Truly Madly Montana (Medicine River #2) by Fiona Lowe

Two words: Aussie. Doctor.

*noms*

Truly Madly Montana was fun, sweet, a little sexy and pretty dang unique in some ways.

The quick of it is that Will and Millie are spending the summer working at the same hospital as he supervises her clinical rotation for med school. You'd think all was well and good but, alas, not so seeing as Will thinks of Millie as one of the guys and that, well, maybe they're batting for the same team. Which is a problem for her since she's totally crushing on him. And damn if it doesn't annoy her that he just does not see her as a woman. And so begins weeks of the clueless-- yet gorgeous-- male making an absolute flub of...pretty much everything Millie.

Will & Millie: These two were...special. Millie has a lot on her plate but was a great heroine. A little insecure about some things and rock solid in others. A good friend and a hard worker. And Will. Bless him and his surfer boy looks and Aussie accent but Will had a knack for saying/doing exactly the wrong thing. A sexy risk taker that's hiding a world of pain. I liked him even if he had some head shakeable moments.The romance was very slow going there at the start since, well, again...he's 10 types of clueless but once it got going I really enjoyed the two together and watching them try to balance working together, playing together and a few things they each tried to keep hidden (nothing bad just personal struggles). 

Diabetes: Something very different was that Millie was diabetic (since she was 16). And it played a big part in the storyline. You hardly ever see a character with a chronic illness that's addressed more than just a passing mention. But it's a big part of her life and the storyline. The daily battle to keep her levels right, scares when it hits too high or low, how it impacts her relationships, confidence and things she could do. It was frustrating and scary at times. I liked that it was addressed and included in things though. I like seeing those realistic characteristics. 

The town: There's something about Bear Paw, Montana. The secondary characters don't play huge roles in the story but they're there and the little bits and pieces you see are both exasperating and endearing. It's definitely got that small town vibe of everyone knowing your business to the point of making a girl twitch but you can't help but love it too because there's a kind of closeness and looking out for everyone kind of atmosphere. 

What didn't work: My only issue with the storyline is also something I kind of liked (see below). There's a second couple that has a full romance told that's slightly connected to Will and Millie since it's her best friend Ethan falling in love. But the transitions between the two storylines was too abrupt for me and when I was in either of the storylines I tended to forget completely about the other couple. Which kind of bothered me. I loved both storylines but really think I would have preferred the stories to be completely separate and two novellas instead of one full book.

Ethan & Tara: But I really liked Ethan and Tara. I loved their romance, the people they were and seeing them together. Tara, the new cop in town, is extremely slow to trust and falls back on her police training for even basic social situations. She's just not comfortable around people or opening up. And Ethan's a librarian, great guy and clumsy like you wouldn't believe and so very patient with the standoffish Tara. It was really something watching her slowly find her place in the town and opening up because of him. 

All in all, I really enjoyed Truly Madly Montana. Lowe brought together incredible characters with unique lives, stories and experiences to create lovely romances that were funny, touching and just a little steamy too. I'll definitely be back for more of what this town has to offer.

Have you read Lowe?
Have you read any books with a hero or heroine that has a chronic illness?
Do you like seeing that type of thing in your reads?

Sexy and charming Australian doctor Will Bartlett will do anything to help out a friend, even if it means moving to Bear Paw for the summer. Some small-town hospitality, and the uncomplicated friendship of his co-worker, Millie, is just the ticket to shake off the restlessness that’s been gripping him lately.

Millie Switkowski, RN and medical student, is home for her clinical rotation, and she’s determined to make this summer so much better than last. She’s got a year of medical school under her belt, her diabetes is under control and she’s kicked her crazy crush for Will Bartlett, who only ever treated her as “one of the guys.”

But when Will turns out to be Millie’s supervising physician, without warning the summer gets a whole lot hotter than either of them anticipated. With both of them holding onto thorny secrets, can they walk away with their hearts intact?

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*covers link to Amazon

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