When love isn’t on your priority list…

Synopsis

A fresh start…

For A&E nurse Eden Grainger, Port Kara offers more than just a safe haven. It’s a chance to break free from her ex Jesse and start a new life. Her focus now is solely on her four-year-old son, Teddie, whose autism means he sees the world in his own unique way.

A guarded heart…

Pathologist Drew Redford prefers to keep himself to himself in the busy hospital. Shaped by family loss and navigating life with high-functioning autism, he finds comfort in certainty. But when Eden and Teddie enter his world, an unexpected connection forms, especially through his gentle interactions with little Teddie.

A kindred connection…

Despite a growing fondness, both Eden and Drew are cautious. Eden is wary of repeating old mistakes, and Drew struggles with letting people in. But Teddie continues to bring them together and Eden thinks this could be the start of something really special. But when Jesse returns, Eden is thrown into turmoil and makes a mistake that could cost her everything.

My review

Port Kara feels more than ever as a safe haven for A&E nurse Eden Grainger. It took her a while to end things with her now ex Jesse, but now being free, Eden is more than ready for a fresh start. Her only priority in life is now looking after her son Teddie, a four – year – old with autism. Life isn’t always easy, but Eden wouldn’t trade Teddie for anything in the world. What Eden didn’t expect though, is that pathologist Drew Redford would understand her situation. Working together at the same hospital for sure made them cross paths here and there, but with Drew preferring to be on his own, there hasn’t been a real opportunity to actually create a friendship between them. However, when Eden and Teddie enter his world, something shifts inside him. With Drew being one of the few to truly understand Teddie and his needs, Eden realizes that there is more to Drew than she thought. What starts as an acquaintance, evolves into a deep friendship. But with them both being very cautious and afraid to give their hearts away, could it possibly become something more? Or will a face from the past make them lose everything that Eden and Drew have been building?

Having read all the previous parts of this wonderful series, of course I was eager to read this new adventure. And of course I had perhaps extreme high expectations. But I have to say this even rather quickly in this review, that I think that this may be my favourite book from the series!

Even if I am not a parent myself, I can imagine how expecting parents are visioning their baby, and how their baby will grow, saying its first word, taking those first steps etc. But it is also a fact that not all children are the same, and that there are children that even more different than “normal” ones. But different doesn’t mean lesser or not normal. Different is just different.

And I loved reading Eden’s devotion towards Teddie. Eden feels that there are moments she is truly struggling with raising Teddie. But reading how she knows Teddie, even with limited ways of communication, just truly warmed my heart. Eden has changed the future visions she had for Teddie, and has made new ones, more directed at who Teddie truly is, and not the Teddie she imagined she would have.  

It must be said, that Eden hasn’t had an easy time before, and I am not talking about Teddie at all. Her relationship with Jesse was absolutely a toxic one, where she was being manipulated, gaslit and she just became a shadow of her former self. And I was happy for her to have finally finding the courage to step away from Jesse, prioritizing Teddie above everything and start fresh at Port Kara.

Port Kara we all know is a safe place for many people, Eden included. But also for someone else, namely Drew Redford.

I wasn’t all that sure what to think about Drew. Not because I doubted that he would be a good guy. But because he was and is such a closed characters. He has a lot going on in his mind, but he doesn’t show his cards to the people around him.

And I was a bit afraid that Drew would be a stereotypical autistic person, only showing the clichés, and that I would not be able to connect with him.

But I was happy that this amazing author did not ridicule the spectrum, but shows us that there are so many different layers. And that while there may be a lot that is shared, not everyone is the same, even on the spectrum. Just like you and I are different from each other, that is also applicable for people on the spectrum.

The more I saw of Drew, the more I understood him too. As an introvert myself (with moments pretending to be an extrovert), I could completely understand why Drew prefers to be on his own, and doesn’t interact with many of his colleagues.

Not only did I understand him better, but there are several views Drew has, that I totally agreed with. His mindset is so spot on, that I found myself nodding with everything he is saying.

And then there is his interaction with Teddie… that man made my ovaries just explode! He is the gentlest of men, the kindest, most accepting one. He doesn’t except a lot from anyone, just pure honesty…

Seeing things evolve between Eden and Drew was so so sweet… where things start with Eden needing some tips and advice from his side, evolves into a great friendship. A friendship that means so much to the both of them. It means so much to them, that they are afraid to take that next step.

And that is so relatable. Because aren’t we all afraid of losing what we have, by wanting to take things to a next level? Aren’t we all afraid that what we feel isn’t reciprocated? And aren’t we all afraid that what we have is so fragile that it could be that easily broken?

This is shown when someone from Eden’s past resurfaces, and is jeopardizing just everything. While I wanted to scream at Eden to just let it go, it is also a testament to her kind character… In this particular situation, there isn’t a right or wrong thing to do. Eden does what she feels she needs to do, and Drew’s decision was also a comprehendible one… And his next steps in this climax shows us once again how much more he sees and understands that what we would think…

I absolutely devoured this book. It felt so real, so raw even at moments… It shows how caution can hold you back, but also how connections can be formed, how understanding each other can bring you closer.

So now can you understand why I fell in love with this story so much?