The Origins of Heartbreak

Lakeside Hospital #1

by Cara Malone

Alex McHenry’s world stood still the day her father passed.

She was 19, studying to be an art teacher, and living happily like any other college student. Then abruptly, her life was reduced to funeral arrangements, depression, therapy, and the responsibility of caring for her mother, who retreated to the couch to take solace in the artificially cheerful hosts on the Home Shopping Network.

After more than a year of living frozen in the moment of her father’s death, Alex decides to take the first steps out of her grief. She enrolls in a paramedic program and during one of her first classes, she meets Megan Callahan, a pretty but aloof medical student who comes crashing into her life at the most unexpected moment.

It’s not long before Alex discovers that Megan has her own skeletons in the proverbial closet, and when a bacterial outbreak forces them together, they must both decide whether to confront their demons together, or continue to live in limbo.

Can Alex and Megan work together to mend their broken hearts? Or will they turn away in fear?

This is the first book in the Lakeside Hospital series. Each book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel and the series can be read in any order.

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Queer, Lesbian, Lesbian Fiction, Medical, Lesbian Romance

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2017

About the author

I write stories that explore the thrills – and challenges – of falling in love as a woman-loving woman, including the bestselling Lakeside Hospital medical romance series and Rainbow Award honorable mention The Rules of Love.

My books are for you if you’re a fan of contemporary romance, if you love strong women who aren’t afraid to be vulnerable, and if you like a little heat with your sapphic love stories.

Grab a free copy of Mind Games on my website, CaraMalone.com

Reviews

[T · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book lost stars mainly because of the careless way the author addressed the mc's depression. Alex stopped her depression meds so that she could stop feeling numb and start "living" again. This was often the excuse many teens would give us in treatment for not staying on their meds, and it pissed me off that this book advocated that, rather than looking into other meds or doses. Alex stopped her meds and poof, had the best orgasm of her young life. So is everyone that reads this book going to think that's the way to go? ... pissed me off.

[Harrow · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lets start with Megan's inflated sense of self-importance which got on my nerves. She was so unlikable 'oh if someone was gonna faint why not EMT students, i am a med student.' Alex's whole storyline with how people on antidepressants can't have normal relationships. What even was that?

[Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll admit it right now. I love romance books within a hospital setting. Give me a doctor book any day. Now in real life, hell to the no. I can barely watch Grey’s Anatomy, any type of blood and I’m out, literally. So really, it was a no-brainer to start The Origins of Heartbreak by Cara Malone.

Megan Callahan is her second year of medical school. Megan is 100% focused on her studies and has very little time for anything else. Relationships are a no go. She dated her former girlfriend for six years and still holds a heavy heart and a ton of guilt for how she broke the other girl’s heart.
Alex McHenry’s has had the year from hell. Heading into her sophomore year in art school, her dad died suddenly of a heart attack. Alex dropped out of her university and has spent the past months caring for her despondent mother and fighting her own depression. Taking the first step, Alex decides to enroll in her local community college’s paramedic program. The EMT’s that came to help her father were so amazing and kind that that has stuck with her as something she would want to do for someone else.

Megan and Alex meet in the medical examiner’s office to witness an autopsy. An unlikely meeting starts a friendship that neither was looking for. These two have an attraction to each other is immediate. What really makes to book shine is the fun, witty flirtatious banter that these two have when they are together. Neither is willing to jump into anything serious. Megan is convinced that she is no good for any women, only bring heartache and destruction to any relationship. Alex is coping with the loss of her father and weaning off the depression medicine that has depleted her sex drive. What you get is a slow burn with flirty friends that can’t seem to deny themselves the other one. These two have lots of fun text messages and quick meet-ups over coffee.

I am so ready for book two. I cannot wait to see what’s next for Alex and Megan. I hope Cara Malone plans to make Ivy and Chloe a part of the series. They are definitely an interesting pair supporting characters.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay start

I'm a fan of Cara Malone's books and have read most of them. Her characters are done well enough to like them and have enougg depth for the story she weaves. This one to me fell a little short in that department. While i did like Alex's character and her story, I found myself not liking Megan all that much and honestly found her reason for acting how she did lacking. I know everyone deals differently with situations but Megan was just too hot and cold and then what she did right after her and Alex got together was just wrong no matter the excuse.
(Side note/error and its a big one...after the movies Megan and Alex ride together to her apartment. But when Alex goes to leaves she has her car...i think she meant to come back up to remind Megan she needed a ride).
Anyway...for me it was an okay read. I will read more from this author and continue the series cause well I'm loyal like that plus its free on kindleUnlimited :)

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so far my favorite Cara Malone book. I usually like them well enough but they don’t really move me. Not enough is happening. This one had a bigger impact and I really enjoyed reading it. And it made me feel like re reading A Cut Above so who knows, I might like it better the second time around.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, beach read type of book. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes that’s exactly what I’m looking for in a book.

