I like medical romance, and Intensive Care is a lovely debut novel with real heart. Like many debut novels, this one has its moments of being a tad rough around the edges but overall it's a satisfying read.
Kate Kennedy is a heroine familiar to any of us who have read enough romance. She has a job she loves (nursing, in this case) and a boyfriend who just won't commit. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that there's something off about the boyfriend and Kate ends things. For a change of scene, she applies on impulse for a job as a unit manager in the intensive care unit of a rural Australian hospital. No one will be surprised to learn that of course she gets the job and leaves city life behind for a fresh start in a small town.
I have mixed feelings about "city girl moves to small town" romances, but this one works well. Kate has believable struggles with trying to fit into a different lifestyle and unlike some of the overly saintly heroines I've encountered, she's not above expressing frustration or even indulging in a bit of whining about her situation.
When Kate first moves to Birrangulla to take charge of the intensive care unit, her co-workers don't exactly welcome her with open arms. In fact, her first (and for a while, only) friend in town is Joel O'Connor, owner of the local coffee shop. Not only does Joel have a giving heart and sense of humor, but he's also gorgeous. And even though Kate is in no hurry to jump back into a relationship, she can't help noticing.
Unlike many romances, this one develops over a span of many months. Given the characters' backgrounds, this made sense. Kate has just come out of a long-term relationship and readers will learn that Joel has a past of his own to contend with. Their story is cute and delightful and I enjoyed the journey on this one. Also, did you notice that Joel isn't the town sherriff? I liked that, too.
Enjoyable as Intensive Care is, it's not perfect, so I do need to mention a couple weak spots. The one that annoyed me most had to do with Kate. In the first part of the book, she shows a tendency to jump to wild conclusions in a single bound. Even worse, when friends suggest she do something sensible such as talk over misunderstandings with the other party involved, she rejects the idea. Fortunately, she grows over the course of the story but the initial immaturity can be pretty frustrating.
In addition, the book could have used a touch more editing. The story rambles all over the place a bit. On the plus side, readers do get a feel for life in Birrangulla, but it does make the story feel a touch unfocused from time to time. Even so, this is a promising debut and I'll be curious to try more from this author.
Sensuality: Subtle
Publication Date: 2015/02
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