This is a good book. The two main characters are Jen and Rob. Jen is the new paramedic. Rob is the doctor and has a son. There is an instant connection. Rob’s wife is in a coma in a nursing facility, she has been that way ever since her son was born. Rob offers a room at his home when Jen can’t find a home to rent. They each have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

This is a Medical Romance, and this is the first book in the Paramedics and Pups series. This is a cute and fun medical romance, but it also had some heavy topics that were well done. I enjoyed this book, but I just did not love it. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Jenny is a new local paramedic who is just dealing from the last disastrous relationship when she manages to save a injured pup and having issues with her current place to stay. When local doctor Rob offers Jenny a place to stay temporarily with her pup. It seems while they are in close quarters that they get to know one another and sparks fly. Both got things they are dealing with but Jenny isnt sure if they can handle a relationship right now.

This was a pretty enjoyable book I devoured it in a couple of hours. I just enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing them deal with different issues played out. I thought it was interesting seeing how they handled certain situations. I like that this book stayed relatively clean when it came to the relationship they were having. That was plenty going on to keep any reader interested. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

Marion Lennox takes on a tough topic with Her Off-Limits Single Dad. When paramedic Jen moves to the small Australian town of Willhua, it's to nurse a broken heart after finding out her boyfriend was married. Against her will she finds herself drawn to the noble and caring Dr. Rob and his son, Jacob. The locals whisper about the "tragedy" that befell Rob and his wife and Jen assumes that he is widowed. Once she and Rob have crossed the line into romance, she discovers her misunderstanding. Rob's wife is not dead, but has been kept alive by machines for four long years at her parents' orders. Is Rob truly single? Is he unable to move on while his wife's body, though not her soul, remains? I'm not sure that Lennox was truly successful in moving between the wide range of emotions her characters felt about their situation and also the danger that came with Jen's and eventually Rob's jobs. The scope of this book was maybe just too small. Marion Lennox is an established Harlequin writer and most Harlequin fans will enjoy this book, I think. In spite of the tight plotting and good writing, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

When work intensifies and reading time is at a premium, I love a quick-read category romance and Lennox’s always deliver. Her latest, Her Off-Limits Single Dad (the hokey title doesn’t do it justice) sees Lennox tackle difficult topics and pen equally difficult scenes. She does so sensitively, thoughtfully, and if things veer to the saccharine at times, it’s forgivable given the delicacy with which Lennox writes her romance. To start, the blurb will set us up with premise, plot, and character:

She puts everything on the line for her patients, but is this paramedic willing to risk her heart for a gorgeous doctor and his adorable son?

Colleagues, housemates…

Soulmates?

After a disastrous relationship, paramedic Jenny needs this fresh start in remote Willhua. When her living arrangements fall through, gorgeous local doc Rob offers Jenny and the injured pup she’s just rescued a room. Their immediate chemistry is overwhelmingly intense, but it’s clear this single dad’s life is currently in limbo—placing him firmly off-limits! Jenny’s scared to open herself up again. Is this instant family worth taking a chance on?

Lennox launches Her Off-Limits Single Dad with her favourite opening scene: a terrible accident, a nurse/doctor or, in this case, Jenny the paramedic on her first day in a new job and town, attempting a precarious rescue. Again, in this case, complicated by the presence of an injured pup, as well as the unconscious, injured driver. Lennox adroitly describes the rescue, draws her reader in, and sees Jenny, her patient, her now-adopted injured corgi, meet the love interest, Doc Rob. The reason I dwell on this opening scene is because Jenny’s rescue/Rob’s patient dies…realistic, but not something you often see in romance. The gasp-able worthy choices Lennox has made here, I think, are so sad and difficult that her romance pales next to them.

I liked Jenny a lot: she’s come out of a great relationship disappointment (and her move to Willhua is an attempt to recover from it) and yet, she is kind, open, and loving. And no one deserves kindness, affection, and warmth more than Dr. Rob. He’s a great dad to Jacob, who is adorable, a caring doctor, good neighbour and living a great tragedy. Rob is “off-limits” because his wife is still alive, in a manner of speaking: braindead from eclampsia for four years. He also has in-laws who fight for Jacob’s custody and spy on his every move. It’s QUITE the story, yes, but how does it hold up as a romance? This, for me, is weak. Yes, Rob and Jenny are compatible, sharing a gentle humour, able to talk, walk, and do things in sync. Jenny’s natural affection easily reaches out to Jacob and easily takes care of the soft little injured corgi. It’s easy to imagine them a family. Which leaves us with a tension-less romance and a story that is more about everyone’s decency coming through, even the nasty in-laws. Two hurt people so obviously monogamous make their way to love and family. A lovely little romance interlude for anyone looking for one. Miss Austen agrees, Her Off-Limits Single Dad offers “real comfort,” Emma.

