AUTHOR: ⟫ Saxon James
SERIES: ⟫ Accidental Love #5
RATING: ⟫ 5/5
BLURB: ⟫ Xander
There’s something seriously wrong with me.
For once, I’m not talking about the health anxiety that randomly pops up and wreaks havoc on my life. I'm talking about, well, everything else.
All my roommates have found someone to love them, and it hurts to see the guys who used to have me at the center of their worlds pair off and grow up, especially when it’s a reminder of everything wrong with me. I’ve always had an issue with relationships. With forming a connection with people outside of Seven, but this is more.
Because I want to find my someone.
Except the one person my brain has latched onto is the one person I can never have. The one person who’s there to help me when my panic attacks get too much.
Nurse Derek.
Derek
I should never have offered to treat Xander Moore.
And now here I am years later, my life on hold, while I wait day in and day out for the call that Xander needs me. It always comes, and I always answer, but I’m starting to dread those visits.
Lately, I’m looking at Xander in a way a medical professional should never look at their patient.
When Xander starts volunteering at the same nursing home that I do, I get to see a new side of him. The artistic, charismatic side that draws the residents in. I get glimpses of a man who’s so much more than his anxiety, and it does nothing to help my feelings for him.
When lines begin to blur, I have no choice but to stop treating him. That at least allows us to be friends. The only problem is, being friends isn’t enough for either of us.
It’s wrong, unethical, and unprofessional, but my heart won’t listen. It’s decided on Xander, and it doesn’t want to wait. Neither does Xander.
But if I want to keep my job, I have to resist.
I just wish he didn’t make that so difficult.
REVIEW: ⟫ Serious bit first – I am blown away by how well Saxon James handled Xander’s mental health issues. There was no magic cure, no easy way out or through – this took solid work, determination and a whole lot of love from the people who cared about him.
Now, onward into the last adventure with the Bertha Boys, and Saxon saved the best until last. Derek may well be one of my top ten favourites of her characters – it was how open he was, how caring, how understanding – he was absolutely everything that our Xander needed. And then some.
I literally steamed through this read with only a couple of bathroom breaks and I don’t regret a thing. Well, other than this was the last Bertha story because oh my goodness, I am going to miss these guys. I spent pretty much the entirety of the last few chapters reading through tears because it was all just so absolutely right. Like – Derek completely understood how Xander felt about Seven and Molly and wasn’t needlessly jealous; how much all of the boys love each other; Aggie – oh my goodness, Aggie – we all need an Aggie in our lives.
The volunteering at the retirement home touched me so deeply, especially since Xander didn’t water himself down even the slightest and yet still showed so much care for these people. I just – I could ramble for a very long time about all of the different things I loved about this story, but suffice it to say I began February with an excellent book, a snuffly nose from the quiet sobbing and a deep desire to see these books made into a series!!
