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Road #1

Road to Recovery

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Being perfect isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. After surviving a horrific car crash, Brooke Malone is ready to start over. Moving from her hometown of Burlington, Vermont, to Albany, New York, for a new job, her only goals are to focus on her career and her recovery. The last thing she wants is the distraction of a relationship. Least of all with a sexy more-than-perfect coworker who is adamant about needing to help her. Lucas Mathews is any woman’s dream man. As a successful attorney, he could have any woman he wants. But he wants Brooke, the one woman who doesn’t seem interested. Can he win her over when all she wants to do is rebuild her life? Or will the secrets Brooke holds deep shatter any chance at happiness? Mature content, not intended for under 18 years of age.

All books can be read as stand alone or in order of the series.

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 8, 2014

398 people are currently reading
548 people want to read

About the author

Natalie Ann

255 books316 followers

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5 stars
271 (38%)
4 stars
263 (37%)
3 stars
120 (17%)
2 stars
36 (5%)
1 star
15 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
Profile Image for Mo.
1,404 reviews2 followers
January 11, 2020
Enjoyable enough read. Nothing mind-blowing or earth-shattering!

F R E E B I E!!

Profile Image for N.N. Heaven.
Author 6 books2,133 followers
November 20, 2019
A heart-wrenching romance with all the feels. Warning: you'll cry, bring tissues. From the start, I knew this was going to be a tear-jerker. I connected with Brooke right away. She's had so much pain and her growth is immense. It's hard to let go but Lucas is there for her every step of the way. I laughed, I cried, my heart swelled and I loved every minute reading it.

Highly recommend!

My Rating: 5+ stars
Profile Image for Home Is Where the Wine Is Book Blog.
257 reviews49 followers
March 17, 2015

4 stars! Beautiful story of perseverance, acceptance and finding love when you least expect it.

Spoken from Lucas and Brooke's POV.

After the accident, Brooke is left broken and not just from her physical injuries. Determined to put herself back together she moves from the town she grew up in to work in HR at a hospital in Albany. She does her best to hide her past lingering injuries and quickly befriends Cori, a quirky nurse she met at the gym. (This is where the story dragged just a bit for me but soon recovered)

When she is asked to meet with Lucas from the legal department she finds him handsome and charming. He relentlessly pursues her but she is reluctant because they work together. After finally giving in to her feelings they start up super steamy romance.

Being a type A personality, her walls are high and push the boundaries of their relationship. Lucas wants nothing more to be her everything but the past haunts her and secrets threaten to tear them apart. Will she be able to let him in?

Let-Go-of-the-Past

Favorite quote:
Out of the corner of her eye, she took note of his stance and tried not to laugh as the image of a peacock strutting on a treadmill came to mind.



Profile Image for Christi Leaverton.
134 reviews21 followers
February 21, 2016
Pleasantly surprised!

I have to admit that I wasn't sure about this book in the beginning when I started reading it. It took me a little bit to get invested in the story and I almost stopped reading a few times. But, I continued on and ended up really enjoying the story. The characters were deeper developed than I first thought and I genuinely cared for them in the end. I look forward to more books by Natalie Ann.
Profile Image for Beth Jones.
689 reviews1 follower
February 6, 2017
It was an ok read, the story line started out strong but I felt it lacking through out most of the book. Lucas is a strong man who knows what he wants and Brooke tries to come off as a strong character but has too much pain and issues with the past. Part of a series, can be read as a stand alone.
Profile Image for Mitzy Wilbourne.
3 reviews
December 30, 2015
Loved it!

Have the tissues ready! Great read! Ready for Cori's story. She is a little read headed ball of fire and energy!
Profile Image for Ronnae Stately.
772 reviews
November 9, 2024
Recovering

Brooke had a car accident, almost a year ago, that she managed to walk away from but her boyfriend at the time didn't. It took her this long to just be able to walk and move but she managed. She happened upon a new job and moved from her family home in Vermont to Albany, New York. But Brooke is not an asserting person so she keeps to herself and her first friend that she makes happens when she is doing a workout to help her rehab her body. Cori is assertive, nosy, and loves life as it is. She inserts herself in Brooke's life from the moment that Brooke tells some man child doctor he wasn't worth her time. But she does manage to meet someone that is, the only thing is she still holds back from Lucas and he knows it. Their conversations are stilted at times but Lucas lets her make the timeline for everything in their relationship. When he finally finds out the whole truth about her car accident he is upset but she is the one that puts a brake on their relationship. But in a true romance she comes to him to finally realize that she loves him because he loves her for who she is and not what she can do for him.
2,677 reviews12 followers
December 22, 2019
Raised by a Stepford Wife!

