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Broken Heart #2
Sticks and Stones
For Lou it was always Dylan.
She loved him from the moment they first met across a cadaver in the dissection room at medical school. The most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on, with more Welsh charm than you could shake a stick at; she was a goner.
But Lou, despite her beauty, was just too extrovert to interest Dylan, who was convinced that a quiet, shy girl, like Lou’s best friend Frankie, was much more his style.
‘Have at it mate but I’ve got two words for you: high maintenance.’
‘Don’t think I’d mind putting in the hard yards maintaining that piece of arse,’ one of Dylan’s more disgusting rugby mates replied.
‘Well good luck to you,’ Dylan returned, looking completely relaxed now that they were discussing Lou and not his precious Frankie. ‘I like mine heavy on the sweet and light on the ball-breaking bitch, but each to his own.’
After overhearing that exchange, Lou buries her pain and pines for him in private, but she can't give up their friendship. One night, eleven years later, she finally gets what she has been longing for, but the next morning realizes he was too drunk to even remember.
For Dylan it was always anyone but Lou.
A born surgeon, Dylan resents having to down his orthopaedic power tools for a six-month spell in Elderly Care. He thought that at least working with Lou would make his skiving easier; after all she’s always helped him out before. And so what if he’s been having these weird dreams about her since he woke up in her flat? It’s not like he’d ever actually go there.
So when he mistakenly believes that she’s put his career in jeopardy he loses control and his vicious insults, publicly made, cut Lou to the bone. It’s only after he loses Lou’s warm smiles, dry wit, boundless energy and outrageous banter from his life that he realizes the extent of his stupidity.
Maybe sticks and stones can break bones, and that’s something Dylan’s surgical skills can deal with. But when it’s a heart he’s broken…
This book is a full-length contemporary romance/romantic comedy/medical romance of approximately 80,000 words. It is part of a series, involving characters from 'Broken Heart Syndrome', but can be read as a stand-alone novel.
About The Author
Susie Tate is a general practitioner and when she’s not working she’s looking after her four yummy boys under five (okay well one is actually over thirty-five but it’s the mental age that counts!). Maybe it’s a bit strange for a doctor to be writing contemporary romance/romantic comedy, but she thought she could use her experience to write what she hopes are funny, occasionally bittersweet stories that give people a behind the scenes look at hospital medicine. She can only apologize to her orthopaedic friends for the way she has brutally stereotyped them in this book but she just couldn’t resist!
She loved him from the moment they first met across a cadaver in the dissection room at medical school. The most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on, with more Welsh charm than you could shake a stick at; she was a goner.
But Lou, despite her beauty, was just too extrovert to interest Dylan, who was convinced that a quiet, shy girl, like Lou’s best friend Frankie, was much more his style.
‘Have at it mate but I’ve got two words for you: high maintenance.’
‘Don’t think I’d mind putting in the hard yards maintaining that piece of arse,’ one of Dylan’s more disgusting rugby mates replied.
‘Well good luck to you,’ Dylan returned, looking completely relaxed now that they were discussing Lou and not his precious Frankie. ‘I like mine heavy on the sweet and light on the ball-breaking bitch, but each to his own.’
After overhearing that exchange, Lou buries her pain and pines for him in private, but she can't give up their friendship. One night, eleven years later, she finally gets what she has been longing for, but the next morning realizes he was too drunk to even remember.
For Dylan it was always anyone but Lou.
A born surgeon, Dylan resents having to down his orthopaedic power tools for a six-month spell in Elderly Care. He thought that at least working with Lou would make his skiving easier; after all she’s always helped him out before. And so what if he’s been having these weird dreams about her since he woke up in her flat? It’s not like he’d ever actually go there.
So when he mistakenly believes that she’s put his career in jeopardy he loses control and his vicious insults, publicly made, cut Lou to the bone. It’s only after he loses Lou’s warm smiles, dry wit, boundless energy and outrageous banter from his life that he realizes the extent of his stupidity.
Maybe sticks and stones can break bones, and that’s something Dylan’s surgical skills can deal with. But when it’s a heart he’s broken…
This book is a full-length contemporary romance/romantic comedy/medical romance of approximately 80,000 words. It is part of a series, involving characters from 'Broken Heart Syndrome', but can be read as a stand-alone novel.
About The Author
Susie Tate is a general practitioner and when she’s not working she’s looking after her four yummy boys under five (okay well one is actually over thirty-five but it’s the mental age that counts!). Maybe it’s a bit strange for a doctor to be writing contemporary romance/romantic comedy, but she thought she could use her experience to write what she hopes are funny, occasionally bittersweet stories that give people a behind the scenes look at hospital medicine. She can only apologize to her orthopaedic friends for the way she has brutally stereotyped them in this book but she just couldn’t resist!
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 24, 2014
1427 people are currently reading
2124 people want to read
About the author
Susie Tate
25 books2,195 followersSusie is a top 2 Amazon bestselling author who writes addictive, feel-good contemporary romance with heroes who may make you a little ragey, but who always redeem themselves in the end! She’s been a doctor in the NHS for over twenty years and lives in beautiful Dorset with her wonderful husband, three gorgeous boys and an even more wonderful dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 464 reviews
October 9, 2017
1.5
Sticks and Stones has one of the cruellest 'heroes' I've come across. His behaviour gets so bad that I stopped asking why she would love him at all, but why doesn't she kill him already.
The blurb says 'For Lou it was always Dylan' and the story pretty much repeatedly hits you over the head with it. It takes years to get to the so called happy ending! And not only there isn't enough grovelling from him but something bad has to happen to the heroine (as if she didn't get enough crap throughout the book).
