With thanks to the authors, Wild Rose Press andNetGalley for the copy of the eARC ahead of Publication.
3.5☆

Fake dating to save reputation to friends to more.
~spoilery~
Although well crafted  and cute enough to enjoy, the overall story fell flat for me. It felt like the story was a storm in a tea cup from beginning to end. I just don't "get" the expectation of maintaining a false facade for professional purposes.
I do wonder if the joint authors have a background in the hospital field because that element felt well considered. As a non-USA resident, I was lost during discussions of medical insurance and certain place names and locations. I did enjoy the glimpses of Autumn's Dads.  The character, Lily, felt like a rather strong handed "Devils Advocate" whose insight or "help" stilted the story arc.

3.5/5 ⭐

I love romances where the main characters work in medicine, and honestly, that’s the reason I chose to read this book.

JustWhatTheDoctorHired is a romance between a medical specialist and a nursing student. To be honest, it wasn’t what I expected in many ways, but it didn’t disappoint either.

From the beginning, we meet a heroine who’s pretty anxious about her life and career, and a hero dealing with internal struggles in his professional life. They meet through mutual acquaintances and a dating app, and there's an agreement between them—which I admit got me really excited. From their first meeting, you can feel their instant connection. Their genuine chemistry made that part of the story easy and fun to read. The scenes were often lighthearted with a playful tone.

However, that doesn’t last long. There’s a third-act breakup (which honestly threw me off).

I have to admit, during that part of the story, there were a lot of things I didn’t enjoy. The connection they had built at the start felt lost—not because of the breakup itself, but because some things just didn’t make sense to me. The pacing felt too rushed, everything either dissolved or got resolved way too quickly, and I just couldn’t reconnect with the story.

Still, despite its ups and downs, it’s an entertaining read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an advance copy.

JustWhatTheDoctorHired comes out on July 9—don’t miss it!

What I found especially sweet was the instant connection between Autumn and Jensen. Their chemistry felt genuine right from the start, which made rooting for them easy. I also loved how Autumn’s passion for sports was woven into the story—it added a fun layer to her character and really helped her fit so naturally into Jensen’s friend group. The hiking scenes were a great touch too, giving their relationship a relaxed, real-world vibe that I appreciated.

That said, I have to be honest—the third-act breakup really threw me off. It felt abrupt and poorly handled for both characters, and honestly, it undercut a lot of the connection they’d built up. The pacing of that part was too fast, and the reasons behind the breakup didn’t feel convincing enough to justify what happened. It made it harder to stay fully invested in their relationship at that point.

Even with that rough patch, the book has its heart in the right place and delivers a sweet romance that I enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC!

This book wasn’t for me. The pacing felt too fast, and the romance was so rushed that it didn’t feel earned. This made it hard to care about the characters and their relationship. The FL kept saying she was avoiding dating to focus on her exams, but the way it was written didn’t convince me she was actually serious about.

Conversations were so unnatural they were cringey, I just wanted to finish the book, but I couldn't even do that.

Thanks Netgalley and the author for the ARC🤡🗯👀

3.5* rounded up.
That was cute! There were moments that felt a little too cheesy but overall I enjoyed watching Jensen and Autumn come together and learn about themselves as things wrapped up. it good to see when a man steps up and admits where he messed up and is growing from the mistakes.

Thank you netgalley and Wild Rose Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a charming, heartwarming romance that delivers a slow-burn love story with just the right touch of sweetness. Autumn Haze is a dedicated nursing student determined to stay focused—her “no men” rule is non-negotiable until she finishes her degree. To support herself, she secretly works as a hired companion through Plus One. Enter Dr. Jenson Edwards, a swoon-worthy, emotionally wounded doctor who—still reeling from a public breakup—hires Autumn to accompany him to an awards ceremony.

What begins as a business arrangement gently blossoms into something more, and the chemistry between Autumn and Jenson is both believable and delightful. Their growing connection feels authentic, and Jenson is the ultimate book boyfriend—kind, thoughtful, and the perfect match for Autumn’s driven personality. Autumn’s best friend, Lilly, adds a fun and supportive energy to the story, grounding Autumn and providing some great no-nonsense advice.

While the drama is minimal until the end, the emotional stakes feel real, especially as both characters grapple with the consequences of the secret arrangement. The gentle pacing works in the book’s favor, letting the relationship develop organically and giving readers time to really root for this couple.

