The Medic of Brighton Creek by Adaline Raine

The Medic of Brighton Creek by Adaline Raine

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was really looking forward to The Medic of Brighton Creek and the second-chance romance that it offered with a side order of spanking. When Mikayla returns home for her best friend’s wedding, she falls victim to a snowstorm and ends up at the front door of her childhood crush’s home. Fortunately for Mikayla, Sam is a paramedic who received additional medical training while in the military so he is more than capable of patching her up. Unfortunately the weather is so bad that she is “forced” to stay with him until it clears – or is that unfortunate? Mikayla’s not sure because her feelings for Sam are still a jumbled mess just as they had been when she left town years ago. Great premise, right? While most of the book was good, there were a few things that prevented it from fully delivering on its promise in my opinion.

Have you ever walked in on an ongoing conversation and tried to play catch-up, but know that you must have missed a vital piece of information or two? That’s how I felt several times while reading The Medic of Brighton Creek. It was obvious from the book that there was a significant history between Mikayla and Sam, so between that and the fact that the book was a novella, I had no problem with how quickly they seemed to get together. Where I had problems was that at times the scenes seemed to be written with the assumption that the reader knew all about their past, so I felt lost with what was going on – enough so that I actually looked to see if this book was part of a series, but I found no listing indicating it was. And while I THINK that for the most part I was able to pick up on what the author was trying to convey, this gave the book a very disjointed feel for me.

Another issue for me was Mikayla herself and how her behavior seemed to get worse and worse as the book went on. I realize that the author was trying to make Mikayla’s behavior seem bratty, but for me her behavior and the constant “Will I? Won’t I?” left me with the impression of a person with rapid cycling bipolar disorder and it frankly got on my nerves the more it occurred. I’m all for a Mikayla testing Sam’s willingness to follow through with his promises to punish her, but frankly it went on for far too long – especially for a novella. And I really, Really, REALLY didn’t understand Bonnie and how she could claim to be Mikayla’s best friend yet had no problem telling Mikayla’s business to Sam’s ex. Seriously?!?! Best Friend Code 101 – You NEVER blab your best friend’s business to her nemesis. I don’t care how big of a gossip you are, you just don’t do that.

Setting all that aside, when Mikayla wasn’t letting her insecurities get in the way, the romance that unfolded between her and Sam could be quite sweet to watch. It was nice to see Sam tell Mikayla how he felt for her and how he had always looked out for her as she was growing up. I’m not sure how to describe their chemistry because while there was a definite connection between them, Mikayla’s volatility kept interfering with it. The spanking and sex scenes were hot and I did learn that the medical play scenario in this book is so not my thing, but more power to Mikayla for discovering one of her kinks. The Medic of Brighton Creek was a good read, just not a great read for me. But check it out because it might be yours.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the #Spank of the Day: The Medic of Brighton Creek blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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