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Mercy Hospital #3
Code Triage
Dr. Leigh Stathos likes her ER shifts fast, furious, and adrenaline-infused—“Treat ’em and street ’em”—with no emotional complications. Life’s taught her a soul-rending lesson: nothing lasts forever, including marriage. And the clock is ticking toward the end of hers. Then an unwelcome confrontation with “the other woman” begins a whole new set of lessons.
San Francisco police officer Nick Stathos never gives up, whether protecting his patrol neighborhood, holding fast to faith—or trying to save his marriage. Seven days is all he has to reach Leigh’s heart. But when a desperate act of violence slams Golden Gate Mercy Hospital into lockdown, it starts a chain of events that will change lives forever.
San Francisco police officer Nick Stathos never gives up, whether protecting his patrol neighborhood, holding fast to faith—or trying to save his marriage. Seven days is all he has to reach Leigh’s heart. But when a desperate act of violence slams Golden Gate Mercy Hospital into lockdown, it starts a chain of events that will change lives forever.
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
About the author
Candace Calvert
24 books493 followersFormer ER nurse, wife, Mom and grandmother, Candace Calvert believes that love, laughter, and faith are the best medicines of all. Her Mercy Hospital, Grace Medical, and Crisis Team series for Tyndale House offers readers charismatic characters, pulse-pounding medical drama, romance, humor, suspense--and a prescription for hope. Think, “Grey’s Anatomy finds its soul.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
March 23, 2018
The storytelling and the writing are good. I wanted to see what conclusions were given at the end, and the engaging writing style made it easier to continue even when the subject matter got to be very heavy-handed.
Now, I'm all for a good reunion story. I love it when couples work past their misunderstandings and go above and beyond to make a marriage work. Leigh sure got the short stick in this one. And it hurt to watch...
(Spoilers ahead)
Nick kept wanting HER to "come around." What had he done to prove he would be faithful to her? He was still friends with the woman he cheated on her with. Yet he's supposed to be the committed Christian? And he gets all whiny and baby boy sad over her reaction to finding out he was at that woman's house when she called?
Leigh wanted a separation because he was withdrawing from her and she couldn't handle the emotional pressure of having him there (and evidently still having good sex with him) but having him emotionally shut off. He used that as an excuse to go SLEEP WITH HIS DEAD BEST FRIEND'S SISTER??? He's a married man. He spoke vows. It doesn't matter if his attitude was so bad his wife couldn't handle it anymore. That's not an excuse. Moreover, he knew his wife wasn't a committed Christian, and he was trying to witness to her, and he betrays her like that? No wonder she's stuck blaming God for everything wrong in her life.
This guy barely begins to get a grip but continues to have contact with Sam during the week that he's supposedly desperate to keep from getting a divorce. He feels stuck? Grow a backbone, buddy. Ask for a transfer to a different precinct where he won't see her all the time.
Sam...most inconsistent character ever. Pouting for being judged a home breaker while doing her level best to break up a home? Pathetic. And we never get to hear if she ever dealt with issues, or if she was going right back on the hunt for Nick the minute she got well.
Content: very graphic section about gunshot victims and direct POV about two wounds, gut and head shots. Mentions of sleeping together with a wife and with a mistress.
Now, I'm all for a good reunion story. I love it when couples work past their misunderstandings and go above and beyond to make a marriage work. Leigh sure got the short stick in this one. And it hurt to watch...
(Spoilers ahead)
Nick kept wanting HER to "come around." What had he done to prove he would be faithful to her? He was still friends with the woman he cheated on her with. Yet he's supposed to be the committed Christian? And he gets all whiny and baby boy sad over her reaction to finding out he was at that woman's house when she called?
Leigh wanted a separation because he was withdrawing from her and she couldn't handle the emotional pressure of having him there (and evidently still having good sex with him) but having him emotionally shut off. He used that as an excuse to go SLEEP WITH HIS DEAD BEST FRIEND'S SISTER??? He's a married man. He spoke vows. It doesn't matter if his attitude was so bad his wife couldn't handle it anymore. That's not an excuse. Moreover, he knew his wife wasn't a committed Christian, and he was trying to witness to her, and he betrays her like that? No wonder she's stuck blaming God for everything wrong in her life.
This guy barely begins to get a grip but continues to have contact with Sam during the week that he's supposedly desperate to keep from getting a divorce. He feels stuck? Grow a backbone, buddy. Ask for a transfer to a different precinct where he won't see her all the time.
Sam...most inconsistent character ever. Pouting for being judged a home breaker while doing her level best to break up a home? Pathetic. And we never get to hear if she ever dealt with issues, or if she was going right back on the hunt for Nick the minute she got well.
Content: very graphic section about gunshot victims and direct POV about two wounds, gut and head shots. Mentions of sleeping together with a wife and with a mistress.
January 28, 2024
Bad. Really bad. The hero cheats on the heroine while they are separated, but still married, with his deceased bf’ s sister. Bff had just died and he and his sister were very hurt and suffering. So he cheated with this woman and not for one night only. For some days. The heroine was pregnant and had a miscarriage after knowing he had cheated. Now it’s a few days to the divorce, the hero is a cop, she’s a doctor, ow is a social worker. They are basically all together. Yuppy! Happiness! Ow wants the hero but he loves the heroine and the heroine is a ball of hurt and still doesn’t want him. Ow is conniving and tries in every way to separate her and the hero. The hero asks the heroine repeatedly to have a second chance. Ow is shot by a man, the heroine saves her. Darn! I didn’t like any of the characters. I hated the hero, spineless, selfish centered prick who couldn’t keep it in his pants and played daddy with ow daughter. I hated that even after the affair he kept seeing ow as a friend. Nope dude, you never do that. He should have never seen her again.
I hate ow who was a selfish bitch. I hated the heroine because she might have been a good doctor but she was very weak as a person. She never wanted to have a family or friends because she wanted a career first. Well, these are things that should have been discussed before and not after the marriage. I hate the hero because he tried to put the blame of his disgusting behavior on his wife. I hated the book because it was not interesting. All that medical stuff. Ok the writer was a nurse but I don’t really care for it.
And in the end where did ow go? I hope she was sent to mars to see if there’s life 😅
I hate ow who was a selfish bitch. I hated the heroine because she might have been a good doctor but she was very weak as a person. She never wanted to have a family or friends because she wanted a career first. Well, these are things that should have been discussed before and not after the marriage. I hate the hero because he tried to put the blame of his disgusting behavior on his wife. I hated the book because it was not interesting. All that medical stuff. Ok the writer was a nurse but I don’t really care for it.
And in the end where did ow go? I hope she was sent to mars to see if there’s life 😅
April 21, 2022
3 ⭐⭐⭐ - OK decent reads.