This is a feel-good romance with a soft emotional core—perfect for readers who enjoy low-drama, high-swoon contemporary love stories.

Autumn is focused on her nursing career and has sworn off dating—until a side job at a dating service lands her in a fake relationship with a charming local doctor. What starts as a one-time event quickly turns into an ongoing arrangement, complete with undeniable chemistry and blurred boundaries.

As Autumn juggles school, work, and unexpected feelings, both she and the doctor must confront their fears of commitment and what they truly want. This story is equal parts witty and heartfelt, blending laugh-out-loud moments with tender emotions.

I wanted to love this story. The synopsis sounded like a fun RomCom but unfortunately I didn't finish it. It starts out so fast I was skeptical a whole book could follow. The chemistry between the main characters didn't feel genuine and the jump to head-over-heels love seemed over-the-top. If the pacing was a bit slower with a start in attraction/chemistry, to friends getting to know each other and then on to love, it would have felt more cohesive. Overall it was a cute story and I appreciated the healthcare representation but it just wasn't for me. Thank you NetGalley, publishers and authors for the chance to review.

Not going to lie, I requested this book solely because I’m in healthcare. But! This was such a cute love story! He was the guy every girl wishes for, romantic and sweet. Also love a book with banter. Thanks for the copy!

This was a cute read and I was rooting for the characters. Autumn is paying her way through nursing school and one of her jobs is working for a service as a "rental" date. Jensen is a pediatric hospitalist in Seattle and needs a date for an awards banquet. His friend hires Autumn to accompany him. The contract is clear - no funny business.
They hit it off and even though Autumn wants to focus on her schooling ("No men until the BSN"), she can't ignore her feelings for Jensen. Overall they have some bumps along the way, but it all works out in the end.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Falls Short and Flat

Autumn works as a companion to pay for her nursing degree. When she is hired by hotshot children's doctor Jensen, the contract they both have to adhere to seems suddenly quite limiting, if not unnecessary..

This is book two in the Plus One series. I did not read book one but doubt it is necessary in order to understand this one.
What Amanda Nelson and Lisa-Marie Potter have crafted is a dual POV romance set in Seattle that falls flat and comes very short of its own potential.

For one, the male POV doesn't read male. I am happy to read sentimental, quirky men, but this really isn't it, like, at all. It reads like bad fanfiction. The romance arc is very flat (to the point where the grand gesture is both bad and not even conceived by the person themselves!). I think considering the length of the book, the stakes needed to be higher and the plot needed to plot more. There are no external stakes besides Jensen's reputation, and even that is... not really at stake - zilch!
There is no real threat to the relationship - neither Jensen's ex (who by the way is the most misogynistically written flat female I have read in a long while, completely inconceivable how he would have dated her in the first place) nor Autumn's former clients or cute set of dads. Most of the book is spent on descriptions of how people feel or what they wear, a lot of tell instead of show, and some dates or single time spent not quite pining. There is a bit of physical attraction but even that does nothing to convince or grab the reader that this is a story to invest in. I took very long to read it because I had to put it down so often, getting bored with it and frustrated with the lack of plot.

If you enjoyed the first book in the series, you will probably like this one as well. It's for readers who like low stakes and romance over plot. It certainly wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Started off well with the banter and an interesting premise, but as it went on the pacing felt choppy, the main characters lacked development and the side characters were just annoying. I also saw the twist/reveal coming from very early on and it was quite tempting to skim through to that inevitability. Sweet in places, but not for me.

Just what the Doctor Ordered by Amanda Nelson and Lisa-Marie Potter is the second book in the “Plus One” series. It can be read as a stand alone as the company is the main connector between the two books.

Autumn is university student studying a bachelor of Nursing degree. To help pay the bills Autumn works for plus one as a companion. It’s not an escort agency, this is a business where gentlemen can hire Autumn to accompany them to functions where the invitation says to bring a plus one and they don’t have one. She has been badly burned by a previous boyfriend and has vowed not to date seriously until she has her degree.

Jensen is a Paediatric doctor who has just won a best doctor award and needs to bring a ‘plus one’ to the award ceremony. The main hitch for him attending is that his ex-girlfriend is attending with her new doctor boyfriend; everyone know a she was cheating on Jensen before she made the jump. Jensen is not interested in dating, but needs her to think he’s moved on. His friend, Molly, used the plus one service in the first book for a male companion, so she sets Jensen up with Autumn.

