Storm's Refuge

A Longview Romance, Book 1

By: Nancy M. Bell

Narrated by: Georgia Bragg

The only thing bigger than the storm in Michelle's heart is the blizzard raging across the Alberta prairie outside her window. Finding an injured stray dog is the last thing she needs. Add to the mix the handsome new vet who is taking over her beloved Doc’s practice and peace of mind is not in the picture. Cale Benjamin is too nice to be for real. Michelle is still smarting from being jilted by her high school sweetheart fiancé and not in the mood to trust any man, let alone one as drop dead gorgeous as Dr. Cale Benjamin DVM. The injured stray, Storm, keeps putting Michelle in Cale’s path whether she likes it or no. She is distressed to find that the handsome young vet is sliding past her carefully erected defenses and into her heart. A few well placed nudges from Doc’s match maker wife, Mary, help the young doctor’s cause, but will it be enough to make the lady rancher allow him into her life?

If you like Janet Dailey's Tyler's Texas series you'll enjoy Storm's Refuge.

Christmas Storm won fourth place in the 2013 Oklahoma Romance Writers of America International Digital Awards in the Contemporary Novel category

©2014 Nancy M. Bell (P)2019 Nancy M. Bell

Critic reviews

I can totally feel that chilled, biting air and smell the smell of the hay. It's like I'm there. I'm amazed at how you can make small details absolutely fascinating and very much alive. And the colt has totally won my heart, and the dog too. And of course, there's the hot dude Vet Man Cale. Hubba hubba! Thanks for a great story. (Suzanne de Montigny)

Enjoyed this story

Who doesn't love a story with animals. Once I started I couldn't out it down.

Transported to the Alberta prairies

This is a great story, full of rich setting description and characters you can't help but love...or not.

A fun romance

This is a well choreographed story with good pacing and just the right amount of depth. I marked it down one star and to be honest, I was tempted to mark it down two more stars due to the inappropriate language and sexism. Calling females woman eg, 'come here woman' repeatedly throughout the book is simply unacceptable and having the female lead throw herself intp someone's arms a few minutes after he walked away as she was almost raped is COMPLETELY unacceptable. What good editor leaves those elements in a contemporary novel? I am a little flabbergasted to be honest.....

The narration by Georgia Bragg was consistently excellent throughout the book. A high point for me.

Really liked it.

The story was engaging, held my interest all the way through.

Georgia Bragg did a very good job with her narration. There isn't much difference between the voices of the men and women but it didn't seem to make a difference too me. And I'm usually a stickler when it comes to listening to a narration.

I received this audible free at my request. This is my honest review.

Kinda obsessed with the ex

Georgia Bragg- AMAZING JOB! Great narration loved every second of it. Perfect!

The story was good. It seems like she was way too obsessed with the ex and then bam she’s head over heels. Serious 90 % of the book it’s “my life with Rob coulda, shoulda, woulda” and I felt so bad for her. She was just so in love that she couldn’t see his crazy.

In the end, we get our hea, despite her crazy and we see real character growth from Michelle. I’m not really gonna expand on Kale because he’s your basic hero in the story.

There is, obviously since she’s obsessed with the ex. Not too bad.

Drama- mild
Sexy times- minimal
Animals births- High (seriously)

GFYDU MTYB DBAD

Very Good

I enjoyed the story, especially the animals. Michelle was unnecessarily mean at times, but it was ok. The narration was very good, though she could have done a little better with the different voices.
I received this audiobook from freeaudiobookcodes.com in exchange for this unbiased review.

Recommended

I enjoyed this story concept. Michelle's bitchiness got old quickly especially as she knew she shouldn't be most of the time. Jumping to conclusions, jealousy, and taking her frustrations out on the wrong people is not helpful or fun to watch. I would like to see what became of Michelle & George's disagreement. Seemed like George really needed to grow up.

The characterization is very good and I became vested in the characters. The romance was very fast. I loved Doc and Mary.

Georgia Bragg did a wonderful job narrating. I especially liked that in the beginning when the story called for singing, she sang. Kudos.

I recieved a Audible copy of this story, at my request, in exchange for a honest review.

Loved the Dog

I got this story via audiobook boom and this is my voluntary review. The dog took center stage for me. The H/h both confused me. Immediate dislike then a kiss. Then anger, then more kisses. What is going on here? Some of the descriptions also confused me. The dog growled and snapped her jaws and then fell silent. The heroine wraps up the cawl from the horse and does not wash her hands but the vet does. She then grabs his jacket but no mention of the blood and stuff on her hands. Overall it was a good story. The dynamics between the heroine and her brother also got muddles. The narrator was very good and all characters stood as individuals. Those are just a few things I didn't care for but overall I enjoyed the story.

Good story!

This is such a delightful story about the importance of friends, family and unconditional love, with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. Michelle is bitter over the fact that Rob, the "love of her life," broke up with her and immediately married someone else. And her good-for-nothing brother is off somewhere, while she's tending to the animals and the farm all by herself. On a blustery night, with a blizzard on its way, she finds a bedraggled and pregnant dog under her steps. She's badly hurt and Michelle warms her up, but needs to find the vet. Fortunately, Cale just bought the property near hers and he's the new vet in town. They work together to save Storm's babies (what better name for a dog found during a blizzard) and Michelle sees him in a different light. She's still whining, and I mean whining, over her ex-boyfriend, wondering how he could ever have married somebody else! Her woe is me attitude was a little over the top but, for the most part, she was a sympathetic character. What bothered me in this story is the character of Cale. Ninety percent of the time, he's the kindest, most considerate and level-headed man you could want, but he goes from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde when he's consumed with jealousy. He loves Michelle and is planning to marry her, but he sees Michelle and Rob in a compromising position and runs before even talking to her. If he would have given her a chance to explain, he would have known that Rob was extremely drunk and assaulted her. But, no, he was horrible to her and said cruel things that were hurtful and he did it on purpose. I lost a little respect for him and the HEA wasn't quite as happy as I would have liked. The characters are all delightful and it made for a perfect holiday story. The narration is wonderfully done by Georgia Bragg and part of it is the extra touch she gives it by the singing of the Christmas Carol. 

Well written good story

I loved the story. it is well written with loads of humour and the characters are well created, someone you could meet in every day life.
This is the first book in a series so I hope the closer I want to see with her brother will be in next book. It was the only thing I missed in the book.
Very strong characters, hard working good people living in environment that gives nothing free, bad weather and rough roads.
Thank you for allowing me to listen to the book for free.