Merry Little Heartbreak (Legacy of the Maguires 5) by Stella Holt-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 14, 2023

This year, they’re unwrapping the truth for Christmas…

Drake Maguire’s first love dumped him right before they were to move cross country for medical school. Now he’s made a name for himself as a plastic surgeon to LA’s wealthiest, even if it bores him. But this Christmas, he returns home to Virginia to pitch in at the same hospital as his ex. Could this be a restart for his career and his heart?

Margo Monroe can’t believe her bad luck. December should be a time to string twinkle lights and stockings in her ER, but instead, she’s dodging Drake’s questions and her urge to run her fingers through his hair. Yes, they broke each other’s hearts last time—yet perhaps throwing in the towel was a mistake.

But flirting leads to more than just words, and Margo needs her head in the game if she wants to expand her career in the new year. Are their emotions merely on call for the holidays, or is this attraction a symptom of something far merrier?

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REVIEW: MERRY LITTLE HEARTBREAK is the fifth instalment in Stella Holt’s contemporary, adult LEGACY OF THE MAGUIRES erotic, romance series. This is plastic surgeon Dr. Drake Maquire, and ER physician Margo Monroe’s story line. MERRY LITTLE HEARTBREAK can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from omniscient third person perspectives (Margo and Drake) MERRY LITTLE HEARTBREAK follows the second chance romance and relationship between our story line couple. Margo Monroe and Drake Maguire were high school and college sweethearts but weeks before heading to UCLA medical school Margo broke off their relationship, breaking Drake’s heart in the process. Fast forward twelve years, Dr. Drake Maguire is a visiting plastic surgeon at Mercy Hospital in Alexandria Virginia where he will come face to face with his past in the guise of ER physician Margo Monroe. Margo wants nothing to do with the man she once loved, a man who continues to struggle with the how and why. Accepting a rotation in the emergency department, Drake will work side by side with the woman he still loves, hoping for a second chance at a happily ever after. What ensues is the rebuilding romance and relationship between Margo and Drake, and the potential fall-out as Drake’s time in Virginia comes to a close.

The world building focuses on the acrimonious relationship, and fall-out between two people who has planned their future together but something went wrong, and Margo refused to move, leaving Drake Maguire heart broken and dejected.

The relationship between Margo and Drake is one of second chances; a rekindling romance in which Drake is hoping for a another chance but Margo is quick to blame Drake for everything that went wrong. As our couple work together in the hospital ER, Drake will quickly discover that everything is not as it had appeared to be. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The colorful secondary and supporting characters include several medical personnel, as well as Drake’s parents, and his brother Ian, and Margo’s sister Izzy.

MERRY LITTLE HEARTBREAK is a story of misunderstanding and miscommunication, love and loss, second chances and happily ever after. The premise is inviting and imaginative; the characters are animated and spirited but Margo was difficult to like in the early pages; the romance is moving and tender.

Reading Order and Previous reviews
Last First Kiss
Battle of Hearts
Strictly Off Limits
Love and Order

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Author of your next binge-worthy romance series, Stella has been plotting sexy, tear-jerker stories since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Born a Georgia peach, Stella loves all things country but calls the beach home. Most days she can be found drinking too much coffee, collecting lipstick she forgets to wear, and baking.

Stella’s first series featuring first responders debuts in 2023.

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