Marion Lennox’s Her Off-Limits Single Dad is published by Harlequin Books. It was released on Sept. 26. I received an e-galley from Harlequin Books, via Netgally, for the purpose of writing a review. This did not impede the free expression of my opinion.

Did I pick this up because it had a corgi on the cover? Why yes I did! Did I also pick it up because it's an Aussie medical romance- again another YES! This one is really great and I can't wait to read the other one in this small town set along the sea. Cute kid, dogs, small town that will help out, chemistry from the start! This one does have an interesting plot and some big drama.
Can’t wait to read more of this author!

Good book. Jenny left Sydney after a disastrous relationship and moved to a small town. On her first day as a paramedic, she is involved in a rescue that puts all of her skills to the test. After the rescue, she takes custody of one of the man's dogs, an adorable corgi named Stumpy. When her landlady pitches a fit over the dog, local doctor Rob offers Jenny a room in the hospital-owned "doctor's house" he occupies with his son Jacob.

Rob is a single dad raising his son Jacob. His life is in limbo thanks to a devastating event when Jacob was born. He also deals with overbearing in-laws who believe Jacob belongs with them.

The sparks between Rob and Jenny are evident from the moment they meet. They try to ignore them, as Jenny isn't ready for a relationship after her ex's betrayal, and Rob isn't truly free to pursue them. There are some sweet scenes between them as they work together and others involving young Jacob. I also liked their professional teamwork, especially the baby delivery during the flood. But when they give in to their attraction, and Jenny later learns the truth of Rob's situation, she can't help feeling that history is repeating itself. It takes time apart and self-examination for each of them to put aside the past and look to the future.

Rob's situation is complex, and his in-laws don't help things. I understood their grief, but their actions regarding their daughter verged on the cruel. I also disliked their hold over Rob and Jacob. Their intrusiveness was over-the-top, and Rob should have stopped it long before. The scene with Jenny and the father-in-law was highly creepy. I was happy to see the changes that occurred at the end of the book.

The medical portions of the story were interesting. I always learn something new when I read a book from this line.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for access to this arc.

I find myself at a bit of a loss about grading this book. On the one hand, parts of it are lovely. Jacob, hero Rob’s four year old son, is a delight. I’m not usually a fan of children in romances but for Jacob I’d make an exception. Rob and Jen are caring and wonderful people. Rob made the decision to stay in small, rural Willhua because of the desperate need the small community has for a family medicine doctor. Jen chose to go there from Sydney after a disastrous break-up from a toerag (asshole). They click immediately both medically and personally. But wow, there is a big reason why Rob is “Off-Limits” and I’m torn about this.

For a small town, Willhua is packed with medical needs. It seems as if disaster after disaster after incident occurs. There are deaths, there are cancer patients, there is an unwed eighteen year old who has been hiding her pregnancy from her parents and the world because of how it occurred (and I needed to see that the little shit, who got her drunk, faced the consequences for his actions. I didn’t get this), there are people frantic to make sure that their livestock are looked after, plus two dogs who lose their person who need (and yay, get) new homes. And that’s before the dam overflows after torrential rains and the whole valley needs rescuing. The hits just kept coming.

But there are charming scenes of Jen getting to know irrepressible Jacob (and we can see how good a dad Rob is to have achieved this despite being run off his conscientious feet). Stubby the corgi is a sweet delight. I approve of the fact that Jen tells Rob the whole sordid truth of what she ran from, I approve that Rob tells Jen about his marriage and the horrible outcome of his wife’s pregnancy. There’s one thing that Jen doesn’t find out about until after she boldly proposes a night of mutual enjoyment (which they both enjoy a lot). That one detail sent me – and Jen – into a spin.

It’s a small town and people sure do talk so I can understand why Rob might have just assumed that Jen had been told and that she knew. After what happened to her in Sydney, finding out what she didn’t know was devastating to her. She was told about how Rob’s grief stricken in-laws have acted over the past four years and Jen herself gets a taste of this. It’s …. a lot. It’s a tragic situation – there’s anger and grief enough to go around. And I’m still conflicted about Jen and Rob’s relationship. I mean really conflicted. On the one hand, these are two people who, along with Jacob, deserve to be happy. On the other hand … wow. This

Spoiler:

Rob’s wife Emma being in a brain dead coma plus her parents flipping off the deep end and forcing painful visits on Jacob might be a step too far for a lot of people.

This is a bold authorial choice and I happily grade part of it a B+ but the rest, no matter how conscientiously and tenderly portrayed, is not what I’m looking for in a romance. B+/C-

It has been a really long time since I've read a Harlequin or Mills and Boon story so I thought I would read one for old time's sake. The stories have not changed much in the last 20 or 30 years. Definitely a Hallmark movie in the making. Super sweet story. Not a totally new story either. I loved the location (Australia) and the dogs and Jacob made it fun. The romance was just okay although I did enjoy the ending. If you are looking for a quick, feel good story, this will work.

