a child and a whole bunch of daddy issues! I typically only like romcom so this one wasn't my favorite cuz it was definitely a tearjerker!! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

This story caught my eye and so I decided to give it a chance. I’m really glad I did, the story itself has depth to it. Russ ends up in the emergency room where Joss has to patch him up. Joss is an independent woman, who knows what she wants and also how to get what she wants, she doesn’t hold back in any way.

Joss is a strong passionate female who knows what she wants but Russ unnerves her in more than one capacity, it’s this unnerving element that keeps me reading. Her cancer battle has defined how she deals with life and people in general. I think that sometimes especially in the course of this book, they both have this blindness to what they want and it does get frustrating.

Their journey takes them both in opposite directions at times and so I did get confused about what the story was meant to be aiming for. That’s the beauty of this story, it’s not meant to be straightforward, it’s a complex story and I’m glad I read it!

4 stars

I never connected with the characters in this story and I really wanted to. Russ and Josie seemed like really great characters but the more I learned about them, didn't make me care about them more. I did enjoy that Josie was the one with the commitment issues while Russ was looking for one woman, it was a nice change.
There was angst and emotion as both characters deal with real life fears and illnesses, learning to live and act unafraid. Unfortunately none of that helped me connect to this story which was well written and engaging. Just not for me.

the nashville dreams series concludes with the final words & music owner finding his own happy for now in can't fight the feeling. russell green is kind of a mess. when he is stitched up by nurse joslynn wright, who happen's to be savannah's best friend previously introduced in can't walk away, the long-simmering attraction between them bubbles up.

in a twist on trope, joslynn is the one with crazy commitment issues and russ prefers monogamy and waiting until the moment is just right. slowly he wins joslynn over to his way of thinking on relationships, while she wins him over on finding ways to manage his stress.

there are a couple of shoes that need to drop first. one of the more interesting things about this romance is that it's pretty clear from early on that these two are in love. and the other thing that is true is that their commitment issues are driven by some real medical issues that both characters must face. they both need to learn that when a person vows in sickness and in health that it's meant. especially if they are making that vow to each other.

**can't fight the feeling will publish on may 8, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/grand central publishing (forever) in exchange for my honest review.

This is a highly emotional story about two people dealing with devastating illnesses that affect every aspect of their lives. Russ is coming to terms with his father's diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's and wondering if this debilitating disease will affect him as well. Josie dealt with childhood leukemia and lives in constant fear of a re-occurrence of the disease. They both try to keep people at arms length to prevent causing anyone pain but sometimes the heart needs to feel regardless of what the mind is telling it. Perhaps that's what draws these two lost souls to each other. If they will only give love a chance they may have a shot at happiness.

I highly recommend this one but bring a tissue or two!

I always look forward to revisiting Words & Music and the wonderful men who own this little gin joint in Nashville. Sandy James, in her third book in this series, gave us two amazing people with problems that only love can fix. Russ and Joslynn had a bumpy ride ahead of them but, with a little understanding, were able to ride out the storm of their life and find happiness.

Russ always had a temper but, lately, the stress of his life is getting the better of him and he seems to be blowing up even more. That's what's landed him in the hospital and into the trusty hands of Joslynn. He's met her before and always thought of her as Josie. He can't understand why, even while she is stitching him up, she calms him and makes him feel whole. But, he'd never saddle a woman, especially one as beautiful, caring and loving as Josie with what could be a lifetime of worrying and caring for him … if he has the gene.

Joslynn has gone through her own heartache in her life. She's found that the easiest way to get through things is on her own. She doesn't depend on a man to make her happy … just to scratch her itch … they only walk away in the end anyway. She's healthy, happy and alone. Just the way she likes it. Until Hurricane Russ comes into her life. Not sure if she can ever let a man into her heart, she makes it clear to him that it's sex, just sex that she wants until he takes that off the table. Now she's left with getting to know him before there is fun bed time. She has no idea what love really is and can't figure out what is happening. She knows that she cares for Russ but keeps fighting the feeling. Once she finally gives in and lets the words out, Russ reached his first goal with her and the real relationship starts.