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Leigh saw her patient’s eyes move expectantly again to the exam room door. Hoping for a glimpse of her husband. Praying, perhaps, that the promises of love and fidelity made before God would be restored. Leigh knew how that felt. And she knew, too, that though this shattered woman had chosen to cooperate with having her stomach pumped, swallowing the truth was much, much harder. Even with vows . . . nothing lasts forever.
Sam glanced at Nick’s older-model black BMW, parked next to a trio of Vespa scooters. “Okay if I ride with you to Golden Gate Mercy?
He’d made it clear long ago that their brief affair last November had been a mistake, and they’d managed to settle into a casual, if awkward, friendship.
“I’m going there. That’s my job. And this was bound to happen sooner or later. Your work, mine, hers—they all intersect, you know?”
The same morning she’d finally meet Samantha Gordon—the reason she’d given up on their marriage.
Leigh nodded. Nick gave everything his best. Except our marriage.
From Nick, my broken marriage . . . and the miscarriage he knows nothing about.
He resisted the urge to look toward where Leigh sat on the bench, imagining how she’d react when he told her that the Child Crisis investigator standing in her ER was the woman he’d taken to bed in a grief-induced blur of confusion, anger, and pain after Toby was killed. It wasn’t going to be easy.
“I thought you did, Nick. I tried to believe it. But how can that ever happen with her around?” She looked over her shoulder toward the ER. “She was there when I drew that baby’s blood. I read her name badge: Samantha Gordon.” Caroline glanced toward Leigh. “This isn’t going to work. She’s leaving us both.”
Leigh had trusted Nick too, but it hadn’t worked out. And if she hadn’t had the miscarriage, she could have been a single mother herself.
“She’s as uncomfortable with this as you are.” “Uncomfortable?”
“Don’t. Don’t touch me, Nick; don’t try to talk to me. And don’t use that calm, rational, police officer voice to tell me that your lover is standing in my ER, and that she’s as uncomfortable as I am.”
But now, his guilt, his distance, the pain in his eyes . . . She glanced toward the doorway, at staff in scrubs in the distance. And at the female doctor in a white coat. She’s divorcing him. I can wait another week.
“My doctor’s last name is Stathos. Is she his wife?” “Yes,” Sam said, watching the white coat in the distance. Until next Friday.
Caroline gathered her long hair into one hand at the back of her head. “How’d you like to mediate between your wife and your mistress in the middle of a jam-packed emergency department?”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t know who to place bets on, my big sister or that sorry home wrecker, Samantha Gordon.”
“Being with me and my little daughter helps him.” She has a child? Leigh’s breath stuck.
Sam saw it and smiled. “Elisa’s three. Nick’s good with her. I’m sure you know how much a family means to him. Losing his mother the way he did, being raised in foster care—”
If Leigh had wanted Nick, she’d have taken him back. He’d tried so hard. Sam took a long swallow of the wine, remembering his gut-wrenching remorse. He’d told Leigh the truth immediately afterward, begged her forgiveness, asked the police chaplain to intervene when she wouldn’t accept his pleas.
His visits had been infrequent over the past year: brief stops to see Elisa, fix a faucet—nothing else. He’d made it clear he couldn’t offer more. But Sam wasn’t giving up.
Leigh gritted her teeth. Sam had passed through the ER just to do it. Purely territorial
Sam Gordon walking the floors of her ER, staking a claim on Nick for herself and her small child. Encroaching on the stable. And invading my dreams
“But if you’d feel more comfortable at Buzz’s . . .” Sam’s voice trailed off. “I’ll shower, then be at your place in half an hour.”
A shower. A kitchen. A daughter waiting for a story. Was he here because he wanted this? Or because he knew she did and what he needed was to be somewhere that he was wanted?
He held his breath, watching her violet eyes and noticing the faint flush on her cheeks, her parted lips, the warmth of having a woman in his arms again, and thinking how easy it would be to fall into this. Too easy. “I need you, Nick,” she whispered. “I want you here with me. I’m alone; you’re alone. It’s crazy for you to be sleeping on that couch at Buzz’s.” She startled and then frowned as his cell phone rang.
And Sam had been giving and warm, and very, very smart. She’d seen his need and filled it, held Nick in his sorrow, watched him rail and curse and slam his fist against a wall. Then heard his tearful prayer when he thought she was sleeping. She took him in, lay in his arms, and now . . . he’s back with her.
“And how would I believe you, Nick? How would I trust anything—anything—you had to say?”
“And what about Sam?” “What about her?” “She’s around. She’s everywhere.” Her body tensed.
Like a woman dressing for a date. With my husband.
“You’ve seen Nick since the shooting?” “Yes . . .” Riley paused, as if considering her words. “He was in with Sam Gordon.”
“I can’t really discuss his condition.” “I’m not asking you to,” Sam said, gasping against an apparent stab of pain. “Nick will tell me what I want to know.”
His critically injured lover had nailed it: Leigh hadn’t wanted to treat her. The truth was that she’d asked Bartle to take over because, in the confusing and chaotic moment that Sam was rushed, bleeding and helpless, into the ER, Leigh had remembered: I killed her in my dreams again last night. The memory had horrified her. A doctor dreaming of murder—how could that be?
“It means,” she said, pulling her hand away, “that Sam needs you. And things are going to stay very complicated. It’s good we didn’t make the mistake of fooling ourselves into something that can never be.”
OW“I love you,” she blurted. “I wasn’t going to tell you yet, but in case something goes wrong . . .” Her heart sank at the immediate discomfort in his eyes.
She refused to accept that Nick had whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t stand there and pretend that everyone doesn’t look at me and see one thing: the tramp who broke up Dr. Stathos’s marriage.”
“You went after him.” Leigh gripped the arms of the chair, felt her face sting. “Don’t deny it. You took advantage of Nick when he was in shock, grieving his best friend.” She caught the change in Sam’s expression.
Nick hadn’t stayed more than twenty minutes yesterday.
He’d patted the top of her head the same way he did Elisa’s. As if she’d never said she loved him. As if they hadn’t made love, fallen asleep in each other’s arms in those long, gray days after Toby died.
You slept with my husband, and now it’s my fault?
“He’s crazy about my baby girl,” Sam said. “And that’s what I’ll give Nick that you can’t. That you wouldn’t.” Her frosty eyes pinned Leigh. “A family. Children. You know how much he wants that.”
“And everything I suffered because of you. What your ugly intrusion into my life cost me.” She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, knowing she was about to say words she’d never spoken aloud before. “I was pregnant. . . . I was carrying Nick’s baby. I miscarried after I found out about you, and—” She stood up so quickly that the chair tipped over. She tried to breathe, felt it stick in her chest as a wave of anger and pain rose with suffocating ferocity. I hate her, hate her. It’s all her fault.
