Book Review: Disaster Status

What happens when an ER nurse breaks her neck? She turns to fiction, of course. Candace Calvert's life took a sharp turn when she suffered severe injuries in an equestrian accident. During her recovery, she wrote a story about her experience, which was published in Chicken Soup for the Nurse's soul. And she hasn't stopped writing since.

Disaster Status is the second book in Calvert's Mercy Hospital series. Here's the summary from Calvert's website:

Charge nurse Erin Quinn escaped personal turmoil to work at the peaceful California coast. But when a hazardous material spill places Pacific Mercy Hospital on disaster status and stresses staff, she’s put to the test. And thrown into conflict with the fire department’s handsome incident commander who thinks her strategy is out of line.

Fire Captain Scott McKenna has felt the toxic effects of tragedy; he’s learned to go strictly by the book to advance his career, heal his family, and protect his wounded heart. When he’s forced to team with the passionately determined ER charge nurse, sparks fly. As they work to save lives, can they handle the attraction kindled between them . . . without getting burned? 


My review: Candace Calvert knows the ER, and it shows. You'll be pulled in by the current medical terminology and the split-second decisions that emergency room professionals have to make, even when they're stressed, tired, and dealing with community-wide emergencies. I enjoyed the setting in Northern California, and the descriptions of the coast.


Erin Quinn and Scott McKenna each have secrets to hide, and painful experiences in their pasts that they'd rather not share. However, their respective jobs force them to work together, despite having opposing philosophies about how to help the community best. The romance angle of the book wasn't as gripping as I'd like it to be, but overall, I enjoyed the book.


To read an excerpt of Disaster Status, go here.


Check out Calvert's blog, RX Hope, here.


To see all my book reviews, click here.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale Publishers as part of their Tyndale Blog Network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”