Tag Archives: Doctor/Paramedic

Love In The Light (Hearts In Darkness # 2)

By Laura Kaye

Synopsis

Two hearts in the darkness…

Makenna James and Caden Grayson have been inseparable since the day they were trapped in a pitch-black elevator and found acceptance and love in the arms of a stranger. Makenna hopes that night put them on the path to forever—which can’t happen until she introduces her tattooed, pierced, and scarred boyfriend to her father and three over-protective brothers.

Must fight for love in the light…

Haunted by a childhood tragedy and the loss of his family, Caden never thought he’d find the love he shares with Makenna. But the deeper he falls, the more he fears the devastation sure to come if he ever lost her, too. When meeting her family doesn’t go smoothly, Caden questions whether Makenna deserves someone better, stronger, and just more…normal. Maybe they’re just too different—and he’s far too damaged—after all…

Review

LOVE IN THE LIGHT takes place two months after the elevator scene in HEARTS IN DARKNESS. Makenna and Caden are practically living together and despite some insecurities on his part, they’re both very happy. But it’s that happiness that Caden fears most, because everyone he’s ever loved has either died or abandoned him, so when he starts to develop strong feelings for Makenna, he has a hard time trusting it. Makenna is a very strong, loving and patient woman, which is exactly what Caden needs. She knows about his past and the nightmares that haunt him, and she does everything she can to ease them. But he’s kept from her how bad his depression can get, so when it starts to hit him again, he does what he thinks is best: he leaves. Sadly, it’s at a time when Makenna needs him the most.

LOVE IN THE LIGHT is told in dual POVs and is a novella, so it’s a fairly quick read. It’s part of a duet, so you need to read HEARTS IN DARKNESS first as it’s the story about how Caden and Makenna meet. This was an enjoyable read and I really liked getting to know more about them as individuals and as a couple, but this is not what I would call a light read. You will shed some tears, and following Caden’s downward spiral into depression may be hard for some people to take.

Love In The Light (Hearts In Darkness # 2)

My Rating:

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Hearts In Darkness Series

Lincoln Hospital (The Trauma Series # 1)

By Cassia Brightmore

Synopsis

On the twenty-third day—he hunts, bringing the scum of the earth to justice; his justice. Ending up as a patient on Dr. O’Reilly’s table could either save your life or end it in the most horrific way.

New York City. The infamous city that never sleeps; the place where dreams either shine brightly or shatter into razor sharp pieces of metal. For Dr. Cian O’Reilly, it’s the perfect city to disguise his dark alter ego. As a top surgeon at Lincoln Hospital, he has access to resources far beyond the reach of the average person; the ideal cover for his double life. By day, he’s the epitome of professionalism. By night, the facade is stripped away and his true depraved self is revealed.

When Dr. Athena Payne joins the roster as a new surgical intern, Cian’s carefully constructed life is thrown into turmoil. With her sunny smile and wide-eyed innocence, she threatens to break through his iron-like exterior, exposing the man beneath. Following her dream of becoming a cardiovascular surgeon, her internship at Lincoln Hospital is the first step in achieving her goals. Something about the dark air of mystery that surrounds her new boss, Dr. Cian O’Reilly, leaves Athena questioning just what it is that the good doctor is hiding.

A killer on the loose. A doctor wielding a deadly blade. An intern caught in the midst of first love and a lethal web of murder.

Lincoln Hospital. Where the cure can be your worst nightmare.

Warning: Contains violence and graphic situations not suitable for readers under the age of eighteen. This is the first book in a series and ends on a cliffhanger. All books must be read in order to follow the series.

Review

From the first page, you know that Cian is not a nice guy. He’s an amazing and well respected surgeon, but he’s also well known for being an asshole and it’s a title he wears with pride. He also has a dark and vengeful side, one that only a handful of people know about. He’s become a vigilante, serving up cruel and unusual punishment to those that have gotten away with their terrible crimes. What can I say about Athena? Not much because to be honest, I don’t really remember her, other than she forgave Cian every time he treated her badly. Cian’s personality and actions overshadow almost everyone and everything else in this story.