“Before I could come to grips with it, Nick’s best friend was killed and then Sam was in the picture.” Leigh shredded the Kleenex. “While I was struggling to deal with that, I had a miscarriage.” “So many losses, so fast.”
Sam’s lips pressed together. “I called her here to gloat over something I’d done to destroy her marriage—stick it to her one last
Read
October 16, 2022Self note:
Christian book.
He cheats with dead best friend’s sister
h has a miscarriage when he told her about ow. It lasted (I don’t know for sure) a month. He was grieving, …
Christian book.
He cheats with dead best friend’s sister
h has a miscarriage when he told her about ow. It lasted (I don’t know for sure) a month. He was grieving, …
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2023
2 ‘It was okay’ Stars
(based solely on my enjoyment)
This book was too long for its own good. The only exciting thing about it was the ‘other woman.’ I seriously enjoyed hating her. Too bad nobody ever put her in her place. Good god, what a horrid, selfish woman. The main characters were an absolute bore. I read this for the angst but I hardly felt anything. Thank goodness, for the OW 😂 The cheating was never explored. The brief affair occurred before the start of the book, and basically, he’s begging for a second chance. I had so many questions, damn it. This was filled with secondary characters’ problems, and frankly, I didn’t care one iota. The suspense factor—even less. I guess I had no business reading this.
It’s a Christian book. Nothing at all preachy, tho. But no sexy times, either. 😭
KU book
(based solely on my enjoyment)
This book was too long for its own good. The only exciting thing about it was the ‘other woman.’ I seriously enjoyed hating her. Too bad nobody ever put her in her place. Good god, what a horrid, selfish woman. The main characters were an absolute bore. I read this for the angst but I hardly felt anything. Thank goodness, for the OW 😂 The cheating was never explored. The brief affair occurred before the start of the book, and basically, he’s begging for a second chance. I had so many questions, damn it. This was filled with secondary characters’ problems, and frankly, I didn’t care one iota. The suspense factor—even less. I guess I had no business reading this.
It’s a Christian book. Nothing at all preachy, tho. But no sexy times, either. 😭
KU book
December 10, 2021
3.5 stars. I felt like the OW was especially nasty and just got away with it. The H was really blind when it came to her
December 5, 2017
Communication lost, mistakes made, dreams crushed…Can hearts be healed, mistakes forgiven and love prevail? The dinner at the Tonga Room shows how happiness and love can be given and shared without any thought of self, just making someone’s difficult life a little better, Death, danger and loss reads as if this could be a true story. The characters shine, regardless of their faults and foibles.
See more at fundinmental
See more at fundinmental
May 26, 2012
Not super intrusive christian romance about a heroine who was traumatized by her slutty mother. The heroine walked in on her mother shagging the new boss and was forced to sit at the dinner table with mom, dad, new boss and new boss's wife and pretend happy families.
Her hubby is a cop who during a brief separation from the heroine, when she found out she was pregnant, freaked out, and went off on her own to figure things out, his partner died so he slept with the partner's sister. Of course he felt so guilty about it, that he immediately told the heroine.
Now they're getting a divorce but he wants her back except it's not happening.
Everything comes to a head when a family from his neighborhood is hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning, the heroine is on the case and the hero is the police officer and SURPRISE, the other woman is the CPS worker on the case.
The other woman wants the hero for herself and isn't above using her own daughter...and frankly traumatizing her, in an effort to get him. He wants the heroine, but heck, if he can't have her he'll go with the other woman, and the heroine doesn't know what she wants but hopes that once she's free of him, everythign will get better.
This was a decent book, and I generally liked it, some issues that I found were actually worked out at the end. Example, the hero wanted his dream of a happy family but never bothered to think about how the heroine felt about his dream, such as the dining room table. He wanted one because in his mind, that makes family complete. Heroine doesn't want one because in her mind, sitting around the dining room table just reminds her of having to play happy families after seeing her mom shagging the boss. He does admit at the end that he was being selfish only focusing on his wants. BUT..there were a lot of things that weren't tied up and instead were christian romance forced onto God to deal with the details. Uhm...no, you really do have to put some work into it and not just trust everything to God. The heroine never really told the hero about her past, and I really didn't like that the hero pretty much was going to go be with the other woman if he couldn't have the heroine. Dress it up in whatever lies you want, but that's exactly what he was doing.
In the end the book was just okay. I did spend a lot of it completely absorbed in what was going to happen next, I just found the ending not that satisfying.
I need resolutions.
Her hubby is a cop who during a brief separation from the heroine, when she found out she was pregnant, freaked out, and went off on her own to figure things out, his partner died so he slept with the partner's sister. Of course he felt so guilty about it, that he immediately told the heroine.
Now they're getting a divorce but he wants her back except it's not happening.
Everything comes to a head when a family from his neighborhood is hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning, the heroine is on the case and the hero is the police officer and SURPRISE, the other woman is the CPS worker on the case.
The other woman wants the hero for herself and isn't above using her own daughter...and frankly traumatizing her, in an effort to get him. He wants the heroine, but heck, if he can't have her he'll go with the other woman, and the heroine doesn't know what she wants but hopes that once she's free of him, everythign will get better.
This was a decent book, and I generally liked it, some issues that I found were actually worked out at the end. Example, the hero wanted his dream of a happy family but never bothered to think about how the heroine felt about his dream, such as the dining room table. He wanted one because in his mind, that makes family complete. Heroine doesn't want one because in her mind, sitting around the dining room table just reminds her of having to play happy families after seeing her mom shagging the boss. He does admit at the end that he was being selfish only focusing on his wants. BUT..there were a lot of things that weren't tied up and instead were christian romance forced onto God to deal with the details. Uhm...no, you really do have to put some work into it and not just trust everything to God. The heroine never really told the hero about her past, and I really didn't like that the hero pretty much was going to go be with the other woman if he couldn't have the heroine. Dress it up in whatever lies you want, but that's exactly what he was doing.
In the end the book was just okay. I did spend a lot of it completely absorbed in what was going to happen next, I just found the ending not that satisfying.
I need resolutions.
November 2, 2013
I have not read the first two books in this series, but will remedy that situation, but can tell you that this story was wonderful and I was ony unfamiliar at the end in the epilogue where people whom I assume were in the other stories came back. This book was heartwrenching, the heroine I s a doctor, the hero a police officer, the other woman a crisis counselor and all are unfortunately all under the same roof of the hospital at the beginning of this book. The marriage between the leads was separated when the hero after the death of his best friend (and brother to his trashy o/w..sorry she did not redeem EVER)...Christian book or not. Apparently our hero drank and slept with her and then confessed to his wife whom promptly tossed him (bravo) and this man did everything to try to repair the relationship (EXCEPT stay the heck away from the o/w who helped him sandbag his marriage.