[Yoly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and interesting quick read :)
I wish there was more on the meningitis cases

[Elske · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a 3 star for me. The story was too superficial with too many and too long descriptions of all that happened. That made that I skipread a large part of the book and that the writer lost me. The writing was not bad, but the story could have better been told in much fewer words.

[Michelle Schuler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreak to Love

A story of two people recovering from different types of heartbreak. Alex and Megan work independently on ways to survive their broken hearts, but find it much easier doing it together. I greatly enjoyed the book and look forward to more of the series by Cara Malone.

[Joc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is nice enough. Didn't blow me away but wasn't awful either.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m rating it 3 instead of 2 because the start was promising but at 3/4 of the book it just took a turn for the not redeemable. One of the MCs felt like a pretty textbook fuckboy and the other one seemed like a willing victim, trying to change Megan’s ways and forgiving everything at the mere hint of an apology. The meds, depression and her mother state of mind could have been more interesting if it would have lead to something, but it was just there, doing nothing. The Ivy jealousy/rivalry and the Chloe thing I guess are vague because the other books are about them? I had to create a new shelf just for this fuckgirl, I didn’t feel the romance just an instant infatuation.

It was promising. All the thing that made it bad could have been good if explored and expanded, but the were left there, alone and untouched.

[Sophie❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read all of Malones books and yet it took me half way through this to realise that this Megan was the same Megan that dumped Ruby in The Rules of Love and The Rules of Engagement. How did I not connect the two before? Just as I was in my happy bubble about Megan and Alex, I had to totally rethink my feelings.

I began to think that about how we probably go through life misjudging people because we allow other people opinions to cloud our judgements, without getting to know them. I do try to reserve judgement until i have met a person for myself but I'm sure we all have made a judgement on people we see on TV, the news etc.

So here I was caught in two minds about how I felt about Megan. I had already had my doubts about her, especially with her interactions with Ivy. I felt very protective of Alex, who was trying to overcome the death of her father, look after her mother who was in a deep state of depression, cope with a total change of direction in her studies and fight her way out of her own state of depression.

How do you go slow in a budding relationship when one half only wants to hookup? Malone has created a slow burn with these two. There is great chemistry and banter as they get to know one another. If you don't fall for Alex then there is something wrong with you. I was split between wanting her to end up with Megan and wanting her to fall for Sara. I think I bought some baggage from the other books, haha.

As always I was captivated from beginning until end to see which path these two would take. I received an ARC copy of this book but would have bought it anyway. Loved it.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really wanted to like this book. After all, I love romances in medical setting. Medical student and EMT student? Sparks fly, what more can a reader want? But, alas, this is not the book for me.
I did not really buy into the chemistry between the main characters.
There's also the whole "I'm on antidepressants so it makes me numb" thing (other reviewers have mentioned this too). There are a lot of people on antidepressants who maintain healthy relationships. The way this was written gives impression of antidepressants do more harm than good. The way Alex's mom seem to just get out of depression when Alex got rid of her TV is also problematic, in my view. There's an over-simplification of a complex disease like depression.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, liked the characters and the story line. Was 31/2 stars for me. Not as good as some, but solid enough! Worth taking a look at. And kindle unlimited so will read book 2 in the series and see if I change my mind and increase my stars.

[terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent new series

I loved this book and had to read all 5 books in the series as soon as the other was done. I though Megan and Alex made a great couple. The other characters are awesome as well. Megan and Ivy are almost funny in how they compete with each other over everything. This is definitely a series to read and this book is awesome.

[Aris Duarte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was finally able to read the Lakeside Hospital series and I think it was halfway through the book I realize the connection between this book and The Rulebook books! It was good to know more about Megan, because in The Rulebook 1 I kind of hated her lol and then you get to meet new characters and I think Alex was a very relatable character.

Cara Malone is the best, this is the 1st out of 4 books from this series and I loved how you get to see different sides from each character in each book.

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 1st installment in the Lakeside Hospital series of books.

Since each book is a stand alone and can be read in any order, there shouldn't be any cliffhangers for the rotating cast of couples. The Origins of Heartbreak is book one of the five part series. Megan (medical student) and Alex (paramedic trainee) meet during an autopsy class at Lakeside Hospital. No setting could be more unromantic for a romance novel. Neither woman occupies a healthy emotional disposition toward love. Alex suffered the death of her father from a heart attack, her mother's complete unraveling and her own severe depression. Megan took the break up of her last long-term relationship as proof that she should steer clear of any future emotional entanglement.

