365 books in 365 days Challenge ... Book #359

The Nurse's Not-So-Secret Scandal - Wendy S. Marcus
Mills & Boon Medical Romance 
Harlequin UK, 2012
ISBN: 9780263891645 (Paperback 2-in-1 edition)
eISBN: 9781408973295 (individual ebook edition)

N.B. The cover image is from the individual ebook edition





My rating

From the back cover:

"Between family nightmares and a series of lousy guys, nurse Roxie Morano’s life is a disaster zone. But enigmatic (and gorgeous!) new colleague Ryan ‘Fig’ Figelstein is ignoring her hazard warnings – instead, he’s signalling his attraction! Now Roxie’s bulletproof heart is at risk…but dare she dream Fig will stick around when he discovers all her secrets?"


The lovely Wendy S. Marcus very kindly sent me a copy of this, her latest release, in exchange for a review. Thank you so much, Wendy.

The heroine Roxie is only just managing to hold her life together when she meets the hero Fig. Hoping for a hot and heavy fling to take away some of her stress but she is left frustrated and angry when Fig stands her up then later accuses her of steal hospital drugs. However things go from bad to worse for Roxie when a sex-tape of her is put up on the internet and her mentally ill hoarder mother sets fire to their home. The only one who sticks by her is Fig. Fig is not without his own problems - a serious childhood illness that has left it's mark in more ways than one, a manipulative mother, and his own control issues - but they each find solace in each other, wanting nothing more than a casual thing. Until everything becomes much more complicated between them.

This was not what I was expecting, at all. I have never really been into books from Medical Romance line, but it appears that I have been reading the wrong ones, or perhaps it's simply that Wendy S. Marcus has taken everything about this line and turned it on it's head. I suspect it's the latter.
This story has so much spark, and it is very, very fresh. One thing that stands out for me, apart from the love-scenes (more on that in a moment), is that a lot of issues are dealt with in this book, and they are dealt with very well. To cram sex-scandals, blackmail, hoarding, mental illnesses, germaphobia, a touch of racism, and the actual romance into one [category length] book and make it work is quite impressive.
I was totally surprised by the heat level in this book, especially for the Medical line, during some of the love-scenes my eyebrows were raised so high I'm surprised they're not stuck!
The heroine is fabulous; so forward and gutsy and as far away as you can get from a lot of the dainty, pearly-white heroines you often find in romance novels. I adored her, she is the ultimate modern day heroine.

The story is gritty and believable, full of passion, heat, honesty, and real in every sense. Quite simply, I loved it.
If you like Sex and the City and ER combine the two and you will get this author's style, and that can only be a good thing!

This is my first Wendy S. Marcus book, and it will not be my last!

Recommended.

Xx

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #182

Italian Doctor, No Strings Attached - Kate Hardy
Mills & Boon Medical
Harlequin UK, 2011
ISBN: 9780263886061




My rating




From the back cover:

"Dare Sydney dream of saying 'I do'?
The attraction between A&E doctors Marco Ranieri and Sydney Collins is instantaneous - and becomes a magical whirlwind affair, sweeping from London to sun-drenched Italy. It was supposed to be a strictly no-strings-attached affair - but one tiny unexpected consequence has changed all the rules. They've got nine months - and counting! - but will Marco ever be ready to get down on one knee...?"


I have spoken before on this blog about medical based romances not really being my thing. However, I really like Kate Hardy's Modern books so thought I would give her latest Medical a try.

The heroine Sydney meets the hero Marco when he helps her conquer her fear and complete a charity abseil down the hospital building. There is an immediate spark between them, but when Sydeny discovers Marco is the new registrar for the E.D. she is also a doctor in she thinkgs there can't be anything between them. However Marco doesn't agree and asks Sydney out and to starting seeing him on a 'lets see where this goes' basis. At first Sydney is reluctant to get in too deep; she is still deeply hurt by the breakdown of her marraige as well as afraid of Marco's reaction to her medical condition. Marco is also wary of relationships as he is still carrying greif and guilt over the death of his wife. He hasn't allowed himself to feel anything deep for a woman since, so he is surprised by his need for Sydney. As their relationship progresses their feelings for one another grow, but their hapiness is threatened when Sydney discovers she is pregnant. Both of them want the baby and to be together, however Sydney's fears over her medical condition and Marco's greif stand in their way.

