In this the latest book in the Love Heart Lane series the central character is Ben, the new Doctor. He brings in a new Doctor to help with the practice who turns out to be Kate, his arch nemesis from university. Needless to say sparks fly between these two highly competitive people, who have back stories of their own.
For me a 5* story is one that draws me in, which this does in spades. I could sympathise with Ben and found Katie really annoying, but warmed to her as the story developed and some of the reasons for her ways came out. As usual the setting sounds breathtaking and it was great to be in the heart of the community again. There were upbeat moments to counterbalance the darker touches: I can relate to the problems with dementia, losing someone to this terrible disease, but overall I really loved this story and can't wait for the next one in the series.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

The New Doctor at Peony Practice is the eighth book in the Love Heart Lane series and long-time followers of the blog will know that I have adored this series by Christie Barlow right from book one. I’ve definitely not stuck with a series in this genre for this long so it’s a sign of just how brilliant it is. I really can’t get enough of it and am delighted that Christie keeps writing these books so quickly as I am always gutted when my visit to Heartcross ends. Thankfully we aren’t kept waiting too long for the next instalment and at this stage we are even getting two books a year which is great. Once again, the cover for this new story is stunning. Whoever is designing these covers is doing a fantastic job. They instantly make you want to dive in and meet the new characters and of course the old familiar faces which have captured a place in my heart from the previous books.

Of course, The New Doctor at Peony Practice can be read as a stand alone and if you do so it will only make you want to go back and start at the very beginning. There is a reason why people get so excited when they see a new upcoming addition to this series and that’s because they are highly readable books with a fantastic setting that you wish was real and the characters feel like friends. Not to mention the unbelievable community spirit and sense of friendship that echoes down through every book. I can picture so vividly in my head all the various settings such as Primrose Park, Heartcross Castle, Rory’s surgery, Clover Cottage, The Grouse and Haggis pub and so many more.

This time around we are introduced to Ben Sanders who has been living in the village of Heartcross in the Scottish Highlands for the last six months. He has embraced all the challenges that his job as a doctor at Peony Practice has to offer and he relishes and enjoys each and every day. He loves the slower pace of life in the village and he has been made to feel so welcome. All the characters who featured before are once again present and they dip in and out when needed but this book focuses on Ben and his story. I love how old characters are not forgotten and we get glimpses of how they are doing after their story had ended. And how refreshing was it to have a women’s fiction book told from the male perspective. It was such a change and one I very much enjoyed. We really got inside Ben’s head and yes we got the female viewpoint as well but Ben is the one whose journey we follow closely.

Although Ben is enjoying his new life, the stream of patients to the practice is endless and he is in danger of being overworked and the practice itself is under pressure. An unexpected arrival sets the cat among the pigeons when Ben’s old nemesis from university Katie O’Neill is hired as the new doctor. Right from their first meeting after so many years you could sense the tension and unease between the pair but I wondered was it more on Ben’s part than Katie’s? Katie is so full of confidence and is a definite overachiever and perfectionist. She had the perfectly family life growing up and knew who she was. She is the complete opposite to Ben who felt like he never fitted into his family life because he had been adopted.

Ben and Katie have a shared history apart from the rivalry they found themselves in university and this competition doesn’t seem to have faded. Soon Katie has changed things at the practice without consulting Ben and he is horrified to discover that she is living in the flat next to him above the practice. I got the feeling Ben’s idyllic time in Heartcross was going to come to an abrupt end as Katie ‘ had started to scratch an itch that Ben hadn’t even known needed scratching and he couldn’t get her out of his mind’. That is meant in both a professional and romantic manner.

To be honest I didn’t like Katie at the start. I found her to be so pushy and forthright and that she didn’t understand the way Ben or indeed Heartcross operated. It was like she wanted all these changes implemented and it was her way or no way. But then over time you realise you should never judge someone on first appearances and I think I judged her based on Ben’s history with her and what he thought of her. Deep down, she too struggles with things but it takes time to express this and she has had a rocky past. She does have a good heart beneath it all which is highlight when she decides to organise the first Heartcross boat race to organise funds for a dementia charity. This has been a storyline ongoing throughout the series and it has been handled so well. It’s been realistic, thoughtful and written in a sensitive and tactful way. Also, when something arises near the conclusion of the book again I was glad to see these issues and themes being explored and it really helped me understand Ben an awful lot more.