Sometimes I’m in the mood for a dark book and when I saw this one pop up, it sounded too interesting to dismiss. I did enjoy LINCOLN HOSPITAL, but I didn’t love it. My main issue was in relation to the POVs. While this story is mainly told in Cian and Athena’s POV, it also includes the POV of several other characters. That would be fine, except that the POV changes without any notice at all, which often left me confused. At one point the POV switched between three characters in as many paragraphs. I also noticed incomplete, extra and wrong words used here and there, so it could use an editor. LINCOLN HOSPITAL is the start of a new series and I believe it is the spin-off of her Darkness series. I don’t think you need to read the other books first, but there was one chapter where the villains are talking about people and events that seemed unrelated to this story, and trying to figure out who and what they were talking about was useless. The story ends in a cliffhanger of sorts, in that while the story about the missing girls will continue, I don’t think the next story will be about Cian and Athena. It feels like they got their HEA, as happy as they can be in a story such as this.

Lincoln Hospital (The Trauma Series # 1)

My Rating:

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River Of Love (Bradens at Peaceful Harbor # 3)

By Melissa Foster

Synopsis

River rafting and adventure company owner Sam Braden works hard and plays harder. He’s fast, focused, and determined–and never at a loss for a willing woman to share his time with. The trouble is, the only woman he wants refuses him at every turn.

Physician assistant Faith Hayes escaped her painful past and built a safe, happy life in Peaceful Harbor. She’s also put what she’s learned to good use helping others by founding Women Against Cheaters, an online support group. When her boss’s sinfully sexy brother sets his sights on sweet Faith, she knows the self-professed player is everything she shouldn’t want, and she’s determined to resist him.

Sam pulls out all the stops, proving to Faith that his past doesn’t have to define his future. As she lets down her guard and begins to trust Sam, intense conversations turn to intimate pleasures. But when real life steps in and their pasts collide, it’s Faith who’s left with something to prove.

Review

After experiencing heartbreak as a teen, Sam turned into the resident playboy of Peaceful Harbor. But as much as he sleeps around, he treats all of his lady friends with respect and they all know the score. Faith is relatively new to town but has already heard all about Sam Braden. After being cheated on by the man she thought she’d marry, she has no intention of falling for another smooth talker, no matter how cute and attentive he seems.

RIVER OF LOVE was a sweet and simple read and the first book I’ve read from Melissa Foster. It’s told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. This was a good book that was well written and I liked both Sam and Faith, but the story didn’t excite me and it took me several days to finish it. If you like sweet stories about sweet people, this one is for you.

Sam: “Let me love you, embarrass you, and dance with you until the day you bury me six feet under. Then I’ll wait for you on the other side, knowing that whatever else there is, we’ll experience it together.”

River of Love (Bradens at Peaceful Harbor # 3)

My Rating: 1/2

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Hearts In Darkness (Hearts In Darkness Duet # 1)

By Laura Kaye

Synopsis

Two strangers…

Makenna James thinks her day can’t get any worse, until she finds herself stranded in a pitch-black elevator with a complete stranger. Distracted by a phone call, the pin-striped accountant catches only a glimpse of a dragon tattoo on his hand before the lights go out.

Four hours…

Caden Grayson is amused when a harried redhead dashes into his elevator fumbling her bags and cell phone. His amusement turns to panic when the power fails. Despite his piercings, tats, and vicious scar, he’s terrified of the dark and confined spaces. Now, he’s trapped in his own worst nightmare.

One pitch-black elevator…

To fight fear, they must reach out and open up. With no preconceived notions based on looks to hold them back, they discover just how much they have in common. In the warming darkness, attraction grows and sparks fly, but will they feel the same when the lights come back on?

