Ramblings-n-Writings

Posts Tagged ‘doctor’

Gooding, Texas, is about to gain a double blessing–a veterinarian and a doctor. But when siblings Enoch and Taylor Bestman arrive, the discovery that Taylor is a lady doctor has the town up in arms. Especially Karl Van der Vort, the town blacksmith, who becomes the first patient…against his will.

Though hesitant to believe in Taylor’s doctoring skills, Karl finds himself oddly protective of this surprising woman who dares to drive about town on her own, wearing the color red, for heaven’s sake! Taylor, on the other hand, wants only to prove that doctoring is her life’s calling, despite the town’s opposition. The result? Pride meets attraction head-on, and sparks begin to fly.

MY THOUGHTS

That Certain Spark quickly earned a spot on my favorite books list. Author Cathy Marie Hake did a superb job of creating delightful characters immersed in a somewhat fast-paced, definitely intriguing storyline.

I absolutely loved the relationship between Taylor and Karl. Their verbal sparring and debates were at times hilarious yet also serious in message. The bond created between the two of them grew into love so quickly that neither recognized it or wanted to admit it. Of course, finding out they were in love leads to some great moments.

The idea of a woman doing a man’s job isn’t foreign to fiction, especially historical fiction, but there was something fresh about this story. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but within the first few chapters, I found myself hoping that some adventurous Hollywood producer reads this book and turns it into a movie. The interaction between the characters far exceeds most Hollywood scripts.

The book is charming and witty yet shows the hardships of modern medicine as we know it. I have to admit that I was surprised when Taylor performed breast cancer surgery on a patient. We hear so much about breast cancer in today’s world, that I never stopped to think of women having it back in the late 1800s. Plus since most 1800s fictional doctors deal with broken bones from accidents, gun shot wounds, and flu-like illnesses, the idea of breast cancer was different and refreshing. Don’t worry – Taylor also treats gun shots wounds, broken bones, and illnesses.

This book isn’t preachy but weaves a wonderful message of God’s forgiveness and providential care throughout the story. I would definitely recommend this book, and it is suitable for older teenage girls.

This book was sent to me free through Bethany House’s book review program. The words under “My Thoughts” are my own, and the rest is promotional material supplied by the publisher. No affiliate links are in this post.