SPOILERS
The other woman in this story is as vile as you would expect a soulless tramp to be....she rubbed the heroines nose in their affair, lied..she was horrendous and never did she redeem at all. even after a big scene that should have made her grateful she was still stating well if she screwed it up ...... assuming she would go back after the hero. hated her wish the bullet that was shot at her had taken her not CAPPY. The heroine was carrying a lot of baggage from her childhood and things she experienced and the hero was as well from his upbringing... but she was afraid of loving him and being hurt and he was trying to hold on probably a little too tightly and made her pull away farther. There is a HEA, the only two complaints I had is that the ow lived and the hero was let off the hook in some manner that his sleeping with another woman as well as continuing a relationship with her was as equal to her not telling him she was expecting while they were separated nor after that the pregnancy ended after she found out of his affair.... not even close buddy..... that was my only complaint with him... he did everything else right but the ow she needed to be shot.... and she was but she lived. definitely unchristian , but having lived this scenario...you don't feel very sympathetic to a soulless homewrecker....
SPOILERS
The other woman in this story is as vile as you would expect a soulless tramp to be....she rubbed the heroines nose in their affair, lied..she was horrendous and never did she redeem at all. even after a big scene that should have made her grateful she was still stating well if she screwed it up ...... assuming she would go back after the hero. hated her wish the bullet that was shot at her had taken her not CAPPY. The heroine was carrying a lot of baggage from her childhood and things she experienced and the hero was as well from his upbringing... but she was afraid of loving him and being hurt and he was trying to hold on probably a little too tightly and made her pull away farther. There is a HEA, the only two complaints I had is that the ow lived and the hero was let off the hook in some manner that his sleeping with another woman as well as continuing a relationship with her was as equal to her not telling him she was expecting while they were separated nor after that the pregnancy ended after she found out of his affair.... not even close buddy..... that was my only complaint with him... he did everything else right but the ow she needed to be shot.... and she was but she lived. definitely unchristian , but having lived this scenario...you don't feel very sympathetic to a soulless homewrecker....
October 11, 2010
Help me! I need a prescription STAT! Because I am seriously addicted to Candace Calvert’s Medical Hope series fiction!
The pace, action, romance, suspense, drama, characters, faith, story! I could go on and on about the things I love about this book (or the entire series).
There is something about a medical drama that yanks at my attention. I don’t have to understand the medical terms to get the anxiety of the moment. I don’t have to intimately know a hospital to see the staff and workings, the drama or the tension, it is all plainly explained before my eyes, infused with a great story to make it stand up and stand out! And no inappropriate, gag worthy moments prevalent in the television medical industry!
How often do you come across a romance between a married couple? But oh the love story swept me away. It didn’t have to be overtly romantic to make me swoon, the characters themselves explode from the page with a romance all their own.
And combine a gorgeous, tormented couple and you have a recipe for a great love story with plenty of turmoil.
Emotions run high, with a drug crazed father, a woman determined to claim the man she lusts after and enough medical drama to go around. I can’t get enough! I highly recommend this work of excellent fiction!
The pace, action, romance, suspense, drama, characters, faith, story! I could go on and on about the things I love about this book (or the entire series).
There is something about a medical drama that yanks at my attention. I don’t have to understand the medical terms to get the anxiety of the moment. I don’t have to intimately know a hospital to see the staff and workings, the drama or the tension, it is all plainly explained before my eyes, infused with a great story to make it stand up and stand out! And no inappropriate, gag worthy moments prevalent in the television medical industry!
How often do you come across a romance between a married couple? But oh the love story swept me away. It didn’t have to be overtly romantic to make me swoon, the characters themselves explode from the page with a romance all their own.
And combine a gorgeous, tormented couple and you have a recipe for a great love story with plenty of turmoil.
Emotions run high, with a drug crazed father, a woman determined to claim the man she lusts after and enough medical drama to go around. I can’t get enough! I highly recommend this work of excellent fiction!
June 1, 2024
third and last of the Mercy series this is Leigh and Nick's story. Nick became a policeman after his restaurant tanked but then his best friend and partner Toby is shot and killed so Nick spirals a bit and goes to bed with Toby's sister Leigh packs up and moves away and stays gone for a year then moves back to seek a divorce. Will things work out for her and Nick, or will they get worse? and in it all is there room for God? and if so, where is He?? read it and find out Good book and awesome series
November 18, 2024
Impressed by writing, characterization, and faith
Excellent writing that drew me in and kept me interested even through the hard to keep-me-interested middle. Good characterization and realistic work through their faith. No pablum.
Excellent writing that drew me in and kept me interested even through the hard to keep-me-interested middle. Good characterization and realistic work through their faith. No pablum.
February 29, 2020
Calvert deals with some tough stuff in this story, yet she also shows how God redeems it! I love her books
July 25, 2010
I had the good fortune of being able to read an advance review copy of Code Triage. I have thoroughly enjoyed Candace Calvert's previous books in this series, and the latest entry holds up to the same standard I'd set for the others.
You see, I don't read Romances. Ever.
And I particularly don't read Inspirational Romances.
But I do love Candace Calvert's novels. She takes the reader through despair and hope, fear and joy, anticipation and dread with a deft hand. Her characters and situations feel real, and mainly are people you would love to meet and become friends. She doesn't shy away from difficult topics, such as infidelity, and doesn't insist that resolutions be perfect. Just as in the first novel of the series, Critical Care, she teaches as well as entertains, offering accurate information about Critical Incident Stress Management.
Each book of the series, so far, has been set in a different hospital, but there is a character from one that carries you to the next. Doing so provides a cohesion among the stories, one that is not necessary to writing these medical dramas, but one that eases the transition, and helps to engage with both the next and the previous works. I'm looking forward, in fact, to the fourth installment ... I have two guesses on the focus character, and can't wait to find out if I'm correct.
At their heart, Ms. Calvert's books are about healing. On the surface, the settings are hospitals, and there's a whole lotta healing going on, but that's only a metaphor for the deeper healing that takes place in the course of the story, the healing of self, of relationships, and of relationships with God. Her characters struggle, they fall down, they achieve, they triumph.
You see, I don't read Romances. Ever.
And I particularly don't read Inspirational Romances.
