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Desert Flower
"You? My new assistant? What sort of joke is this?"
To Dr. Elyn Scott, it was no joke at all--it was a cruel twist of fate. She had applied to the Khalifa Clinic in Egypt partly because of her ex-fiance's accusation that ambition had destroyed her femininity.
Now she had to prove to Dr. Alex Davidson that she was not just a frivolous female. She had to convince this demanding perfectionist that professionally she was the equal of any man.
Reluctantly, Dr. Davidson granted Elyn a one-month trial, a trial for which he would be both judge and jury.
To Dr. Elyn Scott, it was no joke at all--it was a cruel twist of fate. She had applied to the Khalifa Clinic in Egypt partly because of her ex-fiance's accusation that ambition had destroyed her femininity.
Now she had to prove to Dr. Alex Davidson that she was not just a frivolous female. She had to convince this demanding perfectionist that professionally she was the equal of any man.
Reluctantly, Dr. Davidson granted Elyn a one-month trial, a trial for which he would be both judge and jury.
- GenresHarlequin RomanceRomance
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 20, 2017
This story opens with the heroine greeting her traveling salesman fiancé with happiness, only to have him break off their engagement because he’s met someone else who is “fun.” Seems our heroine is a doctor and quite serious about her career. The heroine hands over her ring. It’s curiously devoid of emotion. The next scene is the heroine in a chaotic Eygptian airport looking for a representative of the desert clinic where she is contracted to work for the next six months.
A tall dark and handsome man with a sultry, sophisticated woman on his arm advises her to go the information kiosk and have the man paged. The heroine is more angry about his condescending advice than she was when her smarmy fiancé broke it off. But she does as he suggests and a smarmy blond man appears. He is flabbergasted that she is a woman. Seems the head of the clinic is very much against female doctors.
Heroine is resolute about going to the clinic and fulfilling her contract. Smarmy blond man has only booked one room at the hotel – but the heroine neatly turns the tables when she meets an older couple in the dining room. They’re both archaeologists and the woman will be happy to have the heroine stay with her and her husband can go with the Smarmy blond.
Sounds great, right? The heroine shows a bit of backbone and initiative.
Of course the director of the clinic turns out to be Mr. Tall Dark and Condescending from the airport. And of course he is upset that his new doctor is a woman. And of course he’s going to overwork her and try to trip her up. That is to be expected.
What is not expected is the heroine’s reaction to all of this. She is so smitten with Tall, Dark and Dictatorial that she loses what little glimpse of humanity she showed the reader when she turned the tables on the Smary blond dude.
That’s when I realized this was no ordinary heroine – this was cyborg heroine programmed to put up with any and all bad behaviour by the hero. Like the terminator, nothing is going to keep her from her man. Not humiliation. Not punishing kisses during a sandstorm. Not the OW he flaunts. Not the false accusations that she should have known Smarmy blond was a drug addict and would steal her keys to the drug cabinet. Not when the traveling salesman fiancé shows up to make the heroine look bad.
The hero can blow metaphoric holes into the heroine, but her love can’t be killed off. This robo-devotion is a sight to behold and kept me reading even though the hero is cranky and horrible* until the last two pages of the book.
*Not one redeeming feature. Not one softening moment. The heroine’s programming must be more sophisticated than mine to find any sort of affection in that man.
A tall dark and handsome man with a sultry, sophisticated woman on his arm advises her to go the information kiosk and have the man paged. The heroine is more angry about his condescending advice than she was when her smarmy fiancé broke it off. But she does as he suggests and a smarmy blond man appears. He is flabbergasted that she is a woman. Seems the head of the clinic is very much against female doctors.
Heroine is resolute about going to the clinic and fulfilling her contract. Smarmy blond man has only booked one room at the hotel – but the heroine neatly turns the tables when she meets an older couple in the dining room. They’re both archaeologists and the woman will be happy to have the heroine stay with her and her husband can go with the Smarmy blond.
Sounds great, right? The heroine shows a bit of backbone and initiative.
Of course the director of the clinic turns out to be Mr. Tall Dark and Condescending from the airport. And of course he is upset that his new doctor is a woman. And of course he’s going to overwork her and try to trip her up. That is to be expected.
What is not expected is the heroine’s reaction to all of this. She is so smitten with Tall, Dark and Dictatorial that she loses what little glimpse of humanity she showed the reader when she turned the tables on the Smary blond dude.
That’s when I realized this was no ordinary heroine – this was cyborg heroine programmed to put up with any and all bad behaviour by the hero. Like the terminator, nothing is going to keep her from her man. Not humiliation. Not punishing kisses during a sandstorm. Not the OW he flaunts. Not the false accusations that she should have known Smarmy blond was a drug addict and would steal her keys to the drug cabinet. Not when the traveling salesman fiancé shows up to make the heroine look bad.
The hero can blow metaphoric holes into the heroine, but her love can’t be killed off. This robo-devotion is a sight to behold and kept me reading even though the hero is cranky and horrible* until the last two pages of the book.
*Not one redeeming feature. Not one softening moment. The heroine’s programming must be more sophisticated than mine to find any sort of affection in that man.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 27, 2011Dr. Elyn Scott starts off on the wrong foot with her new boss, Dr Alex Davidson. Expecting a man, Alex is very unhappy to have landed Elyn instead. In the mistaken belief she had spent the night on the way to Khalifa with a man he suspects of stealing drugs, he fights his attraction to her as she fights her own demons and attraction to him.
Started out very dry and hard to follow at first, but did improve.
Started out very dry and hard to follow at first, but did improve.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews