Dr Katie O’Neil has only been in Heartcross a few hours when she finds herself already ruffling feathers – not least with medical school nemesis and new colleague Ben Sanders.

Katie’s the woman Ben loves to hate and until now he’d hoped he’d never set eyes on her again but now she’s back – and living next door!

When a charity boat race down the River Heart puts the two in direct competition, sparks fly. The winner takes it all, but who will it be? And will their prize be far more than they were expecting…

Another amazing read from Christie in this series.

Heartwarming characters and setting.

Highly worth the read

This light and fluffy contemporary romance was a dream to read. Another spectacular treat from Christie Barlow, thank you for the ARC!

Great story about community in a small village, plus interesting enemies to lovers vibe. Would recommend & will certainly look for more books by this author

I have read numerous of Christie Barlow’s books and usually enjoy them. However, I really struggled with this one - I found the new characters, especially Katie, very hard to connect with and just felt the story too contrived and dragged on.

Sorry, but this isn’t one of her books that I would read again.

I've raced through these (finally - sorry) after managing to get the first six in the series read. Doing fairly short reviews, as each book does follow on from events in either the one before or one a couple before: there are lovely characters, descriptions of houses and scenery and friendships as well as romances and family issues so lovely full books that will satisfy the reader.

I really liked this one as it was quite different: the narrative voice is a man's, Ben Sanders, the new doctor running the village practice, and it's also a hate-to-love story, which hasn't really featured so far, when his medical school nemesis, Katie, gets supplied to him to help out at the practice. Their receptionist is a fun character, there's lots of rivalry but some real heart in both the continuing story of Rory the vet's mum's dementia and the possibility of Ben finding his birth family. And has Katie really mellowed a bit?

It always pleases me when when Christie Barlow releases another novel in the wonderful Love Heart Lane series. Heartcross is full of a wonderful community of characters, so it is certainly no hardship to revisit them all!

The New Doctor at Peony Practice focuses on Dr Katie O'Neil and Dr Ben Sanders, and it quickly becomes apparent that they have met before! Having gone to medical school together, Ben is more than a little dismayed when he discovers that his new colleague at Peony Practice is none other than his nemesis, Katie!

It immediately becomes clear that there are sparks flying between the two of them, and that there really is a fine line between love and hate. With Katie integrating herself in the Heartcross community by immediately arranging a charity boat race, Ben can do very little but get swept up along with her plans. With both Ben and Katie having complicated pasts, maybe they need each, along with their vibrant community, to help them both move on.

The New Doctor at Peony Practice gives us the opportunity to revisit many beloved characters, whilst also introducing Ben and Katie into the Heartcross fold. This is a love story of course; but it's also emotional, witty and fun. It is most definitely a worthy addition to the Love Heart Lane series! So I am more than happy to recommend this to you all, and if you haven't already, I suggest you make a start on the rest of this series!

This was a very enjoyable and entertaining story. I loved the characters.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The book was very well written and flowed well. The plot was great. Everything I thought it would be from the description

This read was just what I needed to get out of a slump I have been in! It was engaging, easy to fall into and kept me thoroughly entertained. I love it when a story becomes like an afternoon spent with a good friend and "restores your soul" with its goodness and delight. This is a book of that nature. It is sure to bring a smile to your face and it will not disappoint!

The Love Heart Lane series by Christie Barlow is one of my favourites because they are so easy to read and to get lost in the characters stories, the latest in the collection, The New Doctor at Peony Practice is no exception.

This eighth installment in the series is the story of Ben and Katie. Ben has taken over at the Peony Practice and he has a new colleague arriving to share the workload, however he is shocked when his medical school rival turns up filling that position. Ben and Katie haven’t seen each other since medical school and they have a love hate relationship. From Katie’s arrival you can feel the chemistry between them coming through the pages.

This book highlights dementia with this being a key underlying story to one of the villagers as well as Katie personally. I feel that this has been tackled beautifully.

As always with the Love Heart Lane series it features the wonderful community of Heartcross, and here with the return of characters from the previous books, the village comes together to fundraise for dementia with a boat race, one that sees Katie and Ben go head-to-head.

All my favourite things from the previous books in the series, are evident here to which is why I really enjoyed it. A wonderful setting, community spirit, great characters, a touching story line and easy escapism.

I’m thrilled that we don’t have to wait too long for the next book.

A sweet romance between Ben and Katie which encompasses the feeling of community and bringing people together. An enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Each of the Love Heart Lane series can be read as standalone and if you come to the place via this book then you have ultimate joy of reading all previous seven novels to further fall in love with the place.

Here we are with Dr Ben Sanders, who has found his place working at Peiony Practice serving the villagers of Heartcross. But he cannot do it all himself and when they advertise for another Doctor to share the load he really doesn’t expect it to be someone he knows.

Someone who turns up when he is celebrating his birthday in the local and someone who was determined to beat him at medical school and to also beat his heart into submission as well

That someone is Dr Kate O’Neil, who firmly settles into village life and is taken into the villagers hearts as she throws herself into village life.