Review

This is not the first time I’ve read HEARTS IN DARKNESS, but it is the first time I’ve reviewed it. I originally read it back in 2012 and remember liking it quite a bit, which is why I was happy to read it again. However, four years later I find I’m more critical than what I used to be and I did have one issue with this story. It’s told in dual POVs and in my honest opinion, it was not handled very well at all. The POV would change between Caden and Makenna without any notice at all, not even so much as a gap between paragraphs. The story would continue on and it would take a few seconds to realise that the POV had changed. In all fairness though, my e-book is from 2012, so perhaps that issue has since been rectified. I still enjoyed the story and I liked both Caden and Makenna very much. It is a novella, so it’s an insta-love and there’s not much time to really delve into things. I think it’s smart that Laura Kaye had the characters trapped in an elevator, because it allowed her to focus on them rather than anything else. You learn a lot more about Caden than you do about Makenna, and you can’t help but fall in love with him when you hear his story because he has not had the easiest life. LOVE IN THE LIGHT is book two in the series and follows up with Caden and Makenna as he’s introduced to her family.

Hearts In Darkness (Hearts In Darkness Duet # 1)

My Rating:

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Hearts In Darkness Series

RIP

by Rachel Van Dyken

Synopsis

Pretty things aren’t meant to be broken.
But I broke her, and now we both have to pay the price.
I’m her nightmare.
I’m her savior.
And now that I have her signature on an ironclad contract, I own her body and soul.
She doesn’t remember me.
She will.
It’s inevitable.
Because as much as I know I need to stay away, for fear of unlocking the memories I helped her father bury–I can’t.
She was the apple in the Garden, dangled in front of me, her core so tempting and sweet. A voice whispered. Just. One. Bite.
I bit.
I tasted.
I fell.
Welcome to the world of the Russian mafia, where death, is your only future.

My Review

I do feel like a need a bit a therapy after reading this – what a tortured pair of lovers.

This was a great twisted tale and one of the best parts was we had both characters talking us through their tale of love, despair, secrets and heartache.

Nikolai carried such secrets and burdens and we were given clues and snippets all the way through to the last few chapters – I was glued to the pages trying to keep up – great story telling by the author.

Maya, what a beautiful girl and so strong considering who her family was and the lies and betrayals you uncover as she does.

We get to meet a whole group of can I say really hot Italians and now I find out they have their own series and I am dying to find out how the women in their lives tame them.

Nikolai and Maya – their connection makes sense as you travel through the pages and with them on their journey in finding light amongst the darkness of their lives.

RIP

My rating:

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Hawke (Cold Fury # 5)

By Sawyer Bennett

Synopsis

Off the ice, elite defenseman Hawke Therrien enjoys his fair share of booze and good times. And why shouldn’t he? He’s worked his way up from the minor leagues and made himself a star. The only thing Hawke misses from that life is the pierced, tattooed free spirit who broke his heart without so much as an explanation. She’s almost unrecognizable when she walks back into his life seven years later—except for the look in her eyes that feels like a punch to the gut.

Vale Campbell isn’t the same girl she was at twenty. As crazy as she was about Hawke, her reckless behavior and out-of-control drinking were starting to scare her. She had to clean up her act, and that would never happen with Hawke around. Cutting him loose was the hardest thing Vale ever had to do—until now. Because she’s still crazy about Hawke. And if he could ever learn to forgive her, they just might have a future together.

Review

HAWKE starts with a flashback of seven years, to when Hawke and Vale are madly in love at the age of twenty. Out of nowhere, Vale breaks up with Hawke and provides no reason for the breakup other than she doesn’t love him anymore. He tries for a few days to get her to talk to him, but she never returns his calls or texts and in his anger, he gives up and moves on. Back in the present day, Hawke is welcomed into the Cold Fury team on the same day that Vale is introduced as their newest athletic trainer. He thought he’d gotten over his feelings for her, but one look at her brings all the anger, frustration and yes, love, screaming to the surface.

HAWKE is a second-chance romance that is told in dual POVs, and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. I love Sawyer Bennett’s work, which is why it pains me to say that HAWKE was a bit of a letdown for me. I am not a fan of conflict that is caused by simple miscommunication. I was annoyed at Vale for laying half the blame on Hawke when absolutely none of the breakup was his fault. I was irritated by the constant allusion as to why Vale broke it off with Hawke, before the reason was finally revealed at the 60% mark. I really disliked the scene where Hawke nearly forced himself onto Vale, thinking that her refusal was unacceptable to him because he was too far gone. Lastly, he’s been sleeping around for the past seven years and she’s been in other relationships, and yet both are more than ok with not using a condom the first time, or any time after that. Overall, I feel that the book was as frustrating as it was enjoyable.

