The Doctor's Do-Over

Summer Sisters #1

by Karen Templeton, Ann Kitsnik (Translator)

All Ryder Caldwell wanted was to be Melanie Duncan's protector—until those feelings turned into something stronger, forcing him to end their relationship before they made a mistake. But how could he have predicted that his rejection would send Melanie running into his brother's arms? And result in a baby? Now, ten years later, Mel has come home—and she's not alone. She was always the woman Ryder couldn't forget—and now she's accompanied by the child he hadn't known existed. And suddenly the good doctor can see everything he's been searching his whole life to find…right in his own backyard….

Genres: Romance, Harlequin

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 21, 2012

About the author

As the mother of five sons, now grown, Karen loves to write about real people dealing with the drama (and humor) of everyday life. Over the past fifteen years, Karen has written nearly 50 books for Harlequin/Silhouette and Red Dress Ink, and three of her Special Edition titles (A Mother's Wish (2009) Welcome Home, Cowboy (2011) and A Gift for All Seasons (2013) have won the RITA award, the romance industry's top prize for published authors. In addition, her November 2014 title, Santa's Playbook, earned the Romantic Times Gold Seal of Excellence, out of the hundreds of releases reviewed by the magazine for that month.

She is very active on Facebook, as both Karen Templeton and her full name, Karen Templeton Berger, running giveaway contests whenever she has a new release... or just feels like it. Or you can reach her via her website at www.karentempleton.com, which contains recent news as well as excerpts from both current and backlist titles.

Reviews

[Nothing Like A Good Book!!!! wood]

JUST LOVED IT...

[Jo]

—SPOILER—

Creo recordar que en este libro, en el pasado, la heroina está tan, taaaaan enamorada del Héroe, que va acostarse con el hermano menor de este. ¡Y queda embarazada! ¿Su excusa? Que ella lo necesitaba en aquel entonces (su padre había muerto) y el único que le dio consuelo fue su hermano. Y para colmo de males, cuando el Héroe descubre en el presente que el hermano está vivo, casado y la ha ignorado a ella y a la hija toda la vida, quiere enmendar el pasado y quedarse con las dos.

[Susan]

Good book. Ryder and Melanie had known each other as children. He had taken on the role of protector, watching over her and being her friend. When those feelings started turning into something stronger he ended their relationship (she was only 16). Ten years later, her grandmother had left her house to Melanie and her two cousins, so she returned to St. Mary's. Ryder was stunned to see that Melanie had a child, and more so to find out the child was his brother's. He wanted to get to know her, and resume his friendship with Melanie. But she was angry, and wanted nothing to do with him. After talking they decided to try to repair their friendship and allow Ryder to get to know his niece Quinn without going into the fact they were related. Melanie found that their adult friendship was turning into something deeper, but she still had trust issues with him and his parents. I really liked both Melanie and Ryder. Mel has been raising Quinn on her own, with only her mother as help. Now her mom has passed away as has her grandmother. She is stuck in town with her cousins, going through years of stuff in the house. When Ryder comes to her and she discovers he never knew about her daughter she is surprised. She also realizes that she still has feelings for Ryder. She is very angry at the way his parents treated her when they found out their other son had gotten her pregnant. She also realizes that she is going to have to tell her daughter about her father sooner rather than later. I like the way that she has matured and won't let anyone walk all over her again. She and Ryder spend a lot of time together and their feelings grow, but Ryder has his own tragedy in his past that he hasn't gotten over. Ryder really wants to get to know Mel again, and also be a true uncle to his niece. He is really good with her and you can see the love growing between them. He lost his fiancee in a tragic accident less than a year ago and still hasn't dealt with his feelings. He is avoiding getting emotionally involved with Mel because of it. Mel doesn't want to stay in St. Mary's because it is too painful to see Ryder every day, knowing that he won't love her. It takes her leaving for him to realize that he had always loved her, and moving on with her was possible.

[J.]

It's tricky when friends become lovers. Romance writers must deal with the "why?"s and the "why nots?" of the relationship. Some skim the tricky psychological issues,making the relationship change seem too easy. Not Karen Templeton. She goes the extra mile with The Doctor's Do-Over, creating a gut-wrenching and emotionally satisfying "friends romance" with the elements of women's fiction.

The hero, Ryder Caldwell is the epitome of "wounded" and thinks of Melanie Duncan,a snappy, strong heroine, as his little sister. But things change. Ingredients of this page turner include the setting of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, a too smart for her own good ten year old, and family secrets that make the reader gasp aloud. Just a marvelous read. Can't wait for the second in the series.

[Callie James]

I really loved this book. What a voice Karen Templeton has! I'll be sure to be picking up her other books soon. Ryder, the hero, is such a good guy. Exactly how I like my hero to be. And Mel, our heroine, is full of fire and spunk and just the one to get this guy going.

I fell in love with all the characters and their stories. Just a true feel-good romance, this one. Impossible not to come away from this book without a satisfied sigh.

I don't give 5 stars often, but this one curled my toes from start to finish. Wonderful and a must-read.

[Emily Higgins]

Ryder Caldwell had been a close friend of Melanie Duncan throughout her childhood. Things changed once Ryder went off to college. Ryder's brother, David, got Melanie pregnant and Melanie was banished to avoid scandal. This is the story of Melanie's homecoming 10 years later. Good story.

[Susannah Carleton]

3 1/2 stars. A heart-warming story of friendship, family, and love. Throw in some old secrets, an old, falling-down, extremely cluttered house, and a smart, funny ten-year-old girl, and Ms. Templeton creates an enjoyable, entertaining story.

[Susan Dalley]

I spent about 2/3s of this thinking it was kind of lame, but the last third saved it! It has a very distinct voice and I'm looking forward to the others in the series.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Summer Sisters
Category: Heart & Home

[Kelly Akemann]

Good read. Simple easy story of a chance to renew a childhood love. Very typical Harlequin.