Allie Stapleton left Cinnamon Bay for college swearing to never return to the small town where she’d grown up. A few years after landing in the big city to put her MBA to use, she decided the cubicle and the salary that paid for an apartment the size of her walk-in closet back home just wouldn’t do. So she returned. The hospital was hiring a new director and she had the education and just enough … enough experience to be a contender. Her only competition was the resident doctor at the hospital, the boy next door.
Single father, Trace Collins loved being a surgeon and raising his daughter in his home town, but the hours were impacting his daughter in the worst way. His coveted position at the hospital didn’t matter– he needed to make a change. Then a position opened up that might just challenge him: hospital director. He applied immediately, expecting to be a shoo-in until he heard Allie was in town.
They’d played doctor growing up, and while competing for the same position should’ve put them at odds, it only seemed to put them in the mood to take this rivalry to the bedroom instead of the boardroom.
Delve into a new world of romance, mystery, and magic in the quirky coastal town of Cinnamon Bay, North Carolina.
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I absolutely loved this book and was honored to have been able to read and review. It was such a phenomenal read and had amazing characters as well as an amazing story line. I just could not get enough of it and once I started reading it I could not put it down. I recommend that you read it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Returning home to a new job and a doctor is just the way to do it!
I haven’t read other Monique McDonell novels but I will now!
When life goes wrong you often find yourself wanting to return home. When Allie found herself in this situation she returned home vying for a new job at the local hospital. However, the only other candidate is a sexy doctor, Trace, who is trying to be able to spend more time with is daughter.
What is a girl and boy to do when you find yourself falling in love with the competition. Do you go for the job or the guy and his daughter or the gal?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A sweetly thrilling, highly entertaining, sexy fun and engaging romance filled with small town goodness, friendly rivalry, simmering passion and one of my favorites a long ago friends to so much more twist…. was a great reading experience. Really enjoyed very heart pounding moment.
Book three in the A Cinnamon Bay Romance series a well written story about a second chance. Allie Stapleton comes home to Cinnamon Bay, N.C. and applies for the position of hospital director, but divorced single dad Trace Collins also applies. I liked reading how Allie, Trace, and his daughter Dakota get their happy ending and everything they have to go through to get it. I hope there is more to come in this series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received for an honest review from Booksprout
This book hooked me from the get go I just couldn’t put it down I fell in love with these characters and omg what a story just a perfect read I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough it was so good
She’s coming home after being overlooked for a promotion and he’s a single dad trying to cut the grueling hours he spent at the hospital. They were next door neighbor, friends and even played doctor as kids. Can the town trio, their mothers and fate bring them together? It’s s well written, with lovable characters and enough charm to make you want to move to Cinnamon Bay.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a good book! It was sweet and well written with no steam. I adored Allie and Dakota. Unfortunately, Trace didn’t do much for me. He was a coward who didn’t make great decisions and his wishy washy ways annoyed me. I almost gave this book 3 stars because of him but there are some really good parts to this.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
In this small-town romance, the heroine returns from the big city in hopes of landing a job as the hospital director of her hometown’s hospital. Also up for the job is her old friend, Trace, whom she has always had a serious crush, but things went sideways when they were teenagers. He is now a single dad and thinks the desk job would be better for his daughter as he could keep more regular hours doing that rather than as a surgeon. The book shows how the hero and heroine rekindle their friendship and how it comes to be something more. This story is about family on several levels. First, of course, there is the very important relationship between Trace and his daughter, Dakota. It’s his concern for her that drives him to consider taking the desk job even though he enjoys being a hands-on doctor. It’s also about the support that family can be for each other. Trace’s mother works to provide a stable home for Dakota along with her son, taking care of the little girl after school and when Trace is working. Trace really couldn’t do it without his mom. I don’t a hundred percent like the way the book ended. While an HEA seems in place at the end, the book ends much too abruptly. I would have liked to have seen a glimpse of the couple’s future life together. I also don’t think the time frame for Trace to become a doctor is correct; he would have had to get through regular college, medical school, residency, and internship to be a surgeon. That said, this is a sweet and gentle romance with a focus on family, and in general, I found it a very good read.
This was a cute second chance best friends romance. Allie and Trace were best friends growing up and even though he left that friendship behind for the popular self centered cheerleader, he has since realized what’s important and that’s a woman who will love him and his sweet little daughter Dakota. There was drama with the mean high school girls, Trace and Allie applying for the same job, and her mother’s health scare. There were new friends who welcomed her back to Cinnamon Bay and stood behind her. And there was plenty of humor and romance.
