Edward Russell might have a big job and a posh voice, but Tess is determined not to let him get to her. And Edward, it turns out, may be less of a grump than he first appears…
In the real world, where gentlemanlike manners and out-of-the-blue declarations of love are a story-book fantasy, it’s up to Tess to decide whose voice to listen to … and how to make her own heard.
Comment: I can't remember why I've added this book to my TBR. It probably looked good somewhere and it was likely an impulsive addition but recently it was a good choice for one theme in one of the challenges I'm doing, thus why I got to it now.
Dr Tess Carter is a young woman still going through different medical areas and now she is going to work in the palliative care unit for a while. Although her personal life had a shock when her boyfriend left her for another man, she still feels it's her duty to be a professional for her patients but this work in the palliative care is much harder than what she anticipated. The problem is that she is butting heads with Edward Russell, the son of a patient and she knows who he is, they had a chance encounter once and it seemed they hit it off but she had a boyfriend at the time and nothing further happened. Although she is unsure why he pretends he doesn't know her, she still needs to give care to his ill mother, who is on her terminal journey due to a cancer. However, they don't seem to agree on how to best help his mother and this affects their interactions. But could it be that there is more to consider in this whole thing than simply a case of not recognizing each other?
I have to agree with the readers who claim the cover is misguiding and that this is not a romance centered novel. I suppose this can catch many unaware and that is why many might not enjoy the book, but while I could put that aside and like it, I can see why other options from the publisher might have been more suitable. I have also seen in some sites different blurbs and that can be confusing as well.
This story is focused on Tess and her life. She is a young woman who had her mother as a role model, and she has tried her best to not be like her, for her mother has two children, from different fathers and her mother feels this didn't allow her to study or do certain things and she has always wanted something different for Tess. Indeed, Tess studied and is now a doctor but she still feels the loss of a father who didn't stay and she has always been vulnerable to low self esteem. Throughout the novel, we keep seeing the "voices" in Tess's head, or Jane Austen with advice or a TV presenter in a talk show criticizing and bringing Tess down. This might sound too weird but it helped to explain some of Tess's behavior.
I liked Tess as protagonist but I'll say I wasn't too fond of some of her choices in the past, when confronted with sudden freedom from home or when something bigger happens. I would more easily understand people who become introverts than extroverts in the face of adversity or big change. Still, I kind of liked her evolution throughout the novel, perhaps with one or two exceptions, and her relationship with Edward was one I think was realistic, especially since they have different opinions about his mother's care.
I suppose I should also say the romance here is not center stage and although there is a HEA - and I've found the very end a little cheesy - the path towards that was not as romantic and cutesy as one might hope for. Again, the bright color might suggest something lighter, but Tess and Edward don't get along all the time and there are even some secondary situations putting them at opposed sides. I think the pace of the romance development is adequate for the type of story they had (a chance encounter when they weren't both romantically available despite their "connection"), but it's true it's not all good times.
In a way, besides their personalities, backgrounds, which can be enough to put people at different places in life and in expectations regarding a partner, both have to deal with issues, being Tess' more obvious. But a huge part of the novel is actually spent on what it means to care for someone in palliative care. The author did her research or she had personal knowledge of the subject because there is a lot of content on this and I can imagine how disappointing it might be for a reader who wanted a sweet romance story. Edwards's mother is terminally ill and a lot of conversations between the characters are about this. The book is surprisingly insightful and a little sad at times, which didn't bother me, in fact I was quite glad because I've felt the ratio between the serious issues and the romance worked out well. But I know it might not be so for other readers.
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