As for those GR labels, they couldn't have been more misleading as far as I am concerned. This book is neither funny nor romantic. I can't find a single reason why would the hero get friendship from her, let alone love.
Other characters are not bad and there is an interesting kid somewhere in the story so not everything will make you sad or angry.
Sticks and Stones has one of the cruellest 'heroes' I've come across. His behaviour gets so bad that I stopped asking why she would love him at all, but why doesn't she kill him already.
The blurb says 'For Lou it was always Dylan' and the story pretty much repeatedly hits you over the head with it. It takes years to get to the so called happy ending! And not only there isn't enough grovelling from him but something bad has to happen to the heroine (as if she didn't get enough crap throughout the book).
As for those GR labels, they couldn't have been more misleading as far as I am concerned. This book is neither funny nor romantic. I can't find a single reason why would the hero get friendship from her, let alone love.
Other characters are not bad and there is an interesting kid somewhere in the story so not everything will make you sad or angry.
November 24, 2019
Spoilers ahead
First of all this felt like it was written in a different language, added to the fact that I have to skip to the glossary to get the meaning of the words that were actually in another language and I was already regretting even cracking this thing open
Then the h is the pining doormat type(who had some great moments but lost her greatness due to her "love" for the H)....listen this is PATHETIC!!! If one is pining couldn't it be after someone who was deserving?? This guy was an asshole who hurt and embarrassed her, who she's wanted for years, who fancied himself in love with their friend and considered the h high maintenance!!! I mean what does that say about her??? That she'd even want someone like that??? Omg gurlllllllll
This guy...... Lol *hulk smash* he was a horrid, hurtful, lazy, disgusting, selfish, petulant manwhore who I hated! If this is a romance book hero I might as well start reading mysteries because I don't wanna read romance anymore!!! Yes yes he flipped his script but by that point I already hated him and there's no going back!
I read ONE review of another book by this author and accidentally started this one first.....there won't be a second!
First of all this felt like it was written in a different language, added to the fact that I have to skip to the glossary to get the meaning of the words that were actually in another language and I was already regretting even cracking this thing open
Then the h is the pining doormat type(who had some great moments but lost her greatness due to her "love" for the H)....listen this is PATHETIC!!! If one is pining couldn't it be after someone who was deserving?? This guy was an asshole who hurt and embarrassed her, who she's wanted for years, who fancied himself in love with their friend and considered the h high maintenance!!! I mean what does that say about her??? That she'd even want someone like that??? Omg gurlllllllll
This guy...... Lol *hulk smash* he was a horrid, hurtful, lazy, disgusting, selfish, petulant manwhore who I hated! If this is a romance book hero I might as well start reading mysteries because I don't wanna read romance anymore!!! Yes yes he flipped his script but by that point I already hated him and there's no going back!
I read ONE review of another book by this author and accidentally started this one first.....there won't be a second!
March 31, 2016
If I want to read an immature story, I would have read my niece's short story project.
January 19, 2015
Soooo, here's the deal with this one. It's a 5 star read for me because I reveled in the angst and I've already had the pleasure of reading the first book in this series, Broken Heart Syndrome.
This is a loud, emotional book that reads a whole lot like chick lit and even with the total lack of steam, I still loved this. That should count for something. The fact I could love AND hate Dylan throughout the entire story speaks to some goodness. The heavy Welshisms had me paying some serious attention because, let's face it, as a California girl I'm not privy to that slang most of the time. I still enjoyed figuring it out.
This REALLY isn't for everyone. No sex, no big incident that seals the deal, good or bad, but it somehow managed to work for me.
This is a loud, emotional book that reads a whole lot like chick lit and even with the total lack of steam, I still loved this. That should count for something. The fact I could love AND hate Dylan throughout the entire story speaks to some goodness. The heavy Welshisms had me paying some serious attention because, let's face it, as a California girl I'm not privy to that slang most of the time. I still enjoyed figuring it out.
This REALLY isn't for everyone. No sex, no big incident that seals the deal, good or bad, but it somehow managed to work for me.
December 24, 2018
This was probably my least favorites of the series even tho I think Lou was great. To me the hero was not redeemable, this is a list of all he did in the book:
-slept with every available woman while the heroine was celibate which is just the worst, why couldnt she have had a nice relationship with someone while he was competing for the Mr.STD title?
-berated her in public and humilaiated her
-used personal hurtful information about her abusive mother to punish her bc he was a lazy piece of crap who didnt do his work
-ruined her career while he got everything in his he wanted, again all because he felt the work he was doing with her was beneath him
-he was selfish and only thought abt himself, threw temper tantrums and I could not believe he was supposed to be 30
-thought the way to win the heroine was to seriously date someone, granted it wasnt serious but still dragging someone else into a mess of his own making was.....well as u can see a pattern it was SELFISH
-insulted and let others insult the heroine simply because she called him on his shit
Yeah he did some nice things at the end but he was a selfish, inconsiderate, lazy ass piece of crap in my opinion
As Lou in her own words said in the book, (even tho she went back on it of course), she deserved a man who was enamored with her on sight and loved her for who she was, not someone who had to be convinced of it bc he was a manwhore prick who had no respect for women.
I gave one star for Lou and another bc I do like the writing.
-slept with every available woman while the heroine was celibate which is just the worst, why couldnt she have had a nice relationship with someone while he was competing for the Mr.STD title?