I'm not going to lie I'm sucker for a single dad romances. And throw in a cute puppy I'm even more hooked.

This isn't bad I just think it was rushed. It would be better if it took place over a longer time period. They definitely liked each other but I don't know that I believed that they loved each other. However, Jacob was adorable and he saved the book.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Her Off Limits Single Day is a well written romance. I throughly enjoyed this book. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

This book is to heavy. DNF


***********************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley*********************************

A quick read. A sweet romance which includes a young boy and dogs. A variety of medical situations add some nail-biting moments. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. I look forward to spending more time visit Australia, learning new words, and different spellings, which keep reminding me I am not reading about a tale in the United States.

This was an interesting story about two individuals whose lives, especially in the matters of the heart, is not what they had planned.
Doctor Rob Pierson and his son, Jacob, live in a small town of Willhua. The place where Jenny Roden, once a nurse and nowadays an ambulance officer, has moved to after a disastrous romance break up in Sydney.
They meet during a rescue and though the attraction between is evident nothing is likely to happen. Rob has a great deal of baggage and responsibilities. Four years ago his wife went into a coma when she delivered her sweet son Jacob. But her parents refuse to pull the wires that are keeping her breathing, and are doing everything possible to get the custody of the little boy.
What to do? Have a relationship or go their separate ways, even though both would be heartbroken?
This story was a reminder that life is not black and white but rather various shades of gray. What would one do when placed in a situation similar to this ?
An interesting and thought provoking story.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Harlequin and Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

The idea and plot to ‘Her Off-Limits Single Dad’ by Marion Lennox was a promising idea.  But the flow through for the idea was just not there in the end.  The character growth was done very well, and the two main characters did play off each other well when the situations put them together when it came to work.

With the connection between the two characters, I was not able to put a finger on why I felt like the book was off.  Almost three quarters of the way through I figured it out. The flow of the book seemed very choppy and not smooth like most books. And not only was ‘Her Off-Limits Single Dad’ choppy with the feeling that it felt very rush like if she had to get to the end of the book in a certain time limit.  If you are looking for spice, well this book is not for you.  Everything is pretty much behind closed doors and in fact there wasn’t even much to tell the two wanted to be more than friends.

With the flow of the book and how the ending was put together I have to say this is a 2-star book for me. If you want a book with more flow, more spice this is not a book for you.  And to be honest I wouldn’t recommend this book to many people.  This book does come out next month on September 26th and will be available wherever you get your books. 

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin/Harlequin Medical Romance for the ARC of this book.  All thoughts in this review are my own and getting the ARC had no influence.

I liked this book by this talented author. A romance yes...but with an underlying theme of family. A dad with a little son, a wife/mom in a coma/a new female friend with a dog. Working in the medical profession is not easy...the characters are dedicated to their jobs/careers. This is a quick fun read. I like Lennox, and I look forward to more books by her. Curl up in a comfy chair. Grab a warm, fuzzy blanket. Perhaps enjoy a cup of steaming herbal tea. Be transported to the lives of these realistic characters for an afternoon. Thanks to Netgalley for the book.

This book definitely had some very sweet elements but it also had a whole lot of angst and drama.

You have Jenny, who moves to a small town to work as a paramedic after leaving her previous employment due to personal reasons. And she rents a room from Rob who is a local doctor. He is also a single dad who is really struggling with an impending loss as well as trying to raise his son. So obviously he is completely off limits to Jenny.

The more time they spend together, the more they get to see each other, the more they realize there really is a chemistry between the two of them.

They get together but there is an obstacle standing in their way and a whole lot of drama following that.

The best part of this book was the adorable rescue dog. And of course, the team that Jenny works with are also an absolute delight. Frankie is amazing. And I kind of hope at some point we get a book with her in it.

Her Off-Limits Single Dad...

This story will give you all the feels.... from love, to strength, to heartache, to hero's, and more! Jen and Rob are the main characters and we get to hear the story from both of their points of view. Jen is a paramedic, because of personal reasons she moves on from her former job to Willhua. Rob is a doctor in Willhua, he also has a young son and a wife Emma who has been severely ill for many years. Emma is life support away from the home leaving Rob to work and care for their son.
Jen and Rob meet while preforming a rescue. And this is where their story begins. Rob is off limits, but they can't deny their attraction to each other. How will this all work out? Will they get the happily ever after, especially since Rob knows Emma would want him to have that?
Pick up Her Off-Limits Single Dad and fall in love with all the people of Willhua.

Thank you very much for the auto approval as well as the opportunity to read and acquire this title! I have so been looking forward to this one! I will be sharing my full thoughts and review, but I absolutely love the premise and think it’s going to be not only one of my favorites but that of our readers as well! I. I cannot wait to get lost in Jenny and Robs love story.