Ben is a complex character who knows deep down that he is a struggling with a number of issues in his life particularly his family unit and how he feels he never had a place in it. He brushes things under the carpet instead of confronting them and I think he had preconceptions of Katie. Maybe sharing things and getting things off both their chests would help them. After all they did now have to work alongside each other and were team captains in the boat race. As the story progresses you can see that this pair definitely have feelings for each other but they are both stubborn and can’t express how they feel. There are a number of funny mishaps, most notably at the medical school reunion, that occur alongside the more serious issues being explored and they all blend together so well. Christie Barlow has that knack of mixing humour, romance, friendship and community spirit alongside real life issues that affect us all.

I expected there to be more about the run up to the boat race and coming towards the end I was worried there wouldn’t be much mention of it all but nearing the end the race did feature and helped the story as a whole come full circle. One thing I would mention is that the book was previously titled Peony Practice and I think it fits in better with the titles in the series overall. The new title is a bit of a mouthful and doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily. The title won’t affect your reading of the book but I just think the old title worked better.

I really did enjoy The New Doctor at Peony Practice. The fact that I started it more or less as soon as it landed on my Kindle weeks in advance of publication day is testament to how good this series really is. As much as I enjoyed it and I don’t think Christie Barlow could ever write a bad book, I don’t think this has been my favourite in the series so far. But I definitely wouldn’t have missed out on reading it. New Beginnings at the Old Bakehouse is the next in the series coming in just a few short months and it’s one I have been waiting for ever since the characters first appeared back in book six Primrose Park. Long may Christie continue writing about these wonderful characters and the very special village of Heartcross because they make you feel warm inside and uplifted.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The next book in the Love Heart Lane series.

Katie arrives in Heartcross as the new doctor to work alongside Ben Sanders. Ben doesn’t know that the new doctor is an old medical school colleague. When he realises this he is shocked as he hoped he would never see her again. Little does he know Katie will start to work her way into his live and his heart and their is very little he can do to stop it.

Another brilliant book from Christie.

While there is an air of inevitability in the book, I did actually like that there was other storylines in the book, one that I really wasn't expecting and because of that, it helped keep your focus on the book.

This is part 8 in The Love Heart lane series of books. It can be read as a standalone book, but it is a fantastic series, and characters from the previous books feature in each new book. This book focuses on Ben and Katie who are
G.Ps at the Heart Cross medical centre.
To begin with I found Katie to be a little annoying, but I warmed to her more as the book continued.
This book managed to squeeze in so many themes, including Dementia, but it was well written and flowed well.
This is an enjoyable book and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Katie was the new Doctor and I didn’t like her character. The story itself was a bit predictable in my opinion. There was quite a bit of description that went into a lot of detail i.e. the riverbank.
I did not realise that this was the 8th book in the Heartcross series, but that explains why certain characters acted as they did towards others.
Unfortunately this was not for me.

Such a delight to read. Its part of a series but can easily be read as a standalone. Loved the characters , the setting and the storyline. I definitely need to start from the beginning now. Perfect escape with an uplifting vibe

Great holiday read. Likeable characters, a feel good factor story line and a happy ending. Recommended.

Such a fun and interesting story. I loved the main characters but the side ones too. I laughed and I cried and that is the very definition of a wonderful book in my opinion.

This is book number eight in the Love Heart Lane series, although part of a series, it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone book.
I haven’t read any of the others and still enjoyed it.
Set in the idyllic little Scottish village of Heartcross, yhis book focuses on the village’s GP Ben Sanders who has recently taken over from the longstanding GP who has recently retired.
It’s a busy little surgery, and Dr Sanders could use more help with his patient list and is looking forward to the locum Dr providing some much-needed support.
But when his medical school nemesis arrives it feels like it’s far from the cavalry that’s been called in!

The Dr Katie O’Neil Ben knew at St Andrew’s was always so competitive, needing to be first, the woman he loved to hate, but the woman he sees now seems softer – could it be that she’s mellowed and matured?

For the sake of the community they must learn to work together.
There’s some emotive subjects tackled within this book – dementia and the impact it has on the person and their loved ones, family fall-outs, and adoption especially in Ireland which we all now know to have been problematic to say the least.
Ben not only discovers he is part of a wonderful community in this picturesque village, but a blossoming friendship and romance with the woman he thought hated him as well as discovering the truth about his adopted family.
I really enjoyed the build up to the big boat race.
Ben discovering the truth about his adoption was so emotive, no spoilers here.
I enjoyed this instalment of the series and would like to read more!
With thanks to Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely next instalment in the Love Heart lane series. I love that all these books standalone but link together.