What better way that setting up a charity boat race with her and Ben as team captains, fuelling that rivalry started long ago in medical school.

But what are Ben and Kate hiding? Are they hiding the past from each other or are they simply hiding from each other?

Will the boat race be the final challenge for the pair?

Yet again, Christie Barlow delivers a heartfelt warm novel, featuring familiar faces but new ones as well. Of course there is an undercurrent of some serious subjects which she manages so beautifully that it brings a tear to your eyes. Reinforcing that anything can happen to anyone at any age.

A lovely novel, with the inevitable ending but boy the journey on the way was exciting! I look forward to returning to Heartcross soon with book nine.

I absolutely loved this gorgeous story. Not sure if it should fall into the second chance or enemies to lovers category, but it hits both tropes with a bullseye.

Dr Ben sounds like a wonderful character, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him. He is kind and the ideal example of a perfect country doctor. Of course, Katie is the polar opposite, and in no time they are clashing.
I adore Christie Barlow's writing and this is a wonderful addition to the Heartcross series.

I felt welcomed back into Heartcross with a great big hug and it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces crop up.

At the heart of this book though is Katie and Ben's story, and at times it really put me through the emotional wringer.

It also had me captivated from start to finish and I devoured in a few short hours while on holiday. I loved every second of it, from the initial rivalry between Ben and Katie, to the learning about their backgrounds and specifically their families.

I also loved the fundraising idea of a boat race, and the illness it highlighted as a result.

Once again I think Christie Barlow will have a hit on her hands with this book, it is everything you want it be and more. Already looking forward to my next hit of the Love Heart Lane cast!

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I last read a book from the Love Heart Lane series back in December last year, which was Heartcross Castle. This was the second book I had read in the series and I loved both of them, so when I saw a new title from the series on NetGalley I jumped straight on it.

This time the main characters are the doctors of Heartcross. We have Dr Ben Sanders, who only moved to the area 6 months ago and has become a large part of the community. However, after a while he realises he needs help with the practice and one doctor isn’t enough, so he hires a new doctor who turns out to be an old University rival, Dr Katie O’Neil. He hasn’t seen or spoken to her since uni where they often competed to be top of the class, and suddenly he is forced to work closely with her. However, the competition hasn’t stopped, as a charity boat race pushes them once again head to head against each other.

There is something so cosy and comforting about this series. It often tackles some emotional situations but the setting of this quaint, friendly community in a small village in Scotland just makes me want to up and leave for there right away. This novel was no exception.

This is a book about challenges, facing your past as well as not judging a book by its cover. It’s about understanding people’s motives and the faces people often put on to cover up secrets or weaknesses.

The new character, Katie is your typical, sharp, sophisticated, hard working woman who is determined to make something of herself. However, she brings more than just her physical baggage with her. At first she comes across as unlikeable, bossy and domineering, but as the story progresses I started to warm to her like all the other characters in the series.

If you are looking for a fun summer read then definitely check out the Love Heart Lane series. Full of love, laughter, emotion and excitement.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – a cosy romance and a laugh out loud comedy all wrapped up into one fun, summer read

This story is one that has its share of serious topics, this time it is for family secrets and dementia that have a seat at the table along with the characters. The author has chosen and researched her subject well, as she always does. This one for me felt more personal as I work with the elderly, some of whom have different stages of dementia. The explanations and details the author includes are basic but important and it does give an insight into the different sorts of dementia. I liked how the author highlighted this disease but also mixed it with a storyline that works so well.

A lovely summer read with likeable characters and a wonderful story arc I had a lovely weekend reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the novel.

The new doctor at Peony Practice by Christine Barlow is the first book I have ever read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised that this book was well written and dealt with interesting issues. Dementia, adoption and searching for biological relatives. It started off slow, but eventually picked up speed and is also a wonderful love story wth couples reconnecting after years apart. Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an E-arc copy of this book and introducing me to a new author. Thank you and would recommend this as a good read.🙋‍♀️🇨🇦💐🙌

This new addition to the Love Heart series fizzes with chemistry. When you first meet Katie, the locum, you don’t exactly take to her as she seems so over the top and pushy. All you sympathies lie with Ben. However, you soon realise that there is more going on in her background than she has admitted. The community is as entertaining as ever and certainly the whole setting is so important to the story and adds to the enjoyment of this series.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the boo

The New Doctor at Peony Practice by Christie Barlow

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Dr Katie O’Neil has only been in Heartcross a few hours when she finds herself already ruffling feathers – not least with medical school nemesis and new colleague Ben Sanders.

Katie’s the woman Ben loves to hate and until now he’d hoped he’d never set eyes on her again but now she’s back – and living next door!

When a charity boat race down the River Heart puts the two in direct competition, sparks fly. The winner takes it all, but who will it be? And will their prize be far more than they were expecting… 

I have read this as a standalone. Set in a wonderful little village this was an enjoyable, quick read. A heart-warming story with great characters. Drawn in from the start I was impressed at the way that Christie handled the sensitive topics of adoption and dementia.

Rating 4/5