Reviewed by Stephen K.
TITLE: Dazzling Doctor
SERIES: Podlington Village Romance #3
AUTHOR: H.J. Perry
PUBLISHER: Independently Published
LENGTH: 230 Pages
RELEASE DATE: October 15, 2021
BLURB:
Who is the man in my bed? Did we do the do? And how much did I drink last night because my head feels like it might be the birthplace of volcanoes?
Recently dumped by his girlfriend and with his self-confidence battered, Tom Crispin is taking a short break at a rural guest house where he hopes to find relaxation, and some of that lost self-esteem. Instead, he wakes up with a stranger in his bed and no recollection of what happened.
When Dr. Philip Crackle returns to the area of his childhood to take up a position as a locum GP a serendipitous reunion with a former school pal forces him to take stock. Truth is, Philip has no permanent home or job and he drinks like there’s no tomorrow.
Tom is difficult to ignore, he’s gorgeous, he’s at the top of his profession in the world of construction, and he oozes confidence. Philip can barely keep his eyes off him. But the doctor doesn’t believe he’s good enough for a man who seems to have thoroughly mastered adulting.
Welcome to Podlington! The fictional English village where magic happens and dreams come true. This LGBTQ+ Second Chance story is part of the Podlington Village Romance series and can be read as a standalone novel. Dazzling Doctor features purple animal print luggage, a completely new cocktail, and two bisexual men experiencing their first time in the arms of another man. And, of course, a guaranteed happy ending.
The Podlington Village Romance series is written in British English and includes at least one non-binary character. Therefore, they/them is sometimes correctly used as a singular pronoun.
REVIEW:
The Podlington Village romances do feature a sort of magical realism element that appeals. These tales have a lot in common with 1970s fantasy fulfillment TV series like Fantasy Island and the Love Boat. Each book features new main characters, but with a common hotel staff. Each book also has a different author.
Dr. Philip Crackle is a 30-something GP who considers himself Bi, but has only ever dated women. He’s never had a steady partner, and tends to drink more than he knows is healthy.
Tom Crispin is a 30-something man whose wife just left him. He’s come to the Podlington House since he and his wife had booked their honeymoon suite for a second honeymoon before things went south. He’s only ever been straight identified, but when he wakes up hung-over and sharing a bed with Dr. Phil, he starts to reconsider that notion.
Having read the first two in the series, this one was a bit surprising. It’s presented as a bit of a mystery in the beginning in that neither of the men is certain that the other isn’t entirely straight. There’s also an alcohol awareness sub-plot that is a bit more serious than anything I’ve encountered in the Podlington books so far.
It’s also a bit odd in an M/M romance to have two men of this age that have never slept with another man. That they have to figure things out a bit like kids is actually endearing. Of course the Podlington staff seem determined to help that along.
Tom’s worries are not the kind you’d expect in someone who’s decided to try batting for the other team. He’s concerned that he’s overweight. He’s also a bit hung up on the class-difference between a plumber and a physician. As a Yank that should have seemed strange to me, but having known as many Brits as I have, I recognize that that’s more of a real concern in England.
The men develop a “witty banter” thing here with silly jokes and double entendre that some will enjoy though it did get a bit old rather quickly.
There is a feeling among some readers of M/M romance, an area that has predominantly female authors, that M/M romance is really a variety of feminine fantasy and that the main characters tend to have viewpoints that are traditionally thought of as feminine. I generally feel that there is some truth to that. But such gender stereotypes are mostly outdated. This book gave me pause when a second section dealt with a man shopping for something to wear on a big date. Personally, I’ve been told that I don’t dress well enough to be gay. These shopping sections did seem a bit outside the norm.
Also, less of this book takes place at Podlington House then the earlier two. I was initially worried that the author had taken something that she’d already been working on, and shoe-horned it into this series. That worry was allayed when the couple returned for the ending chapters.
Still, as with the earlier books this is a sweet romance, even if it’s a bit more “Harlequeen” than the earlier books. I’ll repeat my advice from book two. Enjoy. Just be sure to brush between reading these, and do try to get something with more literary nutritional value into your reading diet as well.
RATING: 
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