His Very Special Nurse by Margaret McDonagh
(Harlequin Medical Romance - August 2007)
Rating: Good
This was a very sweet story with strong, likeable characters. Definitely different from my usual reading, but I really enjoyed it.
The story is:
Alexandra Patterson has been hired as a nurse working for Dr. Kyle Sinclair. She's excited about the new job, which allows her to work out in the community, but is unsure of her boss. She's attracted to Kyle, but he seems distant, with a hidden grief, and Alex soon begins discovering some unsettling truths about another nurse in the practice...
My reading rut:
I've been stalling in reading lately, in the middle of a bunch of books (mostly fantasy or paranormal) that are quite good, but for some reason I'm not finishing them. I decided to go for a complete change of pace and try a Medical Romance. Thise one came with my Mira Suspense shipment a few months back--I was excited because I love trying new lines (especially for free!) but hadn't got around to it until now.
Initial doubts but an engrossing story:
I was skeptical at first because Alexandra and Kyle seemed to become attracted to each other so quickly--which usual bugs me in a romance. However, by the second or third chapter in, I was interested enough to keep trying, and it quickly got more believeable. They both had emotional baggage and grief that made sense, and they were well-rounded, interesting characters.
I really enjoyed the non-romance plot, which involved Alexandra discovering neglect on the part of one of the nurses--the stakes were high here, and this story made me root for Alex as a character. I enjoyed any scene involving Alex as a nurse--in particular, there were several scenes with elderly patients that were quite moving.
Once in a while McDonagh lost me with some silly misunderstandings between the characters (they seemed to overhear each other and jump to conclusions a lot), but overall, the relationship and obstacles between them kept me interested.
I also enjoyed the setting (rural Scotland) and general atmosphere of a non-American book. I'd definitely try another Medical Romance. Why, though, the incredibly silly title?
I got this as a freebie too.
I got this as a freebie too. Nice way to try new lines! lol anyway I liked this too it was different. Ive seen some other Medicals that look good but were sold out. Some of the titles put me off too.
A place inside my brain
Another kind of pain
You don't know the chances
I'm so blind!
Blind...
Blind...
I got this one as a freebie
I got this one as a freebie also but I haven't read it yet. I know what you mean about being in a rut. I have been reading a lot of paranormal lately so I am going to switch to something else. I haven't decided what it is going to be yet though.
Tiffany
BJBC
My Shelfari Page
I got this one too
I got this one too, came with my SRS shipment. Glad it's good but then I've enjoyed all the medicals I've read.
The D2K Paranormal Junkies ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog
I have this one too. I
I have this one too. I just ignore titles now. SOmetimes I think the titles arre tongue in cheek. I read one that had conveinent wife in the title and the marriage of convenience was anything but convenient. A lot of the HR titles seem that way. Authors don't get to choose their titles for lots of these lines. If so, I bet we would see different titles instead of the buzz words labeling the content.
Anyhow, I am looking forward to this one. I wish I had just a month to read al lthe Medicals! They sell out very fast. If you are thinking of ordering some, better choose a couple because sometimes have ordered a book that appeared in stock only to have an o/s message on my invoice. THis seems like a line you might like because there is always more going on besides the main romance it seems.
I know what you mean about burn out. Right now I am really in the mood for suspense, Medievals, MEdicals and mysteries even more so because I have not been reading them. Changing genres really helps me keep fresh and enjoy books more than if I read one genre exclusively.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
Yes, I have this one, too.
And like most of you have said, mine was also a freebie. It's been added to my TBR pile. Actually, I haven't read any of the medical harls (should I admit that?), but I've heard nothing but good things about this particular one, so I may give it a try here very soon.....
re: His Very Special Nurse
I'm glad to see it's not just me who gets stuck in ruts or burn outs--been reading a few posts here lately about them in addition to yours, Tiffany. Switching genres does seem to help! But yes, so hard to figure out which genre you need sometimes...
Amanda, I hadn't read any Medicals either. There are a couple of lines I haven't tried...I have a Red Dress Ink and an old Harlequin Next sitting around I keep meaning to read...still haven't read from either of those!
I definitely recommend this book as a nice quick, fun read to anyone who got it free...Moonsong, for sure, it's such a smart way to promote different lines! A freebie was how I got into trying Desires a couple of years ago, I think. That's interesting, Deb, hearing that you got this Medical with your SRS, too. Guess they're targeting suspense fans!
Merri, I think your idea about ignoring the titles is a good one, particularly since you never know if they author had any input. The titles are just so generic!
Thanks also for the tip about ordering Medicals quickly...wow, I just took a peek and a lot of them are indeed sold out! Glad to see the line is doing well. You're right, I enjoyed this one because of the good mix between the suspense of the medical issues and the romance. Sometimes I get fidgety if a book is just romance
His Very Special Nurse - thank you and titles
Hi ladies,
I just wanted to thank you very much for your kind comments about my book. I am so glad you enjoyed it, Lady_Amalthea - and I hope if any of you who have it on your TBR piles give it a try, you will enjoy it, too.
Most of my Medicals are loosely linked and set around the fictional rural community in Scotland so you get to keep in touch with past characters as well as meeting new ones.
To answer your query, as Paisley said, no, as authors we do not get input on the titles!
Best wishes,
Margaret
www.margaretmcdonagh.com
re: His Very Special Nurse
Thanks so much for stopping by, Margaret! One of my favourite things about this book was the sense of community and place, so I will definitely keep an eye out for your other Medicals set in the same community.
Interesting info about the book titles...I guess the editors know what sells, even if I think they're a bit silly
Thank you and titles
My pleasure, Lady_Amalthea. I was so surprised someone had bothered to review one of my books, so you made my day!
I always fall in love with my heroes and it is horrid to say goodbye to characters I have lived with for so long, so I grasped the opportunity to write loosely connecting books with both hands! I love that sense of community, too, and being able to keep in touch with past characters is a wonderful bonus.
I think we are definitely on the same wavelength with the titles!
I hope you will come back to visit my fictional world of Strathlochan again one day.
Thanks very much again for taking the time to read and comment on my book.
Best wishes,
Margaret
www.margaretmcdonagh.com
re: His Very Special Nurse
Good point, the loosely connected books are one of my favourite things about Harlequin series...they're great because if you've been a fan of an author since the beginning, you can visit with old friends (characters) each time, but if you're new to the author, you can also jump right in without having to find the whole series.
I will definitely return to Strathlochan!
It's funny that the discussion of titles came up, because I just finished another book with a bizarre title...The Baby Doctors...which didn't actually involve babies!? I think I'll just shake my head and enjoy the stories...
No babies?
How could there not be babies with that title? *sigh*
The D2K Paranormal Junkies 2008 Challenge Blo