All it takes is one incident and Russ is shutting her out. Josie has to figure out if Russ is worth putting her whole heart on the line or just walk away from it all. But, Russ and Josie were two stubborn people. One who wouldn't give up and one who wouldn't give in. They each had problems they were facing and didn't realize that maybe, together, they could fight their demons and live long, happy lives.

Can't Fight This Feeling was an emotionally charged story. Combining Words & Music, Leukemia and Alzheimer's was a tricky story line and Sandy James pulled it off amazingly. I didn't know who to feel sorry for – Russ worrying about his family and if he had the gene … Josie worrying about not being able to get pregnant and the Leukemia coming back … or Ethan and Brad having to deal with Russ … or Chelsea and Savannah having to deal with Joslynn. They all had their hands full with both of them but, it's what brought this story together. Friendship, love, caring, being there for the other and trusting that your heart will lead you in the right direction – that was the moral of this story.

I loved how Sandy James wrote this story. She wrung every emotion out of me and didn't give me any down time to evaluate what emotion I was feeling when another one would hit. It was a book that I couldn't put down, didn't want to put down, because I didn't know where it as going to go next. Yes, I am loving the Nashville Dreams Series and hope that there is more to come.

Pulling her into his arms, he couldn’t shake the feeling that holding her felt…different.
Right.
Perfect.

Going to keep this review short—I really, really enjoyed this book. It was sweet, with a little steaminess, and had a super fun ending. I read it quickly, invested easily in both Josie and Russ, and generally smiled through the entire thing.

Not that it didn’t have its sadder moments. I thought Sandy James, whose books I’ve often enjoyed, did a great job of dealing with the heavier topics of sickness and health.

My main complaint, and it’s less complaint and more something I want to note, is that I took time to warm up to Josie. She was strong and smart, but her independence was a little grating at first.

All in all, however, this one was a very good ending to an enjoyable series—with a deliciously swoony hero.

The way he touched her, kissed her, conquered her made her feel cherished.
Almost loved.

~ FOUR STARS ~

Russ co-owns Words and Music with Brad and Ethan ... and lately he's been helping the bouncers at the club, looking for a fight with anyone. He can't contain his emotions because he's scared to death that he will end up like his father ... battling Alzheimers. Joslynn had leukemia when she was 10 and beat it! Now she's a Nurse Practitioner so she can help as many people as possible. Neither Russ or Joslynn are looking for a relationship, but that doesn't stop the chemistry between them.

This book deals with sensitive health issues and Ms. James does a really good job of explaining everything. My heart went out to Joslynn as a young girl battling leukemia on her own, with her father out of the picture and her mother letting her make her own decisions. She had to grow up strong ... she didn't have a choice. I loved how Russ just wanted to make his mother's life easier and helped look after his father as much as he could. This book will make you laugh, cry and everything in between. Make sure you have a box of tissue handy.

I received an ARC courtesy of Forever (Grand Central Publishing) through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

What I liked:
The writing style
Part of a series: Nashville Dreams
Standalone
HEA

I had a hard time staying interested in this book.

Such an emotional read! Russ and Josie both have some issues they need to overcome!I found their relationship intense!I loved the honesty between them and they have great moments together!Overall, it was a nice story!

What happens when life shows you a different path?
In this beautiful story you learn about love and life. Just because your not ready for love doesn’t mean the world is going to wait. I love that this story took its time and never felt rush.
I had some tears while reading this book.

I am a little let down by this book. It has been done before and a little cliche. I was expecting more.. I honestly struggled to finish it.

This was a very emotional read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The future is a mystery as to how life will play out, but for Russ & Josie the future looks bleak. Russ is watching his father slowly lose his battle with Alzheimer’s & knows that he could most likely be headed on the same path if he has the gene. Josie has already gone through a life altering illness as a child that has hardened her toward the future & any recurrence of the disease she battled. Both know each other through mutual friends but it isn’t until a visit to Josie’s ER that things start to turn for both of them. The angst of relationships is put to the test when they decide to try to see if they have what it takes to make it as a couple. The past & the future close in on them & they must decide is it better to go it alone or is it better to have the one you love by your side for the time you have. What I truly loved about the authors telling of this story is the deep emotion she put into each character & how she made them grow as they fought the idea of the future they each saw. This book is 3rd in the series but you don’t have to read the other books first to follow the story, author Sandy James gives enough background info to be able to catch up on the other two stories. Definitely recommend to read, keep Kleenex handy though.

