Winter isn’t the only chill in the air on Turtle Lake.
When Sam Burgman’s mother, Gloria, nears the end of her battle with cancer, Sam makes the hard decision to leave his job as a corporate lawyer in Miami to take his mom home to Turtle Lake, Minnesota.
Ian Mendoza takes his job as Gloria’s caregiver very seriously, but, unlike the assignments he’s taken in the past, Ian fails to maintain a professional distance when it comes to Sam. Unfortunately for Ian, Sam refuses to open his heart despite their mutual attraction.
Born and raised in Miami, Ian isn’t prepared for the frozen landscape that is Minnesota in the winter, but the chill he wants to erase is the one coming from Sam.
Amazon
Sam’s mother way dying and he knew it; he just couldn’t bring himself to accept it. After losing his father several years prior, he used It as an excuse to push people away and not let anyone get close enough to hurt him when they had to leave. Sam’s mother Gloria’s care-taker Ian had fallen in love with Sam through the stories told by Sam’s mom, but he knew that he hadn’t been around for a while and even when he was around, refused to accept the fact that his mother had precious little time left.
This story was heartbreaking and I wasn’t sure I was going to like Sam in the beginning, but I completely understood where he was coming from. Grief has the ability to change a person and it changed Sam. He never grieved for his father and how he had to come to terms with losing his mother as well?
The story between Gloria and her husband and the significance with Turtle Lake was beautiful as well, as I won’t spoil it with explanations, but it really made the story, in my opinion.
It was touching and heartbreaking and hopeful at times and I loved that Sam got what I felt like he needed at the end. Acceptance is a hard pill to swallow.
I’m also glad for Ian because I know it hurt him to be in the position he was in and I’m glad that Sam got his head out and was able to be what Ian needed him to be; afterall, he cared about Gloria a great deal as well. I wished he’d gotten to be there with her more at the end too instead of leaving Sam alone with her, I felt like he deserved that too, he was the only one there for her for so long, he didn’t even get to say goodbye to her; so that part bothered me a bit, but not enough to take anything away from the story really. He was patient and supportive and endlessly caring for not only his patient but for Sam too.
It was a short, touching little read and I’d recommend it, for sure. It’s turned me a bit sappy, in this review… but,it’s well worth it! Great read!
4 piece of eye candy for me!
