Nas: The hero- Fig was tattoed! And the description was so vivid that I loved visualising it!
Maria: The hero Fig: I don't actually like tattoos but I was lenient with Fig's when I saw the reason just why he had it. In this medical romance, the unusual thing was that Fig was an IT professional rather than a doctor. The medical person in this romance was Roxie. Although both the hero and heroine were both memorable characters, it is my opinion that Roxie was the star of this story, no disrespect to the hero. Anyway, romances are generally written with women in mind as readers, so why shouldn't the heroine by the main character?
Desere: Fig certainly was a interesting character Nas, I am no fan of a tatttoed man but somehow Wendy made this one work, it certainly but quite the image in my minds eye, one that will not leave soon.
Nas: Roxie was a spunky heroine. I laughed every time she demanded money from Fig for saying ‘sorry!’ The dialogue was spontaneous and witty. And she was not taking any nonsense from anyone.
Maria: Roxie's personality: It came out even when she appeared in ONCE A GOOD GIRL. She has a ready wit and tells it like it is. She is refreshingly candid and in your face honest. The scene where she reveals to the head nurse Victoria and investigator Fig that a video of her making love has been uploaded to a porn site is a classic. Fig watches fascinated then remarks that she has a great ass. She smiles proudly and says it's her best feature. Can you imagine this scene?
Desere: Roxie for me in the beginning of the book came of as a bit of the town easy girl - but once you get to know her you understand why she needs to lose herself in meaningless one night stands every now and then, but as the book progresses you learn she is a strong woman who faces more than one battle in life.
Nas: Normally in Medical Romances, the hero and heroine work together in the profession, yet here the hero Fig was an IT professional and despite him having all these medical conditions, he still came out as very heroic!
Maria: Yes, that's an unusual feature of the story, Fig's not a medic but an IT man. He is definitely attractive in spite of the fact that he's not an alpha male type. He has a healthy attitude to relationships and sexuality and he is comfortable with what he is and who he is. That's what made him attractive for me.
Desere: Yes you are absolutely correct Nas, I have not yet read a medical romance where the two characters did not work together but it always seems to be nurse and doctor boring after about the fifth or six book definitely but what Wendy does is she spices it up everytime with a new and fun creative job for the other character instead of the norm.
Nas: I had difficulty believing that Fig’s mother was poisoning him to keep him sick. Though I do know this mental condition exists.
Maria: Fig's mother was obviously a woman whose love of her child went beyond the healthy norm. She obviously 'needed to be needed' and needed her son's dependence on her to validate her existence. Roxie's mother also has a mental illness so this is what the pair have in common.
Desere: This part for me was a new on in a book, I love watching crime stories so I am fully aware of the condition that Fig’s mother suffered from but to see it incorporated into a book was brilliant!
Nas: Roxie’s mother was hoarding all these things and I felt sorry for Roxie when she took the blame for not looking after her mother. She had a difficult childhood, that one! She went to rock bottom then climbed back up. I was filled with admiration for her.
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Maria: Roxie taking the blame for neglecting her mother. In family situations, things are very often not exactly the way they seem. How many people admire the brave wife of a man who drinks for taking care of the family so well, only to see her fall apart when the man chooses sobriety. There are so many family situations which look one way to outsiders, but the insiders know the truth.
Desere: I agree she had it really rough, but what got me that the most that her brothers were so mean about the situation, I am mean it was after all still their mother so how they could be so cruel and unkind was beyond me but it did also make Fig the ultimate hero!
Nas: Sex had become boring and she started experimenting! Lucky for her she met Fig when she did!
Maria: Sex had become boring? It was more interesting for her! I think that while sexual attraction brought Roxie and Fig together, it was the power of love which helped them to help each other to heal and move on in life.
Desere: As I said before Nas, she was using the meanless sex as a means of letting go every now and then and yes it does make her sound bad but I was so elated when she found Fig to make it all a new and wonderful experience for her that I nearly cried!
Nas: Remember the bed bath? Technically Roxie’s was not Fig’s nurse! To pull off that scene .... Ohhh...oh!
Maria: I think she was just using her professional expertise to get closer to him. No harm in that if the desired effect is achieved. It wasn't unprofessional behaviour as such - just an opportunity taken at the right time. This is my story and I'm sticking with it!!!
Desere:Ohhhh ...oh! indeed I was expecting his real nurse to pop her head in at any minute and be completely and utterly shocked but yes nicely done Wendy that was certainly something new.
Nas: The sex scenes were at times so tender and other times so wild! And imagine that in a Medical Romance? This author loves pushing the boundaries and playing around with her characters! This was a refreshing story from the Medical line. It can no longer be said that it’s your aunt or mum’s favourite line. The HM&B Medical line is for the new generation of readers. The young adult students and housewives all share the passion for this line now with the introduction of new writers such as Wendy S Marcus.
Maria: I am not usually very comfortable with love scenes. But I found these scenes wonderfully easy to read. They were dealt with in a compassionate and human way which I found wonderful. There was nothing vulgar or erotic for the sake of eroticm.
Desere: Fully agreed! For me the medical romances have never been really all that interesting expect for the medical facts which I have always found educational and helpfull, but as for the wild and crazy sex scenes- yes now those I have only been able to discover in the medical romances by Melanie Milburne, and therefore I was surprised to find a another author who pushes the boundries and really goes all out to make the sex scenes- therefore the whole book fun, fresh, new and exciting.
Nas: I’ve read so many Medical Romances, but to come across so many conflicts and so well done in only 50,000 words was a surprise. Reading this story was thrilling as there was the element of danger. There was blackmail, drugs, theft and investigation of hospital narcotics supplies and the hero and heroines’ childhood issues. The kissing on the mouth issue is a reality as well among some people. And I hated Roxie’s brothers for not being there for her.
Maria: For a category romance, this story was as close to mainstream fiction as ever I've read in a novel.
Desere: Yes the element of surprise was the name of the game in this book, the author took me on a wild ride of thrilling new adventures and the added criminal parts really had me double checking the cover to make sure I was reading a medical romance. Quite simply- I loved it!
Maria: It was good to catch up with Kyle and Victoria, even though we weren't 'in their heads' in this book. LOL. If you care about characters in a novel you read, you love to see they're doing after the book finishes! Would love to catch up with Roxie and Fig later too.
Desere: Yes the incredible story of Victoria and Kyle from Once a Good Girl and also of Ali and Dr Jared making a entry in the book really was awesome, I adore when previous characters make comebacks in books it is like getting to know a family. And what a incredible “family “ the author has created, not only were Victoria, Ali and Roxie good friends they were we will stand together till the very end friends!
So friends! There you have it! Wendy S Marcus's The Nurse's Not -So- Secret Scandal has something for everyone! Every readers taste is catered to!
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Our Spotlight today is on Medical Romance writer Susan Carlisle! Her latest release is THE NURSE HE SHOULDN'T NOTICE. Let's see her answers to our questions........
Ghana West Africa is the setting for The Nurse He Shouldn't Notice. Court Armstrong is the CEO of a grant foundation who turned down the application that would help the rural hospital. Intrigued by the concept of the hospital, he decides to deliver supplies so he can see the area for himself. Strong-willed, head nurse Maggie Everett is there waiting on him. She cares for the villagers as if they were her own. She and Court cross swords about the needs at the hospital and what is important in life. Through working together, they find a love that includes each other as well as the people of Ghana. 
