TBR Challenge: Lucy Score - Protecting What's Mine

Fire Chief Lincoln Reed is known for his heroics in the fire department and in the bedroom. Life is a never-ending good time. Until she lands in the middle of the accident scene he’s working…and then his backyard. Too bad she’s immune to flirty first responders.
Flight trauma surgeon Mackenzie O’Neil is on a crash course with burnout. She’s got a scar on her face and a shake in her hands. A temporary job as a small-town family physician is just the prescription. She’ll learn to meditate. Sleep more. Take up gardening.
She definitely won’t take her shirtless, firefighting neighbor’s hot body for a test drive.
But Linc and his tattoos are very persuasive. What’s a harmless little adrenaline-fueled fling between neighbors? It’s all naked fun and games until the shadows from Mack’s past find their way into her present. Can Linc be her hero when she needs him the most or will their scars ruin everything?
One thing is certain: Someone is going to get burned.

Comment: And August is practically done! I sincerely can't wait for its end, not only because it will mean, statistically, less heat in my region, but also calmer times at work. August's theme for the TBR Challenge is "everyday heroes" and I've picked up this book because it would feature a fireman hero and a doctor heroine and in our contemporary reality, how heroic they often need to be?

In this story, we meet doctor Mackenzie O'Neil, just as she is about to start an experiment on family medicine, which she hopes will mean a quieter time in her life, after doing many years as a flight trauma surgeon. She still does this from time to time in emergency rotations and it's precisely while helping with a patient while on helicopter duty that she meets chief fireman Lincoln Reed. They seem to like what they see and soon realize Mack is the town's new doctor and they happen to be neighbors. As everything and everyone seems to try to make them see how perfect for each other they are, they both start seeing it too, but Mack is still wary, considering her childhood disappointments with the idea of family. However, good hearts and patience can do a lot, and they surely deserve their happiness...

It is true Lucy Score has been hyped recently, mostly due to tik tok or something, although I can't be certain, since I don't have an account there. Anyway, this is the second book I read by the author and I think I can see why she's now so popular... her style is mostly light, fun, sweet, with conflict and drama in very small doses in key moments, making her stories mostly romantic and cute.

This is actually the third story in a trilogy but I don't think it's necessary to have read the other installments to follow the plot. There were several references to the protagonists of those other stories (since they all live in the same small town) but nothing exaggerated. In fact, the whole sense of community, of family, of togetherness is one of the main reasons why this story is so fascinating. I also live in a place where everyone knows everyone and it's always so fun to read about places where people are this invested in one another, as friends and family when my experience isn't that pleasing in real life.

The plot is quite simple: Mackenzie and Lincoln keep meeting one another while becoming friends and, of course, lovers, until it's more than obvious they will be together. While they debate this, we sometimes have scenes of them in their work, and I was particularly interested in Mackenzie's attempt at family medicine, being her lesson to be learned the fact she needs to adapt to a slower pace and to get to know her patients closely, treating them as friends too and not only as patients to fit in a slot.

Lincoln is an interesting character because he is confident, self assured and once he thinks Mackenzie is the one for him, he decides to be the person for her as well. I had the same impression with the hero of the other book I had read by the author, making me believe she does have a certain way to write male heroes... the fact he is a fireman and helps others also is positive in seeing him through that POV of helping and taking care of others. Besides, it's wonderful to have heroes in contemporary romance who know they like (and might love) the heroine and aren't afraid of acting on it.. much better than those heroes who keep acting as if they aren't good enough or are not meant for romance.

There were some situations throughout the story which were a little lame, and one or two conflicts between them before the big finale felt a little ridiculous, but to be fair the vibe here isn't one of perfect decisions and perfect writing, so... that said, I think a few scenes were slightly forced, not very natural and used to create a shock or a need for a sudden change... I don't mind this tactic on itself but certainly makes a few switches or jump of scenes a bit awkward or weaker by comparison.

The biggest issue to develop here is related to Mackenzie's past and how her childhood was far from idyllic. Of course we know that at some point Mackenzie would need to confront what happened in the person of her mother, who was the most responsible person to make Mackenzie feel she could't deal with stability and companionship in a lengthy relationship. I mean, this is clear to the reader and while I think the goal of making her realize things was accomplished, some plot decisions until the end weren't always the best, in my opinion.

Nevertheless, this was a successful story for me, for the most part. I like the style, even with the flaws and as a whole, this story had enough elements and scenes to make me feel entertained as I was reading. I felt like turning the pages and seeing what would be next, and sometimes that is more than enough...

Grade: 8/10