Smitten with the Orthopedic Surgeon

Third Coast Medical #1

by Daphne Dyer

What do you do when your ex announces to a bar full of your neighbors that you are too loud, too opinionated, and too domineering for anyone to ever fall in love with you? And that you being you destroyed his little sister’s self-esteem?

Yeah … I didn’t have a game plan for that one either.

Lucky for me, my surrogate grandfather knew exactly what I needed. Three weeks on a Texas beach learning how to perfectly smoke a brisket is just the ticket to help me regain my confidence and figure out whose opinions matter.

I never expected to meet a sexy stranger my first night in town.

Have fireworks explode behind my eyelids when he kissed me.

Then have him run away like pitchfork-wielding villagers were chasing him.

Now, standing in my landlady’s kitchen, discovering said sexy stranger is 1) her grandson, 2) the instructor for my class, and 3) has deep secrets of his own, I’m not sure how I’m going to last three minutes, let alone three weeks.

Add in that my surrogate grandfather is her long-lost, presumed-dead brother and this trip isn’t the breezy barbecue class I thought it would be.

But I’ll do anything to reunite my surrogate grandfather with his family, including solving the half-century old mystery driving a wedge in the family.

All I need to do is not fall in love with my teacher and figure out why he’s keeping the details of his life (like that he’s a doctor, not a chef) secret as we uncover his families’ mysteries.

This sweet romance is Grey’s Anatomy meets BBQ Throwdown. Perfect for fans of Nicholas Sparks, Clara Pines, and Courtney Walsh.

Genres: Romance, Doctors, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

378 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 30, 2024

Reviews

[Annette Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

unsure

The set up for the main couple was obvious as it most often is. The backstory with the protagonist was a new one for me.
While interesting with a HEA it just didn’t grip me, engage emotions, or have me feel the emotions were real, more that emotions were just talked about, but not actually felt.
This was a rather large letdown for this story, it could have been a lot better.
But it is just ok for a light breezy read.
had a fair bit of sexual innuendo in it.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book kept my emotions bouncing all over. Keegan and Bridgette are two people who are amazed by each other. The romance and emotion in this book is a feel good just have to keep reading kind. For me that made their connection even better. They knew who they were and had no problem just being themselves. This romance book for me was one that I will read again and again. The author has the right amount of everything packed into this story and made me like the characters in the book.Thank you NetGalley, Daphne Dyer and Skyway Creative Endeavors for the copy of Smitten with the Orthopedic Surgeon. This is my personal review.

[Melissa Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bridgette has been humiliated by her fiancé in front of everyone. What else do you do, to make yourself feel better, be entered into a BBQ competition by a dear friend.

Bridgette meets Keegan the night before the competition and sparks fly. But that is until she realises he is a judge for the competition. So for Bridgette, it’s a fight or flight feeling she needs to overcome, as she really wants to win.

Thank you to #netgalley for a free copy of this book for an honest review of the story.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I really enjoyed this book. Stayed up way to late reading it!
FMC has been emotionally bruised by her ex and the MMC has his own demons. Together they are perfect, if they can both just talk to each other!

[Jaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story, and I like the small town community.

I was a bit meh about Keegan's secrecy around his career, like dude, you're a doctor not the crown prince of someplace, get over yourself. To be fair, that was before I looked up how much orthopedic surgeons make (apparently some earn over $1M???), so okay, he's RICH rich. But given how big a deal the secret was, his wealth was oddly a total non-factor in either MC's life? Like, I don't know what he does with all that money, and Bridgette seemed financially comfortable in her own right - Keegan could have just as easily been a BBQ line cook or dishwasher and their love story would have been the same. So his whole secrecy thing just felt kinda self-important.

Also yes his ex was terrible, but her obsession over marrying him was also odd. She was a senior VP at a major hospital. I don't know how much that role pays, but she must have also been rich rich? Maybe I've been spoiled by all the medical romances I read, but is the title of "doctor's wife" really all that big a deal?

And finally, I was honestly also a bit meh about Bridgette's whole project to find out the truth about Turner's past. Yes it all worked out in the end, and everyone ended up grateful for her meddling, but like, since she and Turner are so close, I wish she'd just talked to him from the very beginning instead of digging into town records and his private letters. I actually agreed with Keegan that reading those letters was a violation of privacy, because both parties involved were still alive. It's not like they were reading letters of people who are long dead and wouldn't care.

So overall, the story was sweet and a fun read. I just didn't fall in love with either MC.

That being said, the next book with Georgi and Theo looks really good. Just from the excerpt, I already love both characters, so maybe I'll give that one a chance. :-)

[Myroslav Dosiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an orthopedic surgeon, I’m always pleased to see our profession getting some spotlight, especially in popular literature. I like that the story centers around an orthopedic surgeon, allowing readers to see that we, too, have emotions and personal challenges.
But, professionally speaking, there’s not much here that delves into the medical field.
The book is more focused on romance and personal relationships than on any medical aspects. Still, it makes for a light, enjoyable read — a story about love, mutual support, and a bit of humor.

[Eris]

This is a good book. The two main characters are Bridgette and Keegan. Bridgette is a baker, who went to Texas to learn barbecue. Keegan is an orthopedic surgeon and has come to his hometown to help his friend run a barbecue session. They meet at a bar, it is an instant attraction. Bridgette is really into learning barbecue. They both have issues but together they work it out and fall in love.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written!
Good phrasing, but I ended up not caring about the story or characters because they took too long to be honest with each other.

" Find the one thing that matters most to you, tend it with your heart, and things work out.

Epilogue choices tooo much

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok book but I would have liked to have a few chapters where the doctor does surgery or something. The title of the book is kind of deceiving.

[Marcia Cooksey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story but a little slow in the first half.

[Likes to Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have discovered another favorite author. Romance and mystery—what could be better!