-berated her in public and humilaiated her
-used personal hurtful information about her abusive mother to punish her bc he was a lazy piece of crap who didnt do his work
-ruined her career while he got everything in his he wanted, again all because he felt the work he was doing with her was beneath him
-he was selfish and only thought abt himself, threw temper tantrums and I could not believe he was supposed to be 30
-thought the way to win the heroine was to seriously date someone, granted it wasnt serious but still dragging someone else into a mess of his own making was.....well as u can see a pattern it was SELFISH
-insulted and let others insult the heroine simply because she called him on his shit
Yeah he did some nice things at the end but he was a selfish, inconsiderate, lazy ass piece of crap in my opinion
As Lou in her own words said in the book, (even tho she went back on it of course), she deserved a man who was enamored with her on sight and loved her for who she was, not someone who had to be convinced of it bc he was a manwhore prick who had no respect for women.
I gave one star for Lou and another bc I do like the writing.
January 7, 2024
Friends of the safety gang, this is for you. Joking, of course.
Don’t waste your time with this kind of crap.
The book is about a pathetic excuse of a woman who makes me be ashamed of being a female, who for twelve years is in love with a loser who has sex with anyone but her and is n love with her bff, and not only sees her as a friend, but also treats her like trash.
She saves his sorry worthless ass many times and he uses her to hook up with women, he bangs everyone but her until twelve years later they have a ONS but even then he doesn’t remember anything later.
Oh, and she’s basically a virgin.
Oh, she’s not the usual silly, poor, clueless girl.
She’s a 30 yo, rich, beautiful and more talented than him woman.
I don’t know but since in my life I’ve never suffered from unrequited love, not after my 12 birthday anyway, I can’t understand why someone could be in love with someone who thinks you’re a high maintenance bitch and never ever see you more than someone useful for his purpose.
This man is such an un charming and rude man that I can’t see why she would like him, let alone love him.
Why would a woman with such a lot of amazing qualities stay stuck with such a pathetic loser?
Why would a writer write about such stories than make you ashamed of reading them?
I don’t know. As I still don’t understand why he decided after 12 years than she was the woman he loves.
Really? Maybe because his lil d..k isn’t working like it used to when he was in his 20s?
Not worth reading.
Oh, the characters are doctors and all the book is about doctors and medical therms that I really wasn’t interested in. He’s not doctor Sheperd nor dr Steamy either. And the book is boring and sad.
What a great disappointment.
Don’t waste your time with this kind of crap.
The book is about a pathetic excuse of a woman who makes me be ashamed of being a female, who for twelve years is in love with a loser who has sex with anyone but her and is n love with her bff, and not only sees her as a friend, but also treats her like trash.
She saves his sorry worthless ass many times and he uses her to hook up with women, he bangs everyone but her until twelve years later they have a ONS but even then he doesn’t remember anything later.
Oh, and she’s basically a virgin.
Oh, she’s not the usual silly, poor, clueless girl.
She’s a 30 yo, rich, beautiful and more talented than him woman.
I don’t know but since in my life I’ve never suffered from unrequited love, not after my 12 birthday anyway, I can’t understand why someone could be in love with someone who thinks you’re a high maintenance bitch and never ever see you more than someone useful for his purpose.
This man is such an un charming and rude man that I can’t see why she would like him, let alone love him.
Why would a woman with such a lot of amazing qualities stay stuck with such a pathetic loser?
Why would a writer write about such stories than make you ashamed of reading them?
I don’t know. As I still don’t understand why he decided after 12 years than she was the woman he loves.
Really? Maybe because his lil d..k isn’t working like it used to when he was in his 20s?
Not worth reading.
Oh, the characters are doctors and all the book is about doctors and medical therms that I really wasn’t interested in. He’s not doctor Sheperd nor dr Steamy either. And the book is boring and sad.
What a great disappointment.
October 5, 2020
Very mixed emotions about this.
The heroine is a total kickass heroine, a rules by charm, high heels and curves and wit heroine. The hero is a ...jackass. He is such a jackass that it is very hard to get by his redemption to the HEA.
Lou (I had a hard time getting by the name for some reason as Lou makes me think of a little old Italian-American man with a cigar and a sports-coat at the races) is the heroine and is a loud, brassy girl who will do anything for her friends. One friend in particular, the douche-ish love of her life, Dylan. We'll have to take Dylan's charm for granted as it is in little evidence to most readers. The setting is a hospital in England but the novel has both English and Welsh characters. The book is veddy British and highlights regional differences which for an Anglophile is kind of fun. Lou and Dylan are in a medical rotation, and stupid-in-over-her-head Lou is covering for Dylan as all he cares about is surgery.
Dylan, our ass-hat, does the unforgivable. He cruelly and publicly insults and humiliates Lou using personal knowledge and history to do it. It is an awful and cringe-worthy scene. Lou bucks up and freezes Dylan out. Very effectively.
Dylan wakes up and smells the romantic, lost the one who makes me happy coffee and tries to make amends. And tries. And tries.
A lot of reviewers gave up on our big H ass-hat, but I kind of bought it. Personally did not care for his manwhore ways, but he finally figures out how much he loves Lou.
The secondary characters in this book are awesome. My personal favorite is Benjie, a mouthy, brilliant little tyke. Not a moppet. He is such a character, literally, he needs his own book.
P.S. If you have mother issues, which I do, this book as one of the worst mothers EVER.One redeeming thing about Dylan is he calls her on her horribleness.
The heroine is a total kickass heroine, a rules by charm, high heels and curves and wit heroine. The hero is a ...jackass. He is such a jackass that it is very hard to get by his redemption to the HEA.
Lou (I had a hard time getting by the name for some reason as Lou makes me think of a little old Italian-American man with a cigar and a sports-coat at the races) is the heroine and is a loud, brassy girl who will do anything for her friends. One friend in particular, the douche-ish love of her life, Dylan. We'll have to take Dylan's charm for granted as it is in little evidence to most readers. The setting is a hospital in England but the novel has both English and Welsh characters. The book is veddy British and highlights regional differences which for an Anglophile is kind of fun. Lou and Dylan are in a medical rotation, and stupid-in-over-her-head Lou is covering for Dylan as all he cares about is surgery.
Dylan, our ass-hat, does the unforgivable. He cruelly and publicly insults and humiliates Lou using personal knowledge and history to do it. It is an awful and cringe-worthy scene. Lou bucks up and freezes Dylan out. Very effectively.
Dylan wakes up and smells the romantic, lost the one who makes me happy coffee and tries to make amends. And tries. And tries.
A lot of reviewers gave up on our big H ass-hat, but I kind of bought it. Personally did not care for his manwhore ways, but he finally figures out how much he loves Lou.
The secondary characters in this book are awesome. My personal favorite is Benjie, a mouthy, brilliant little tyke. Not a moppet. He is such a character, literally, he needs his own book.
P.S. If you have mother issues, which I do, this book as one of the worst mothers EVER.One redeeming thing about Dylan is he calls her on her horribleness.
October 7, 2018
Maybe I shouldn’t write a review since I gave up a little over the 10% mark, but I thought I’d share why I did not finish this one anyway.
Right off the bat, the hero is presented as a womanizer. 🙄 Quotes:
“If he weren’t careful he would succeed in alienating the entire female staff of every hospital in South Wales before his rotation was over. The last three months he had been at his most prolific, spurred on by the mind numbing boredom of elderly care.” (This is in reference to how many women he’s slept with lately).
One page later:
“To be honest there were very few females that Dylan hadn’t at some stage visualized having sex with.” (Doesn’t the author want her readers to find her hero likeable?! 🤷🏻♀️).
And this little bit shortly after:
“[...] he also considered sex one of his life’s callings [...]”. (Is this before or after being a goddamn orthopaedic surgeon on his list of priorities?).
On top of being a manwh*re, he’s also clueless and wonders why he often thinks about the heroine, even when he’s with other women (how respectful to the other ladies... 🙄) or why it annoys him when other guys look at her. What is he? 10? He’s got the emotional quotient of an earthworm.
And another trait I hated: he’s so stinkingly selfish, I wanted to slap him across the head about 8 times by the time I reached chapter 4. 😡 For instance, he notices the heroine has lost weight because she’s been running around (thus skipping lunch) making up for the fact that he’s too lazy to do anything (like, printing out the patients’ list), yet he doesn’t quite think he should make any effort because “it wasn’t his fault he was being forced to suffer through six months of a specialty he had absolutely no interest in”.
I don’t think I’ve read a book with a bigger a**hole as a main character, quite frankly. I’d like to give him a trophy 🏆 for being the worst hero ever written in a romance novel. Seriously.
Last comment Im going to make about this book: the way it’s been written, everything is spelled out for you: there’s no reading between the lines, everything is explicitly said. As if I were lacking the ability to understand and draw proper conclusions from implicitly written words or something. 🙄
So that sums up why I decided to trash this book and never look back!
Right off the bat, the hero is presented as a womanizer. 🙄 Quotes:
“If he weren’t careful he would succeed in alienating the entire female staff of every hospital in South Wales before his rotation was over. The last three months he had been at his most prolific, spurred on by the mind numbing boredom of elderly care.” (This is in reference to how many women he’s slept with lately).
One page later:
“To be honest there were very few females that Dylan hadn’t at some stage visualized having sex with.” (Doesn’t the author want her readers to find her hero likeable?! 🤷🏻♀️).
And this little bit shortly after:
“[...] he also considered sex one of his life’s callings [...]”. (Is this before or after being a goddamn orthopaedic surgeon on his list of priorities?).
On top of being a manwh*re, he’s also clueless and wonders why he often thinks about the heroine, even when he’s with other women (how respectful to the other ladies... 🙄) or why it annoys him when other guys look at her. What is he? 10? He’s got the emotional quotient of an earthworm.
And another trait I hated: he’s so stinkingly selfish, I wanted to slap him across the head about 8 times by the time I reached chapter 4. 😡 For instance, he notices the heroine has lost weight because she’s been running around (thus skipping lunch) making up for the fact that he’s too lazy to do anything (like, printing out the patients’ list), yet he doesn’t quite think he should make any effort because “it wasn’t his fault he was being forced to suffer through six months of a specialty he had absolutely no interest in”.
I don’t think I’ve read a book with a bigger a**hole as a main character, quite frankly. I’d like to give him a trophy 🏆 for being the worst hero ever written in a romance novel. Seriously.
Last comment Im going to make about this book: the way it’s been written, everything is spelled out for you: there’s no reading between the lines, everything is explicitly said. As if I were lacking the ability to understand and draw proper conclusions from implicitly written words or something. 🙄
So that sums up why I decided to trash this book and never look back!
October 20, 2021
This book had me scratching my head big time. There was a lot - and I mean a lot - of Welsh slang used in this book. To the point that there were full paragraphs that I had no clue what was happening or being said. Countries use different terms for things and I can totally understand that and I'd be okay with a few things here and there in book being something that isn't universally known. But this book was full of Welsh words and phrases with too little context for me to try and figure them out. And these words were not even in English, so again I don't really think that's something that's easy for anyone not knowing that language to understand. There were glossary's at the end of each Chapter but personally I don't want to have to go hunt down a glossary over and over again. Especially when it's not easily found at the beginning or end of the book it was at the end of each chapter. So I'd have to skip pages until I found it, figure out what the word or phrase meant, then go back to where I had stopped. And since some of it was slang it wasn't even that easy to find on Google sometimes.