Hawke (Cold Fury # 5)

My Rating:

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Cold Fury Series

Emergency Delivery (Love Emergency # 2)

By Samanthe Beck

Synopsis

Madison Foley is determined to stand on her own two feet, no matter how wobbly her circumstances. Fate, however, keeps throwing her off balance, and then sending heroically hot paramedic Hunter Knox to save her.

She’s put men on the back burner until she gets her life on track.

But Hunter’s got other plans.

Decisions. Decisions.

Review

Hunter and Madison meet in a fairly unconventional way when Hunter is called in to deliver Madison’s baby on the side of a busy road. Feeling a connection he doesn’t understand, he visits her the next day to find out she’s already been discharged. A month later, he finds out from another paramedic that she’s been re-admitted to hospital after collapsing in public. When he discovers the full extent of her situation, he offers up his home as a way to help her out.

I adored Hunter and thought he was an absolute sweetheart. His friends and co-workers know he’s a great guy but they also think he has a hero complex. I don’t think it’s a hero complex, rather that he’s a good guy who wants to help those who need it. As a paramedic with dreams of becoming a doctor, fixing things to make lives better is simply who he is. The only time I wasn’t sold on him was when he planned to propose to Madison when he hadn’t yet told her how he felt about her. Madison is a nice, young woman who hasn’t had the best start in life. Her ex-boyfriend is a total loser that she can’t seem to shake no matter where she goes. She wants to prove to herself and her daughter that she can provide them with everything they need, and while that’s admirable, it’s that need for independence that got to me at times. Hunter is an amazing guy, so it annoyed me that she kept trying to push him away for their own good.

EMERGENCY DELIVERY is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. It was an easy and romantic read with a little action thrown in. I liked Hunter and Madison as a couple and I thought the ending was sweet and perfect.

Emergency Delivery (Love Emergency # 2)

My Rating:

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Love Emergency Series

Reawakened Secrets (Reawakened # 1)

By Mari Denae

Synopsis

Some secrets should never be kept…

Growing up in the servants’ quarters at Haven Hill, Claire Brown was a poor outcast, living in a world of money and privilege. Her only solace was best friend, Alice Sinclair, and secret desire, Jackson Montgomery. Rich and connected, they were perfect in every way and perfect for each other.

Still, Claire was foolish enough to fall in love with Jackson, and desperate enough to hide it. When Alice found out, there was a terrible accident that left her in a coma. Jackson disappeared, leaving New Haven without even saying good-bye.

Ten years later, Claire has managed to build a life without them. So when Jackson calls out of nowhere to say Alice is awake, Claire’s first thought is Thank God. Her second? I’m screwed. Lusting after Jackson destroyed her. It’s nothing compared to what she’s hiding now.

But nothing stays hidden forever.

Review

Caught up in a love triangle, Jackson left Claire ten years ago to stay by Alice’s bedside while she was in a coma. Now that Alice is awake, he plans to win Claire back because he’s been in love with her since he was a teen. But Claire, who was left devastated by Jackson’s departure and that he never once contacted her, has no plans to let him back into her heart if she can help it.

REAWAKENED SECRETS is the first in a three-part serial novella about Claire and Jackson and does end in a cliffhanger. It’s told in Claire’s POV and contains flashbacks to her teen years before Alice’s accident. REAWAKENED SECRETS is the debut novel for Mari Denae and while it’s not a bad story, it was predictable and I found myself skipping sections to get to the end. While I wasn’t a fan of the story, I thought it was written very well for a new author and the cover is absolutely beautiful.

Reawakened Secrets (Reawakened # 1)

My Rating:

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His Billion Dollar Baby

By Lea Nolan

Synopsis

Burned by love and grieving over his brother’s death, sexy billionaire CEO Carter Anderson wants nothing more than to protect his family. So when beautiful and unassuming physical therapist Gwen Radley shows up at the funeral, pregnant with his brother’s baby, Carter’s certain she wants an interest in the Anderson empire–and both his suspicion and attraction grow when circumstances force Gwen to move into his family’s mansion.

