Take My Heart

Taken by Love #1

by Kaylee Baldwin

Love is in the air this Christmas…

Cardiologist Holly Whitacre wishes she could bypass the entire Christmas season and its painful memories. She’d rather focus on discovering real-life love stories to spotlight on her MyHeartChannel show: One Great Love Story, especially since she donates all her proceeds to the free clinic her late-husband started. When Holly learns the clinic has lost official funding, she’s determined to think creatively, even if it means turning to the Scroogiest doctor on staff, Jack Shay.

The last thing Jack wants to do is run the clinic’s annual Christmas Ball Fundraiser, but the clinic needs the donations more than ever. Besides, he’s never been able to tell Holly no. So when Holly ropes him into appearing on One Great Love Story to find his one great Christmas love, he says yes. Even though he’s been in love with Holly since medical school.

Jack doesn’t think he can convince Holly to try for a second great love story. But with an extra dose of Christmas Spirit – and a little help from Holly’s MyHeartChannel viewers – anything is possible.

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Contemporary, Clean Romance, Friends To Lovers, Holiday Romance, Contemporary Romance

230 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 24, 2021

Reviews

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn't new, just for the record. It's a re-release under a new title and cover but I hadn't read it before so it's new to me and I have to say, I loved it.

I loved the whole connection of Holly being a cardiologist, running a Vlog about great love stories and dealing with her own broken heart. She believes there is only one great love for everyone and she already had hers. Hard pill to swallow for Jack, who is her best friend but wants to be more. It was fun to get Jack's perspective- his devotion, his frustration, his love and he patiently waits for Holly to get a clue. It was a good set up and I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end. It made MY heart happy.

This book is just $.99 right now, and is also on KU if you have that. It's set around Christmas so perfect for this month! Happy reading!

Content: kissing

- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

[romancejunkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack has been in love with Holly since medical school, but he doesn't think she will ever want to try again and give love a second chance, so when she asks him to appear on One Great Love Story to find love, he agrees.
But with a little help from friends who think they could be great together if they give their love a chance and Holly’s MyHeartChannel viewers who also hope for them to finally declare their love and get together, they'll still have a chance.
Cute story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amanda Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laughter, tears, and lots of love

I didn't put this book down for more than five minutes at a time until I finished it. It made me laugh, cry, and root for #JollyForChristmas. I didn't feel like there was slow moments, or plot twists just to increase pages and tensions--it was a beautiful story. Holly and Jack were great friends with fun banter between them, only made more special by Jack's continued support and love. I may have uttered a heartfelt "Bless his heart" when I realized all he did to make her life better. I'll definitely be buying this one today instead of relying on KU!

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends to more is one of my very favorite types on love stories, and it was so fun to dive into that for One Great Christmas Love Story. I loved writing this book (in the middle of an Arizona summer!) and mentally escaping the heat one writing session at a time. Holly was a delight to write and I fell in love with my scroogy Jack.

And of course, I'm Team #JollyForChristmas ;) Enjoy!

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was again for 2nd time this month I've read a book that could easily be a film on the Christmas movie channel, there was a handful of typo's but I gave it 5 stars because even though they where there they didn't take anything away from the book, it just flowed. Definitely worth a read guys. Maybe a tissue nearby....

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part of A MyHeartChannel Christmas Romance series a well written story. Cardiologist Holly Whitacre and doctor Jack Shay's story about a woman who believes you only get one love in your life, which is so wrong, and the man that loves her. She will have a lot to go through before she comes to realize how much Jack means to her. I can relate to this story, my story is similar Francis and Pauline’s. A great Christmas story well worth reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning that once you start reading you'll want to finish the book in one sitting. A wonderful story of friendship, love and romance at Christmas time. Great characters with believable chemistry, wonderful story line that engages the readers attention, and a sweet enjoyable romantic read. Perfect for the holiday season.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily F - Seriously Sweet Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect Christmas Love

This was a sweet read, I love the characters and the dimension of finding love again. I loved that Holly was a heart doctor who loved love. This was sweet and clean, I'd rate it PG for sweet kisses.

[Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book the characters are well developed and engaging. The chemistry is strong making for a smooth flowing storyline.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jeri Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of One Great Christmas Love Story

I absolutely loved this book! I love this series and will recommend them to anyone who loves romance novels. Kaylee is a wonderful writer!

[Evonne Hutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet romance squeezed my heart dry!
Excellent story line with great characters.
Really a must read!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Great Christmas Love Story

I spent so much time while reading this book unable to decide if I wanted to laugh or cry. It is extremely moving and a excellent holiday book1

[Roxanne MacKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the beautiful story of Holly and Jack. After the loss of her husband, Holly turned to get work as a cardiologist, her friendship with her husband's best friend Jack and telling people's love stories. She believes in love so much that she decides to find Jack's one great love. What better time of year to believe in love then the Christmas season? The characters are genuine, real and completely relatable. The characters add dimension, emotions, and reality to the storyline with its ups and downs, awareness and awakening. A great love story to read!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 if I'm being picky. The author did a great job of writing a shorter book that still felt like a slow burn. This book was filled with heart and managed to touch on more serious topics while still keeping the fun Christmas atmosphere

[Melissa B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack has been in love with Holly since the moment he met her in medical school, she fell in love with her now-deceased husband. She's doesn't think she'll ever be ready for another love, he's hoping for a chance even if it seems unlikely.
A cute story and sweet characters with some Christmas spirit.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Co · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute, unexpected read!

I enjoyed the story way more than I thought I would and adored the main characters! A great way to end the rrading year!

[Deidra Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the main characters developing this storyline, but the real fun was all the supporting characters. I thought this was a fresh take on second chances and finding joy after loss.

[The Flipped Page (Susan K) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, sweet, holiday romacne.

Romance, sweet, contemporary; series bit stand alone read
Holly and Jack's story was beautifully composed. Lovely,heartfelt, honest hurting hearts with character and devotion. Sweet moments as they figured out how to find their present and future.

[Katri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Pretty cheesy. I skimmed a lot of it. I also hate it when books make it seem so easy to have thousands of followers and for videos to go viral.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

🎄 The vibes:
- two doctors
- widow FMC
- Christmas setting
- Grief journey (light)
- Social media vlogging
- Closed door

🎄 My thoughts:
With the Christmas season approaching, cardiologist Holly would rather not celebrate the season full of painful memories. Instead, she focuses on her vlogging show- One Great Love Story, where all the proceeds keep the free clinic (that her late husband started) up and running. When funding gets cut, Holly convinces her grouchy (and handsome) radiologist coworker, Jack, to come find love on her show. It works and her videos start going viral. The problem? Jack has been in love with Holly since med school- unbeknownst to her. The additional problem? Jack was best friends with Holly’s late husband. Holly is insistent that everybody only gets one love story- but will Jack be able to convince Holly to try for a second chance at love?

🎄 Wow. I really liked this one. I’ve had this on my kindle for a year, and I’m so happy I gave it a try.

🎄 I loved the hospital setting and having doctor main characters. Having one as a single dad and the other being a widow gave this story even more depth that I love to see. I thought this was a sweet journey for Holly and I can see her conflict in moving on after losing her husband. This book made me think about loss and love after loss and those are always such difficult heart wrenching conversations.

🎄 Not only was this a great story for me but it is set during Christmas time. So of course bonus points for that. There’s ice skating, cookie baking, horse drawn carriages, and Christmas trees - so I would say it did FEEL like Christmas which is essential for me in a Christmas read.

🎄 Overall- a really good holiday book! It’s short- just over 200 pages but had enough in it that I was satisfied. Would I have loved to see more ?? YESSS. More of Jack’s daughter, more of Jack and Holly, and just more of Holly moving forward- but for what this is, it was a major win for me.

