Nothing in common
Except an intoxicating attraction!
Sharing a steamy kiss with Anne Peverett at a Christmas
ball is utterly out of character for Dr. Lord Ferris Tresham. He's far too busy
treating London's poor to court anyone. Until Anne is revealed as the herbalist
who's been treating his patients with her homemade remedies! If they unite
forces, will Anne be a bigger threat to his practice…or his closed-off heart?
Good book with an excellent romance that takes place with
a background of several social issues. Along with the romance between two
people driven to help others, we also see the effects of disease and poverty in
Victorian London, women's fight to have a say in their own healthcare, and
society's limits on those same women.
Ferris, an Edinburgh-trained doctor, devotes all of his
time to the care of London's poorest residents. After losing his fiancée to a
fever, he put aside any dreams of a family of his own. As the story opens, he's
returned home from a confrontation with the local hospital's board to find his
older brother waiting. As usual, Ferris forgot that he promised to attend the
family's charity ball that night, and Frederick is there to make sure he shows
up.
One of four daughters of a country doctor, Anne came to
London to help people with her herbal remedies. By involving women, she
empowered them to keep their families healthy without the expense of London's
doctors and medicines. After making arrangements to meet with some local women,
she hurries home to join her sister; both committed to attending the hospital's
charity ball.
When Ferris's mother sets him dancing with Anne, he
expects the usual vapid chit-chat. Instead, Anne shows interest in his work. I
loved seeing them connect over medicine and their feelings about the disparity
between society and the poor. Ferris also found himself strongly attracted to
Anne, both her beauty and understanding, going so far as to resurrect his dream
of home and family. Anne, equally drawn to him, resists the attraction. Burned
by her ex-fiancé, who pretended to support her dreams, she no longer trusts
men's honesty. An unexpected and passionate kiss sent Anne running from the
feelings he aroused.
Ferris and Anne meet again under more difficult circumstances.
While trying out his new mobile treatment wagon, he discovers that his expected
patients have deserted him for a healer woman and her herbs. Filled with righteous
fury, Ferris hurries to confront what he's sure is a charlatan of the worst
kind, only to find it is Anne. Feeling betrayed, he lashes out, saying terrible
things to and about her. I loved that Anne stood up to him. I especially
enjoyed her rebuttal to his statement that there were reasons not everyone can
be a doctor. They did not part on good terms.
When Ferris comes up with the idea of asking Anne to join
him for the sole reason of keeping an eye on her, he doesn't realize what it
means. An emergency allowed them to work together, and each saw a different
side to the other. Within a couple of weeks, Ferris realized that far from
resenting her presence in his clinic, he liked having her there. Plus, having
her along on his wagon trips increased the number of patients he/they helped. He
feels guilty about using her to pad the numbers for his wagon but reassures
himself that it's justified if he gets the funding he needs.
I liked watching the relationship between Ferris and Anne
develop. They bond over caring for their patients, each coming to understand
more about what makes the other tick. The sparks between them continue to grow,
as do their feelings for each other. But both have been hurt in the past, and
trusting their feelings doesn't come easy. Just when it looks like a future
between them is possible, Anne finds out the truth about her presence by
Ferris's side. I ached for her feelings of hurt and betrayal and understood her
fury at his deception. Ferris kicked himself quite thoroughly for his idiocy upon
discovering her departure. I loved his big moment as he confessed all but was
interrupted by another emergency. I loved how this one went, as Ferris took the
opportunity to show her his support for her work in a most effective way.
I loved the attention to detail in the descriptions of the
various medical issues. I especially enjoyed Anne's explanations of her herbal
remedies and their uses. I also felt for Ferris and his frustration at the lack
of interest and care exhibited by the hospital board members - until something
affected them personally. The whooping cough scenes were heartrending and made
me happy that we have protections against it in modern times.
I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Except an intoxicating attraction!
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