A Candle for Nick (Silhouette Special Edition)

Wow - this was a heartwarming family drama about a young boy stricken with leukemia, and the choices his mother must make in order to save his life. Although not Jewish myself, I was touched by how the characters drew on their faith, and on the comforts of their religious traditions/celebrations, for strength and courage. A very well-done holiday story!

In Lorna Michael's emotionally gripping A CANDLE FOR NICK, a woman must make the hardest decision imaginable: A choice between her one true love and the health, possibly even the life, of her child. When widowed Mallory Brenner's only son Nick is diagnosed with leukemia, her world is shattered--again. Of course she wants the best pediatric oncologist for her ten-year-old child, though it means leaving her family and small town and traveling to a medical center in Houston. But the cancer specialist turns out to be Dr. Kent Berger, Mallory's first and only real love, the man who left her eleven years ago with nothing but empty promises. Well, something else. It's not just an issue of suppressing old hurt feelings to maintain a professional relationship with the man who holds her son's life in his hands. Kent is Nick's father. And that's a secret Mallory must keep at any price. Even when, in the months of treatment that follow, Kent develops a special interest in Nick, and Mallory and Kent rekindle their once-passionate relationship. Especially then. Because if he knows Nick is his son, Kent will have to stop treating him and refer him to another doctor. And by now Nick's life is not just physically committed to his doctor, but emotionally. He believes only Dr. Berger can make him well. With heart-wrenching irony, Ms. Michaels bring that truth home. What mother wouldn't live a lie to save her child's life? But eventually Nick's only hope is a transplant, and the hospital is unable to find a match in a registry, and has exhausted the supply of possible family donors. Except one. Lorna Michaels keeps you glued to the page in this wonderfully written story about the miracle of hope. One of her best yet.

This is my first Lorna Michaels book and it won't be my last. This story of a woman fighting to save the life of her son is truly touching. She must face the father of her son - the only doctor that can save his life. The only problem is he doesn't know he's the father. Michaels' gentle weaving of Judaism was a delight. Not ofen does a book educate, involve and pull at your heart the way this book does. I never felt as if I were reading a medical text when she dealt with the boy's illness. She manages to speak at a level that explains, but keeps you close to the heart of the characters. I definitely recommend this book. I opened it early one evening and didn't put it down until I'd read the last word on the last page.

Mallory Brenner has a sick child. Each of us has, at one time or another, cared for a bored patient - a loved one who is sick, but whose ailment cannot be pinpointed. The hardest part of waiting for a diagnosis is the mind-numbing fear that something is seriously wrong. Even worse for Mallory is the confirmation that ten-year old Nick has leukemia. Mother and son are yanked from their comfortable small town routine of work, school, baseball, family and friends, and tossed into Houston's medical center, with days filled with a clinical environment of blood tests and chemotherapy. Into the milieu of their frightening situation comes Dr. Kent Berger, a specialist in acute myelogenous leukemia in children and the best man in town to save Nick's life. But Mallory and Kent must also deal with their past history, one filled with a steamy passion as well as a hurtful ending. When their relationship rekindles into something much more than a mother and her son's doctor, Mallory knows she owes Kent the truth. But she must weigh Nick's best chance at healing against the need to share the secret she's carried for years. In a touching forward, the author shares that soon after she started this book, her husband Ralph became ill with this very same type of cancer. As she promised him, she completed the book as he waged a courageous battle for his life. She dedicates this book to his memory. A portion of her royalties will be donated to the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society as a memorial to Ralph. Ms. Michaels conveys the illness, the available treatment and the turbulence of fear and emotions of those involved with a clarity and depth known only from personal experience. This is a touching love story that involves family secrets that effect many lives, approached with sensitivity and realism.

Hope. When I read this book, I felt the pull of hope that ran through it from page one until the end. Of Lorna Michaels many emotional and heartwarming books, this one tops my list. When Mallory Brenner's ten-year-old son is diagnosed with a fatal disease, she seeks the most renowned doctor in the field. As if her world wasn't shattered enough, the best doctor turns out to be Nick's father, Dr. Kent Berger. Nick's paternity is a well-kept secret even from Kent. Mallory decides to swallow her pride and seek his help but continue to keep the secret. As Nick and Kent bond, Mallory realizes she's once again drawn to her former love. Kent deserves to know the truth. But would Kent have to stop treating Nick if Mallory tells him the secret? With her usual skill and craftsmanship, Lorna Michaels has written a moving story of tragedy and relationships, love and desire. A great read for the holidays--or any time.