Three full-length novels in a m/m romance series have been boxed up for one price! Sexy nurses with trust issues, overconfident doctors coping with reality checks, and hard-working students come together to find their hearts and health in small-town Kansas.
HEART TROUBLE – BOOK 1
Fresh off his latest heartbreak, nurse Ben Griggs is wary when one of his patients shows an interest in him — especially when that patient showed up in the ER after a motorcycle accident. Ben isn’t the kind of guy who can hold the interest of an adrenaline junkie like Gage Evans for long. If he can’t find a way to trust Gage with his heart, they may be destined to have a fling that goes nowhere.
BEDSIDE MANNER – BOOK 2
Dr. Paul Johnston can’t get a set of dark, somber eyes out of his head, and the timing couldn’t be worse. Zane Kavanaugh came through the ER, a victim of a hate-fueled assault, and Paul can’t forget him. But under review after a complaint, he also can’t afford to fall for a patient. Paul is afraid to start a relationship, and Zane can only handle so much more rejection. Paul may have to make a choice: His career or the first man to capture his heart.
URGENT CARE – BOOK 3
Dr. Trent Cavendish made a huge mistake when he walked away from the love of his life at age 18. When his best friend suddenly dies 12 years later, it rattles Trent into seeing how empty his life has become. He returns to his hometown, hoping to make amends to the man he left behind. Instead of the sweet but tame guy he remembers, Trent runs into a smoking-hot Xavier James dressed in bits of lace and silk at a gay nightclub. His plan to earn Xavier’s forgiveness immediately shifts to lust, and love’s not far behind.
Each of these books was previously published individually as part of the Hearts and Health series.
DJ Jamison writes a variety of queer men finding extraordinary love through M/M Romance! She is a lifelong reader and has always loved writing and editing, with a ten-year journalism career before she began publishing romance. She has books in ebook, print, and audio, as well as German, French, and Italian translations.
DJ lives in Kansas with her husband, two sons, and a sadistic cat named Birdie.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because still no 1/2 stars here on GR.
This one's a 3 for 1 deal... "Hearts and Health" Vol. 1 is a compilation of the first 3 books in this series. So I'm going to basically break this review down into 4 parts first I'm going to talk about the series in general and then I'll do a brief review of each of the books.
The series...overall I've enjoyed this series and while I think you could probably read the stories as standalones and not become lost, I would definitely recommend reading the stories from the beginning and in order. Each book has a different couple as the MCs and in subsequent stories they become secondary characters which for me makes the overall reading experience more enjoyable as the reader is given the connections between the characters as and when they are made helping to create an overall more complete picture.
The stories in 'Heart and Health' are each set within the medical community of the fictional town of Ashe, Kansas and this series appears to be a spin-off from the author's original series 'Ashe Sentinel Connections' since 'Heart Trouble' is the first book for this series and the 6th book of 'Ashe Sentinel Connections' I'm going to guess that I've made a safe assumption with this. Now that I've given you a little bit of background about the series from a very general perspective...let's move on the the individual stories.
Book 1 - Heart Trouble Karen's rating: 3.5 stars ER nurse Ben Griggs has basically sworn off of men. He's had his heart broken one time too many. But when Gage Evans enters the emergency room where he works after a motorcycle accident Ben's life is thrown into chaos when Gage sets his sights on the sexy, sweet nurse and try and he might Ben can't seem to fully deny that he's attracted to the man that he believes to be an adrenaline junkie.
I liked Gage and Ben as a couple they were cute together and as individual's they seemed like genuinely nice people. While their relationship seemed to be more tangled up by assumptions and miscommunications than anything else getting to know this pair as their lives collided and they went on a series of unusual dates was sweet and enjoyable. For me the connection between Ben and Gage was there but not as strong as I would have liked it to be. Ben and Gage's relationship was a bit of one step forward and two steps back because of misunderstandings and miscommunications and the individual insecurities and self-doubt that both men had but while it might have been a bit much for some I found that this all stopped short of that over the top mark for me and I enjoyed this first book a little more than average as well we get to meet a number of secondary characters who show up in subsequent books like Zane and Paul who are the central figures in...
Book #2 - Bedside Manner Karen's rating: 3 stars We were introduced to both of these characters in book #1. Zane is a student of Gage's and ends up in the ER as a patient where he meets Ben and Dr. Paul Johnston. But it's Ben and Gage who help Zane and take care of him once he leaves the hospital until he can get back on his feet...taking him in and looking after him until he's well enough to be on his own moves in with his friend, Xavier. However, Ben and Gage remain Zane's surrogate parental units much to Zane's annoyance at times.