Example:
And away from the language barrier issues I just overall wasn't in love with these characters. There was barely any romance between them and I just didn't see the connection at all. Other than the heroine having a big crush on the hero for years and going out of her way to make sure he did well at his career when he clearly didn't care enough to do the work himself because he was a whiny ass baby about what specialty he had to work in for a few months.
Example:
"'Cau dy ffwcin ceg!' Dylan barked, and Lou noticed both Mrs Jones and Mrs Talbot suck in a shocked breaths. His Welsh probably wasn't S4C pre-watershed material either."
And away from the language barrier issues I just overall wasn't in love with these characters. There was barely any romance between them and I just didn't see the connection at all. Other than the heroine having a big crush on the hero for years and going out of her way to make sure he did well at his career when he clearly didn't care enough to do the work himself because he was a whiny ass baby about what specialty he had to work in for a few months.
April 28, 2020
I really like this author, but this was a really toxic relationship. The H was vile and mean and promiscuous.
February 13, 2018
H was totally unredeemable
April 11, 2016
I had to think about the rating. I believe part of my problem is that I didn't realize I was starting in the middle of a series. There were lots of characters I felt I should know. It wasn't hard to follow the story, but with these sorts of things the reader is usually happy to catch back up on a previous couple/character. In my case, I had no clue who these people were. I'm sure I missed out there.
I picked this up because it was rec'd on a groveling thread. It kept me interested and the Welsh setting was refreshing. However, I never really felt the romantic love between the main couple.
The heroine has secretly been in love with the hero for 10 years, since they were both undergrads. During this time they were close friends, but for a time Dylan even thought he was in love with Lou's best friend. Dylan has basically treated Lou like 'one of the guys' for years. He tells her about his sexual exploits (which are numerous) and they drink and joke around together. However, during all this time there is no indication that Dylan has anything for Lou. He thinks she's hot and has had a few naughty thoughts about her, but by his own admission he's had a few dirty thoughts about pretty much every female he's ever known. At the time the book opens he is around 30, but acts like he's still a college freshman.
Lou has put her entire love life on hold since college because of her unrequited love. She had one awkward experience with a teenage boyfriend and since has been celibate as she pines for horndog Dylan. She copies notes for him when he ditches class and later covers for him and picks up his slack on the job. Her situation is somewhat understandable because she was raised in an abusive environment where she could never gain the love/approval of her mother. In a sad way, it makes sense that she'd transfer her search for affection to another emotionally unavailable person :(
Basically, Dylan proves over and over again that he is an impulsive child who suffers from diarrhea of the mouth which causes a lot of damage to Lou. There are times I wanted to kill him, but he's not unlikable. He's the type of guy everybody likes. He's just not someone you take very seriously or count on. If I needed a doctor, I'd pray he wasn't on call since he'd most likely be hungover or trying to get in the nurse's pants.
As far as the grovel. Dylan does try very hard to show he's sorry for hurting Lou and essentially derailing her career when he has one of his childish tantrums. Problem is, this is a pattern for him. There are multiple instances of him doing/saying the stupidest things. The book spans over a year, so we are supposed to see him grow up and quit being such a irresponsible child but I'm not sure it worked for me.
I picked this up because it was rec'd on a groveling thread. It kept me interested and the Welsh setting was refreshing. However, I never really felt the romantic love between the main couple.
The heroine has secretly been in love with the hero for 10 years, since they were both undergrads. During this time they were close friends, but for a time Dylan even thought he was in love with Lou's best friend. Dylan has basically treated Lou like 'one of the guys' for years. He tells her about his sexual exploits (which are numerous) and they drink and joke around together. However, during all this time there is no indication that Dylan has anything for Lou. He thinks she's hot and has had a few naughty thoughts about her, but by his own admission he's had a few dirty thoughts about pretty much every female he's ever known. At the time the book opens he is around 30, but acts like he's still a college freshman.
Lou has put her entire love life on hold since college because of her unrequited love. She had one awkward experience with a teenage boyfriend and since has been celibate as she pines for horndog Dylan. She copies notes for him when he ditches class and later covers for him and picks up his slack on the job. Her situation is somewhat understandable because she was raised in an abusive environment where she could never gain the love/approval of her mother. In a sad way, it makes sense that she'd transfer her search for affection to another emotionally unavailable person :(
Basically, Dylan proves over and over again that he is an impulsive child who suffers from diarrhea of the mouth which causes a lot of damage to Lou. There are times I wanted to kill him, but he's not unlikable. He's the type of guy everybody likes. He's just not someone you take very seriously or count on. If I needed a doctor, I'd pray he wasn't on call since he'd most likely be hungover or trying to get in the nurse's pants.
As far as the grovel. Dylan does try very hard to show he's sorry for hurting Lou and essentially derailing her career when he has one of his childish tantrums. Problem is, this is a pattern for him. There are multiple instances of him doing/saying the stupidest things. The book spans over a year, so we are supposed to see him grow up and quit being such a irresponsible child but I'm not sure it worked for me.
January 11, 2015
The story was all over the place. The hero was unnecessarily cruel to the heroine more than a few times. So much so when the Lou said this as to why she loved him:
I wondered who she was talking about. Certainly not the guy on page. It's as if Lou made up somebody who didn't exist.
