Another Chance At Love

Set in the South Island of New Zealand, in the small seaside town of Matarae on Golden Bay.

Dr Carmody is mourning the loss of his son, Max. His dreams of passing on the GP practice to Max are gone, and ill health has forced him to sell the practice to Dr Chloe Semple.

Chloe has her own dreams and reasons for living in this out of the way place, dreams she doesn’t share with anyone. Coming to a more remote area has its merits, one of them her over-bearing step- mother, Maeve. Maeve has the habit of making Chloe feel unwanted and unloved, even more than she did as a child.

There’s a shock arrival one morning before the handover. Dr Max Carmody has suddenly arrived home. They learn he was captured by the rebels to help them tend the sick and dying. When he becomes seriously ill from an infected machete wound they release him.

Chloe is roused from her feelings of the comfort of coming home, by the return of the ‘Golden Boy.’ Now she watches as he is chased and simpered over by the local females, and every one of them attempting to get their hooks into him. It makes her believe the tales she’s heard that Max is still a playboy at heart.

Max likes being around the quieter Chloe, but can’t do anymore than look at the view, not touch, and dodge the dolly birds, until he’s given a medical clearance. Trouble is, Chloe can’t believe he’d actually prefer her mouse plain looks to the svelte models chasing him.

ANOTHER CHANCE AT LOVE is an intriguing story with some great characters inside the covers. The local residents are a very diverse bunch; they all bring their own perspective to the doctors, and an opinion on how they should conduct a romance, even though there isn’t one. Pace, depth, style and energy abound in this refreshingly different tale. The plot flows smoothly, while the hero and heroine are at the cross roads, neither willing to let down their guard.

The medical jargon is easy to understand, and never gets in the way of the story but adding another dimension. From funerals, near death experiences and patients with obscure complaints, the main characters handle it all. The sex scenes are handled gently and with sensitivity so not likely to offend any readers. The characters were very human with some good flaws and the conflict never detracted from the story. With well-constructed plot all the scenes flowed well, while keeping every thing happening in order. The theme was consistently good, and the scenery and beach scenes had just the right amount of action. A fresh and refreshing love story, as love grows and blooms within the pages, while getting a gentle nudge to an interesting conclusion.

December 2006