MY RATING: 4.5/5 STARS

I received an arc in exchange for an honest review. 

I have to admit that when I first started reading this book, I had my doubts. I worried about if I would have interest in the characters simply because I'm not really used to reading Harlequin Medical stories but really, this one did a fantastic job at telling me I am wrong about them and I should read more from this line. 

I absolutely loved the relationship between Luca and Fran. They had this spicy love-hate relationship going on where Luca was telling Fran all the time that they will never, ever, ever be friends, much less than anything else. And Fran being like, okay. I don't care. Whatever. I just want to treat patients with dogs and my amazing physiotherapy sessions.

It was so fun watching Luca getting all heated up with Fran would do something outside of his comfort zone with patients and then having patients being happy about what she was doing and him admitting he was wrong. I also enjoyed how Luca realized that he wasn't protecting anyone by being all stern and following the rules but pushing them away and hurting them more, especially with his niece that he takes care of.

Throughout the whole book there was this push and pull aspect I loved and hated. Luca would fall for Fran, then push her away. The part where readers believe they might not make it in the end: it was beautiful. Luca laid out all his feelings, explained why he couldn't do what he wanted to do. You really felt the pain both characters felt in that moment.

Of course, there was going to a misunderstanding and Luca gets all fired up and bitter but he sees the light and for that, Luca is my book boyfriend for this week. I just need to slap him around a bit so he can stop jumping to conclusions so much.

The reason why this book is not a perfect 5/5 was because the ending was too rushed. How many Harlequins do I have to read where the endings are so rushed that it feels like it's been slapped together?

MY RECOMMENDATION:

Regardless of the ending, the story was fantastic. Please read this one!

A sweet story of the power of love. This is one book that will be on my "share" and to "read again" shelf.

A heart-tugging story of love, redemption and broadening one's horizons! The characters were a fun mix. He's brooding and has given up on feeling ... she's full of life and happy to share her flare. The teen interaction is fun to watch.

Italian surgeon Luca Montovano has escaped his old life to build a mountaintop clinic retreat that he hopes will help his orphaned teenage niece prosper after an accident that derails their life and leaves them with only each other to depend on. The last thing he wants to see walking through his doors is drama ... but here she comes!

Francesca Martinelli has no clue it's Luca who runs the clinic that she's gotten a temporary job at. The last time she saw him, he was angry with her for ruining their mutual friend's wedding! She is loyal to a fault, and she couldn't let her dearest friend make such a mistake. Will her bubbly personality be just what his niece needs to see the joy in life again? And will he be able to let down his own walls enough to enjoy her a little bit himself?

This book is an intriguing look at therapy dogs, set in a stunning locale in Italy. It features a positive physio-therapist and a curmudgeon of a doctor. She kept wanting to work with him to help him be happy, I wanted her to call him a jerk and tell him off. The book felt sort of old school Betty Neels, but with a modern twist.

In Tempted by the Bridesmaid, we meet Luca and Francesca. Luca is a physician who has to care for his orphaned niece. Francesca is a skilled physiotherapist who trains animals. This had such a great premise and great potential, which I feel the author could have really brought out but Tempted by the Bridesmaid had touching moments that kept me going until the HEA. Themes such as forgiveness, hope, second chances and a strong bond with family and relationships resonated within this read.
Best quotes:
"Isn't it better to know the truth than live a lie?"
"Destiny wasn't just something you haphazardly fell into. Destiny was something you shaped."
Thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for this ARC.

Tempted by the Bridesmaid is a well written romance novel. While it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, I did enjoy the story overall.

This story ws really different than I expected but in a really good way. The first part of the story starts at our heroine, Francesca's best friends wedding where she stops the wedding because she saw the groom cheat on her best friend. That is where she meets Luca and well its not a very happy occassion for Luca, he leaves her with the parting words of "we will never be friends."

What neither Luca or Fran know is that the best friend whose wedding is stopped is secretly hiring Fran to work at Luca's new clinic and having her bring some dogs she has trained to assist Luca's niece,a paraplegic. This story was light on romance but was really interesting.

I learned ALOT about paraplegics and it was fascinating. I also learned lot about how service dogs can help paraplegics. I really liked Luca and Fran, they were really great characters separately. Despite enjoying this story, the romance was not really a big part of the story.

If you want a hot book or a sweet romance romance then you will not love this book. But if you want an interesting story then you will love this story. It definitely had a lot of heart to it.