I think the author has talent but I think the banter between the two crosses the line from sarcastic and witty to insulting and cruel.
I often think a good barometer is to ask if somebody did what the hero did in this book to me, how would I feel? My answer? Not good at all.
Yes this is fiction but I feel there should be a core of decency to the people so after they make mistakes and then work for forgiveness, there is enough of a reason to offer it.
Lou summarized the list of grievances at one point in the story and I could only wonder why she was giving this schmuck a moment of her time.
‘Your sense of humour, your laid back nature, your unwavering support to anyone you consider the underdog, the love you have for your family, your loyalty to your friends, your ability to make me laugh so hard I snort, your endless optimism, your ambition, your drive to succeed, your ridiculously extensive knowledge of “Blackadder”,
I wondered who she was talking about. Certainly not the guy on page. It's as if Lou made up somebody who didn't exist.
I think the author has talent but I think the banter between the two crosses the line from sarcastic and witty to insulting and cruel.
I often think a good barometer is to ask if somebody did what the hero did in this book to me, how would I feel? My answer? Not good at all.
Yes this is fiction but I feel there should be a core of decency to the people so after they make mistakes and then work for forgiveness, there is enough of a reason to offer it.
Lou summarized the list of grievances at one point in the story and I could only wonder why she was giving this schmuck a moment of her time.
January 23, 2015
Friends to Lovers? Check. Unrequited Love? Check. Angst meter at 100%? Check. This book has all those things that I like in a romance. But...
I realize that I gave this book 4 stars. I loved a lot of things about this book. The characters are interesting. I love the behind the scenes at the hospital. This book grabbed me and pulled me under.
***There may be some minor spoilers****
When it was over I still felt like something was missing. Lou has a crush on Dylan for 10 years. 10 years!!! I just couldn't wrap my head around someone who would pine away for someone for so long and not tell him or at least move on with her own life. And Dylan. Dylan is a total manwhore just tripping through life. He treats Lou pretty badly. Dylan, Grow up and Man up PLEASE. What is it that Lou still sees in him? Explain this to me.
Lou does finally take control of her own life by getting some distance from Dylan. But the book just glosses this over by saying "One year later". I get it that a year has passed and that during that time Lou and Dylan will have made some personal changes. But as a reader I didn't get the sense of any of that happening. You just turn the page and it's a year later and now Dylan has his head on straight. I could've used a little more character development so we could see HOW Dylan had changed and WHY.
So in the end, I still really loved this book. I loved the romance of it. I really like Susie Tate's writing and I loved her first book "Broken Heart Syndrome". But this book needed just a little bit more.
I realize that I gave this book 4 stars. I loved a lot of things about this book. The characters are interesting. I love the behind the scenes at the hospital. This book grabbed me and pulled me under.
***There may be some minor spoilers****
When it was over I still felt like something was missing. Lou has a crush on Dylan for 10 years. 10 years!!! I just couldn't wrap my head around someone who would pine away for someone for so long and not tell him or at least move on with her own life. And Dylan. Dylan is a total manwhore just tripping through life. He treats Lou pretty badly. Dylan, Grow up and Man up PLEASE. What is it that Lou still sees in him? Explain this to me.
Lou does finally take control of her own life by getting some distance from Dylan. But the book just glosses this over by saying "One year later". I get it that a year has passed and that during that time Lou and Dylan will have made some personal changes. But as a reader I didn't get the sense of any of that happening. You just turn the page and it's a year later and now Dylan has his head on straight. I could've used a little more character development so we could see HOW Dylan had changed and WHY.
So in the end, I still really loved this book. I loved the romance of it. I really like Susie Tate's writing and I loved her first book "Broken Heart Syndrome". But this book needed just a little bit more.
Read
April 8, 2021DNF @ 70%
I don’t know what it is about this book, but I just can’t get into it. This is my third try, and I think it’s time I stuck a fork in it. It says that these can be read as a standalone, but I’m wondering if that might be the problem. I felt disconnected from the characters. I didn’t dislike any of them, just felt blah… like I couldn’t care less what happened. It also didn't flow smoothly for me with all the Welsh add ins (twp* bugger, etc.) and region specific stuff. Even the way they interacted with each other felt off. BUT, so many of my friends love this book, and it’s free on KU, so you should give it a try… this could totally be a Jac issue… and there’s some decent angst if you can connect.
I don’t know what it is about this book, but I just can’t get into it. This is my third try, and I think it’s time I stuck a fork in it. It says that these can be read as a standalone, but I’m wondering if that might be the problem. I felt disconnected from the characters. I didn’t dislike any of them, just felt blah… like I couldn’t care less what happened. It also didn't flow smoothly for me with all the Welsh add ins (twp* bugger, etc.) and region specific stuff. Even the way they interacted with each other felt off. BUT, so many of my friends love this book, and it’s free on KU, so you should give it a try… this could totally be a Jac issue… and there’s some decent angst if you can connect.
avoid
August 7, 2023Self note
Pining for 10yrs doormat h.
He’s a manwhore shocking I know.🙄
No sex scenes.😑😑😑
Pining for 10yrs doormat h.
He’s a manwhore shocking I know.🙄
No sex scenes.😑😑😑
March 5, 2025
I'm a fan of Susie Tate and I love her writing but this one didn't appeal to me. I don't see how they ended together after all those hurtful words and without real grovel from him.
