Review: Step by Step by Candace Calvert

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Synopsis

Three years after a tragic accident left her a widow, ER nurse Taylor Cabot is determined to move on, checking off one item after another on her survival list. Her relationship with a handsome plastic surgeon even gives her hope for the last point--"fall in love again." At least until crisis chaplain Seth Donovan steps back into her life, reawakening unanswered questions about her husband's death.

While in San Diego to train community volunteers, Seth hopes to learn why Taylor is backing away from the crisis team and from their friendship. But nothing prepares him for the feelings that arise when he sees Taylor again . . . and sees her moving on with another man.

When a community crisis hits home and puts lives at risk, emotions run high and buried truths are unearthed. Will hope make the survival list?

My Review

I loved San Diego as the setting for this book! It was pretty authentic to the vibe of the city and it was fun to recognize streets, landmarks, and neighborhoods. I wish that I had read the first book in the series before this one so I could have read about Taylor and Seth's previous experiences together, but I didn't feel like I was thrown in the middle of an ongoing story. Themes of grief and trauma are front and center in the lives of the crisis team members and ER nurses, as well as hope for the future and moving on- especially in Taylor's case. The pace of the book starts quickly, but then settles into a much slower pace as the thoughts and angst of the characters are explored - mostly through the viewpoints of Seth and Taylor, but we also have scenes from the perspective of ER nurses Sloane and Kasie. They provide a subplot, which also has an impact of the climax of the book. I wasn't a fan of the love triangle, and wished that the majority of Seth and Taylor's time together wasn't so platonic- although their friendship was great once she decided to stop being so cold to him. I feel like Taylor's need for control to overcome her grief prevented her from feeling emotions, especially ones she didn't understand or want to feel or fit into her vision for the future. It's one of the lessons she learned in the story, but it also had the side effect of dampening the romance until the very end.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

Check out the other books in the Crisis Team series . . .