Release Blitz + Review: "Made for Me" by Natasha Madison

I'm excited to take part in the release blitz celebrating "Made for Me" by Natasha Madison, book #1 of the Made For series. It's a spinoff of the Only One series and also includes appearances by characters from Madison's earlier Something So and This Is series, but reads as a standalone.

 

Social worker Julia Williams has known Dr. Chase Grant for years, ever since her twin sister Jillian married his cousin Michael. They've been attracted to each other for most of that time, though neither has acted on it for fear of messing up the family dynamic. Besides, Chase was working overseas for Doctors Without Borders, which made a relationship impossible. Things begin to change when he returns home and accepts a job as the team doctor for a professional hockey team, bringing him into more frequent - and much closer - contact with Julia. When she faces a work-related tragedy, Chase is there to support her, and they realize that they can no longer fight their feelings for each other. But before the happily ever after, they'll have to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy and its impact on Julia's career. Chase will give anything to protect her, but even he might not be able to prevent what's coming.

This story went in a much different, more emotional direction than I expected, but I think that made me like it even more. Julia and Chase had fantastic chemistry, and his efforts to take care of her were incredibly sweet. I also loved the way his family adopted her even before they started dating, just because her sister had married into the family. Julia had a way of adopting people too, particularly her clients. I could tell how much she genuinely cared and wanted to help them, though her attachment meant that she sometimes got hurt.  

That said, there were a few aspects of the story that bothered me. For example, I thought the steam and Julia's focus on defining her relationship with Chase were over-emphasized. She was facing serious legal problems, but for over a week, all she thought about was when Chase would get back from his latest road trip with the team so they could hop back into bed. I guess it's good to have a distraction at a time like that, but shouldn't she have been at least a little worried? IMO it's completely unrealistic to expect that she could just ignore the situation completely. 

I was also confused about a few other things, mainly related to Julia's relationship history. For example, I got the impression early on that she had been having a fling or friends with benefits relationship with one of the police officers she knew through work, but that plot thread was completely dropped at some point. I didn't understand why she was so afraid of long-term relationships, either. Did she have a bad one in the past or something? 

 

In summary, I loved Julia and Chase together as well as the author's effort to do something different than the typical sports romance, but there were a few aspects of the plot that didn't quite work for me in the execution. Even so, I'd recommend "Made for Me" for all contemporary/sports romance fans and look forward to the next book in the series.

 

*Review copy provided by the author via Wildfire Marketing Solutions. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

 

About "Made for Me"

From Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Madison comes a brand new stand-alone friends to lovers sports romance. A spin-off from the Only One series.

Chase
Everyone expected me to play hockey.
I was good at it, but I was better at being a doctor.
So I hung up the skates and joined Doctors Without Borders.
But there is no place like home, so now I’m back.
And instead of being on the ice, I’m behind the bench as the team physician.
After years of playing cat and mouse, it’s time to admit it.
She’s mine.

Julia
Working as a social worker was a dream come true.
It wasn’t easy, and it has made me shut off my heart to love.
No commitment. No strings. No promises.
Until one fateful night changed everything.
He was there for me like no other one.
The biggest thing is I let him.
Maybe he was just made for me!