To say Brooke’s homelife was an emotional desert was an understatement. Her brother, Mac, said they were raised by a Stepford Wife. In any case, although Mac seemed able to overcome their mother’s influence, it left Brooke disconnected from her emotions and unable to have a successful relationship. Everything seemed worse after the accident that left her fiancée dead and almost killed Brooke, but now she has moved away from her parents and is working at a hospital in the city.

Lucas is definitely attracted to the beautiful new HR director but he senses that she has secrets and it will take work to break down the walls she has erected.

Although I felt sorry for Brooke, she was difficult to relate to.
Profile Image for Cynthia.
3,201 reviews101 followers
December 17, 2018
Touching

This was such a beautiful story. Brooke survived a major car accident and was finally able to come to terms with her physical therapy, but her fiancee parents blamed her for their sons death, and they fired her. She finds a job in a hospital 3 hours away from her family to start again. That is where she meets Lucas. He is the head of the legal department. She works in HR. She makes an impression on him. He finally talks her into going to dinner with him. She doesn't know how to feel the closeness his family offers, her brother is the only person she can be normal with.
Profile Image for Rosemary Hughes.
4,192 reviews23 followers
February 21, 2020
After a motor vehicle accident, Brooke woke up in a hospital, 8 days later. She didn't remember what had happened at first, but eventually her memory came back.
A long tedious and frustrating months later, she had moved and secured a new job. Hopefully she could leave her parents and their expectations behind her.
Yes, new place new friends, hard work and harder workouts, trying to get her body to work again.
The story is a romance, but of two people who are opposite in personality and upbringing.
Can they work it out, this attraction and need they both have for the other.
Great read!!
Profile Image for Megan Harrington.
399 reviews1 follower
May 15, 2017
I personally love series where each book has a different couple. So I was excited to start this one. In this first book meet Brooke and Lucas. Brooke was involved in an accident almost a year ago that resulted in the death of her boyfriend. Ready to move on with her like she packs up an moves away. Needing to put distance between her and her controlling mother. Brooke is hired at the hospital where Lucas works. Brooke wants no relationship especially with a co- worker. But can Brooke let her past go and find love.

Absolutely loved all the characters.


Profile Image for Mary.
181 reviews
March 20, 2017
Fine....I am fine.....not!!

First book in series, I enjoyed both the heroine & heroine, as well as all the supporting characters. Brooke (Brooklyn) was a brave, tough woman. Relocation after she is recovering from a bad car accident being pursued by a totally stand-up guy at her new job. Lucas is so patient, honorable & sexy without even trying. He knows there is more to Brooke than what she shows, knows she is hiding things. Brooke never having the life she has dreamed of is sure that Lucas will not be in her life forever if he knows about her past, her insecurity. I was in love with Lucas by the time they first slept together. I look forward to reading more books in the series & by this author.
Profile Image for Merle.
2,405 reviews1 follower
June 26, 2019
Good portrayal of two people falling in love with handicaps. Not only do they work for the same hospital, but one of them is emotionally stunted to the extent that she is incapable of sharing with another human being. In addition to meeting the gentleman who will win her heart, she also meets a spitfire of a nurse who has no filter. Cori opens Brooke up, too and it is needed. Brooke is a tough character to like, but the author finds what really makes her tick.
58 reviews
January 19, 2021
I do not often give a book a five star rating, but "Road to recovery" deserves it. The authoress draws the reader with her words that one becomes part of the story and feels the emotions of the characters, their anguish, fears, love and uncertainties. The theme is very well presented and the narrative makes for smooth reading. This book had me shedding tears more than once, but at the end feeling cleansed and uplifted.
7,766 reviews50 followers
December 14, 2018
Brooke, a story of building her life after a bad accident. Moving three hours away, to stand on her own feet, and make her own decisions. In the gym she meets Cori, the opposite of her, bubbly, laughter, and an instant friend.
Meeting Lucas and allowing friendship took a lot,thankfully he didn’t give up. A nice enjoyable story of falling in love for Lucas and Brooke.
298 reviews2 followers
January 27, 2020
Maybe 2.5 *

