Trauma Plan by Candace Calvert

Trauma Plan by Candace Calvert ISBN-13: 9781414361116 Trade Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Released: May 1, 2012

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Sidelined by injuries from a vicious assault, chaplain Riley Hale is determined to return to her former duties as an ER nurse. But how can she show she's competent when the hospital won't let her attempt even simple tasks? Determined to prove herself, Riley volunteers at a controversial urban free clinic despite her fears about the maverick doctor in charge.

Dr. Jack Travis defends his clinic like he's commander of the Alamo. He'll fight the community's efforts to shut its doors, even if he must use Riley Hale's influential family name to make it happen.

As Riley strives to regain her skills, Jack finds that she shares his compassion--and stirs his lonely heart. Riley senses that beneath Jack's rough exterior is a man she can believe in. But when clinic protests escalate and questions surface about his past, Jack goes into battle mode and Riley wonders if it's dangerous to trust him with her heart.


My Review:
Trauma Plan is a Christian romance novel. I must admit that I thought this story was going to have a bit of mystery as well: who assaulted Riley back when she was injured? We did get some mystery, but it was why Vesta, a secondary character, knew Jack and was afraid to be around him. I was actually more interested in Vesta's struggle to overcome her fears and in the other secondary characters than in Riley and Jack's romance.

I liked Riley, and all the character were complex and acted in very realistic ways. But I felt like I understood Kate's motives behind her attraction to the flattering man better than I understood Riley's attraction to Jack. My opinion of him was more what she said near the end, but perhaps that's because the author let us see inside Jack's head to his true motives for doing some of the "nice" things he did. It took Riley a little longer to see beyond what she wanted to see.

In Calvert's previous novels, I felt like the characters were more involved in dealing with the God issues in their lives throughout the novel so any reconciliation with God that happened felt natural. Jack refused to even consider God until the very end, so it felt sudden to me even if it was believable. I liked Riley's struggle better--trying to get God to give her what she wanted rather than realizing she's exactly where God wanted her to be.

There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of "he cursed" style bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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