Critical Care

Claire used to be an ER nurse, but when her brother came in duri

Claire used to be an ER nurse, but when her brother came in during her shift severely burned and died, she panicked and couldn't work the ER anymore. She promised herself never to set foot in the ER again. She took a new job at another hospital and tried to stay away from the ER. But when the ER team are dealing with a tragedy she is needed to evaluate the staff if they can handle the situation.

Dr. Logan Caldwell is not happy to see Claire counseling his staff. His experience is that counseling doesn't help. He thinks one must set their problems aside and do a good job. But with his gruff demeanour he's making working with him almost impossible.
When he is showing indifference to Claire's work she's not afraid to tell him the truth. For Logan that is a surprise. No one ever talked to him that way.

Both Claire and Logan are suffering loss and disappointments. Claire is a believer, but Logan doesn't believe in the power of prayer. He tried that, but it didn't work. Claire had her future plans worked out, but they're all falling apart.
Will those two hurting people find healing—and love?

Secondary characters ER head nurse Erin and workaholic nurse Sarah are making the story more interesting. All the characters fit nicely in the story—even the one-eared cat is a character to love. :)
I really love reading Candace Calvert's work. She has such a pleasant voice and she knows how to captivate me. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series!

Sweet and Engaging

I am an ED nurse/nurse practitioner and Candace Calvert did a good job of capturing the chaos and adrenaline flowing in the ED. I really enjoyed this book and its familiar setting. The story flowed well and I liked having the extra stories of Erin and Sarah in addition to the main story of Logan and Claire. Well done and I will be reading the other 2 books in the the author's series.

Really liked this book - romantic & uplifting!

I enjoy romance books, and this one was different from the others I've read because of the medical spin on the story. I liked it so much that I'm now reading the authors' 2nd book in this series, and it is good so far, too. Highly recommend!

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CRITICAL CARE by CANDACE CALVERT

CRITICAL CARE is a wonderful story. Claire Avery was an ER nurse and one night, her brother, who was a fireman, was brought in during her shift and she couldn't save him. She quit working in ER and went to work at Sierra Mercy hospital as a teaching nurse. Then she met Dr. Logan Caldwell (WOW) who was also fighting his own demons but when they got together miracles started happening. This is an awesome read.
Lorraine

Critical Emergency!

Debut author, Candace Calvert, has accomplished something unique and wonderful with the start of her Mercy Hospital Series. "Critical Care" introduces us to a wonderful cast that I'm hopeful to see again and again in future books. Logan is the doctor in charge of the ER at Mercy and is known for being hard on nurses, to the point of making them quit. Erin is the head nurse who runs the nurses like a pro, but can't seem to get her love life to get in line like it should. Sarah is the reliable nurse that works extra, extra shifts and is always early because she doesn't want to let Logan down - but is her personal life falling apart? Into the middle of this mix in the ER we find Claire thrust because a huge daycare tragedy has occurred and they need her help with evaluating whether the staff is handling what they dealt with. The only problem is that Claire, who used to be an ER nurse, had trauma of her own and now avoids the ER like the plague. Can these four broken, hurting healers heal themselves? This venture into the ER is sure a riveting way to find out. I am looking forward to our next venture to Mercy Hospital!

From "It Is To Write" by Bruce Judisch

There are three relative-milieu perspectives in which you often find stories set.

First, there's the inside-looking-out view. At the risk of sounding self-serving, I'll use my own "Ben Amittai: First Call" as an example. The hero-the prophet Jonah-is viewing the outside world from inside his unique perspective as a prophet called of God. He sees the effects of his calling-his milieu, if you will-on those around him who are not part of that calling, but are touched by it.

Second, there's the view from the outside looking in. TL Hines' "Waking Lazarus" has an interesting twist on this perspective as our hero, Jude Allman, has forced himself outside his milieu, denying his calling, and looking in only as his gift is forced upon him.

Finally, there's the inside-looking-in view.* Candace Calvert has excelled in this perspective in "Critical Care." Here we see the inside workings of a trauma team operating within the milieu of an emergency room, and we see the effects of the ER on the actors living and working within it. What do I mean? Oh, okay, enough of the esoteric stuff. Here's the scoop:

Doctor Logan Calvert is the hard-nosed ER director at Sierra Mercy Hospital. The good doctor's utmost motivation is the wellbeing of his patients. "Good," you say. Well, in his drive for perfection, he goes through ER nurses like a hot knife through soft butter. If they aren't the crème of the crop, they're history. No questions asked, no answers offered. Oh, and he has a hidden trauma in his past that defines his drive.