I made it through almost half of this book before I just had to stop. I love romance novels and the characters weren't that bad but it was just a little too predictable and not at all what I am used to reading.

Didn't appeal to me at all. The style of writing was a bit to clinical and dry!

This is a sweet story of Russ who meets Josie in the ER when he comes in with an injury while at work. Slowly, these two become friends and fall in love.
I stopped reading this around 30% of the book. It lost my interest and while I tried picking it up and reading it again a few weeks later, I still couldn’t get into it. I think it is written well, just didn’t capture my attention like I enjoy when reading a book.

Can’t Fight the Feeling is book three in the Nashville Dreams series by Sandy James. In this book you are going to meet the third partner of the three men that own Words and Music, a Nashville bar that features up and coming artists.

Russ Green owns Words and Music along with his partners and best friends, Brad and Ethan. He has watched his friends fall in love recently with two wonderful women. Even though Russ’s own parents and grandparents had that same kind of forever love, he knows it can’t be him. He is watching his Dad who is only in his late fifties, go down hill every day with early onset Alzheimer’s. His mom insists on taking care of him herself and the stress it has put on her is overpowering. Russ has always had anger issues. In his days as a football player, it was easy to take out his frustrations on the field. Now it is just bottling up inside of him. He is going into work, even on his days off, and helping the bouncers. He can take his frustrations out on the rowdy drunks that need to get thrown out. Such is how Russ ended up in the emergency room on that night. He got hit in the head with a beer bottle and needed stitches. Much to his surprise, Josie, whom he had met at Brad’s wedding, was his Nurse Practioner. There was something about her that made him want to forget about what he might inherit from his father, the ticking time bomb that might be inside of him.

Joslynn Wright prides herself on being an independent woman. Jos or Josie as Russ calls her, had cancer as a child. Her father abandoned them, not wanting a sick child. Her mother, busy constantly with trying to make a living, left her pretty much on her own. So an eleven year old little girl had to face cancer and chemo all on her own. Jos doesn’t believe in love. How could she? So she has casual hook ups. She only gave her heart once only to have it broken. Never again. She works hard at being healthy, she eats right, runs and does yoga. And she works long shifts at the Hospital. She definitely remembers meeting Russ previously and can’t deny being pleased that their paths crossed again. She feels a strong attraction to him, stronger than anyone else previously. And maybe she can help him with his anger issues, controlling his stress.

“I don’t belong to anyone.”
“Can I ask you something? Would it really be so bad to belong to Russ? I mean…you like the guy. He obviously likes you. You’re dating. Doesn’t that mean you belong to each other?”

Jos and Russ begin to date more or less. Even the word dating sends Jos into a panic. Russ has decided that Jos is worth the risk, even with the genes he might be carrying. But he knows that he will have to be very patient with this woman. Jos becomes involved with Russ’s parents, helping them to deal with their issues as well. She also gets Russ running with her. They slowly become closer and trust begins to build. But right when Jos just might be ready to take down those final walls she has kept around her heart, everything falls apart.

Okay, first, I love that this book dealt with not one but two serious illnesses. Russs’s parents broke my heart with what they were going through and Ioved that Jos jumped right in to help them. Of the three books in this series, though, I have to admit that this couple was my least favorite. I just didn’t feel it the way I did in the other books. Jos was so over the top independent, with good cause, but I just had trouble warming up to her. I think it was just an issue of my own.

Russ got on my nerves a bit too but what I loved about him was first, that when he started to fall for Jos, he had no problem admitting it. He was so patient with her. And Russ was this rough alpha man but do you know what he loved to do more than anything? Dance! Especially line dancing. I love it!!

We got plenty of updates on Brad and Savannah and Ethan and Chelsea which was wonderful. And this book had the sweetest ending. So even though it wasn’t my favorite of the three books, I still enjoyed it.

It's a love story of two truly independent characters. The were incapable of fighting their feeling which were love.