The book charts parallel and intersecting paths for these characters. Alex decides to face the lingering aftereffects from mourning her father's death. Numbing her emotions and sacrificing sexual desire allows Alex to function in her daily life, but it keeps her from a fulfilling life. Her friendship with Megan is supercharged with attraction and the promise of so much more. Megan settled for random hook ups or no string flings over lasting relationships. She sought the same superficial connection with Alex, but it wasn't happening. With the fast dance of just one and done off the table, a slow dance of coffee dates and frequent texting took off between them.

Heartbreak plays a title role in this novel, so there's no mystery what scares Alex and Megan. Cara Malone's terrific novel offers heartfelt insight into these well developed characters. My guess is that this series uses Lakeside Hospital, somewhat like Harper Bliss uses The Pink Bean coffeehouse, to showcase the love lives of lesbian couples. Each story adds a link to the chain held together by a shared setting with love and medicine holding the key to unlock lesbian romance.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dear Lord...the number of times I found myself mentally correcting the writing in this story. I felt like I was reading fanfiction. Not just typos; I can overlook a few of those. But grammatical errors, weirdly connected sentences, stilted dialogue, and more.

For one, WTF was this timeline?? To give an example, in one chapter you have Megan thinking about the time she has been getting to know Alex, and she thinks of 'the last few weeks', in reference to a very serious conversation they had about where they were going. Then, in Alex's POV, she's having the same thoughts, at the same time. And she thinks of 'the last few days'. Now, I suppose it could be argued that she was just thinking of their time differently, more about how the last few days are what really got her contemplating, and not the weeks since said conversation, but if so, that should've been made clearer. And it doesn't stop there, oh no. See, in this story, November is the longest month of the year. I didn't actively try to count the weeks, but I know for a fact that it was more weeks than are actually contained in the month. But Malone seemed determined to write their breakup over this time, so they could get together for Thanksgiving and introduce their families. Sorry, but if you wanted to do that, you need to alter your timeline and writing, not the damn calendar.

And last but not least, it changed POV rather suddenly and seemingly unintentionally in the middle of multiple chapters. Even right in the middle of a scene. That was jarring. And the reunion sex was spoiled by the fact that Alex swore she wasn't going to give in so fast and would make Megan work for it. She went for it without hesitation, without seeming to remember or care about her earlier promise to herself and then to Megan, and it just felt disingenuous. I was so done like, two-thirds of the way through this.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this because I really enjoyed trail magic, and I heard that raven is also in the lakeside series, I liked this story at first, I wanted some fluff but the more I got to know megan, the more of a c u next tuesday she became for me. Like I honestly didnt think she deserved Alex, who had been through shit and was more levelled and more mature. I get people need to grow and change but i just didnt like megan, now that I think about it I keep reading her name the way josh did in drake and josh 😅 I found chloe kissing megan very cliché and the 3rd act misunderstanding just brutal, I would love instead of the act that we got to have something actually central to them and their issues be what they need to work on. I actually was so frustrated I started just scanning so I could finish the book. Also Alex, for someone who studied art I wished she'd talk about it more, she mentions pottery at the end but I wish we saw that she had a passion for it somewhere. I also found the conversations about alex' medication problematic, I would love to have explored an actual therapy session ( this could have been a way to introduce a psychiatrist character maybe) but yeah I didn't hate this and I can appreciate its the first in the series so maybe they get better later, as trail magic had such good writing but yeah. Oh also I think Cara Malones covers are in dire need of an update, like I already thought megan was selfish and a narcist so this single megan coded women on the cover jus isnt it for me

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author. I will say I am writing the reviews after finishing all 3 books in the series. I am a sucker for doctor romances. I thought this book (and overall the series) were okay reads, but I completely understand why ratings are all over the place. I obtained book one through some kind of sale. It was either free or 99 cents. I began the book and I enjoyed the characters, and thought the dialogue was okay. I thought both characters were well written, but I am not sure I loved them as a couple. I hate that someone battling depression felt the need to stop their medication in order to have sex. This really is a slippery slope. I mean it all worked out in the end, but whew.. make ya a little nervous for most folks. Overall I think it was a decent read. After finishing this series I am not in a huge hurry to run out and buy another Malone book, but for those on kindle unlimited it is a decent read.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Cara Malone book and I hope the rest of her books arent like this one. The first 95% of the book was well written and flowed nicely. The content and characters were working their way to a nice 4 star review. Then the book just ended and I was dumbfounded. I saw the words "The End" and I actually said out loud...What? Seriously? Where's the rest of the story? The last few pages were rushed and you can really tell that while youre reading. I feel like nothing actually happened in this story. They meet, both are "broken", one goes off her meds, one freaks out then apologizes, the end. I'm very disappointed because I think this could have been a decent book but there are too many questions left unanswered. 2.5 stars rounded up.

