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Laura Scott, So Many Rooms
leaning into the bends.
Blue Valentine / Derek Cianfrance / sometimes when I can’t sleep / Laura Scott / Don’t know how to keep loving you / Julia Jacklin / Brokeback Mountain / Ang Lee
Laura Scott
Little Book Review: Primary Suspect
Author: Laura Scott.
Publication Date: 2018.
Genre: Contemporary Christian romantic suspense.
Premise: Mitch Callahan, a fire inspector in Milwaukee, gets a call from his boss to show up at the scene of a potential arson, but, when he arrives, the only people there are the corpse of his ex-girlfriend and an unknown assailant who knocks him over the head. When he comes to, Mitch hears sirens and flees the scene, knowing that things don’t look good for him. He checks into the ER, where he runs into Dana Petrie, a nurse and the young widow of a firefighter he tried to rescue years ago. Things are awkward enough before some dude pops into his room and tries to stab him, “forcing” the two to go on the run.
Thoughts: I got this book for free when I bought another romance novel from Barnes and Noble a couple years ago, and that’s probably the best thing about it. Reading this novel was the equivalent of chewing flavorless gum. It read as an outline of a plot starring Man and Woman, rather than a full-fledged novel with characters. The most “suspenseful” thing about the plot was when I thought the heroine might be of East Asian descent, based on a description of her hair and the vague hostility of her very WASP-y-sounding in-laws. (By the end, I decided that she was probably intended to be a white lady with shiny black hair; her eyes are green, and her in-laws seem to dislike her specifically because of her working-class background and ability to pick up on their weird vibes. I doubt it would’ve have been a big win for Asian-American representation if she had been Asian-American--everyone in the novel is very bland--but it would’ve been sort of nice in a not very diverse sub-genre of an only somewhat more diverse genre.) I acknowledge that this book is very much not my thing; it’s contemporary, it’s Christian, and it’s romantic suspense, and I can only deal with two of those things at once. But there is remarkably little to hold onto here.
It’s a pretty innocuous novel, though, except for one thing. The premise of the series this book belongs to is positive towards the police; the hero’s dad is a retired cop, and most of his siblings (who either have gotten or will get their own romance) followed in the dad’s footsteps, except for one sister, who became a DA. Yet nearly every choice that the hero makes relies on the premise that the cops specifically and the justice system generally can’t be trusted. He flees from the police at every opportunity, unless he’s asking one of his family members for help. This could be reconciled somewhat if the hero’s brothers were presented as “good cops” within a largely corrupt and/or incompetent system,* yet that’s not the case. I also didn’t get the sense that Mitch expected other people to submit themselves to the system, but viewed himself as the exception. It just reads like the author didn’t think through how the character’s background gelled with his actions.
*I don’t agree with the idea that being a “good cop” is possible in any significant way within the US police system, but it would make sense for Mitch to think this way while acting as he does.
Hot Goodreads Take: I seem to dislike this book more than anyone who wrote a review on Goodreads; the consensus from the most negative reviews is “not my thing” and “a little rushed.” Many people seem to have read it after getting a free copy at Barnes and Nobles a couple years ago.
I had a coupon for $3.00 off any ebook on Google Play so I was wandering around looking for a book that sounded good and was just around $3.00 (cause I have no money) and stumbled across this book called A Soldier’s Promise by Laura Scott. I’m a big romantic and if the guy is in the military somehow then even better (who doesn’t like a guy in uniform lol). I read the sample and it starts with this guy and his little girl entering an ER after a car accident. The little girl is okay but he’s got a concussion and a collapsed lung. Needless to say I spent my coupon on this $3.03 book.
Have a sneak peek:
Derek groaned under his breath and pulled himself across the hallway floor, beads of sweat rolling freely down his face, burning his eyes.
The plank-wood floor had plenty of splintered edges, but he ignored the minor irritation. He knew he’d frightened Lexi, and his mission right now was to get back into the bedroom, where he could possibly use the bed frame as leverage to get back up .
Get up, soldier! Now! No excuses! You’re a soldier, so you’d better start acting like one !
Derek used his legs and his good arm to propel his body across the floor, inch by agonizing inch, finally crossing the threshold into the bedroom. The fire was back in his chest, worse than before, and he suspected that he’d inadvertently displaced the catheter they’d stuck in his chest to re-inflate his lung.
“Lexi?” he called out, unsure where his daughter had gone. “I’m here and I’m fine. I’m going to get into bed, now, see ?”
Actually, he couldn’t see a thing through the red haze of pain that shrouded his vision .
He grasped the lower bed frame and tried to figure out how to pull himself upright. He closed his eyes, thinking it would be easier to stay on the floor. He’d ask Lexi to give him a pillow, and he’d be fine until morning .
