The Surgeon's Lady

I devoured this book. It is well-written with interesting and believable characters. I am happy to know that there will be a third. Carla Kelly is a favorite author with me. I have found and bought almost everything she has written, and have enjoyed them all. She is less well-known than she deserves. She has written other books that weren't Regency romances, and they have been great, too!

What a wonderful and different "romance" - Laura is a heartbreaker and Phil is just what the doctor ordered. My first Carla Kelly novel but won't be the last.

...because Carla Kelly's surely the queen of Regency-era stories. This book is almost painful to read, because the ravages of war aren't glossed over, but it would be more painful NOT to read, just because it's so good. If Phil and Laura don't climb inside your skin, you don't have a pulse.

Carla Kelly is one of the best romance writers in the industry. When Signet stopped publishing "Regencies", Kelly was without a publisher and stopped writing altogether for several years. I was heart-broken. But, she's back with a vengeance. I loved "Marrying the Captain" and hoped that this second book would maintain as high a level of excellence as that first one. Kelly has not only achieved that, but has actually written a BETTER book with "The Surgeon's Lady." Philemon and Laura are wonderful characters. Philemon is warm, funny, caring, and strong. Laura is traumatized by men, but has an inner core of steel. While she is aiding Philemon in his endeavors as a surgeon and learning the art of healing the body, she also allows Philemon's love to "heal" her damaged heart and soul. Kelly never preaches or has to spell out the symbolism or themes in her books. She respects the reader's intelligence, and thereby writes the kind of book I absolutely love and have a hard time finding these days. She also knows her historical facts. The various injuries the men suffer in the British Navy as they fight in the Napoleonic Wars and the medical practices and kinds of surgery performed during that time are threaded throughout the novel in such a subtle way that the reader doesn't realize she's learning these things while reading a love story. Most writers place little bits of historical information here and there while actually writing a contemporary romance with modern language, and then call it "historical romance." Kelly, on the other hand, effortlessly places the reader right smack dab in the middle of the time period and action. However, the romance always supercedes everything else in a Kelly book. Philemon and Laura's story is ultimately thoroughly satisfying and not to be missed. I eagerly look forward to the next sister's tale.

Just when I think that I've met the best Carla Kelly hero ever, I lose my heart to the next one that comes along! After reading "Marrying the Captain," I was impatient for the next book in the trilogy, and "The Surgeon's Lady" did not disappoint me. I have to admit that I have a soft place in my heart for Naval officers, particularly medical corps ones, because I was a Navy doctor myself and am married to a Navy doctor who served as a Battalion Aide Station Surgeon in Iraq with the Marines. I fell in love with Lt. Philemon Brittle right away(don't tell my husband). He is my favorite type of romance hero--smart, brave, compassionate, and with a great sense of humor. His counterpart, Lady Laura Taunton, shares the sames qualities. She says, "Know this--I intend to fight Boney in my own way, too." Laura is the long-lost sister of Nana, from "Marrying the Captain," and although I liked Nana, Laura is more spirited because she had to struggle even more than Nana when her father essentially sold her in marriage to an aging lord. Even though this book is part of a trilogy, it could stand alone, but it is great to be able to meet some of the same characters from the first book again. The book starts when Nana and Laura(now widowed) who have met previously, are reunited, this time with the knowledge that they are sisters. The background of the Napoleonic War provides some gritty drama, some of which is definitely not for the squeamish. As is Carla Kelly's way, the romance between the two main characters develops realistically and is based on liking, as well as loving, with a healthy dose of sexual attraction, tastefully handled. Even though this is a regency-era book, the settings are in the homes of common people and in a veterans hospital. The depictions of the wounded veterans are particularly touching and realistic, which gives the book a timeless feel. I didn't want the book to end, so I'm thrilled to know that there is one more volume in the trilogy. Long-time fans of Carla will be glad to have another Carla Kelly for their "keeper" shelf, and new readers will be excited to find their new "favorite" author.