Guilty Secrets

Nurse practitioner Nell Dolan, also known as the "Angel of Ark Street" because of her work at a free clinic there, was hoping that any extra exposure the clinic received from the press would bring in some badly needed donations to keep the clinic running. Nell, however, didn't want negative exposure - and it looked like the clinic just might receive that, for as soon as a reporter showed up to discuss the clinic, Nell realized that someone was stealing drugs from the clinic and trying to blame her. If the cynical reporter, Joe Reilly, broke the story, Nell's career, not to mention the clinic, might be in ruins. She tries to keep Joe at bay, but her heart doesn't seem to want to listen to her. How can she be falling for a man who could unearth all of her past secrets? Joe Reilly was a bitter man after he returned to the United States from Iraq. He had been an embedded reporter until a badly broken ankle had made him give up on his jet-setting ways. Now the former world correspondent was stuck in Chicago writing for the metro page. Joe didn't believe in altruistic motives, but his cynical beliefs were challenged by Nell Dolan, who seemed to have no ulterior motive when working at the Ark Street Free Clinic. Despite his bitter nature and his own secrets, Joe is drawn to Nell. Can these two bitter, broken hearts find solace in one another? This book was pretty good, I really liked the author's writing style. The pace was fast enough to keep things moving, but not fast enough to confuse the reader. Joe's two brothers, especially Mike the police officer, were interesting characters and I'd like to see them have their own stories someday. Joe was a bit too gruff and bitter for my tastes at first, but once I learned more about his history and why he had become that way, I began to warm up to his character. Nell was way too co-dependent and needy. She liked to be in control, but she had to be needed, too. The result was an aloof, yet needy, control freak who had a tendency to act like a jerk. She was way too much of a doormat in her past life and didn't seem to show much improvement throughout the book. The ending really didn't do a thing for me, which was a disappointment. Altogether, this book is good reading and merits four stars easily. Had Nell been a little more independent and a little less of a jerk, perhaps I would have rated the book higher. I just really don't like characters who mean one thing yet continually say another, then wonder why the other characters can't read their minds.

Nurse practitioner Nell Dolan, nicknamed the Angel of Ark Street, cannot afford a single mistake that might bring undue scrutiny. So when a reporter appears on her doorstep just when her pharmacist reports missing drugs, she is understandably concerned. Moreover, Nell has secrets that she cannot afford to have come to light, especially with the clinic's need of donations. Joe's injury while reporting in Iraqi damaged him in ways no one can understand. His hard cynicism extends to his stateside investigations, even the expose he intends to write regarding the Ark Street clinic. The less Nell willingly reveals, the more Joe's investigative side becomes piqued. Soon he finds his loyalties torn, however, between his devotion to his career and his feelings for the enigmatic Nell. Few authors truly excel at presenting consistently excellent reads in series romance, but author Virginia Kantra has established herself at the top of the list. As always, Kantra creats powerfully memorable characters that are deeply wounded and marvelously memorable. In GUILTY SECRETS, Nell and Joe seek healing in an unexpected relationship that they are both terrified to trust. While she appears amazingly misguided at times, Nell's gracefully handing of potentially dangerous situations and sincerely good heart certainly redeem her. Indeed, perhaps it is Nell's contradictory personality that truly draws the reader in. She is powerful and resourceful on one hand, and dangerously codependent on the other. Certainly it lures Joe into loving her despite his innate cynicism. In addition, Kantra does a marvelous job of bringing a dangerous world, with its seamy underbelly, vividly alive. While GUILTY SECRETS may not be her very best offering, it still comes highly recommended.