“Derek, are you okay?”
He recognized that soft, female voice. Julie. The nurse. He forced his eyelids open .
Nothing worse than feeling helpless, especially when he realized Lexi had woken her up. Because of him .
“Derek? What happened?” she asked .
She touched his shoulder, and he shoved his lame pride aside to answer. He couldn’t read the expression on her face with the hallway light on behind her. “Sneezed. Woke up on the bathroom floor .”
“You passed out?” Instantly, she dropped to her knees, bringing her face closer to his. “Did you hit your head again ?”
“No.” At least he didn’t think so. The pain in his head was about the same; it was his chest that was killing him. He didn’t like being dependent on her for help. Didn’t like being dependent on anyone other than himself. “Toss me a pillow and a blanket. I’ll rest here until morning .”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, and he heard the distinct note of impatience in her tone. “You’re not sleeping on the floor. If I can’t help you up, I’ll call an ambulance .”
“No ambulance.” Since she was obviously going to be difficult about this, he rolled onto his injured side and grabbed on to the bed frame with his uninjured left arm. “I’ll get up .”
She muttered something under her breath that he couldn’t quite make out. It sounded like stubborn as an ox, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. She put her arm under his right armpit again. “Try just sitting first. Your legs are strong. Once we get you into a sitting position, you should be able to stand .”
Easy for her to say—her rib cage wasn’t engulfed in fire. His lungs felt like two strips of sandpaper rubbing together with every breath. But complaining didn’t get the job done, so he concentrated on pushing off the bed frame. With Julie adding her strength and supporting his injured side, he suddenly found himself sitting upright, his side pressed against the bed .
“Thanks,” he grunted, trying to catch his breath. But it was no use. That stupid catheter wasn’t keeping his lung inflated, and the last thing he wanted to do was to go back to the hospital. For sure, they’d keep him .
And he didn’t think he had the strength to leave AMA a second time .
“Rest for a minute, and then I’ll help you get up on your feet,” she said, her voice close to his ear .
He had the absurd thought that, with Julie’s support, he could do you, Lexi. You were smart to get help .”
His words didn’t seem to reassure his daughter, so he decided the only thing that was going to make Lexi feel better was if he could get up on his feet and back on top of the bed .
“Use the strength in your legs as much as you can,” Julie advised when she felt him shift. “I’ll give you as much leverage as I can manage .”
Considering she was all of five foot three inches on a good day and weighed, in his estimation, less than a hundred and twenty pounds, he couldn’t imagine she’d provide any leverage. Although she’d surprised him with her ability to get him out of the backseat of the car .
Maybe being close to God gave her an edge over everyone else. Right now, he’d use any advantage he could get .
He leaned against the bed frame, trying to get his legs into a good position. Between support from the bed frame and Julie’s help, he somehow managed to get his feet under him, and finally, he was up and sitting on the edge of the bed .
The pressure on his chest didn’t ease, and he struggled to breathe. Something so natural shouldn’t be so difficult .
A cold, round circle was pressed against his side, and he realized Julie had a stethoscope in her ears, listening to his chest. “Your lung is down again,” she said accusingly, as if he’d done the deed on purpose .
“I know,” was all he could manage. What did she want him to say? The sneeze had caught him off guard, and the pain had been so intense he’d dropped like a stone .
“Stay sitting upright. I’m going to try something, okay ?”
He nodded, since he wasn’t in any shape to stop her anyway .
She bent down and sucked on the end of the pigtail catheter hanging out of his chest, like she was drinking a thick malt out of a straw. And suddenly, the fire eased, and he could breathe again .
“It worked,” he said in amazement. He took another breath, just to make sure his imagination hadn’t played tricks on him. “I can breathe easier .”
“There’s a valve in these catheters, which must have closed when you sneezed.” She peered down at the dressing around the catheter, no doubt looking for signs of bleeding .
“Well, that settles it, no more sneezing for me,” he said in an attempt to lighten the mood. He reached out a hand toward his daughter, who came over to huddle next to him. He hugged her reassuringly. “I’m fine, Lexi. Thanks to Julie, I’m going to be just fine .”
Julie stared at him, clearly exasperated. “I suppose I’d be wasting my breath if I encouraged you to go back to the hospital .”
For a moment, he almost felt guilty for disappointing her. “Yes, because there’s no need to go back. I’m fine now. Thanks for your help. Again.”
“Stop thanking me,” she said suddenly, scrubbing her hands over her face. “This is my fault. I should have offered you my place to spend the night. I should have thought about the drywall dust making you sneeze .”
It’s only $3.00! Go check it out for a nice easy whumpy book!
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Z9pEDwAAQBAJ&pg=GBS.PT8
Laura Scott | Major NY