Zane meets Dr. Paul Johnston for the first time when he's to say the least 'not at his best' and while the good doctor notices that Zane's an attractive young man in spite of his injuries even he's not pervy enough to be comfortable with any kind of attraction given Zane's state when they first meet.
This one's definitely a slow burn as both men have other issues that they're dealing with.
This was definitely my least favorite of the stories in this volume. I wasn't a fan of Paul in the first story and that didn't really change much here. The age gap between these two was a bit more than I'm comfortable with and not just because Paul was literally old enough to be Zane's father but because of the actual age of each man. Paul's just this side of 40 and when they initially meet Zane's not even 21. One man's established in his life and career and the other's just starting to stretch his wings and become independent ...for me there's a power dynamic here that just doesn't work and while the story was ok, I struggled with that age difference enough that it definitely put a damper on things and kept the story from being one that I could truly enjoy...so let's just say this one's on me and call it a day. I know a lot of people out there wouldn't have an issue with this so it's very much about personal preference in my eyes.
Book #3 - Urgent Care Karen's rating: 4 stars... We were first introduced to Xavier back in book #2 as Zane's roommate. Xav's a nursing student and he's what most would call a mature student. It seems that when Xav graduated high school he had family who needed him so it took him a bit of time to get back to school to complete his education and become a nurse.
Trent's a part of Xav's past...a part that Xav thought was done and over with until the day that he approached Xav in a local gay bar. It's been 12 years since these men have seen each other. A lot has happened...a lot has changed except for the fact that Trent still loves Xavier and wants him back. Xavier's still got feelings for Trent...strong feelings but he's not sure that he's willing to trust Trent with his heart again.
This was absolutely my favorite story from this group. I loved this one. Trent and Xavier worked for me. I'm a total sucker for second chance stories and this one was heart meltingly sweet...not sugary over the top sweet though. There were issues that both of these men had to work through before they could fully commit to making things work. There was steam and heat and a very palpable sexual tension between these two men.
So at the end of it all while I could have done a pick and choose thing with the stories in here I can honestly say that I enjoyed and appreciated each story more for having read the one before it.
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An advance copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
All the stories in this were great! I loved the connection with each being about a friend. Looking forward to Beau and Wade's story in March. I am a HEA with a bit of conflict or angst before, kinda gal and these books were spot on!
I reviewed each of the books in this series previously, when they were released individually. I've given a brief summary of my reviews below.
Book #1 - Heart Trouble (Note: when this book was originally released back in October 2016 it was considered book 6 of Ashe Sentinel Connections. It was moved to book 1 of the Hearts & Health series when the author decided to expand on the hospital theme.)
Heart Trouble really grabbed me and I didn’t want to put it down. I was so frustrated when I had to put it aside after chapter 3 in order to take care of personal obligations. Later that day I started back up and didn’t stop until I’d finished it.
My heart hurt for these two guys who both have insecurities when it comes to relationships. I was confident that DJ would give me my HEA but it didn’t come easy; Ben and Gage had some pretty big obstacles to overcome first.
Book #2 – Bedside Manner
Bedside Manner is a perfect May/December type of romance. Zane is 21, Paul is 39. Now some people might think that big of an age difference is creepy but Zane is really mature for his age and Paul, although he is a doctor, is not mature when it comes to loving a man. Paul has been in denial of his sexual orientation for many years and just recently came out after divorcing his wife. Zane is dealing with the aftermath of coming out to his family and the terrifying reaction of his step-father.
Paul Johnston was actually kind of a creepy character in Heart Trouble. I'm so glad that he got his chance to be explained and redeemed in Bedside Manner. Paul met Zane when he was admitted to the hospital after a beating; Paul hated that he was attracted to a patient but their doctor/patient "relationship" was very brief when Paul saw Zane in the ER.
Paul and Zane's relationship has many ups and downs. Paul is still coming to terms with being out and thinks he's too old for Zane. Zane is recovering from the beating he got and trying to get his life back under control. When they are together sparks seem to fly and the sexy time is off the charts.
Book #3 – Urgent Care
Urgent Care is a second chance story; one of my favorite romance tropes. Xavier and Trent were together in high school but their relationship fell apart when Trent wanted to pursue his ambition to become a doctor and Trent needed to stay in their home town to help his family. Hurtful things were said they had no contact for twelve years. Trent has returned to Ashe to work and to try and get Xavier's forgiveness for how things ended when they were young. Xavier is afraid to trust Trent to not break his heart again.
