Found: A Novel

by Emily Brett

Twenty-seven-year-old ICU nurse Natalie Ulster has a desire to see the world, in case she dies young like her mother, and a need to heal, which is compensation for her own damaged heart. Armed with an independence and self-reliance that stems from her father's emotional abandonment and wanting to separate herself from a deranged nurse whose husband just died under suspicious circumstances on Natalie's watch Natalie grabs life by the globe and accepts successive assignments in Belize, Australia, and Arizona. When Natalie meets Dr. Joel Lansfield, a physician who is also familiar with grief, she finds that Joel sees her for the strong woman she is, and loves her for all she has yet to figure out but she's not sure she's ready to make room in her heart for love. Desperate to maintain her emotional distance with Joel, she continues to travel. In each country, however, she finds herself confronted with near-death accidents, from a poisoned drink to a severe food allergy to being thrown overboard in the Great Barrier Reef. Too many coincidences force her to ask herself a frightening question: Is someone trying to kill her?

308 pages, Paperback

Published October 18, 2016

About the author

Emily Brett received her first bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in Kinesiology, after which she went on to Arizona State University to receive a bachelor’s degree in nursing. While working as an ICU nurse, she earned a master’s degree in nursing at Arizona State. She is board-certified as an Adult Nurse Practitioner and has been in the nursing profession for over ten years. Presently she serves on the Advanced Practice Committee with the Arizona State Board of Nursing, and shares a medical practice with her husband, a physician. She has been published in a number of medical journals, including The Journal for Nurse Practitioners and the Online Journal of Nursing Scholarship. She is also a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Found is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Natalie is a young ICU nurse who loves her job. However, lately her days have seemed somewhat joyless and exhausting and she feels that she is not living life to the fullest. Having lost her mother to cancer at an early age, she is afraid that she will run out of time to do all the things she has dreamed of before the same fate befalls her. When the opportunity to travel as an agency nurse comes along, she jumps at it, taking first an assignment to Belize and later to Australia. But soon Natalie realises that she can’t escape her demons – or her enemies – that easily, and realises that she must face up to the past in order to embrace the future.

Being a nurse myself, the premise of the story appealed to me and I thought I would be able to relate to its setting and protagonist. I really enjoyed the human aspect of Natalie’s patient encounters and the little side stories relating to her work, where the author’s love for her profession shone through for me, as did the common frustrations of our job. I also liked how the loss of her mother at an early age gave Natalie a vulnerable side and affected her in many ways in her adult life, driving some of her actions in the novel. However, I found it very difficult to relate to Natalie’s voice, who is 27 years old but sounds like a stroppy teenager throughout the book, which is totally at odds with her professional side. The pages are peppered with her rather juvenile angry phrases, such as: “You want to go bitch? Let’s go.” Or “What the fuck? This is not my fault, buddy. Hell no!” Do professionals in their mid-twenties really talk like this? Not any of the people I work with – it got a bit tedious after a while. Perhaps this would appeal to a younger audience, but I felt like I was in the room with my sulky teenage daughter, resisting the urge to shake her and telling her to snap out of it!

There were also some glaring holes in some of the medical details in the story, which were hard to overlook. Given the author’s professional background and experience I guess this was for the benefit of entertainment for the not medically trained reader and to spice up the action parts of the story, but it took some of the book’s credibility away for me. I guess it is a fine line between bogging down the story with too much medical jargon and detail, but on the other hand there is always the risk that people who work in the industry read it and roll their eyes in frustration if the facts don’t add up. I have never been good at suspension of disbelief for the sake of entertainment, so this really bugged me. I also thought that the story generally floundered a bit, roaming he streets of different genres like a poor little orphan Annie in search of a home. Was it supposed to be a romance, a mystery, a coming-of-age story? The mystery part was a bit too far-fetched and underdeveloped for me, and I wished that the author had concentrated more on the aspect of a young woman trying to “find herself” and overcome the shadow of her mother’s death and the unhappy childhood that followed. The romance part would have fit into this scheme perfectly.

As it was, the book as a whole did not really work for me personally, but I think that as a general idea the story had a lot of potential. Seeing how this is a debut novel, I look forward to giving this author another try as I think she has some great stories waiting to be written, using the background of her passion for her job and her many experiences as a nurse as a base for future novels.

[Debi Stout · Rating 3 out of 5]

As most of you know, I've had the privilege of being a part of the BookSparks 2016 Fall Reading Challenge and today's post is one of the November books on the list. The "Course Title" for this book is International Nursing, and the Department is Medical Adventure.

