⭐⭐
This one is a hospital romance between Dr. Galen Burgess and
Dr. Rowan Duncan. The author, Emily Smith, starts it off promisingly enough.
Galen is Chief Surgical Resident at Boston City Hospital and Rowan is the
newest intern.
Galen is an expert at one-night-stands or quick couplings
not seeking or wanting anything more. Rowan is straight and practically engaged
to long time beau, Brian. There are instant sparks. Also, there are initial
struggles and stumbling blocks in terms of Galen’s reputation, the ‘no
fraternization’ policy in the hospital and the fact Rowan believes she is
straight. These parts are nicely dealt with. The irresistible attraction and succumbing
to it is also very well handled.
Midway through the story, Rowan and Galen are so, so, so in
love. Rowan has ended it with her boyfriend, they are an official couple, the hospital rules are no longer an issue...all is peaches and cream.
The first half really flows well. You even feel for and with Rowan. Galen seems just too confident and cocky, but with her success with women, which is really rubbed in, it kinda works as a personality.
The first half really flows well. You even feel for and with Rowan. Galen seems just too confident and cocky, but with her success with women, which is really rubbed in, it kinda works as a personality.
It is in the second half that we had problems.
Rowan’s boyfriend chucks his job in Texas and lands up in
Boston – a unilateral decision that he takes. Driven by guilt, habit, duty or
compulsion, Rowan immediately dumps Galen to be with Brian.
Here come the problems.
How does Rowan believe that Galen -- who has completely gone
out-of-character with her, never given her cause for doubt, and committed to
her -- will be okay if she just unceremoniously dumps her?
Brian was already in her life when she falls for Galen. She
chooses love at that time. So her volte face later seems weird.
And then equally abruptly she breaks her engagement with
Brian (with whom she is now living) to go back to Galen.
While we liked Rowan initially, we struggled to get a hang
of this character – and haven’t yet understood the drivers, motivations and trajectory
of this personality.
The author touches real emotions again when Rowan asks Galen
to take her back, and Galen has all these conflicting emotions…she wants to get
back, is scared to open up to Rowan again and cannot trust her again – these are
things that are so honest. But Smith chooses the simplistic solution of HFN -- which is literally 'for now' as in that moment in the bar.
On the whole a very light read…but completely forgettable.
⭐⭐