I loved the heat between these two characters. Even though Xavier's heart and mind are reluctant to trust Trent again, other body parts are totally on board. Trent is finally making progress with getting Xavier to trust him again when life throws him a curve that jeopardizes all he's been working for.
An advanced copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com on 2/17/18***
I enjoyed all three books in this set! They are well-written with very engaging characters.
Ben and Gage from Heart Trouble have a lot of misunderstandings between them that cause some angst and they need to learn how to communicate with each other. I love how they help Zane after he is badly beaten by his stepfather.
In Bedside Manor Paul and Zane have a lot of issues they each need to deal with. Zane is recovering from a bad beating by his homophobic stepfather and trying to deal with being rejected by his parents. Paul is not a very likeable character but by the end of the story he is easier to like. When his career is threatened he is faced with a choice between being with Zane and keeping his job at the local hospital.
Urgent Care is my favorite of the three, I loved Trent and Xavier. Xavier does not know if he can trust Trent again and he let's their past relationship stop him from moving forward now that Trent is back in town. Trent will do everything he can to convince Xavier to give him another chance but they need to spend some time together without all of their obligations getting in the way.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I was given an ARC to review by the author.
Three entertaining romances - each can be read as a standalone, but at the same time, they're loosely connected by friends/acquaintances from the local hospital. Each book focuses on a different couple with the added bonus of revisiting past couples who touch the story in some way. Heart Trouble gives us nurse Ben and professor Gage in a reluctant to love again romance that is a great combo of sweet, sexy, and funny. Bedside Manner gives us Dr Paul and past patient Zane in a May/December romance that also has a bit of the forbidden when Paul worries about breaking the hospital rules. This second book in the bundle is a little more angsty than the first, but it also has those sweet and tender moments and a bit of wit to keep it from getting too heavy. My personal favorite is Urgent Care with Dr Trent and nurse in training Xavier. This sexy second chance romance has it all as this endearing pair figure out what they want, but then have to work out how to blend it with family obligations, work, and life in general. All three books are full of wonderful characters, witty fun, steamy goodness, and at minimum, happy for now conclusions for these great couples.
Heart Trouble-4 stars-Ben is a great nurse, but is gun shy to get into a relationship, having been burned before. Gage is looking for something real, and pursues Ben, who won’t believe Gage wants him for more than a hookup. As they go on dates for Gage’s articles about experiences, they develop their closeness. But, nearing the end of the dates, they both panic and make a mess of things. It does work out, of course, and they learn to trust in what they have. This is the best book in the series, for sure.
Bedside Manner-4 stars-an interesting situation, with Paul being accused of inappropriate behaviour with a patient, and poor Zane coming in beat up by his stepdad. Their relationship has lots of roadblocks, since they’re both tentative for different reasons. Paul admires Zane’s strength to be out, while struggling with coming out and dealing with the work issue. Zane is patient, but frustrated at times, and he has doubts about whether Paul thinks he’s worthwhile to be with. Some rough emotional moments, but a lovely story of love growing between two lost souls.
Urgent Care-3 stars-fun with a bit more kink than the previous books, but nothing too intense, OK, but not that interesting. Xavier sounds different in this novel, less promiscuous, though it’s referred to. It’s interesting to hear more about his busy life helping his family while studying to be a nurse. Trent sounds like a real jerk in the past, but seems genuine in trying to make amends. It’s also meaningful that losing his friend is what allows him to reprioritize his life.
Pretty good series overall. First book is the best.
Standalone stories that share characters and plot lines. Plenty of angsty moments, self doubt, age gap, a lot of fun and serious steam. The first is the cliche patient falling for the nurse, who tries really hard to resist. The second is kinda brutal, plus a life changing realisation finally leads to happy. The last one is a second chance after not very good, 12 years wait. There’s a satisfying ending to all three, plus they’ll all be seeing each other as friends probably for ever.
Three stories set in the hospital in Ashe, Kansas. As it turned out, I'd read the second and third five years back, so this time I followed the story of the three couples, all with an age gap, through the trials of double and insecurity to HEAs. Jamison writes great heated sessions, but handles the angst during the trials of love astutely.
This an incredible series of interconnecting stories. I really enjoyed the dynamics between all of the characters, how the relationships and friendships wove through all of the books.
I always have difficulty putting down this author's books. Lots of angst because these guys have loved and had their hearts broken, but find their way to new, or sometimes back to an old love.