Doc (on) Holiday?

Rock My Heart by Emma Nichols

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Emma Nichols won my heart with the Duckton-by-Dale stories and completely blew me away with Elodie. So now, after the Dales and Sancerre, she took us readers to the US and from New york City to Austin in rural Nevada.

The writing reminds me of "Summer Fate" and "Blind Faith", but even more of Elodie and her mesmerising insight into the way the human mind likes to create illusions to keep us from facing our reality honestly and avoid emotional pain keeps fascinating me every time.

The other thing that amazed me is the honesty, whith which she describes the worldwide all too common situation of doctors, especially in the emergency services. I have been there during my training as a paramedic in the early 1970s and can vividly imagine how much worse it must have become since. Drowning your stress and frustrations in alcohol was already very common then in medicine (hospials and emergency services especially).

But back to the story ...
Maddie is burned out and desperately in need of healing from her emotional pain. Distracting herself with too much responsibility and work doesn't work any more as her body finally has reached its limits and demands its due. She makes the effort to try and give it a rest and to distnce herself from the stress she has made her life.

Devin is (almost) content with her life with the ranch, her family and her horses, but she's trying to hide her scars from the destroyed dream she'd built on quicksand against her insight a while ago. The two of them meet ... and sparks will fly. If they let them, that is.

The romance is slow burn but sizzling hot. Stir in a young deeply hurt girl and motherly instincts and the plot thickens. Emma Nichols treats the story in her special humourous but caring way and, like her other books, brings it to a very satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend this book.



View all my reviews