The heroine of this story is 27 year old ER nurse, Natalie Ulster, who is a travel nurse out to see the world, worried that she might die young like her mother. Natalie is a self-reliant and independent woman who wants to separate herself from an out of control nurse whose husband dies under "suspicious circumstances" while Natalie is on duty. When Natalie's life is threatened, author Emily Brett keeps readers on edge with this fast-paced "insider look" at life in medical emergency care departments.

Natalie jumps at an opportunity to travel as a nurse and takes an assignment to Belize and later to Australia. Soon Natalie realizes that she can't get away from her past and that she must face the past in order to move forward to the future.

Natalie meets Dr. Joel Lansfield, who is a physician who is also familiar with grief. Dr. Lansfield sees Natalie for the strong woman she is and loves her, but Natalie isn't sure she's ready. She's desperate to keep an emotional distance from the doctor so she continues to travel. She is forced to look at her life when she realizes that she has been subjected to several near-death accidents, from a poisoned drink to a severe food allergy to being thrown overboard in the Great Barrier Reef.

Personally, I found that Natalie's language wasn't what I would expect from an educated 27 year old nurse - I don't consider myself a prude, but most times I'm certain the "f" bomb is unnecessary. I felt that some of the story was a little too unbelievable for my liking. Overall, the book was a quick read and if you aren't set on knowing all the facts, you'll breeze right through this one.

I received a complimentary paperback copy of this book from the publishers and BookSparks as part of the Fall Reading Challenge 2016 (#FRC2016) in exchange for this post.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review*

This book is written in first person, and we are reading from the POV of Natalie, an ICU nurse. She has the need to travel, and she signs up for this travel nursing job in which she is given different assignments and goes to different countries for short amounts of time. Before she goes, she has a run-in with another nurse which unsettles her a little, and she can't let it go. She begins travelling and a number of odd things happen, she can't help but think that they aren't coincidences, and that someone might be out to get her.

I really wanted to like this book, and although there were a number of things that I did like, I think there were more things that I didn't like. So I guess we will start with what I did like..
I enjoyed the story line and the slow build up of the odd coincidences, they happened far enough apart that in the beginning you didn't think too much of it, until the last one, then it was clear what was happening. The story was good in the fact that there was quite a bit of travel involved and seeing new places, which was really enjoyable.
Now for what I didn't enjoy as much:
The writing style was not my cup of tea. Not that it was bad as such, it was just not my personal preference. It felt very young, like the protag was a lot younger than she really was, and the conversations just didn't feel natural.
I found Natalie herself to be pretty pathetic, and she got to be more annoying as the book went on. She is convinced that she is going to be diagnosed with cancer, same as her mother, and therefore she can't let herself get close to anyone. This is fair enough I guess but it does get to be annoying towards the end when she is pushing someone away who is more than perfect. Eventually she gets her shit together, but it takes soooo long!

My full review will be up on my blog later tonight so look out for it on www.kim22blog.wordpress.com

[M.E. Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

The compelling story of a woman haunted by her family history, and the very possible threat from something she witnessed in her professional life. Hoping to escape her past, she is drawn to the world of travel nursing, but remains uncertain that escape is possible. After what appear to be credible attempts on her life, she is forced to face up to the past. But she finds she is not alone in her struggle, when she unexpectedly finds love.

[Kristen Huculak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very “meh.” I finished it out of obligation. The main character’s self pity and negativity was a huge turn off for me throughout the entire story and all the characters felt very one dimensional. All of that combined with a very far fetched story made this hard to get into.

[Deborah Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reading

The story was believable and good. It kept my interest. A little love, romance and mystery. A good vacation read

[Bernadette Shekleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the mostly realistic portrayal of a good nurse. However, I found the plot to be a bit unbelievable. A criminal nurse, part of the Russian mob, out to kill her. Her ongoing anguish and inability to form relationships due to her mother's death many years before got tiresome. See a therapist. Not my favorite book but glad to see nursing portrayed so well in fiction.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Natalie is a twenty-seven year old ICU nurse who's struggling after the loss of her mother and the falling out of her family. Not happy with where she is in life and the itch to run away from all the grief, she takes a position as a travel nurse. Natalie travels to some amazing countries. While she’s traveling though, she has more than one close call with death. She can’t help by think that they’re more than just coincidences…

I really wanted to love this book. I did enjoy the idea of the plot line as well as the slow build and travel, but it just didn’t deliver what I was hoping for. What I loved most about this entire book was the nursing aspect. You could really tell that the author had a passion for nursing because the way she wrote about Natalie’s interactions and patient care made me so happy!