This is a hard review for me to write. At times I enjoyed this and at others I didn't like it at all. Obviously this is very much a book that goes with your personal likes/dislikes. I personally have never really enjoyed medical romances and this one didn't really gel for me. However I have no doubt that fans of the Medical line will most likely adore it.
The romance itself is very sweet and beautifully written. I liked both the hero and heroine, Kate Hardy really made me feel for them and their struggles. The pace of the book sometimes feels a little disjointed, everything seems to blend together with very few story 'breaks' that I found a little confusing. But I was absorbed into Sydney and Marco's journey and it's a wonderfully crafted love-story. A little too sappy at times, but that's just me!

One last note, don't be swayed by the blurb - it's a little misleading!

Oh, and does anyone else think that the guy on the cover looks a little like the guy (I don't know his name) from the TV show 'Grey's Anatomy'?!!



Xx

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #150

St Piran's: Prince on the Children's Ward - Sarah Morgan
Mills and Boon Medical
Harlequin UK, 2011
ISBN: 9780263885941




My rating





From the back cover:

"For children's doctor Tasha O'Hara it seems bad things do happen in threes...
1) Her new job is looking after a sinfully gorgeous Mediterranean prince, injured in a polo match.
2) Prince Alessandro Cavalieri is also the incorrigible heartbreaker she once threw away any shred of dignity for...and still can't think about without blushing!
3) His definition of No Physical Activity definitely goes against doctor's orders...and it's becoming impossible for Tasha not to succumb to temptation!
Alessandro couldn't be more wrong for her...but three wrongs could make the biggest right of all!
St Piran's Hospital Where every drama has a dreamy doctor...and a happy ending"


I don't read many books from the Medical line, for some reason they don't appeal to me, which is odd since two of my favourite TV shoes are 'Casualty' and 'ER'! However, the lovely Sarah Morgan sent me this book a couple of months back, so I wanted to read it. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it, yey!

The heroine Tasha is a rather outspoken paediatrician who, after a showdown with her boss, finds herself out of work. Her brother Josh offers her the chance to care for a friend of his while she is looking for another job. When Tasha finds out the patient is Prince Alessandro, the hero, she is reluctant but agrees. Tasha and Alessandro share a history; when he had visited her brother many years back Tasha had developed a huge crush on him, but he turned down her advances and she was left feeling humiliated. Tasha decides to use his injury to her advantage and make him squirm. Until they meet again and she realises that she is still very attracted to him. Alessandro is impatient and sick of his injury causing him to rest all the time, which has lead to him dwelling on the new pressures in his life as well as his many regrets. Having Tash care for him isn't helping either, as not only does he regret how much he hurt her in the past but also fiercely desires her. Meanwhile, two other characters, Josh and Megan, are trying to build a relationship with each other despite their shared past hurts.

I really loved Tasha and Alessandro's story, I actually couldn't put this book down. I was sceptical at first as I have never really enjoyed Medical's before, but this one really proved me wrong. I loved how Alessandro's character had a wonderful 'normal person' quality despite his status as a prince, it definitely makes him more believable. Tasha is a brilliant heroine; feisty, intelligent, independent and sensitive all at the same time. Sarah Morgan has a real talent when it comes to writing interesting and believable characters. The love-story is written beautifully, I couldn't help but smile about it.
The book is part of the 'St Piran's' mini-series, however the book does stand alone fine (I haven't read any of the others). But, there is a sub plot of Josh and Megan's story, which as I understand runs through all of the books in the series. This sub plot is absolutely heartbreaking, it is left unfinished though and I am so intrigued that I will be looking out for future books with their story.

Last of all a huge THANK YOU to Sarah Morgan. For both sending me this book and for changing my mind on Medical's!

Xx