Note: closed door

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love a good "friends to more" story and this one has all the feelings. It has sad moments, funny and friendly moments, frustrating moments, and romantic moments with swoony kisses. Dr. Holly Whitacre believes that people get just one great love story in their lives and she already had hers with Dallon, her husband whom she has been mourning for almost two years ever since a tragic accident claimed his life. She spends her time as a cardiologist and working to keep Dallon's legacy alive by raising money for the free medical clinic he had started. Her best friend, Dr. Jack Shay, has been there constantly for her ever since the day Dallon died. Her goal is to help Jack find his one great love story. The problem is that Jack thinks he already has found her--Holly. What to do, what to do? You gotta read it and find out! I loved it! I received an ARC from the author and this voluntary review contains my honest opinions.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take My Heart was an absolute delight to read. It had me feeling so many different emotions that it totally swept me away. The story is so bittersweet but so beautiful and heartwarming...I loved it!

The story follows Holly Whitacre and Jack Shay, two successful doctors still reeling from the loss of Holly's husband/Jack's best friend. Holly runs a successful show where she highlights couples and their one true love story until she decides to set Jack up to find his one true love. Never mind that he already has...

This seriously should be on your holiday list! While it did lose some points for its rather abrupt beginning, the characters and the second chance romance more than make up for it. If you haven't checked this out yet, I highly recommend giving it a read!

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Jack. I liked Holly. I even liked them together and was rooting for them. I just think the story was super bogged down with a bunch of other things.

Holly is a doctor, Jack is a doctor, they’ve known each other since medical school, Holly was married to Jack’s best friend who passed away, Jack has always loved Holly, Holly has an online dating show, she’s trying to find Jack a date, Jack goes on dates all while pining for Holly, there’s a fundraiser to plan, and it’s Christmas… see what I mean? It was a lot. Just the friends to lovers / late husband’s best friend situation would have been more than enough to carry the story. I honestly would have preferred a more streamlined plot because I did like these two as a couple and wanted them to get his HEA.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Take my Heart' truly took my heart!

'Take my Heart' took my heart and my entire afternoon!
Kaylee Baldwin has created another amazing romance!
I started reading and couldn't put it down until the end. I was completely drawn into the life of Holly and Jake.
It's one of my favorite tropes, and I just couldn't stop and do chores while wondering how things turn out in this book.
It was worth every moment!
This is one of those stories that makes you grateful for your life, your family and chores that need to be done. Remember each day is a gift, use it wisely!

[Heather Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy this author. She does such a good job of building characters and remaining true to their personalities throughout the story. The mcs interactions were so real, down to earth, and believable. Clean, fun story line. Loved it! Some really annoying typos(even with character names), but it was still such a fun read. I'd read this one again.

[Denice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book

This is a sweet story of Jack and Holly. After her first husband passed, Jack who had been his best friend steps in to help Holly. I loved their friendship and how it slowly built to something more. Jack was so swoony. Fun story based around Christmas. Grab for a sweet read.

[Tamera Westhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Romance

I loved that Holly and Jack both worked at the hospital and had a great friendship! I also loved that Holly started a great way to share about one true loves, until it wasn’t their one true love. I was thoroughly irritated by Holly’s behavior after the kiss. But, Francis and Meghan saved the day. Being lonely for Christmas sounds terrible!

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a big fan of books where the friends don’t realize they are in love. Someone always comes off looking like a selfish, unobservant idiot. Jack was a veritable SERVANT to Holly for three years and she didn’t notice?!

[Nari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story! Holly and Jack were great characters. I enjoyed getting to know them. Usually there is someone or something that bugs me in each story. This story was a rare exception. I loved every part of it.

[L Diggitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great clean romantic holiday book!
LOVED this book!! It was just like snuggling up to watch a Christmas Hallmark movie. Beautiful and realistic love story that had me on the edge of my seat and couldn’t put it down until I finished. Can’t wait to read more form Kaylee Baldwin!