But I do love Candace Calvert's novels. She takes the reader through despair and hope, fear and joy, anticipation and dread with a deft hand. Her characters and situations feel real, and mainly are people you would love to meet and become friends. She doesn't shy away from difficult topics, such as infidelity, and doesn't insist that resolutions be perfect. Just as in the first novel of the series, Critical Care, she teaches as well as entertains, offering accurate information about Critical Incident Stress Management.
Each book of the series, so far, has been set in a different hospital, but there is a character from one that carries you to the next. Doing so provides a cohesion among the stories, one that is not necessary to writing these medical dramas, but one that eases the transition, and helps to engage with both the next and the previous works. I'm looking forward, in fact, to the fourth installment ... I have two guesses on the focus character, and can't wait to find out if I'm correct.
At their heart, Ms. Calvert's books are about healing. On the surface, the settings are hospitals, and there's a whole lotta healing going on, but that's only a metaphor for the deeper healing that takes place in the course of the story, the healing of self, of relationships, and of relationships with God. Her characters struggle, they fall down, they achieve, they triumph.
July 31, 2010
I'd give this book 10 stars if I could! Candace Calvert does it again with a beautiful love story featuring, this time, a police officer and a doctor. Leigh Stathos is a successful ER doctor who has decided life with police officer hubby Nick just isn't worth it since his affair with Sam. She throws herself into her work and her horse. Nick is beside himself, sleeping outside the house, calling, texting Leigh wanting to reconcile.
A series of rather tragic events brings the story full circle and Leigh and Sam meet. It's...well, you have to read the book to find this one out!
Can love survive the "code" that occurs? Can Leigh have a happily ever after? What about Nick's lemon tree? Little Maria stole my heart and she'll nab yours too in this exhilarting read!
I love how characters from the other books in this series kept appearing in this book as well as the others. There is a definite flow and continuity between them!
My only lingering question is, Candace, what's next!?!? :)
Read Critical Care, Disaster Status, and now Code Triage today! Ok, well Code Triage hits shelves in October 2010!
A series of rather tragic events brings the story full circle and Leigh and Sam meet. It's...well, you have to read the book to find this one out!
Can love survive the "code" that occurs? Can Leigh have a happily ever after? What about Nick's lemon tree? Little Maria stole my heart and she'll nab yours too in this exhilarting read!
I love how characters from the other books in this series kept appearing in this book as well as the others. There is a definite flow and continuity between them!
My only lingering question is, Candace, what's next!?!? :)
Read Critical Care, Disaster Status, and now Code Triage today! Ok, well Code Triage hits shelves in October 2010!
April 10, 2012
CODE TRIAGE is the third book in the series MERCY HOSPITAL, and what a great series this is. CODE TRIAGE had a mixture of action, suspense, faith and drama. It was a heart felt story of a man who so desperately wanted to save his marriage after he hurt his wife. this story was real, something that really happens. I enjoyed this book on so many levels. You will fall in love with the characters, I found myself cheering them on. This is a medical fiction and the excitement in the ER also done well, very realistic. The love of a marriage worth fighting for brought a few tears to the eye. This story keeps you on the edge of your seat. A wonderful book, I highly recommend it along with the first two books in the series.
July 19, 2013
Another good read from Candace Calvert. I have a thing for "married loved stories." I love to read about couples who fall in love after they're married or fall in love again after dealing with marital problems. Although all of Calvert's books take a hard look at life issues, this one feels the weightiest of the trilogy, probably because the central relationship has the most baggage. As always, Calvert is entirely dependable in her presentation of likable but flawed characters, strong themes, and exciting and accurate medical adventures. Fun to see all the characters from the previous books reunited in the epilogue too!
October 16, 2022
H was an a-hole.
He was cheated h, and that’s lead to h’s miscarriage.
Omg, this one was terrible🤮🤮🤮
He was cheated h, and that’s lead to h’s miscarriage.
Omg, this one was terrible🤮🤮🤮
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2015
We first meet Leigh and Nick in Disaster Status, but Code Triage can be read as a standalone. Here is their backstory:
Leigh had married a restauranteur; a man with a nice, safe job. Nick was a chef in his own restaurant when they first met, however even then he was making plans to join the police force. Leigh then found herself living with the pressures of being married to a cop, which put a tremendous amount of strain on their relationship. On the other hand, unbeknownst to Nick, Leigh still carries a lot of baggage from her childhood – the kind of baggage that makes her not believe in happily ever after. Leigh spent the first few years of their marriage waiting for the other shoe to drop; she was just waiting for their marriage to fall apart. Sadly, Leigh was never 100% committed to forever. When Leigh found out she was pregnant with a child she knew Nick desperately yearned for, she made the decision not to tell Nick straight away. Instead, she asked him to move out. She wanted time and space to make sure that she wanted to stay married to Nick for their sakes, and not just for the baby. It is during this separation that Nick’s best friend died in the line of duty. Nick did not have his wife to comfort him during this devastating time (and by saying this I am by no means justifying what followed – I just think it is important to realize the importance of always being the one person your space can lean on). In the process of comforting his friend’s sister, one night of too much wine led to Nick breaking his marriage vows. It is clear from both Nick and Samantha’s (the other woman's) later reflections that Nick was confused and absolutely devastated the next morning (it is also clear by Sam’s later actions that Nick is not the first married man she seduced, and trying to get him drunk to get him in her bed seems to be her MO). Nick immediately came clean to Leigh about his night with Sam, and this devastating news led to Leigh losing the baby Nick never knew they had. She never told him about the miscarriage; instead she filed for divorce.
What Calvert did brilliantly here was highlight that a story always has two sides. I like it when things are black and white. Leigh and Nick’s story is not – there are a whole lot of grey areas. Both of them made very big mistakes that shook the fragile foundation of their marriage. This book forced me out of my comfort zone and made me confront my feelings on a very, very, very sensitive topic.
I have never been personally affected by a cheating spouse, but it’s something that breaks my heart every time without fail. Calvert managed what no other author has managed to do – she made me root for Leigh and Nick to get back together. Usually I can’t get past the cheating and I can’t warm up to the hero. In this book I never hated Nick – I hate what had happened, I hate what he did and I hate what it did to his wife and his marriage, but I never hated him. In this case cheating on his wife was truly a dreadful mistake he deeply regrets and not a deliberate act. I was truly invested in this story and I desperately wanted Leigh and Nick to get back together. Their love for each other is very obvious and very deep. They just had some major obstacles to overcome.
I put off reading this book for so long because I simply knew it was going to shatter me. I started crying for Leigh and with Leigh in Disaster Status already, and this time around I started crying on Chapter 1! I read this book in one day. I literally could not stop once I had started; I was positively desperate to discover what happens. I read until about 3:00am, and when I got up the next morning, Code Triage was the first thing on my mind.
