Η Νοσοκόμα της Ερήμου - Βίπερ ΝΟΡΑ #43

by Jane Arbor

Ύστερα από τον άτυχο δεσμό της με τον Γκρέγκ Ράιντερ, το μόνο που ήθελε η αδελφή Μάρθα Σαρ ήταν να φύγει μακριά και να ξεχάσει. Δέχτηκε λοιπόν την πρόταση του γιατρού Τζούντ Τάρλτον να εργαστεί στο μικρό του νοσοκομείο κοντά στο Άντεν, αλλά γρήγορα ανακάλυψε ότι είχε ξεφύγει από μια φωτιά, μόνο και μόνο για να πέσει σε μια άλλη.
Γιατί κάτω από τον καυτό ήλιο της ερήμου, η Μάρθα ανακάλυψε πως αυτό που ένιωθε για τον Γκρεγκ ήταν ένα απλό νεανικό σκίρτημα, μπροστά στον έρωτα που της άναψε ο Τζούντ ...
Ο Τζούντ που ούτε γύριζε να τη δει ... Ο Τζούντ που δεν είχε μάτια παρά μόνο για την ωραία Ναομί ...

Genres: Harlequin Romance

194 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Eileen Norah Murphy Owbridge was born on 8 September 1903 in Yeovil, Somerset, England, she lived in Preston, Sussex, England, and passed away on 4 February 1994 in Worthing, West Sussex.

Under the pseudonym Jane Arbor she wrote over 55 romance novel for Mills & Boon from 1948 to 1985. She started writing doctor-nurse romances, and many have been reedited with diferent titles, that included the words "nurse", "doctor" or "surgeon". Later, she focused her writing in foreign settings like the continental Europe, the Caribbean, Morocco...

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 Stars ~ Martha accepts a nursing position in Saudi Arabia when her fiance suddenly jilts her for a woman who can advance his dream of owning his own air charter company. As a girl, Martha had spent time in the desert and had always hoped to return again. In the remote area around Aden, an oil company has a year lease from the local Sheikh to test and drill for oil. As a part of that contract, the Sheikh will provide the medical clinic which will benefit the oilmen as well as the locals. The nurse position was originally to go to Jude's sister, he's the Chief doctor in charge, however, she became ill. He's impressed with Martha's references and her, though rusty, ability to speak Arabic.

Jude's a dedicated doctor and expects dedication in his employees. He doesn't believe there is a place for romance and marriage in remote areas, in fact, the Company has a rule that none of the oilmen be married men and Jude adopts that policy for his clinic. His right had doctor, Ben, managed to bully his was around that rule when he wed his teen wife, Dorrit, rescuing her from a loveless life. When they arrive at the compound, Martha is sent to share a bungalow with Naomi, an exotic woman who is Ben's lab assistant. Martha meets the challenges set before her in the primitive clinic, and quickly earns the respect of her colleagues as well as the admiration the the locals. And as she spends more time with Jude she comes to see a kindness and caring that he hides under his cool demeanor, and she slowly realizes she's no longer in love with that jilting fiance because she's fallen in love with Jude. Only Jude readily admits his attraction to Martha, but it's only physical for no woman can compete with his dedication to his clinic.

This is a very slow paced story, and with Jane Arbor's dry writing voice, often a bit of a struggle to read. As is usual in the vintage Harlequins, this story is told from the heroine's point of view and we rarely see glimpses of the hero's true feelings until their reveal at the end of the book. The story is overall enjoyable. I found the history fascinating, set in the times were the oil discovery in Saudi Arabia is slowly changing the nomadic life of the Bedouins. Ms. Arbor gives us an other woman and an other man to challenge her main characters and to keep their pride from declaring their feelings for each other. My rating reflects my difficulty with Ms. Arbor's style, however, the story itself is actually quite charming.