I didn't like Natalie's voice as much. She seemed young and immature and by the end of the book I was over her attitude about death. It honestly became a little annoying. The other thing that I wish is that the had chosen a better path for the story… It had self discovery, suspense, and a little romance. I almost wish it had focused more on just one of the aspects and really go for it because it could have been so much stronger as a coming of age story/self discovery. I think the little romance was a nice touch (even if it was a little unreal at times) and easily could fit into the coming of age story, but the thriller part didn’t really do much for me because I saw it all come together well before it happened.

Overall this wasn’t a terrible read, just needed to be a little stronger in parts.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for ARC.

2.5 stars rounded to 3.

Well, good, not great.

I read the description on this one a month or so ago and was sooooo excited! I'm a nurse, I love to travel, and I have a great affinity for thriller/mysteries. This book practically screamed my name!
That's why I write this with a semi heavy heart.

The writing was difficult for me to enjoy at first. The story was good, so I kept going, and by the end I had become used to my issues with the writing and got over it.
The plot also troubled me. It felt as though the mystery part was another book entirely. I cannot explain it. I feel the book would have been much better had that part been dropped and we were left with a character traveling to find herself. I loved the nursing parts, too. But, as a cardiac nurse, I had an issue with a patient having been labeled post cardiac bypass when all he had was a catheterization. Those are vastly different procedures. Vastly.
I did feel the characters were well fleshed out and the parts about her life (outside the crime part) were a good read. But I ultimately think it was just ok.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I read and arc from Netgalley to review.
Natalie is an ICU nurse in Colorado. She feels trapped and wants to expand her knowledge and horizons and after also witnessing a murder by a nurse, who works in the same hospital and floor, she decides to be a "travel nurse" and see the world.
Her assignment takes her to different places . She meets many people and sees many things. She takes care of people in the hospital and continues to want them to "get better". As time moves on, in each place she realizes that someone is after her and wants her dead. But... Why?
There is much more to this story, including relationships and truly looking at why Natalie became a nurse. Who does she want to help? Is this what life is about? Now-- it is also a love and murder story.
I am an RN as well, so this book hit home. I would love to see others in the healthcare field read this.
It is a quick read and moves fast.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the sixty-four-year-old husband of a colleague crashes and dies, twenty-seven-year-old Natalie questions his death and her life. She informs her supervisor about the suspicious death and starts a chain of events that will endanger her and others who come in contact with her. Estranged from her father and still mourning the death of her mother, Natalie realizes that there is nothing to keep her in her current position. Wanting to see more of the world, Natalie applies to be a "Traveling Nurse" and accepts a position in Belize. Romance, intrigue and unexpected friendships follow Natalie from Belize, to Arizona and Australia.
Read my review at http://pennyformythoughts-nona.blogsp...
@BookSparks #FRC2016

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The plot and suspense were good. I definitely enjoyed the parts about the nursing profession and the ICU. It was clear Ms. Brett had experience in this area - and don't "they" say write what you know?

Natalie's character felt three dimensional to me - very important to a reader! There was plenty for the reader to learn about life as Natalie experienced it.


I received a copy of this book via BookSparks as part of their #frc 2016.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads. I enjoyed this suspense story with a little bit of romance. Natalie was a well developed character that was strong and sweet, Loved it,

[Allyson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

Let me say, I wanted to like this book, I really did, and it was okay, but if I am honest, I probably wouldn't read another book by this author. I felt that the main character, Natalie was underdeveloped, that she was slightly irritating and he language was not what I thought and adult would use most of the time. Perhaps that was meant to showcase how stunted her growth was as a person, I am not sure, but sometimes I just wanted her to shut up. The storyline was good, slow, but good. I liked how all these small "accidents" seemed like they could actually be coincidences. This book had lots of potential but for me, my dislike of the main character ruined it for me.

[Amy L’Abbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed getting to know the character and how the story gets intense. I was hoping there was more interaction with the man as it seem short. I enjoyed the adventures too as she traveled.

[Lynn Dolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great adventure story that covers the planet.

Natalie kept jumping from one escape to another while following her nursing career. She is an interesting character as are all the others she meets along the way. Strongly recommend this book.