Code Triage starts off with Nick’s greatest fear: Leigh and Sam finally meet. Their jobs (police man, doctor, social worker) collide and the three of them find themselves working the same case. Nick helplessly watches as the biggest mistake of his life breaks his wife’s heart all over again. Despite their separation, in the months since he cheated on Leigh he hasn’t touched another woman, especially Sam (despite Sam’s best efforts). Determined to get Leigh to change her mind about the divorce and give their marriage another chance, Nick has only one week until the court date within which he must soften his wife’s broken heart. He has his work cut out for him, but he can’t give up on Leigh; he can’t lose her for good. Slowly but surely Nick invades Leigh’s space and makes her confront her true feelings for him. While she can’t stand being in the same room with him, he knows that she still loves him every bit as much as he loves her and that it is her heartbreak keeping them apart – not lack of love.
Leigh has not only given up on her husband, she has given up on God. He took away her husband and her child, and Leigh is convinced that God doesn’t care about her. As Leigh is forced to daily face not only her husband, but the other woman as well, she starts to think God hates her. Little could she have guessed that God is truly working behind the scenes to save her marriage as well as her soul, and to help her to finally start believing in unconditional, unwavering, forever kind of love.
Nick blames himself, not Sam, for what happened between them and he sees Sam as a victim of his actions as well. Driven by guilt Nick continues to be a part of Sam’s life and he continues to emotionally support Sam and her young daughter in the absence of his deceased friend. Little could he guess the extremes Sam will go to, to drive a wedge between Nick and Leigh. Unbeknownst to Nick, while he is working to salvage Leigh’s trust, Sam is working tirelessly to assault Leigh with taunts and insults, deliberately contradicting Nick’s promises of love and fidelity, making Leigh doubt Nick’s truthfulness and sincerity.
I did not appreciate having to read several sections from Sam’s point of view. I could not stand the woman. Not since Julia in Francine Rivers’ The Mark of the Lion trilogy have I hated a character with such passion. I did not enjoy experiencing Sam’s thoughts and manipulations. And what a manipulator she is! The woman even shamelessly uses her own child to manipulate Nick! Sam continually goes out of her way to hurt Leigh time and time again. What’s even worse than all her blatant attempts to, not only sink her claws into Nick, but to make Leigh believe there was much more going on between Sam and Nick than there ever could be, is the level of enjoyment Sam got out of deliberately destroying someone’s marriage. She took so much pleasure from watching her words and actions cut Leigh’s heart open. I could not bring myself to soften towards this woman at all; not even after discovering why she is so desperate for the love of a good man (being hurt by monsters does not give you an excuse to become one). Despite Sam’s best efforts to destroy Leigh’s heart, marriage and life overall, Leigh was able to not only save Sam’s life but forgive her as well – I am not at all sure that I could do the same. Perhaps that is something I need to reflect on and work on.
As Nick continues to pray for his wife, Leigh finally takes her dusty Bible off the shelf and starts to re-evaluate her stance in the mess that has become her life. Leigh realizes that God never left her – she left Him. Leigh owns her mistakes, faces her greatest fears and opens her heart to the possibility of a love that lasts forever. As Leigh finally embraces what Nick has always believed – that their marriage should be built on a Christian foundation – Nick and Leigh might finally have a chance at happily ever after.
The best books in the world make you feel; and boy did this book make me feel. It made me step away from my rigid black-and-white-preference and examine the grey areas I would honestly have preferred not to deal with. This book made me re-evaluate my stance on a lot of things. It made me ponder, it made me question, it made me consider points of view I never would have considered before. It made me realise anew the importance of protecting your spouse and nurturing your marriage. Considering the intensity of the affect this book had on me and the emotional upheaval it put me through, Code Triage quite simply has to be listed as one of my all-time favourites.
Leigh had married a restauranteur; a man with a nice, safe job. Nick was a chef in his own restaurant when they first met, however even then he was making plans to join the police force. Leigh then found herself living with the pressures of being married to a cop, which put a tremendous amount of strain on their relationship. On the other hand, unbeknownst to Nick, Leigh still carries a lot of baggage from her childhood – the kind of baggage that makes her not believe in happily ever after. Leigh spent the first few years of their marriage waiting for the other shoe to drop; she was just waiting for their marriage to fall apart. Sadly, Leigh was never 100% committed to forever. When Leigh found out she was pregnant with a child she knew Nick desperately yearned for, she made the decision not to tell Nick straight away. Instead, she asked him to move out. She wanted time and space to make sure that she wanted to stay married to Nick for their sakes, and not just for the baby. It is during this separation that Nick’s best friend died in the line of duty. Nick did not have his wife to comfort him during this devastating time (and by saying this I am by no means justifying what followed – I just think it is important to realize the importance of always being the one person your space can lean on). In the process of comforting his friend’s sister, one night of too much wine led to Nick breaking his marriage vows. It is clear from both Nick and Samantha’s (the other woman's) later reflections that Nick was confused and absolutely devastated the next morning (it is also clear by Sam’s later actions that Nick is not the first married man she seduced, and trying to get him drunk to get him in her bed seems to be her MO). Nick immediately came clean to Leigh about his night with Sam, and this devastating news led to Leigh losing the baby Nick never knew they had. She never told him about the miscarriage; instead she filed for divorce.
What Calvert did brilliantly here was highlight that a story always has two sides. I like it when things are black and white. Leigh and Nick’s story is not – there are a whole lot of grey areas. Both of them made very big mistakes that shook the fragile foundation of their marriage. This book forced me out of my comfort zone and made me confront my feelings on a very, very, very sensitive topic.
I have never been personally affected by a cheating spouse, but it’s something that breaks my heart every time without fail. Calvert managed what no other author has managed to do – she made me root for Leigh and Nick to get back together. Usually I can’t get past the cheating and I can’t warm up to the hero. In this book I never hated Nick – I hate what had happened, I hate what he did and I hate what it did to his wife and his marriage, but I never hated him. In this case cheating on his wife was truly a dreadful mistake he deeply regrets and not a deliberate act. I was truly invested in this story and I desperately wanted Leigh and Nick to get back together. Their love for each other is very obvious and very deep. They just had some major obstacles to overcome.
I put off reading this book for so long because I simply knew it was going to shatter me. I started crying for Leigh and with Leigh in Disaster Status already, and this time around I started crying on Chapter 1! I read this book in one day. I literally could not stop once I had started; I was positively desperate to discover what happens. I read until about 3:00am, and when I got up the next morning, Code Triage was the first thing on my mind.
