Trauma Plan (Grace Medical)
Calvert is an ER nurse who brings the reader not only a great romantic story, but a glimpse into the chaos of an urban medical clinic.Trauma Planis a humor-filled romance, woven throughout with suspense, medical intrigue, and faith. Readers will look forward to the rest of the Grace Medical series.Riley Hale (of the rich and famous Hale family) wants to work as an ER nurse again, but injuries from a savage attack have left permanent damage, and she cannot control her muscle spasms. Dr. Jack Travis is a passionate champion of the homeless and the downtrodden. When he meets Riley he is wary of her limitations but intrigued by her determination, and he asks her to help at the clinic. Riley sees this as a chance to get back into medicine and accepts. They become a strong team battling for those who have no voice.—Linda Mae Baldwin (Romantic Times)Injured in a brutal attack and uncertain whether she still can perform as an ER nurse, Riley Hale hopes for reinstatement while serving as a chaplain, offering comfort and prayers to patients at Alamo Grace Hospital, the setting for a new series from Calvert (Mercy Hospital series). To hone her skills, Riley volunteers at a clinic run by daredevil doctor Jack Travis, who battles his mysterious past—and hostile neighbors seeking to shut down the clinic, which brings clientele to the community considered “undesirable.” A budding romance between Riley and Jack is nicely balanced by the couple’s interactions with family, patients, and co-workers, all toting their own baggage packed with fear, ulterior motives, and past mistakes. Calvert, herself a former ER nurse who was sidelined by an injury, infuses her story with detailed medical procedures and terminology along with honest questions about faith that anyone might ask in the face of difficulties. The characters are likable and receive rich and thorough development in this enjoyable “hope opera” page-turner. (Publishers Weekly)Candace Calvert is no stranger to all things medical and writing. Her first series of books—the Mercy Hospital series—have such titles asCritical Care, Disaster StatusandCode Triage. AndTrauma Plangives an eye-opening look behind the scenes of the world of emergency medicine. In this advanced reader’s copy presented by Tyndale House Publishers, this reviewer became so entranced in the story that was being told—or should I say stories that were sewn together as uniquely and beautifully as a quilt top by Calvert who proves to be a wordsmith for the common everyday folks—that three and half hours later, the book was finished and I was hungry for more.Very seldom does a book do that for this old newspaper editor, but Calvert’sTrauma Plandid that. Riley Hale was a nurse and a good one before she was the victim of an attack that not only physically damaged her, but took a chunk out of her confidence. Dr. Jack Travis had experienced enough heartache in his life to make even Mother Teresa understand his unwillingness to get close to people or trust them. Yet, Dr. Travis devotes his life to helping the underdog with a free medical clinic next door to a posh neighborhood. Riley Hale wants to go back into nursing, but for now has to be satisfied as a safety officer and chaplain at the very hospital she was attacked at.Through an ironic twist of fate, or perhaps it really was the hand of God, Dr. Travis and Chaplain Hale meet, don’t hit it off, but end up needing each other to accomplish their individual professional goals. It is the bits and pieces of the other stories and characters that Calvert delicately and subtly (at the same time) twines together that makesTrauma Planthe type of book that you want to read over and over.It is a book not just for medical personnel—but for everyone. George Clooney would probably take on another doctor’s role after reading this book. (examiner.com)