The scene is set for romance.

The two of them are instantly attracted to each other, neither of them are looking for love but the chemistry is definitely front and centre. They pull off the award night and then there are a few more hired dates, and a few hurdles to overcome, before they succumb to the inevitable, admit their true feelings and finally get their happy ever after.

This was a beautiful romance and I loved the main characters, both had had bad experiences with love in the past, hence some trust issues, so even though the attraction was strong they resisted Insta-love and allowed their friendship side of the relationship to develop first. Sure there was a hiccup but all went well in the end.

✨ I was able to get an ARC from NetGalley, thank you for the opportunity! ✨

This is an honest review, I’ll avoid any major spoilers but as a starting point, I will admit I struggled with this one. I was very close to DNF’ing it but I wanted to see it through to give a review that could be used.

I did not most of the characters in this book and the ones I did were minor roles. I think that I struggled most with the lack of depth plot wise, it felt very shallow, the chemistry between the main characters forced and Jensen frustrated me constantly with his pushing for more even after Autumn was clear about her expectations. Hems constant pushing for more emotionally and physically which gave me the vibes a guy who is describes as a good guy so he gets away with being a creep. Autumn is hired to fill a role and Jensen cannot differentiate between reality and their cover story.

Besides that, there was very little character development, both main characters acted very childish with the obstacles placed in their way as individuals and their ongoing relationship.

Overall I rated it a 2.5 ⭐️ read and it would not be on the top of my book recs list

I was provided an ARC for review. I thought this story was cute and with roots in the medical field. The MMC, Jensen, is a doctor and the FMC, Autumn, is a nursing student. They meet through her side job as a companion. While this story was well written and fast paced, it was missing something to make it really compelling and make you invested in the story. The back history for Autumn’s motto for no men before BSN fell flat for me, but overall still a cute, quickly easy read.

Jensen’s date for the best doctors in Seattle ceremony cancelled on him at the last minute and hired a “Plus One” companion to replace her at the dinner. Knowing his gloating ex-girlfriend, Kayla, will be at the dinner and not wanting to show up dateless, he accepts. Autumn accompanies Jensen to the dinner posing as his girlfriend. And what starts as a simple business arrangement soon turns into much more. Both feel sparks fly as they spend time together and both are afraid to acknowledge it until it becomes too much to ignore. This was a well written, clean rom com with a somewhat predictable plot, but with enough nuances thrown in to make it an unputdownable read. In fact the sun was setting as I finished reading while enjoying the summer evening at the lake. 4.5 stars rounded to 5 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars
This was a cute hallmark type story and whilst it did have a fun storyline that felt different to other stories l've read I didn't love it. I am not a fan of the Insta love and just felt a bit boring to me. It was a well written book and I do love a good fake dating storyline however it just felt like a very long and unnecessarily drawn out.

Just What the Doctor Hired is a fake-dating romance between Autumn, a nursing student working for a companion service, and Jensen, a paediatric doctor looking to protect his reputation. Their chemistry is strong, and the story includes some sweet and steamy moments as their relationship develops.

Jensen is a thoughtful and determined character, while Autumn brings emotional depth with her vulnerability and growth. One downside was the character Lily, whose actions felt more hurtful than supportive and some points made reading the book hard.

Overall, a solid romance with engaging characters and tension-filled moments.

Unfortunately, this one wasn’t the right fit for me. I really enjoy medical romance (there needs to be more of it!), fake dating tropes, and was excited by the “plus one” premise, but I struggled to connect with the pacing and characters. Much of the early story was spent planning logistics and delivering backstory through extended dialogue, which made it hard for me to invest in the romance itself.

While I appreciated some of the setup and the effort to ground the dynamic in emotional realism, I ultimately didn’t feel the chemistry or forward momentum I was hoping for.

I loved this book. It had romance, great family relationships and examples of supportive friendships. A real weaving together of strands and a bit of hospital visiting and issues to add a bit of flavour. Jensen is a gorgeous doctor, but is hung up and wary after being dumped and becoming the subject of the hospital gossip. This leaves him in a hard place emotionally when he meets Autumn through an escort service. Autumn is lovely - fiesty, knowing her own worth and the author gives her a real voice and personality and a great one at that. The relationships are slowly exposed over the book and what came out strongly to me was the amazing bond Autumn had with her two dads and how great they were as a couple too.