Code Triage starts off with Nick’s greatest fear: Leigh and Sam finally meet. Their jobs (police man, doctor, social worker) collide and the three of them find themselves working the same case. Nick helplessly watches as the biggest mistake of his life breaks his wife’s heart all over again. Despite their separation, in the months since he cheated on Leigh he hasn’t touched another woman, especially Sam (despite Sam’s best efforts). Determined to get Leigh to change her mind about the divorce and give their marriage another chance, Nick has only one week until the court date within which he must soften his wife’s broken heart. He has his work cut out for him, but he can’t give up on Leigh; he can’t lose her for good. Slowly but surely Nick invades Leigh’s space and makes her confront her true feelings for him. While she can’t stand being in the same room with him, he knows that she still loves him every bit as much as he loves her and that it is her heartbreak keeping them apart – not lack of love.
Leigh has not only given up on her husband, she has given up on God. He took away her husband and her child, and Leigh is convinced that God doesn’t care about her. As Leigh is forced to daily face not only her husband, but the other woman as well, she starts to think God hates her. Little could she have guessed that God is truly working behind the scenes to save her marriage as well as her soul, and to help her to finally start believing in unconditional, unwavering, forever kind of love.
Nick blames himself, not Sam, for what happened between them and he sees Sam as a victim of his actions as well. Driven by guilt Nick continues to be a part of Sam’s life and he continues to emotionally support Sam and her young daughter in the absence of his deceased friend. Little could he guess the extremes Sam will go to, to drive a wedge between Nick and Leigh. Unbeknownst to Nick, while he is working to salvage Leigh’s trust, Sam is working tirelessly to assault Leigh with taunts and insults, deliberately contradicting Nick’s promises of love and fidelity, making Leigh doubt Nick’s truthfulness and sincerity.
I did not appreciate having to read several sections from Sam’s point of view. I could not stand the woman. Not since Julia in Francine Rivers’ The Mark of the Lion trilogy have I hated a character with such passion. I did not enjoy experiencing Sam’s thoughts and manipulations. And what a manipulator she is! The woman even shamelessly uses her own child to manipulate Nick! Sam continually goes out of her way to hurt Leigh time and time again. What’s even worse than all her blatant attempts to, not only sink her claws into Nick, but to make Leigh believe there was much more going on between Sam and Nick than there ever could be, is the level of enjoyment Sam got out of deliberately destroying someone’s marriage. She took so much pleasure from watching her words and actions cut Leigh’s heart open. I could not bring myself to soften towards this woman at all; not even after discovering why she is so desperate for the love of a good man (being hurt by monsters does not give you an excuse to become one). Despite Sam’s best efforts to destroy Leigh’s heart, marriage and life overall, Leigh was able to not only save Sam’s life but forgive her as well – I am not at all sure that I could do the same. Perhaps that is something I need to reflect on and work on.
As Nick continues to pray for his wife, Leigh finally takes her dusty Bible off the shelf and starts to re-evaluate her stance in the mess that has become her life. Leigh realizes that God never left her – she left Him. Leigh owns her mistakes, faces her greatest fears and opens her heart to the possibility of a love that lasts forever. As Leigh finally embraces what Nick has always believed – that their marriage should be built on a Christian foundation – Nick and Leigh might finally have a chance at happily ever after.
The best books in the world make you feel; and boy did this book make me feel. It made me step away from my rigid black-and-white-preference and examine the grey areas I would honestly have preferred not to deal with. This book made me re-evaluate my stance on a lot of things. It made me ponder, it made me question, it made me consider points of view I never would have considered before. It made me realise anew the importance of protecting your spouse and nurturing your marriage. Considering the intensity of the affect this book had on me and the emotional upheaval it put me through, Code Triage quite simply has to be listed as one of my all-time favourites.
June 2, 2017
Nick and Leigh are days away from their divorce being finalized. With their marriage already on shakey ground Nick sealed it's fait by having a one night stand with his best friends sister Samantha while mourning the death of his friend. Leigh knows how to run. She's been running away from situations all of her life because she knows that relationships don't last. Her mother's many boyfriends has shown her that. Leigh has even chosen a career as an ER doctor so that it is easy to pick up and leave when she needs to. Nick has repented his actions and is desperate to reconcile with Leigh but it seems at every turn their relationship is thwarted. Leigh has no desire to work things out, as long as she has Frisco her horse she believes she can walk away. Sam also has other ideas for Nick. Sam is raising a daughter on her own and having Nick in her arms has shown her that she wants him in her life and will do just about anything to keep him away from Leigh, including using her daughter to snare him. When all three of them are brought together in the ER emotions run high and there's no escaping their entertwined lives.
First the problem I had getting through the book. When I read that Nick had had an affair I pretty much just wanted to close the book! I have no patience for cheating spouses, especially one that is supposed to be the hero of the story! I totally get that people make mistakes and I totally love how God restores marriages, BUT it is just one of those instant dislikes that I have in my reading. So throughout me reading this book that was a constant sour note in the experience. The rest of the story was GREAT! I loved the suspense, the danger that was portrayed, and I even liked Sam's character as an almost "Fatal Attraction" type woman. I loved the lessons that Nick and Leigh learned about themselves and the growth they had through their situation. I enjoyed Frisco's drama as well and his relationships with a little girl who wouldn't speak and a wounded little donkey. This is the 3rd book in the Mercy Hospital books and as par for the course for me, I have read them out of order, but I don't think it mattered in the understanding of the story. If you are a fan of hospital drama's then I would recommend checking the series out.
First the problem I had getting through the book. When I read that Nick had had an affair I pretty much just wanted to close the book! I have no patience for cheating spouses, especially one that is supposed to be the hero of the story! I totally get that people make mistakes and I totally love how God restores marriages, BUT it is just one of those instant dislikes that I have in my reading. So throughout me reading this book that was a constant sour note in the experience. The rest of the story was GREAT! I loved the suspense, the danger that was portrayed, and I even liked Sam's character as an almost "Fatal Attraction" type woman. I loved the lessons that Nick and Leigh learned about themselves and the growth they had through their situation. I enjoyed Frisco's drama as well and his relationships with a little girl who wouldn't speak and a wounded little donkey. This is the 3rd book in the Mercy Hospital books and as par for the course for me, I have read them out of order, but I don't think it mattered in the understanding of the story. If you are a fan of hospital drama's then I would recommend checking the series out.
April 4, 2018
I’m writing about this book primarily to get credit for it in my Goodreads reading challenge. Were it not for that, I just wouldn’t even bother to take the time to write about it. I’ll keep this brief, I promise.
Leigh Stathos is a San Francisco-based emergency-room doctor whose “treat ‘em and street ‘em” motto is how she likes her life. Keep it efficient, keep it devoid of emotion, and remember nothing lasts forever, especially if that nothing is your marriage.
