Reviewed by Jess and Becca
TITLE: The Doctor’s Date
SERIES: Copper Point Medical #2
AUTHOR: Heidi Cullinan
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 448 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2019
BLURB:
The hospital’s least eligible bachelor and its aloof administrator hate each other… so why are they pretending to date?
Dr. Owen Gagnon and HR director Erin Andreas are infamous for their hospital hallway shouting matches. So imagine the town’s surprise when Erin bids an obscene amount of money to win Owen in the hospital bachelor auction—and Owen ups the ante by insisting Erin move in with him.
Copper Point may not know what’s going on, but neither do Erin and Owen. Erin intends his gesture to let Owen know he’s interested. Owen, on the other hand, suspects ulterior motives—that Erin wants a fake relationship as a refuge from his overbearing father.
With Erin suddenly heading a messy internal investigation, Owen wants to step up and be the hero Erin’s never had. Too bad Erin would rather spend his energy trying to rescue Owen from the shadows of a past he doesn’t talk about.
This relationship may be fake, but the feelings aren’t. Still, what Erin and Owen have won’t last unless they put their respective demons to rest. To do that, they’ll have to do more than work together—they’ll have to trust they can heal each other’s hearts.
JESS’S REVIEW:
This is the second book in Heidi Cullinan’s “Copper Point Medical” series. So far, I’d put both books at the same level of enjoyment—they are both well-crafted stories with romances full of chemistry amidst a small town filled with big drama. But the two books feel pretty different, and I have to say I enjoyed the tone of the first book a little more.
When we met nurse Simon and newcomer Dr. Hong-Wei Wu in the first book, we were enveloped in a fast-paced medical drama where doctors and nurses worked together to solve problems and prove their worth to persnickety hospital admins. I liked the hectic, rushed atmosphere of the hospital and the ways Simon and Hong-Wei worked fluidly together. But the tone shifts in this story a little, focusing more on deeper character introspection with a dash of a mystery.
Before anything else occurs, we begin with a beloved trope, which is always welcome. Anesthesiologist Owen Gagnon finds himself roped into the hospital’s annual charity bachelor auction, even though he knows he scares people too much to get any bidders. But he doesn’t know that Erin Andreas, the timid head of HR, has been nursing a crush on Owen since they were teenagers and is eager to win his date—no matter the cost. Owen is angry at the outlandish sum at first, thinking Erin is tricking him, but when he discovers Erin’s history of neglect and abuse at the hands of his controlling father, he vows to protect Erin and keep him safe at all costs.
When I read the first book in this series, The Doctor’s Date, I liked Owen as a side character, but I can’t say Erin made much of an impression. I remember him as primarily an antagonist. But right away, we see the delicate dance these two men do together, even before they know of each other’s true feelings. Owen “the Ogre” is used to scaring people before getting a chance to know them. And Erin has spent most of his life trying to be as unobtrusive and unnoticeable as possible. They have so much baggage to unpack, so many layers to peel back, and it’s not an easy task. They both have to deal with years of memory repression and PTSD to even begin a healthy romance, but from the start, Owen is all-in and makes it his mission to protect Erin. He’s been seeing a therapist for years and knows how to manage his past trauma, but Erin has been completely neglected his whole life, making Owen the catalyst for his healing and recovery.
I was expecting a higher steam level for this story, solely because Cullinan is usually a pretty adept erotica writer. Her works of all genres are usually NC-17 at the core. But this book is almost sex-free with the love scenes being more sweet and fade-to-black than anything. I can’t say I wouldn’t have appreciated a higher heat level in the end. Cullinan is one of my favorite M/M erotic writers, and Owen and Erin’s chemistry and dynamic would lend well to some scorching scenes. But the previous book keeps it pretty tame as well, so perhaps this series is something new for Cullinan, which I respect.
Another element this story lacks of medical drama. I really enjoyed that part in the first book, so I was disappointed when there were no big cases or dramatic patient interactions. There is drama involving embezzling of hospital funds, but that turns the story into more of a mystery-thriller. It’s all interesting, complex, and fast-paced, and it gives all of the characters a chance to interact with one another, but I still miss the medical parts.
At this point, I am enjoying this series, but I’ve liked other Cullinan works more. These books are well-written and have romantic pairings with insane levels of chemistry. Each man feels unique and real, making him all the more enjoyable to read about. I just wish there was a little more medical drama and maybe some more steam to balance it out and make it cohere with the first book.
RATING: 
BECCA’ S REVIEW:
This was the story I was waiting for. I love everyone and I’m pretty sure who’s story is next, obviously, but I wanted this one. The way these two bicker and snipe and argue, you can’t help but see the chemistry and are just waiting for them to just let it consume them. And after reading their stories, I don’t know who cried more. Me or the characters. Shew.
Ok. Triggers for people. There is abuse, neglect, isolation, beatings, mentions of rape and such. If any of this is an issue, please be careful.
When I read about these two in book one, I wasn’t sure how to take them at first. Owen acted like such a dick half, well most, of the time and Erin was so closed off, he can across as snobbish and stuck up. Until they started arguing anyway. Good grief lol. But we learn a lot about them in this story and why they are the way they are. And I’ve got to tell you, my heart still aches for them.
They both come from very bad pasts, in different ways, but it’s still bad. But what Owen hasn’t realized at all, is Erin has been in ‘love’ with Owen for years. A lot of years. He always wanted an ogre to be his knight in shining armor and thought Owen was the one. But Owen never really knew until it was too late. But years later, they work together and all they seem to do is fight. Until Erin bids a huge amount on Owen at an auction. But Owen has got it all wrong on why Erin did it and the more he tries to explain, the worse it comes out. But at the auction, Owen sees something that changes things with them. He takes Erin home permanently. As they get to know each other and through and internal investigation, they are learning about each other’s pasts and both are trying to protect the other. But fears and doubts are causing problems. Until one hung for both of them, changed the course they need. Now it’s up to them to hold tight to each other or sink.
Man, this is another one of those books, if could just reach in the pages and smack the crap out of someone. Holy crap. The hell these boys have had to endure are still haunting them. It never ceases to amaze me the way some parents can be. And the good ole boy attitude of others. It’s one of the only reasons I hate living in the south sometimes. But I digress.
Erin broke my heart because he felt like he couldn’t find his backbone. His father beat him down emotionally so bad, he would cower whenever the man came around. There’s more to it then that, but I don’t want to spoil it. Needless to say, Erin had it rough. I think that’s why I loved when he argued with Owen so much. He stood up for himself and fought. With Owen he found that backbone he needed. And what everyone thought of as Erin being stiff and snobbish, was actually him just being incredibly shy and scared of people. He’s such a sweetheart.
With Owen, he needed Erin just as much. Even when he didn’t know it. Erin helped him come out of his head with the past he was dealing with. And eventually, Erin helped Owen in with a whole lot more of it. I love that Erin saw Owen. Everyone thought he was just an ogre, an asshole or whatever other derogatory word you can think of. But Owen is actually quite mushy lol. He’s loyal as hell, and when he loves, it’s with everything he is. He may not have a lot as far as friends who are his family, but they are everything to him. And Erin sees it. And sees under all the walls Owen puts up. They’re perfect for each other because they get each other.
I loved this book so much. I’m so glad I got to read it. It was perfect for me.
RATING: 
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