Ben is the newish GP in the village of Heartcross. When he needs extra help he's surprised when his nemesis from medical school days, Katie, turns up.

Their rivalry is as strong as ever but there are some hidden depths.

A lovely, easy read that touches on some important issues of family, dementia and identity.

This was a delightful read from beginning to end. Beautifully set in Heartcross in the Scottish Highlands. Set in a doctors practice it was heartwarming and touching with a hint of sadness. Gladly it all worked out well in the end. I loved the two main characters katie and Ben.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I have read and loved all previous books in this series and I loved reading this one too.

It was so nice to be back in Heartcross abs meet up with old friends as well as the new doctors.

Dr Ben, who has taken over, but due to the workload he is finding it hard to manage, so a new doctor is coming to join him. At his birthday party, the doctor arrives, and hrs someone he knows from his past, Dr Kate. When they were at university, they had a live/hate type of relationship.

The story covered Dementia and the effects it has on both the old and young people, as well as how the community comes together for a good cause.

So, will Ben and Kate be able to put the past behind them and work together?

I couldn’t put the book down as I wanted to know what happens next.

Another lovely book in the Love Heart Lane Series where we meet Dr Ben Sanders and Dr Katie O'Neill, who are the village doctors. The book is well planned and written. Looking forward to the next instalment.

Ben has been the GP at Peony Practice for a while. A new GP has been hired, and its his old nemesis from university. Katie and Ben disliked each other greatly and were in constant competition with each other. Katie walks into the practice, takes over Bens office, moves into the flat next to his and starts to wind him up.

Along the way they devise a rowing competition to help the local community and some interesting things happen along the way.

Not your average typical romance book, but i really enjoyed it.

This was an easy, beach read, perfect for holidays. I enjoyed this one. Although it was a little predictable that didn’t spoil hints for me at all. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

What an enjoyable story! I’ve read a few of this series so far (with the Heartcross Castle one being my fave!) and this town and these people are quite enjoyable.

If you’re a fan of enemies to lovers this may be one for you! I enjoyed the banter and history between our MC and nemesis from his past. And I love that the receptionist is continuously involving herself haha. There are lots of moments of assumptions, quick judgements, and things just falling into place, and then there is the side of not knowing where you came from and loss of a family member from an incurable disease.

I feel like this story has a little bit of everything in it and can easily reach a wide variety of readers! It is not super heavy on the romance, and what there is is just sweet and honestly, really nice. It’s not dramatic or over the top, it just....fits.

If you enjoy contemporary romance and/or stories with a bit of a mystery (or the aforementioned enemies to lovers trope), consider picking this one up!!!!

Thank you to Christie Barlow, One More Chapter and Netgalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

What an amazing book. I love all of love heart series books by Christie barlow, she's such a favourite author.
This novel is no different, were sent to heart cross up in Scotland and the village comes together for one resident who needs the doctor on many occasions due to her declining health. In the midst of this a new Dr turns up to help Ben with the workload only for him to realise it was the girl who always pushed to win the best grades at university. Has Katie changed? Does he want her change? Does he want this nuisance woman to stay and work beside him? Everywhere Ben is, so is Katie.
Ben is going through a little turmoil over being adopted and one playful birthday gift turns him into a brother son and uncle but Does he want this?
I couldnt put this book down, especially when there's a very competitive boat race between the two doctors. This book is a mix between between love, chic lit and long lost family. Loved it and ao will everyone else.

Another wonderful novel set in Heartcross,, these stories get better and better. These can be read as standalones ore as a series, they don't have to be read in the other of publishing. I can't wait for the next book to be released and I hope there will be plenty more to come. Everyone tells a story with the main characters being new to Heartcross but include many of the other people that live there, This really is a 5 stars read. Many thanks for writing these lovely stories Christie Barlow.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

I have followed this series from the beginning and I have been enthralled by the characters, each and everyone.
I think most of the readers would love to live in Heartcross as it’s the kind of village that dreams are made of.
The warmth in the author’s writing is mesmerising and each time pulls me in that little bit more!