April 22, 2015
Love Lou
As much as I loved Frankie, multiply that by ten about Lou. Beautiful inside and out. My heart broke every time she was hurt. I'm still not a fan of Dylan's, he doesn't deserve her. To bad her mother didn't get a smackdown as well. This story made me laugh out loud and bawl like a baby. I can hardly wait for more of this crew.
As much as I loved Frankie, multiply that by ten about Lou. Beautiful inside and out. My heart broke every time she was hurt. I'm still not a fan of Dylan's, he doesn't deserve her. To bad her mother didn't get a smackdown as well. This story made me laugh out loud and bawl like a baby. I can hardly wait for more of this crew.
December 22, 2024
WORST fucking H EVER. 🖕🗑
January 2, 2017
The premise this story has, is a good one of two long-time friends becoming an item and it should be right my alley with the promises of a slow-burn romance and all that, but unfortunately this really was not my cup of tea as I didn't warm to Dylan even at the end. Also, Lou's stubbornness and the way these FRIENDS were incapable of good ol' COMMUNICATION didn't make the story better for me.
On the upside, I liked how Lou and Dylan played that Blackadder game... but I fear that's the only upside to their relationship I see. Dylan was unnecessarily cruel with his BEST friend Lou (I don't even want to know how he behaved with people he didn't like). Lou literally dragged Dylan's ass through all sorts of things while all Dylan did was look pretty and charm the pants off of every other female than Lou. Oh, and he also ruined Lou's career as a doctor... And then, these lovely friends have a humongous MISUNDERSTANDING and then they have a fight and fail to TALK to each other for a looooooong time. If you're really friends, then you do your best to talk things through, not go sulk in Africa or something. (That's what Lou did.) Ugh!
Also, what's with the random jumps in time without even a warning to the poor reader? There literally was a lifechanging event with the hero and heroine of the previous book in the series in one chapter and in the next it's several months later without even a hint of some time having passed.
Sorry, not really my thing.
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On the upside, I liked how Lou and Dylan played that Blackadder game... but I fear that's the only upside to their relationship I see. Dylan was unnecessarily cruel with his BEST friend Lou (I don't even want to know how he behaved with people he didn't like). Lou literally dragged Dylan's ass through all sorts of things while all Dylan did was look pretty and charm the pants off of every other female than Lou. Oh, and he also ruined Lou's career as a doctor... And then, these lovely friends have a humongous MISUNDERSTANDING and then they have a fight and fail to TALK to each other for a looooooong time. If you're really friends, then you do your best to talk things through, not go sulk in Africa or something. (That's what Lou did.) Ugh!
Also, what's with the random jumps in time without even a warning to the poor reader? There literally was a lifechanging event with the hero and heroine of the previous book in the series in one chapter and in the next it's several months later without even a hint of some time having passed.
Sorry, not really my thing.
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September 11, 2022
I loved the angst of this book, though it was very long and the plot dragged at times. Unfortunately, it took Dylan, the H, way too long to pull his head out of his butt! I didn’t blame Lou for making it hard on him and for not believing he was sincere. He was a manwhore while she pined for him for 12 years.
Also, we didn’t get enough time to see them as a happy couple. There wasn’t a single open door bedroom scene, though there was sexual tension galore.
Also, we didn’t get enough time to see them as a happy couple. There wasn’t a single open door bedroom scene, though there was sexual tension galore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2023
Re-read 10/13 rating stays the same
Re-read 5/29/23. Man, this H was a dick and I'm not sure the h should have forgiven him, but I was craving some angst and heartbreak, and this definitely delivered. Rating staying the same
Bumping this up a star sense I enjoyed a lot more the second time around
Re-read 5/29/23. Man, this H was a dick and I'm not sure the h should have forgiven him, but I was craving some angst and heartbreak, and this definitely delivered. Rating staying the same
Bumping this up a star sense I enjoyed a lot more the second time around
May 20, 2025
4th reread as of 5/20/25! I needed a comfort read and I’m happy i picked this one up again! I don’t hate Dylan as much now LOL but the grovel is still *chef’s kiss*
still a 5 star rating for me!
3rd Reread and still a 5 star rating from me! Still hate Dylan - pretty much hate him more the 3rd time around. I hate him more every time i re read (proven Fact!)
5 stars are mainly for Lou, who has always been one of my top 5 heroines (though not bec. of her martyrdom which for the majority of the book I called "stupidity"). I get Lou. I get what it feels like to be pushed, kicked around and judged by everybody and still...Hold on. I am Lou. Lou is Me. Granted I am also insinuating that yes, I am very invested in loyalty, may it be given to the right people who appreciate it or to people who don't give a fuck about me - so essentially I do, also call myself "stupid" most of the times. And yes, I am also a martyr (another stupid life choice).
But along with my frustrations of Lou's greatly misplaced affections & loyalty (hate the H) is also equal amounts of admiration because damn, that girl can take hit after hit after hit AND STILL STAND THE FUCK UP. That alone awards her with "Idol" status.
Will be rereading this again in a few months!
-----
First Review
Who doesn't love a groveling hero? I hated Dylan in the first book and still pretty much hated him until about 2/3rds of this book. I loved Lou so much from the start and I am so happy she finally got her happy ending after 12 years!
Buddy read with Dana
still a 5 star rating for me!
3rd Reread and still a 5 star rating from me! Still hate Dylan - pretty much hate him more the 3rd time around. I hate him more every time i re read (proven Fact!)
