Guest Review: A Love to Remember by Sarah Hadley Brook

Graham Hayes decided long ago he’d never be in a relationship. It was better to stay single than to fall in love only to be left alone, which he was certain would happen to him. He’d seen Alzheimer’s ravage his family members all his life, leaving their loved ones to deal with the fallout. Some of them stayed, but some didn’t. Graham isn’t going to risk it.

When he hires nurse Sam Morgan to take care of his dad during the day, his pledge to stay single is put to the test. He soon finds it difficult to maintain a professional distance.

Graham’s guarded his heart for so long, but his resolve is crumbling. Will he be able to conquer his fear to give himself a chance at love? Can he trust Sam to stick around for better or worse?

Reviewer: Shee Reader

Our story starts with Graham having one last hookup-fling before his life changes forever. Graham ‘meets’ a huge, sexy man who ticks every box of his invisible perfect guy checklist, but Graham cannot entertain the idea of anything but a one off.

We next see Graham moving into his family’s lake house that he’d recently bought from his father, changing his life completely to care for his dad who is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's. The situation with Graham’s dad is achingly realistic and highly relatable to anyone who has seen a loved one cut off in their prime by this most horrific degenerative disease, myself included.

When Graham realises he cannot continue to work as a writer whilst caring for his dad full-time, his sister suggests getting in a nurse to help during the day. It doesn’t take a romance genius to guess who turns up. Of course, it's the sexy giant from the nightclub.

Sam, the home health care aide was as surprised as Graham to see the man who had meant so much more than a hook up at the site of new job.

Sam took great care of graham’s dad, and made no secret of the fact that he wanted to pursue more with Graham, despite Graham being less than encouraging! At least with his words…

The sexual tension between these two was hot and spicy, the developing relationship and the care of Graham’s dad are interwoven into such a sweet and sad story that i was hooked from early on. I liked the start of the story less than the rest of it, the club scene jarring a little in its brashness and it didn’t really feel like it fitted that well with the tone of the rest of the story.

The romance is well told, the characters genuine and warm, and there is lovely growth for them both. The bittersweet epilogue was perfectly balanced to leave me smiling.