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HEART OF THE MATTER is a medical romance featuring two very talented surgeons. Raven Kyrus expected to be appointed the new medical director of UNM Hospital now that her mentor Roberto Lopez is retiring. She is shocked to learn she has been passed over for an outsider, Lucas Drake.
Raven is a young surgeon who specializes in organ transplants. She has been at UNM since her residency and believed that the next step in her career was as medical director. Now she has to deal not only with her sense of betrayal, but also learn how to work with the man who has taken her job. She is Greek and her family has rejected her because of her career choice. She is in New Mexico as a way to avoid conflict with them.
Lucas has secrets and tries to fight his intense attraction to Raven. When a situation occurs that results in a direct conflict between them and his need to establish his authority, he encounters her resentment and fury over his decision. She questions his motives, and resists his attempts to begin a romantic relationship.
When his past comes to light and a murder is revealed, both Raven and Lucas have to decide who to trust, and where this leaves them as far as their reluctant romance is concerned.
Brenda Schetnan describes the physical sensations, and exhaustion that come with being a doctor very well. Unfortunately, she uses devices requiring Lucas to rescue Raven at least twice. Because Raven has come across as very independent, powerful and self-assured, these scenes strike a false note. Lucas’s past isn’t revealed until late in the story and the inner conflict he experiences as a result seems like a tangent rather than integral to the story. Also, the book has several places where words are skipped, making the sentences choppy, and more difficult to follow.
The plot is good, the villain totally unexpected. It is obvious that the author is familiar with a hospital setting, as well as medical decision-making, and her attention to detail is good without overwhelming the story. This is a touching story that brought tears to my eyes in places. This author shows promise, and I look forward to reading other stories by her.
Reviewed by Nancy Riggins-Hume
for The Road to Romance
August 25, 2004
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