Nick Stathos is a cop who played doctor, as it were, with his recently deceased best friend’s sister. Doctor Leigh finds out, figures the marriage can’t be treated, and wants out. But he’s still in love with her, despite diddling the social worker, who shows up at Leigh’s emergency room one not-so-fine day on a matter not related to her affair with Nick.
I should have stopped reading this the second I saw the name of the publisher. It’s one of those Tyndale books, and you can almost always count on those to get preachy and heavy handed before you hit the back cover.
This was a one (wasted) day read for me; it went by quickly, was most forgettable, and seemed filled with characters who behaved inconsistently. I’m as huge a fan of redemption and as badly in need of it as anyone I’ve ever known. But the second chances here just felt like rubbing a snow-flocked artificial Christmas tree and pretending it feels real. Just not happenin’.
Leigh Stathos is a San Francisco-based emergency-room doctor whose “treat ‘em and street ‘em” motto is how she likes her life. Keep it efficient, keep it devoid of emotion, and remember nothing lasts forever, especially if that nothing is your marriage.
Nick Stathos is a cop who played doctor, as it were, with his recently deceased best friend’s sister. Doctor Leigh finds out, figures the marriage can’t be treated, and wants out. But he’s still in love with her, despite diddling the social worker, who shows up at Leigh’s emergency room one not-so-fine day on a matter not related to her affair with Nick.
I should have stopped reading this the second I saw the name of the publisher. It’s one of those Tyndale books, and you can almost always count on those to get preachy and heavy handed before you hit the back cover.
This was a one (wasted) day read for me; it went by quickly, was most forgettable, and seemed filled with characters who behaved inconsistently. I’m as huge a fan of redemption and as badly in need of it as anyone I’ve ever known. But the second chances here just felt like rubbing a snow-flocked artificial Christmas tree and pretending it feels real. Just not happenin’.
May 9, 2020
Nick wanted control. Leigh wanted control. Sam wanted control.
This books truly showed the plight of emotional upheavals that a marriage can experience, especially when neither one wants to budge an inch.
Miscommunications, lack of understanding, and the refusal to listen to the other kept them apart.
The sin Nick committed destroyed the trust. And Leigh's childhood baggage added a lot to the problems.
Calvert showed the deep emotional impact among the police officer, the ER physician, and the child crisis investigator. She explored the human thought and behavior and still was able to highlight the hope they all needed.
It was truly an exceptional book and left me wanting to read more of her writing.
This books truly showed the plight of emotional upheavals that a marriage can experience, especially when neither one wants to budge an inch.
Miscommunications, lack of understanding, and the refusal to listen to the other kept them apart.
The sin Nick committed destroyed the trust. And Leigh's childhood baggage added a lot to the problems.
Calvert showed the deep emotional impact among the police officer, the ER physician, and the child crisis investigator. She explored the human thought and behavior and still was able to highlight the hope they all needed.
It was truly an exceptional book and left me wanting to read more of her writing.
March 9, 2018
This is an excellent read.
Ms. Calvert provides a literary unicorn—a man who truly shows how remorseful he is for breaking his vows (before the book begins) and a woman who he has to earn to get back.
There are no exhortations to the heroine about forgiveness like you typically see in Christian-themed books (thank you, Ms Calvert!). The hero takes responsibility for his actions and the heroine accepts how her actions helped create problems in their marriage.
They have a HEA you can actually believe in.
I definitely recommend this book!
Ms. Calvert provides a literary unicorn—a man who truly shows how remorseful he is for breaking his vows (before the book begins) and a woman who he has to earn to get back.
There are no exhortations to the heroine about forgiveness like you typically see in Christian-themed books (thank you, Ms Calvert!). The hero takes responsibility for his actions and the heroine accepts how her actions helped create problems in their marriage.
They have a HEA you can actually believe in.
I definitely recommend this book!
August 6, 2020
Preachy at the end
Christian second chance romances are a little hit and miss for me. Sometimes the preaching of forgiveness for the sake of God just doesn’t meet the mustard. The angst and groveling is usually replaced by praying. That is not a bad thing, but it kinds of misses the second chance aspect if all that is needed to resolve the relationship is prayer. I would love these books more if they used faith and groveling. Without the groveling then it doesn’t work, and I am not talking about groveling to God.
Christian second chance romances are a little hit and miss for me. Sometimes the preaching of forgiveness for the sake of God just doesn’t meet the mustard. The angst and groveling is usually replaced by praying. That is not a bad thing, but it kinds of misses the second chance aspect if all that is needed to resolve the relationship is prayer. I would love these books more if they used faith and groveling. Without the groveling then it doesn’t work, and I am not talking about groveling to God.
November 10, 2021
3rd book in the series, and honestly I think this one is the best one, which is so unusual!
Christian fiction, so know that going in, but not cringeworthy.
I ❤️ books about married couples making it through huge challenges and falling in love again-it seems so much more realistic than your typical happily ever after romance.
The medical drama is VERY well written and you can tell it is written by someone well acquainted with an ER/ICU.
Christian fiction, so know that going in, but not cringeworthy.
I ❤️ books about married couples making it through huge challenges and falling in love again-it seems so much more realistic than your typical happily ever after romance.
The medical drama is VERY well written and you can tell it is written by someone well acquainted with an ER/ICU.
February 16, 2021
Always Try to Forgive
Nick and Leigh were married and just a few days from being divorce. How was he going to save their marriage after his infidelity. Could and would she ever forgive him of the biggest mistake of his life. This is such a good read and many of us could learn some lessons from it.
Nick and Leigh were married and just a few days from being divorce. How was he going to save their marriage after his infidelity. Could and would she ever forgive him of the biggest mistake of his life. This is such a good read and many of us could learn some lessons from it.
March 7, 2023
Wonderful!!
What can I say except another amazing book! All the trauma you find in an ER department. Stories within the story keep the action going. Broken hearts needing healing and most of all forgiveness from each other and God's forgiveness. Candace Calvert has an amazing gift of story telling. I really loved this series.
What can I say except another amazing book! All the trauma you find in an ER department. Stories within the story keep the action going. Broken hearts needing healing and most of all forgiveness from each other and God's forgiveness. Candace Calvert has an amazing gift of story telling. I really loved this series.
March 28, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. With both MC's being so successful in their careers, it would have been very difficult to believe how insecure they were because of their childhoods. This became a major influence on how they dealt with adult and marriage issues and opened the door for a manipulative OW.
Great writing!
Great writing!
April 18, 2020
This is the concluding volume of the Mercy Hospital trilogy, centering on ER doctor Leigh Stathos and her estranged husband, policeman Nick Stathos. With portions of both pathos and drama, Ms. Calvert explores their journey back to believing in each other, and in rebuilding their faith in God.
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