The M.D. Next Door by Gina Wilkins

Title: The M.D. Next Door

Author: Gina Wilkins

Series: Doctors in the Family

Publisher: Harlequin

Line: Harlequin Special Edition

ISBN: 9780373655748

More Information: http://www.eharlequin.com

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

On medical leave, Meagan was convalescing in her backyard when a bundle of wet tongue and yellow fur appeared out of nowhere and jumped on her.  Right behind the adorable pup was his apologetic and adorable owner, Alice Llewellyn.  From there, a friendship bloomed.  After hearing about Meagan this and Meagan that for a week, Seth Llewellyn was curious about his new neighbor.  When they finally meet, there was an instant attraction.  But with his daughter in the picture, both had their reason for not pursuing a relationship.  However, Alice was determined to get her two favorite people together.

In general, it was well written with lovable characters.  The book’s atmosphere was pretty low-key.  And I mean low-key.  Any actions and emotions were so tone down that you could easily have missed it.  The chapters were lengthy and just a bit too wordy.  Most times, pages were filled with inane things going on in their lives.  There were some humor but it caused an occasional smile, nothing more.  The only thing that I really loved about this story was the characters.   No artifice and everyone were very open with their feelings.  Even Seth’s ex was nice.  I like the hero and heroine.  Meagan was the girl-next-door type.  She loved her job and was even-tempered.  She got along with Seth’s daughter with no problems.  Seth was pretty perfect himself.  Content to raise his daughter, he worked hard but always made the effort to be there for her.  He cooked and had a pretty easy going nature.  As a couple, they have a sweet relationship but I did find them to be pretty tame.  There weren’t any emotional outbursts, even when they are arguing.  (Of course, I don't want them throwing dishes, but some raised voices would've been nice.)  Even when they separated for a bit in the end, I couldn’t be sure if they were affected by their separation.  If it was not written, you would never have known it was hurting them.  If you are not a big fan of children, Alice was an integral part to the story.  But I found Alice a very charming young lady and I enjoyed the scenes where she was present.  This was a pretty clean romance.  Any love scenes were done behind closed doors.

Despite liking the characters and the pleasant plot, the wordiness slowed the flow of the story, making it feel like forever to get to the end and it was a tad too mellow.  If you like the Harlequin Romance line, this book is for you.  If you like Betty Neels, this is great for you as well.  Should you rush out and get it?  No.  But if you really want to read it, I would wait till it is cheaper.  If you are looking for a hot, steamy read, this is not it.  All in all, one read was enough but I am still interested in reading future books in the series.