It was okay. She was very uptight. Understandable considering what she went through. Turns out it's mommy issues. He's okay. A Little arrogant but really into her. Characters aren't that deep. Part of a series. Still I'm curious to see if the rest of them are as confused. The sex isn't graphic or raunchy.
1,486 reviews19 followers
October 6, 2023
Brooke Malone is trying to rebuild her life after a horrifying car accident that she survived but her boyfriend did not. Brooke moves to Albany, New York to start a new job and new life. Lucas Matthews is a successful attorney and is interested in Brooke. Will Brooke be able to keep her past from Lucas to be happy together? I really enjoyed this great contemporary romance novel.
Profile Image for Amy Cron johnson.
23 reviews1 follower
March 27, 2017
Love it

I have read trek of these books, and I have loved both of them. The situations they dealt with are realistic and described so well that you could almost see the characters.
1,116 reviews23 followers
January 17, 2018
This book just didn't do it for me. Didn't even finish it. There was nothing inspiring about it. Nothing that leapt off the page and grabbed my attention. The characters were OK but then again I wasn't invested enough in their stories to keep reading. Two stars for me.
Profile Image for Rony.
702 reviews3 followers
June 23, 2019
Read 20% and started to get annoyed. Slow, the story seems like it's going nowhere. Brooke is as frigid as it gets and not in an appealing or attractive way. Boring would be more like it. Skip it
Profile Image for Danielle Williams.
518 reviews16 followers
August 20, 2019
Holy crap !!!!

Omg omg omg i cried alot in this book. Mostly at the end. I cant not believe people raise and treat their kids like statues and robots and without love or affection. Also patience is key to make life work
Profile Image for Jodi.
203 reviews
March 12, 2018
I absolutely loved this book. Wonderful characters and story line, heartwarming and heartbreaking at times. Can't wait to read more. Definitely 5 star worthy.
Profile Image for Robin Granata-joly.
70 reviews
April 23, 2019
Enjoyable

I enjoyed this read. Light, feel good book. Would definitely recommend reading this. No cliffhanger, but left you wanting to read about the next couple.
Profile Image for KDLediting.
1,763 reviews4 followers
September 18, 2022
5 stars

An emotional contemporary romance that will hit you in the feels. This is my first read from this author but ill be reading more!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
2,910 reviews6 followers
March 11, 2017
Let me preface this review by saying that I'm no longer willing to read books where the H is/was a manwhore. It's just a personal preference of mine. With a few rare exceptions, an author cannot make the story romantic enough when the H has that kind of past. The story either comes across as too sappy or unrealistic and unconvincing.



The way the author makes it sound, the H is still living this way right up until he meets the h. Thank goodness there's no ow/om drama. She doesn't bump into any of his flings. There's no mention of any hook up of his working at the hospital. And she never gets the mean girl treatment from an ex in the bathroom.

Okay, aside from the H, here are my thoughts on this book.
What didn't work for me:
1) The dialogue. It was choppy, unrealistic, and I'm sad to say, sort of boring.
2) The whole electric pulse from touching thing. The H mentions it and that he knows when it's there and when it's not, due to, you know, all the women he's known in his life. Ugh. Need I say more?
3) There's way too much sex in this book. I finished this so quickly b/c I skimmed all the scenes and there were many of them.
4) The H overreacts to so many things. Is that what a manwhore who decides to settle down is like? I'm not sure since I don't know any personally.
5) It takes a special kind of storytelling to make an insecure MC not annoying. Unfortunately, that wasn't accomplished in this book.

If you're looking for a low angst book, super insecure heroines don't bother you, a suddenly reformed manwhore H is still cool in your book, this might be a good read for you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews

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