5 stars are mainly for Lou, who has always been one of my top 5 heroines (though not bec. of her martyrdom which for the majority of the book I called "stupidity"). I get Lou. I get what it feels like to be pushed, kicked around and judged by everybody and still...Hold on. I am Lou. Lou is Me. Granted I am also insinuating that yes, I am very invested in loyalty, may it be given to the right people who appreciate it or to people who don't give a fuck about me - so essentially I do, also call myself "stupid" most of the times. And yes, I am also a martyr (another stupid life choice).
But along with my frustrations of Lou's greatly misplaced affections & loyalty (hate the H) is also equal amounts of admiration because damn, that girl can take hit after hit after hit AND STILL STAND THE FUCK UP. That alone awards her with "Idol" status.
Will be rereading this again in a few months!
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First Review
Who doesn't love a groveling hero? I hated Dylan in the first book and still pretty much hated him until about 2/3rds of this book. I loved Lou so much from the start and I am so happy she finally got her happy ending after 12 years!
Buddy read with Dana
August 9, 2020
Ugh! This book was all over the place. Firstly I’m going to have to disagree that this book which is part of a series, can be read as a stand alone. Ummm no. It got confusing at times when different characters would pop in and I had no idea what was going on.
The h is a doormat who basically let the H treat her like shit and use her for 10 years. The only positive thing about the book was at the end when she finally snapped and let the H have it.
And omg the H!!! 😡 This moron can only be described as lazy, childish, selfish and a man whore who shows no empathy or true friendship for the h who is supposed to be his best friend. He did manage to do some good grovelling towards the end (after a year time jump - that’s convenient 🙄) but really it was too little too late. Even when they’re together in the epilogue I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.
Most of the characters in this story were bloody awful. Also in one scene I could not believe the happy response h’s best friend showed when she found out her boyfriend deliberately knocked her up so she would be tied to him forever. What the hell?!
Overall this book is a hot mess with no lovable or redeemable characters.
The h is a doormat who basically let the H treat her like shit and use her for 10 years. The only positive thing about the book was at the end when she finally snapped and let the H have it.
And omg the H!!! 😡 This moron can only be described as lazy, childish, selfish and a man whore who shows no empathy or true friendship for the h who is supposed to be his best friend. He did manage to do some good grovelling towards the end (after a year time jump - that’s convenient 🙄) but really it was too little too late. Even when they’re together in the epilogue I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.
Most of the characters in this story were bloody awful. Also in one scene I could not believe the happy response h’s best friend showed when she found out her boyfriend deliberately knocked her up so she would be tied to him forever. What the hell?!
Overall this book is a hot mess with no lovable or redeemable characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2015
Brilliant follow up to Broken Heart Syndrome.
I absolutely loved Dylan, Susie Tate did a fantastic job of bringing him to life. In my head his dialogue reads like Huw Stephens. I do love me a valleys boy.
And!
The next book in the series will be Sam and Katie's
The little hints that the author has made regarding the next book sound amazing
Perfect much?
I can't wait to read it!
I absolutely loved Dylan, Susie Tate did a fantastic job of bringing him to life. In my head his dialogue reads like Huw Stephens. I do love me a valleys boy.
And!
The next book in the series will be Sam and Katie's
The little hints that the author has made regarding the next book sound amazing
"[Katie's] mind flashed to Sam. Yes grumpy and broody and mysterious pretty much summed him up she thought, and bloody rude. Katie knew that she talked too much, got too overexcited and was generally a bit of a goof, but there wasn't really anyway to hold it in. Lord knows she tried around Sam. She tried to talk less, not snort when she laughed as she was wont to do but it was just too hard, her personality was just too much to contain."
Perfect much?
I can't wait to read it!
October 28, 2015
Another 4 star for me from my 3rd Susie Tate book. I started this series with Broken Heart Syndrome, then Beyond Repair and had to continue with this one. I like all the characters and was happy to visit with all of them in the 3 books. These books are standalone, but the characters are all friends and somewhat interconnected, so readers can still catch up with other favorites.
It took a long time for Dylan to figure out his feelings for Lou. And, Lou is no doormat - she held her head up and didn't whine.
Enjoyed all three books (Broken Heart Syndrome is still my favorite.)
My only question now is: when is the next book?
It took a long time for Dylan to figure out his feelings for Lou. And, Lou is no doormat - she held her head up and didn't whine.
Enjoyed all three books (Broken Heart Syndrome is still my favorite.)
My only question now is: when is the next book?
October 22, 2015
At first I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book. I found Dylan to be a complete jerk and the Welsh words thrown in seemed to distract me a little bit from the story. After a while, however, I found myself caught up in the story of these two and the Welsh words thrown in started to add flavor. At one point this book had me actively sobbing and furiously wiping at the tears to be able to read more. Definitely worth reading.
October 22, 2015
Amazing
I loved this book. I knew I would love it from the synopsis and I wasn't disappointed. Dylan and Lou's story was beautiful, sad and brash. I cried, laughed, and got spitting mad. It's just such a good representation of unrequited love that you just gotta love it. I want more.
I loved this book. I knew I would love it from the synopsis and I wasn't disappointed. Dylan and Lou's story was beautiful, sad and brash. I cried, laughed, and got spitting mad. It's just such a good representation of unrequited love that you just gotta love it. I want more.
October 12, 2015
Loved this! I gave it 4 stars because it just took too long for them to get together. Seriously too long. I don't like reading about the H being with hordes of women and the h being with 2. The H being one.
Other than that, I loved the banter!
Other than that, I loved the banter!
August 25, 2024
i really wanted to like this one but i just can’t get over the fact that he treated her so badly for half the book 😭 the rage i felt after hearing the way dylan spoke to lou was unparalleled - i would honestly unleash so much hell on this man if i met him in real life lmao
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