Nurse Claire Avery is attached to the education department of the hospital. Her counseling task: to "heal the healers" who day in and day out, psychologically deal with the trauma they encounter in different ways-and not always gracefully. Oh, and she has a hidden trauma in her past that defines her drive.

ER Nurse Sarah Burke is an overachiever. Excessively efficient, she is driven by her self-imposed commitment never to let Dr. Caldwell down. Oh, and-yes, you guessed it-she has a hidden trauma in her past that defines her drive.

ER Nurse Erin Qinn is the nurse-in-charge of the ER nurses. She is competent, caring, and caught in the middle between the iron-fisted Dr. Caldwell and her own nursing staff. Hidden trauma? I'll let you decide.

In short, if I were unfortunate enough to end up in an ER, this is the team I'd want working on me.

All of these drives at times complement, at times collide. Conflict, the grit of reality in the ER and, of course, unexpected romance combine to make this a fast-paced novel that challenges your mind, your heart, and your faith all at the same time. Ms. Calvert-a former ER nurse herself-delivers a tightly-written tale that sends you to the peak of contentment on one page, then into the valley of frustration on the next; kind of like, well, life in an emergency room. Her command of the intricacies of the ER and the pressures it imposes on those who work there permeate her story as the ER team handles one crisis after another. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind Ms. Calvert being on that trauma team either.

If you like ER and Grey's Anatomy, but yearn for a clear Christian motivation in the mix, "Critical Care" is your book.

* No, I didn't forget the outside-looking-out. The milieu of the story is the "in" and there would be no setting for the story if there were no "in." Nice try. :-)

I'm Addicted

I'm hooked on Grey's Anatomy, and now I'm hooked on anything that Candace Calvert writes. This is her first novel, so I'm hoping that there will be many more to come. Her experience as an ER nurse shines through the pages that I could not turn quickly enough. If medical programs interest you, this book would be worth your time.

The plot is an intricate one with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. Characters are believable. Although this is a romance, it's not typical. Claire and Logan keep the reader wondering whether or not romance might develop. I won't tell as I don't want to ruin it for you. It's not the typical Christian fiction either. One character is a God follower, but others are not. Added into the plot is a bit of a whodunit when money disappears. It's simply a good read.

Riveting Medical Drama

Riveting Medical Drama

There's been a fire at a daycare center. Dr. Logan Caldwell and his staff scramble to treat the tiny burn victims, so many they've overflowed into the hallways. He has no time for Claire Avery, who's been sent from the education department to offer stress counseling to his overtaxed colleagues. Sparks fly from the moment the former ER nurse meets the ER director, or McSnarly as those who've dealt with his brusque treatment have dubbed him. He has no time for "touchy-feely" counseling or "weak links" on his watch.

Claire vowed never to set foot in ER again after losing her brother on her shift following an explosion that cost him and six fellow firefighters their lives. However, Sierra Mercy's ER is short staffed after one of Logan's nurses quits, and Claire is pulled in to work Urgent Care next door, throwing her into the path of the very man she wants to avoid. If Logan Caldwell discovers she crumbled following her brother's death at her former hospital, she fears her hopes of landing her safe job as clinical educator at Sierra Mercy could be dashed.

CRITICAL CARE, Candace Calvert's first inspirational medical drama, is an action-packed look into the lives of two hurting healers who have done the best they can to cope. Having turned from the Lord, they're trying to make it on their own, Claire with her detailed career spreadsheets and Logan with his "tough is what we do" attitude.

A former ER nurse, Calvert infuses her story with realism that reeled me in from the first page. Coupled with her well-developed, sympathetic characters, snappy dialogue and tightly woven plot, she has a riveting novel, one I couldn't put down. It's been years since I've read a book through the night, but I didn't stop until I literally fell asleep over the pages as the sun rose.

Calvert has a real winner in CRITICAL CARE. If you like a fast-paced story that grabs you and doesn't let go, this is it. I laughed, cried and sighed as I spent time with Logan and Claire. And the ending is all I hoped for. Both characters learn lessons in love and faith. Other than a sleepless night, my only complaint is that I have to wait for the release of the next book in Calvert's Mercy Hospital series.

ER DRAMA without Sexual Content

This book reminds me of ER the TV show and/or Grey's Anatomy without all the sexual content. The author, Candace Calvert, was an ER nurse. She takes you into the heart of the Emergency Room drama where hurting people are brought for help; where decisions are made to save a life from death.

Nurses and Doctors are real people working hard, trying to do the best job they can under very stressful conditions. Not everyone is cut out for the stress level of the ER room.

Logan, whose head of ER says to a nurse in his dept; "This is what we do, Erin. Tough comes with the territory. And death is always a factor. Do you see me crumbling here? The only kind of help we need here is more staff, more warm bodies. Real nurses. Not administrations' attempt at some touchy-feely counseling."

