The fourth book in the Southern Charm series
introduces
Jude Sebastian who has been coping with type one diabetes
since childhood. Jude owns the floral shop Flowers in the
Breeze which accounts for the lovely title WHEN IN BLOOM.
Jude also has epilepsy, generally under control but enough
of a worry that he has to take precautions. His loyal
Golden Labrador, Dawson, is a medical alert dog.
Dr. Elliott Sheffield has to overcome psychological
issues,
arising from his time as an army surgeon in Afghanistan.
Now home and experiencing flashbacks, he understands that
he's not safe to keep working in the ER. He doesn't have a
partner to share feelings with, and isolation is harmful.
He applies for work in a smaller clinic, and gets adopted
by a stray cat. Animals are good antidepressants, he's
told. Well it's a start.
When the two lads meet in the Florida clinic, Jude quickly
recognises Elliot's distress from a thunderstorm and
treats
him with understanding. For his part, Elliot thinks Jude
is
attractive, and luckily Jude doesn't take offence when he
mentions it. Maybe they'll meet again, but given their
separate health issues, what would be the outcome?
These seem like two really decent ordinary guys, doing
their best to manage careers and live quietly. Jude
actually seems to have the worst of it, with highly
demanding, stressed out brides waltzing into his shop.
The
newcomer Elliot is told that his apartment's area is
rainbow proud and open, so no worries there. In fact, we
learn a lot about the businesses in town, from a
secondhand
store to a restaurant and an art studio. While I have not
read any earlier books by Nicole Dennis I can see that the
characters in these establishments are already part of her
series. I really enjoyed seeing the assistance dog at work
as I admire these highly trained animals and this one,
Dawson, is really well portrayed.
WHEN IN BLOOM is an adult romance and well worth reading
for anyone interested in the issues mentioned, or if you
are just looking for a well-written and unusual modern
romance. Nicole Dennis has done a terrific job of
interesting us in her characters and their problems, and
I'll be looking out for more of her books.
Southern Charm—a series of books set in the town of Shore
Breeze on the Florida Panhandle Coast at the edge of the
Fairview Peninsula. The Charm is an antebellum B&B with a
popular restaurant, Southern Delights. Though the Charm
survived a hundred years, the last ten have been difficult
on its survival—hurricanes, oil spills, and the economy.
These are the stories of the men who live within and
venture to the Charm to help save her and each other.
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