Trace and Allie grew up as neighbors and friends but as they got older Allie’s friend Chelsea wanted Trace and she got him when she got pregnant. Allie left for college and moved to New York but after working hard and was passed over for a promotion she has had enough and moves back to Cinnamon Bay. She applies for the job of hospital director not knowing that Trace applied for the same job. Trace as a surgeon and single father puts in long hours and thinks the directors job will allow him to spend more time with his daughter Dekota who gets along great with Allie. Trace and Allie have a chemistry that can’t be denied and along with the matchmakers are helping move things along. Who will get the job and why is Chelsea calling Trace after five years?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I am a sucker for a good well written single dad romance and this book did not disappoint. It is the third book in the series but can easily be read as a standalone although I have read the previous books and they are just as good as this one. This is a great book to curl up with for a couple of hours. I really liked it and would recommend it to all romance lovers
Trace and Allie grew up as next door neighbors and best friends. Allie always had a special thing for Trace but didn’t know how to communicate her feelings so when Chelsea came into the picture she eased Allie out of the picture. In fact she turned several people against her and started bullying Allie although it was Allie’s parents who took her under their wing because of her dysfunctional home. When Allie let she had no intention of coming home but she was unhappy in the city. When a job offer came up she immediately applied for it Trace just so happened to apply for it as well wanting to have more home time with his daughter. Who will get the job and could this be seen as fate stepping in to give these two a push towards the relationship that should have been?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Dual POVs
Part of a series: Cinnamon Bay
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue
I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from Booksprout.
A beautiful story about Allie Stapleton and Trace Collins. Allie and Trace were next door neighbors and friends. Allie had a huge crush on Trace growing up but, Chelsea [who was also Allie’s friend at the time] decided she wanted Trace all to her self. Well Trace and Chelsea get married and Chelsea is pregnant but, after a year Chelsea decided to leave and she signs over her Parental Rights to their adorable daughter Dakota. Allie Stapleton left Cinnamon Bay to go to college. After graduating, she got what she thought was a dream job in NYC. She got passed over on a promotion that she feels she was the most qualified for but, she feels she didn’t get it because she was a woman. She decides to pack up an move back to Cinnamon Bay, NC and her mom is very happy she is coming home. She started looking for jobs near her mother. She heard about an opening for a Director’s job at a hospital close to her mother’s home. Then you have Trace Collins a surgeon who puts in long hours at the hospital and is struggling to spend time with his daughter. The one day Allie and Trace ran into each other at the Brewed With A View Coffee Shop and they sit down and talk and Allie finds out that Trace also applied for the Director’s job at the hospital. Allie meets Trace’s daughter Dakota and Dakota takes an instant liking to Allie. Now you add Cinnamon Bay’s matchmakers Hattie, Trixie, and Birdie along with Allie and Trace’s mothers into the mix who try to get Trace and Allie together. Trace ends up getting a phone call from his ex-Chelsea after not hearing from her in 5 years. Who gets the job as Director at the hospital? Why did Chelsea call Trace after 5 years. Is there a romance between Trace and Allie? Well to find out you truly need to read this book to find out. I truly loved this beautifully written book!!
A well written perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start. This story about Trace and him being the only parent to his daughter Dakota who is only six-years old. The hard times of raising a daughter teaches Trace what is important to him and that is family. Then enters Allie who returns to Cinnamon Bay to be closer to her mother and start her life over after being away for so long.
Playing Doctor – As much as I love the other series and books I have read by this author, this is my new favorite – Moose move over.
I enjoy the way Trace and Allie interacted in all the facets of their relationship. I enjoy the maturity and intelligence of these two characters since that is not common in many of the books nowadays. The support characters are a wonderful group themselves and it will be fun to see what future books have in store for them.
The dialog is clean and the romance is sweet, and there’s a perfect touch of magic. No magical witches, although there is three “witches” that didn’t leave high school behind them. I contacted the author to review her books. 5*
If you’re looking for a romance series that is full of love, friends, and a touch of magic, then the Cinnamon Bay books will hit the spot. Playing Doctor brings together Allie and Trace, who were next door neighbors and friends, until Chelsea decided she wanted Trace all to herself. Now back in Cinnamon Bay from New York, Trace and Allie are both vying for hospital director position. Trace has an adorable daughter, Dakota, and is doing his best as a single dad. Allie still thinks Trace is gorgeous, but decides that they’ll just be friends. Enter the resident matchmakers (Hattie, Trixie, and Birdie) and their mothers, lol. Grab your copy and see what happens, especially when Chelsea comes back to town to claim her man.
I really enjoyed reading Playing Doctor. I love the characters. Allie and Trace are so interesting and have great dynamics together. I love the small town setting of Cinnamon Bay and all of the other background characters. The book is well written and keeps you interested. This is a fun, sweet romance.
Allie is done with New York, she is back to Cinnamon Bay. Back home she learns that Trace, is back to Cinnamon Bay too. He was her High School friend, the boy, she had crush on, she compared every men to him. To make everything more interesting, both of them apply for the same job.
Book is well written, love the storyline, characters.
A delightful “best friends to lovers” romance, this novel engaged me from the opening chapter right through to the end. Old friends, Allie and Trace rediscover one another, finding that despite the pain of their teen years, there is still much that connects them. Of course, their mothers having recourse to Cinnamon Bay’s secret ingredient does help their cause along. Both Allie and Trace have baggage from the past to work through, added to which they are in competition for the same job, just as they had been in competition all through their school years. However, adding Trace’s cute little daughter to the mix does change things for both of them. Ultimately, finding common ground once more, both Allie and Trace want what’s best for each other and that makes their decision regarding the future that much easier. This clean, well-written romance has some tension as the past rears its ugly head, but it does come to a happy conclusion although opinion is still divided over whether it was the magic mix or fate that brought them together. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.