Sarah says to Claire, "I'm a nurse. I do what needs to be done. Then I come back the next day and I do it all again. Except for those lucky days when I get to do it for two shifts in a row. that's today."

Claire Avery has this to say about her struggle about working in ER, ". couldn't shake the irrational certainty that the very new ambulance stretcher would be carrying someone she loved, some one she'd be unable to save."

Where does God fit in all of this? Many of the characters in the ER are asking themselves that very question. Logan says, "What was he supposed to do when everything around him tumbled into chaos? Pray? Let God handle it? Right! "He couldn't do that.

Then there is the humorous side of ER. Erin the head nurse says this to her nurses, "I'm giving myself permission to feel lousy to the tune of a Zillion calories. Anyone what to join me?" Sometimes you just have to laugh.

Candace gives you a behind the scenes look from her perspective as an ER nurse - its eye opening! Nurses are not perfect they are real people with real struggles, who put themselves on the line to save lives every day. Often times it's a thankless job that demands more than they have to give. I really loved how the author shows real people struggling with God even in the face of death.

This is such an action packed, heart-felt, really gripping story. I just couldn't put it down. It's not easy for a Dr. to give family the heads up about their loved ones condition in the hospital. Not every story has a happy ending.

I really look forward to more stories from Critical Care unit. You will to.

www.psalm516.blogspot.com

Hear the Sirens Ringing

Candace Calvert catches your attention from the first sentence through to the last word with a refreshing voice in medical romance. The rhythm of her wording mesmerizes the reader along with authentic technical expertise and lyrical prose. For a debut novel, CRITICAL CARE more than entertains. It peels back a view of the life of nurses and doctors in today's medical system. And yes, I read all the Cherry Ames nurse stories when I was a young girl, and Candace brings us back to that good story telling ability to place us inside the characters' experience. We do escape into the world of Claire, Erin, Sarah and Logan, and we come away with a genuine understanding of God's way not always being our way but the best way. It's a lesson we forget, and it is one each of the characters struggles with. CRITICAL CARE also uses story telling to show readers how vulnerable we all are to post traumatic symptoms because we have failed to deal with the ever mounting stress in our lives. It's our culture to "buck Up and keep marching," but there is a cost to that mind set, a serious cost. People are not ever-ready bunnies, yet firemen, policemen, paramedics, nurses, doctors, armed forces--they especially are expected to be iron-hard machines when dealing with life and death situations. It's an unreasonable expectation and more books like CRITICAL CARE help us adjust our expectations to more realistic levels. Hurrah for Candace Calvert!!! You've just won another fan.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

This book quickly found its way to my shelf of favorites. Admittedly, I've loved medical fiction since I was a kid reading Cherry Ames and Sue Barton. But some books in this genre can be ridiculously and annoyingly unrealistic and need to be classified as DNR (Do Not Resuscitate). Not this one. Candace Calvert shows she has a talent for crafting a wonderful story in an accurate setting, portraying believable characters with real-life crises and issues. The medical detail was authentic without being horrific. And the personalities are spot-on. I loved how the nurses referred to Dr. Caldwell (behind his back, of course!) as McSnarly. Unfortunately, I've worked with a doctor or two like that! As the events unfold and the characters work through the circumstances of the story, the patients aren't the only ones who experience healing.

For an infusion of hope, get this book STAT - read it, & repeat dosage as necessary! I can't wait until the next one, Disaster Status, comes out!

CRITICAL CARE is an enjoyable medical romance

Trauma nurse Claire Avery can no longer work in an emergency room following the death of her brother Kevin in ER. She especially cannot enter that room though she worked there for years. Instead she obtains a position as a nurse educator.---------------

At Sierra Mercy Hospital emergency room, Dr. Logan Caldwell believes a nurse educator is a hooey waste of time as he expects his team to be as tough and cold as he is. Following a horrific explosion at the Little Nugget Day Care, Claire offer counseling to the shocked medical staff as kids die and many are severely burned; Logan demands instead Claire drop the good feelings brouhaha and do real work in ER to save lives of those hurt in the disaster. Still though they differ on medical care, Logan proves he has a heart as he falls in love with Claire who feels the same way about her grouch.--------------------

CRITICAL CARE is an enjoyable medical romance starring wounded professionals approaching care giving radically different as each has found a way to cope with trauma and death. Ironically, the exciting story line shows the frantic chaos of a hospital ER/trauma center but so much is going on, it becomes difficult to follow at times. Still with a strong cast who provide insight on how to deal with stress especially when kids are involved and one of your peers is hurt, fans will appreciate Candace Calvert's profound salute to ER community.----------

Harriet Klausner

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