Reviewed by Maria
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| French Edition |
Harlequin Mills and Boon Medicals are fast becoming my favourite category romance line. But one thing I can’t get excited about is their run of the mill titles. They don’t do the books justice in my opinion. Had I been the one to name this novel, I’d have named it ‘Gotta Love Roxie’. Why? Because Roxie is one character who leaps off the page, makes you laugh, cry and think, with her in your face dress sense (visible under hospital scrubs) and pink cellphone studded with imitation crystals. Her hero is totally different from the usual alpha male category romance hero, but you find yourself falling for him too.
I know enough about U.S. life to know that they are from two different communities, Ryan ‘Fig’ Figelstein and Roxie Morano. He was an overprotected kid who fought childhood cancer and was homeschooled and smother-loved by his doting Jewish momma. (The doting mother is not necessarily a cultural stereotype because they are common throughout the world. The Irish Mammy and the Indian mata, to name but a few. Take your pick.) Roxie’s a Latina, with a big mouth and a large heart. And boy, can she brazen it out! When she’s forced to share with her boss and an investigator that she’s being blackmailed by a man she slept with who uploaded their lovemaking scene onto a porn site, she has to sit through watching herself going wild in bed. The investigator (and hero), intrigued, tells her she has a great ass and she smiles proudly and says that it’s her best feature.
But she’s not so brave and sassy underneath. One gets the impression she’s crying inside (I’m fine. Always fine. Fine. Fine. Fine.). You can sense that it’s a front. While she’s the perfect nurse in her working life, Roxie lives with her mentally ill mother and usually escapes the drabness of her life by getting roaring drunk and sleeping with whoever will take her back to their place. She leaves right afterwards and goes home to take care of her Mami.
This story could never be a ‘sweet’ romance because if you shut the bedroom door, the reader would miss most of the story. Fig’s difficult childhood has left his libido untouched and man, that man is HOT. And well, he and Roxie are more than a match for each other. What touches me most about this story is how the healing power of love works its magic and brings two very special people together. I dare you not to love this story, nor its unforgettable characters. Get a copy today! You’ll be so glad you did!
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Review by Nas
The Nurse's Not-So-Secret Scandal (Mills & Boon Medical)The Nurse's Not-So-Secret Scandal
The Nurse's Not-So-Secret Scandal (Mills & Boon Hardback Medical)
The Nurse's Not-So-Secret Scandal (Mills & Boon Medical)
The Nurse's Not-So-Secret Scandal
THE NURSE'S NOT -SO- SECRET SCANDAL is Book #3 in a miniseries, Madrin Memorial Hospital by Harlequin Mills and Boon Medical Romances from author Wendy. S. Marcus.
Roxie Morano depends on herself only as her brothers moved out soon after their mother started showing signs of mental illness. Since age twelve, she had no one else to depend on. She shocked Ryan `Fig' Figelstein by telling him that she lost her virginity to the local grocer to pay for food when she was fourteen. But she was a nurse now and loved her job and would do anything to keep it.
Head nurse and Roxie's best friend, Victoria, was finding narcotics drugs missing from the ward's drug cabinet. All evidence pointed to Roxie taking the drugs. Victoria installs Fig as the ward unit clerk to keep an eye on Roxie. But Fig hated being in the hospital surrounded by the medicinal smell. Though a successful IT professional now, he had childhood leukemia and used to be in and out of hospitals. Still he agreed to keep an eye on Roxie. What will happen when Roxie finds out that Fig is there to spy on her? Is she really taking the drugs? Who is it who keeps ringing Roxie and threatening her?
Then all mayhem lets loose as the internet hops with Roxie's sex video! Some pervert had videotaped her after she was too drunk to know any better. When she refused his blackmailing effort for the drugs, he lets the video go live on the net. How Roxie and Fig overcome this criminal element makes for a thrilling read.
Roxie's house catches fire by her mentally ill mother and while her mum is hospitalized, Roxie moved in with Fig. For the first time Roxie realizes she actually desires a man and wants him desperately without being drunk. The chemistry between them just sizzles and crackles. The sensuality in the love scenes is electrifying.
And then again for the first time, Roxie realizes that she is not alone after all when all her friends stand by her side, to help her deal with her hoarder mum, and clean up her house. She is overcome with emotions. Though her brothers come but they're filled with avarice and don't care about their mother at all.
THE NURSE'S NOT -SO- SECRET SCANDAL is a fast paced, thrilling story. For me personally, I learnt some things about both Roxie and Fig's mothers' mental illnesses. This story depicts realistically what happens if as Roxie, you're left all alone to deal with a parent suffering from a debilitating mental illness. And what happens to an only child like Fig, who had childhood leukemia and whose mother wanted to keep him sick so she could be known as the great sacrificing mother. How teenaged Fig finally broke away from his mother made for an interesting insight into teenage psych.
Wendy S Marcus has created characters which leap off the page and speak to you. Even if you don't like Roxie's character at the beginning with her smart mouth, you can still understand where she is coming from. With hindsight you can understand the author created Roxie to be not liked at first. Roxie's character was created to hit the very rock bottom and then her inspirational journey back up is astounding. You have to applaud this author for tackling some of the untouched subjects and make it work. This heroine is not your traditional blushing virgin and neither is the hero a medic. Yet this story works as it has all the medical drama you can hope for from the line. The Nurse's Not -So- Secret Scandal fulfills all and then some the high expectations you have from author Wendy S Marcus.
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Reviewed by Desere
In The Nurse's Not-So-Secret Scandal by Wendy S.Marcus we get to meet two people who have to face just that,Roxie has a secret that yes as the title implies is not so secret but intertwined with the phobia of the one man that can rock her world in more ways than one this book makes for exceptional reading.
We get to see Roxie and Ryan fall hopelessly in love with each other in a complete different manner than the normal everyday romances out there. What I really enjoyed about the book was that we learn about each characters in depth,there was none of that I wonder why she did that or why he said that kind of reading.
What really made it interesting is the somewhat dark setting that the book held,a complete and new different approach to they meet ,fall in love and have a happy ending. No this book had it all drama,passion,action and a mystery!
Both characters help each other in their own way to overcome their fears and the book also held a lesson of true love really can overcome it all if your prepared to take the chance.If you're not into medical romances than this is definitely the author/book to change your mind. Wendy delivers a mind-blowing read with her own creative,unique and fresh style of writing.
5/5 review
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