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't get on with this so well. I know the characters are 23 and 20 and I'm nearly 45, but they just seemed to act and talk like teenagers. It just didn't feel right. And that whole 'it's time to get off my depression medication so I can stop being numb, feel like my old self, and have an awesome orgasm with a hot girl' thing... It wound me up. It doesn't work like that. It's a balancing act that takes time to perfect for the individual, not all or nothing. Alex must have had a crap therapist. So this was just a bit too fluffy and unrealistic for my taste. I read it because in the author profile or said the series was about strong women etc, but I felt like I was reading a teenage student drama of some kind. I'm afraid this one just isn't for me.

[Cael Bass · Rating 2 out of 5]

With billing comparing it to Grey’s Anatomy, I was expecting so much more from this book, but there’s no real connection to the complicated lives and relationships built by Shonda Rimes. The characters feel like shadows, with so little physical description of place and character it leaves me scrambling to create the story in my head. The way the author treats Alex’s depression makes the whole premise of it being a medical drama rather unbelievable. Yes, there can be sexual side effects to antidepressants, but the way they are discussed hints at a lack of understanding which wouldn’t be present in the medical field. The situation was made too easy and convenient. Yay for a decent HEA, but it wasn’t worth the ride.

[Maze · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a 4 star storyline for me but the grammar and editing were just so sloppy I had to give it a 3. I liked both the main characters, Alex and Megan. Alex was such a good egg. She was extremely strong for not only herself but her mom as well. I loved the fact that when she came up (emotionally) she made sure to pull her mother up right along with her. Very selfless, which is something I wouldn't expect from a person her age. The reason behind Megan's instability to me was a bit overly dramatic. I mean how does she even know the true outcome of the person? Also, the epilogue wasn't really an epilogue.

[3DKing · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - Cute little romance about fear, depression and starting to overcome both.

Story Spoiler:
Alex lost her Dad and since then takes antidepressants. Her mother is battling the death of her husband, too, and get's lost in home shopping tv. Megan fears a new attachment, ever since her drive to succeed lead to a hurtful breakup with her last girlfriend. Both girls try to tackle their problems in face of their growing attraction. Some bad decisions are made, some emotional revelations had and mental health being tackled. Finally they find to each other.

The timeline is fast, maybe half a year. The base attraction is pretty much instant and they get to know each other fast. Depression and fear take part in this book, but not in a "in your face"-way. They are not presented as massive problems, so we can root for our protagonists betterment.

I like the book for the easy feelings and characters self care. Love is not THE answer, but the push to more selfcare and some healing steps.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Megan Callahan is in her second year of medical school when she strikes up a friendship with Alex McHenry, a paramedic student. Megan thinks she can’t do relationships and Alex is still recovering from her fathers death a year before. There are sparks between the two. Usually I’m all in for medical romances but I thought this was a bit simplistic. And Alex thinking she needs to get off antidepressants to be able to feel in a relationship sends a wrong message and hurtful message to people who need those drugs. Somehow I have read the rest of this medical romance series but maybe it is good I didn’t start with this one.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Another excellent book from this author. I was lucky enough to get an ARC for a honest review and I'm so glad I did. Both of the main characters are complex with issues that prevent them from embracing relationships. However, when they meet and keep running into each other, it seems that destiny has spoken. I loved Alex right away but Megan just made me angry. Mostly because of the way she treated Alex. As I read more, I understood why Megan acted the way she did. I can't wait for a sequel for these two!

[Kandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't immediately realize that Megan was from a previous book, but it was fun to realize that connection. I continue to be impressed at the author's ability to create complex characters. Watching Alex and her mom both deal with their grief in different ways, at first simply trying to make it through another day, then the progression of figuring out what life will look like after their loss. It was a great connection and side story that only added more to the couple's journey. I look forward to the next in the series!

I received an ARC from the author for my honest review.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice story of two people instantly attracted to each other who had to find a way to be together. It was a cute story and the characters were believable. Not too many typos. It honestly makes me feel a little old reading a book about young 20 somethings falling in love. All in all a nice read. I'll have to check out more from this author.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I like the depth of the characters in Origins (Alex was especially well-developed, I thought), this is not my favorite of Cara Malone's books. I felt it resolved a little too easily, especially considering what Alex went through, both before and with Megan. I will read the rest of the series, because Cara Malone.