Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Stumbling into Obstacles

SERIES: Hart Medical Center #3

AUTHOR: Shea Balik

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 3686 kb

RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2020

BLURB:

Case Weber has been riddled with guilt for his whole adult existence. One act changed the course of his life, causing him to believe he didn’t deserve to find his happily ever after.

Alaric Sutton had always been a bit of an ass. He’d never considered it a problem until things at Hart Medical Center started to change. But it wasn’t until Case Weber yelled at him that Alaric realized it wasn’t okay for him to treat others with disrespect. His only problem? How did he change after all this time?

Deciding to ask for help, Alaric went to the one person who had stood up to him, Case Weber. Who would have thought that one request could transform his lonely existence into one with hope and a possible life with an Omega he respected?

But life has never been that simple. As the Hart Medical Center’s stalker goes after Case, can Alaric save him from the not so veiled threats? Will it even matter if he does if Case can’t forgive himself for his past?

Warning: Triggers of abuse and abortion are contained in this story. As well as a group of friends who will do whatever it takes to find this elusive stalker that has been plaguing the Omegas of Hart Medical Center.

REVIEW:

Before anything, I must implore you to take heed of the trigger warning in the blurb. The abuse is bad and the recollection of it is bad. Although the situation is over, it still comes back in nightmares, flashbacks, guilt and PTSD. So please be warned.

Now, as much as I have loved every story in this series so far, I almost say this could be my favorite. And it’s because, people always say they’re too old to change or make a difference. But this book proves, even though, yes, it’s fiction, it’s still a testament to the fact, no one is ever too old to change. You just have to truly want to. And I’m happy to say, out of all the alphas so far, I was glad this one finally started to see the error of his ways.

Now, the thing with Alaric, yes, he was a complete butt to omegas and had the whole entitled thing going on, but Alaric was a more equal opportunity butthead. He treated everyone like crap and felt entitled over everyone. He targeted omegas more, because he always thought omegas were whiny and pathetic in a sense, but he more or less thought that of a lot of people. But with the changes Shale was making in the hospital, he was starting to think that the ways his father ingrained in him were wrong. That maybe he shouldn’t act like he has been. And it was confirmed after Case laid into him. After a bad incident in the ER, Case was feeling the flashbacks of his own life and past come to the front. And he was fed up with entitled alphas who thought it was ok to do whatever they wanted to their omegas. Including hurting them to the point of almost death or actual death. He didn’t mean to go off on Alaric the way he did, truly, but with the way Alaric always acted, he caught Case’s line of fire. Now Alaric really knew it was time to change and he asked Case to help. But now in the middle of everything, the stalker is back and targeting Case and Case realizes he has to tell the man he’s falling for, the complete truth. No matter the outcome. But he’s terrified he will lose what happiness he’s finally getting again.

I was reading something in Shea’s facebook room about who people thought the stalker is, and it got me thinking about who it truly could be. I read one answer about that it could be Shale doing it to play matchmaker, but Shale isn’t that cruel with what’s written on the cards. I have to admit, Alaric was ONE suspect in my mind until this story, obviously. And I can’t even begin to describe how happy that makes me. One, because Case needed someone good in his life. And for Alaric to recognize that he needed to change, makes Alaric a good man for Case. Two, because an alpha like Alaric DID realize he was wrong and needed to change. And that is huge. Most alphas in any story are not apologetic about their behaviors. Most, not all. And I love when they learn how wrong they are. It’s humbling. Because the truth is, it’s a choice to act the way you do. No one has to follow in their parent’s footsteps and act entitled or like a butt. They have the choice to take a different path. And with Case and Alaric both, they are proof that it can happen. It doesn’t mean there may not be setbacks or that everything will be perfect overnight. But there has to be an effort made. And Alaric truly wanted to make the effort. And because of it, people noticed. They were happier and because of his status as well, he was making changes himself. Even if it meant some people had to go. 

It’s a wonderful story. It’s heartbreaking and you are going to need some mega tissues at points, but the lessons in this one are super powerful and if people are paying attention, it could wake some people up. Don’t let yourself be abused and don’t think anyone can’t change. Life isn’t worth the heartache. Find your happiness and hold on tight. 

RATING: 

BUY LINK: 

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