The Not Enough series conclusion–Monica’s story!
Not Quite Enough
by Catherine Bybee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve read all of the Not Quite series now–on audio; very nicely done–and this one is definitely my favorite of the bunch. Monica played a role in the other two, and it was nice to see her reach her own HEA while also catching up somewhat (Jessie, Jack, and Katie all play their own parts here) with the characters from books one and two.
At the start of the novel, Monica is gearing up to head off to Jamaica with Borderless Nurses, the organization she joined in an earlier book. There’s been a major disaster on the island, and she’s eager to put her extensive training to use. A competent and organized nurse, she knows her skills will be in demand at the earthquake- and tsunami-ravaged vacation destination.
Except no one told her they’d have to get to the hospital by helicopter.
Enter Barefoot–AKA Trent Fairchild–pilot and owner of the chopper company on the island. Though his usual clients are tourists, he’s volunteered his fleet’s services to ferry relief workers around the island.
Monica shifted to her right and found her belt. She secured it and fumbled with the headgear before the noise in the chopper overcame her.
Once the earmuffs were on, the noise lessened, giving her a moment of calm.
The chopper shifted, and Monica’s racing pulse lodged in her throat.
“You going to be sick?”
Soft and non-accusatory, Barefoot’s voice sounded in her ears.
Her heart was racing, but she’d yet to feel her stomach churn. “I’m OK.”
Far from OK, but maybe her voice would convince him otherwise.
Barefoot snorted. A full-on snort complete with a shake of his head. He reached over and pried her fingers off her backpack and placed them onto a large rod in the center of the chopper.
“Hold this,” he told her. “ When I say up, push it forward. When I say down, pull it back.”
What? Shit. Was she some kind of copilot? “You can’t fly this thing on your own?”
“You’re shotgun, Blondie. And everyone licensed to fly is solo today.”
Monica’s stomach lodged near her thyroid. She glanced to the back of the chopper where Tina and Walt were giving her a smile.
“They can’t hear us,” Barefoot managed.
“Why not?” Instead of answering, he gave a thumbs-up to someone out the window and grasped his controls with both hands.
He can’t really mean he needs me to help him fly this machine.
“Up.”
Monica shoved the stick forward with the command and ignored her brain telling her to get off the damn chopper and walk toward the needy.
The chopper lurched and within seconds, they were in the air. The tarmac disappeared with alarming speed. Those on the ground scrambled into the next chopper and Monica felt her already chilly insides grow even colder.
Barefoot’s hand left his controls and kept her hand on the stick between them. “Keep pushing it up,” he instructed.
“You can’t fly this thing on your own?”
Instead of answering, he moved his hand away and switched a lever on his side. Monica kept her hand shoved forward, as if it were a joystick on a video game and she was close to breaking her all-time record. This isn’t happening. The sky was streaming at her, the earth was slipping away, and she had her life in her hands. Walt’s and Tina’s, too. Not to mention Barefoot’s. Not that she cared about him . Who brought a passenger on board and expected them to help pilot the flight?
(A pilot who’s trying to keep his most squeamish passenger too distracted to hurl in his cabin, that’s who…as she’ll find out in a bit. Smart guy, that Barefoot.)
Soon, though, a harrowing copter ride is the least of Monica’s worries. There’s too many needy patients and not enough medical personnel or supplies. Then the team leader picks her to head off to a distant clinic (yep, another copter ride), where she’s the closest thing to a doctor they have. Aftershocks, hostile resident nurses, no designated sleeping accommodations–and that’s all before she finds out that her volunteer efforts have put her job back home in jeopardy. Yeah, she’s got a lot on her clipboard at the moment…
I loved both Monica and Trent’s characters–there’s quite a bit to root for in this one. Both have their own reasons for not wanting a relationship, though naturally they’ll change their minds by the end of the book 🙂 The only part that gave me pause in this one is how quick Trent was to think the worst of Monica–though Bybee does give him good reasons, and he makes up for it in the end.
All in all, this was a very satisfying read–great characters, good story, and an awesome end to a highly entertaining series.
Rating: 4 stars / A-