An orphan, Gwen’s never wanted anything more than a family, and she finds in the Andersons a place she and her baby might belong. When Gwen’s therapy expertise leads to long hours of intense, late-night collaboration on a lucrative project, the attraction between her and Carter leads to a night of white-hot passion. But Carter’s distrust remains, leading them both to wonder if he will ever embrace his brother’s baby–or the love that’s blooming between them.

Review

Doing something she’d never done before, Gwen indulged in a one-night-stand with a former patient before he was deployed. That one night resulted in a pregnancy, but Ben was killed in action before finding out he’d fathered a child. Preparing to raise the baby on her own, she attends his funeral to slip a photo of their unborn child in his coffin, but when she bumps into his very wealthy family, her secret is revealed. Ben’s parents couldn’t be happier because a piece of him will live on. But his older brother, Carter, doesn’t believe Ben fathered the child and that Gwen is nothing more than a gold-digger looking for a pay day.

Carter is your classic billionaire playboy; his wife cheated on him so he has vowed to never love another woman again while sleeping with as many women as he can since they separated. Because of his cheating ex, he believes all women are exactly like her, i.e. gold-digging whores. I understand being cautious with Gwen and the situation, but he was downright cruel to her at times because he was blinded by his past. He ended up redeeming himself, but his character bored me because I’ve read several characters just like him before.

I loved Gwen and thought she was unbelievably sweet and genuine. She’s been given so very little over the course of her life and yet she’s so generous to those around her. While Ben’s family is very wealthy, it’s not their money she wants but rather just to be a part of their family. She was strong enough to walk away when Carter hurt her and smart enough to really make him work for her forgiveness.

HIS BILLION DOLLAR BABY was a very nice and enjoyable read. I though the story was very sweet and if you can get over the agonising billionaire, I think you’ll love it.

His Billion Dollar Baby

My Rating:

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Simmering Ice (Atlantic City Hustlers # 2)

By Veronica Forand & Susan Scott Shelley

Synopsis

When the gloves come off, she’s worth the penalty…

Physical therapist Annie Davidson is great at her job but unlucky when it comes to love. She’s just out of a bad relationship. A really bad relationship. All she can do is focus on work…that is until she runs into professional hockey player Alec O’Meara. She’s a touch insecure and doesn’t understand why he’s interested in her.

Despite being one of the biggest players on the team, right wing Alec O’Meara prefers finesse over force. After the tragic death of his wife, he likes to keep things loose on and off the ice. But the red-headed Annie challenges his beliefs and makes him think about taking their relationship to the net.
The passion and fun they share is addicting and makes them long for more. But her insecurities that she’s not good enough, and his anxiety over a long-term commitment will keep them apart, unless they can find a way to break through the defenses they’ve built around their hearts.

Review

So I’m going to be honest and say that I was very sick when I read SIMMERING ICE, which could be why I didn’t like it as much as a thought I would, or as much as I remember liking FLIRTING ON ICE. This is a novella, so it’s a fairly quick read and it moves at a quick pace, but I felt that sometimes it moved too quickly and that some scenes could have been fleshed out a little more. I also found that the mid-chapter breaks were hard to identify, which would confuse me until I realised that we’d apparently changed scenes and skipped a couple of days.

I liked the friendship and loyalty the players had with each other, both on and off the ice. When they knew something was bothering Alec, they turned up and refused to leave until they helped him come up with a solution. I did like Alec and I thought he was a nice guy, but I didn’t connect with him on an emotional level. Here’s a guy whose wife died a couple of years ago, yet I felt nothing for him, felt no sadness for his loss. I liked Annie as well but she did lack a lot of confidence. But given her ex cheated on and left her and her mother was always saying negative things about her life and appearance, a lack of confidence doesn’t really surprise me. Her interactions with her mother made me wish I could have reached into my Kindle, pulled her mother out by her hair and bitch slap her. And that right there is the only emotion I can remember having while reading this book: anger at Annie’s mother. I would have loved Annie had she stood up to her mother.

SIMMERING ICE is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

Simmering Ice (Atlantic City Hustlers # 2)

My Rating:

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