First a warning… this book includes explicit sex scenes… not my cup of tea but the relationship does make sense for the need for the physical contact and the mystery and the character growth and actually characters themselves made this book worth reading regardless (I honestly skimmed and skipped past the scenes as best I could). 

Playing Doctor by Julie Rowe is listed as A Bandit Creek Romance. This Canadian author has a history in medicine and, as is stated in her bio at the back of the book, loves to include medical details in her romance books. What I loved was that it was not overpowering, you didn’t feel like you were reading a medical journal but at the same time you felt like you understood a bit more about what the main character ( a doctor) was doing. 

This book is novella length, a good afternoon read. The main character is a doctor recently returned from Afghanistan. She is dealing with Post Traumatic  Stress Disorder and begins the story with throwing old sticks of dynamite into a lake to detonate them. Enter Smitty, who was with her on her dramatic tour… hired by the town to keep her from hurting herself or others. 

The romance between Smitty and Abby is well developed, the town itself is interesting and well described. There is a history to uncover, healing to accept and an adventure to be had! It felt believable and quirky and almost left you wanting a little more… especially in regards to the town drunk and his “Ghosts”… The emotions are dealt with with great care and the PTSD is used within the plot in a way that feels like the author is really authentic. A terrific afternoon romance/mild mystery read! 

Playing Doctor