Sunday, March 24, 2013

Author Lynne Marshall--an involving, wonderfully descriptive storyteller whose personal warmth shines through

 
Image of Lynne Marshall
Lynne Marshall is a Harlequin, Mills & Boon, and Wild Rose Press, multipublished author of contemporary romantic fiction, and Medical Romance. She believes it's never too late to fall in love, and enjoys writing not only about young romance, but more mature romance as well. Lynne heartily believes in Life, Love, and the Pursuit...
A late bloomer, Lynne came to fiction writing after her children were nearly grown. Now she battles the empty nest by writing stories that always include a romance, sometimes medicine, a dose of mirth, or both, but always stories from her heart. She is a Southern California native, is happily married for a "long time", she is a dog lover, a cat admirer, a daily walker, and an avid reader. Lynne is a proud member of the Romance Writers of America. http://lynnemarshall.com/

I hope that you will enjoy my reviews of some favorite stories by a very special storyteller, Lynne Marshall.
Lynne Marshall's "Mid-Coast Medical Trilogy" is thoughtfully written, and it offers vivid characterizations and wonderfully detailed story lines. Each entry in the series features a romance between two coworkers from the Santa Barbara Mid-Coast Medical Group. The medical offices are housed in a beautiful, cream-colored Victorian mansion converted into a modern, high-efficiency clinic with a welcoming, homey atmosphere. Each member of the medical group has a certain specialty, and they work together to offer optimal medical care for their patients. If only those dreamy doctors made house calls! Lynne Marshall is an involving and descriptive storyteller, and her background as an RN is evident in her extremely knowledgeable handling of the medical dialogue and patient situations. Her personal warmth shines through as she makes each character come alive and pulls you right into their thoughts and experiences. These three romances are definitely "heart with heat", and they are as touching as they are sensual. 

The Boss and Nurse Albright

The Heart Doctor and the Baby

The Christmas Baby Bump


In Lynne Marshall's "The Boss and Nurse Albright", the first book in her "Mid-Coast Medical Trilogy", we meet two dedicated medical professionals who both need a healing touch in their lives. Dr. Jason Rogers is the stern and steely family practice GP of the Mid-Coast Medical Group. Suffering from the tragic loss of his wife and daughter, Jason prefers to avoid emotional involvements and keeps others at a distance. When Registered Nurse Practitioner Claire Albright joins the medical group, her sincere smile and her holistic approach to treating patients both begin to stir unwanted feelings in Jason. Claire also has a young daughter, Gina, whose presence serves as a painful reminder to Jason of the absence of his own sweet child. At first, Jason wants nothing to do with Claire's alternative medical treatments, but he soon comes to respect her knowledge and professionalism. He feels guilt over his attraction to Claire, and struggles with the sense that he is betraying his late wife. Claire has her own inner conflicts, and has no intention of becoming involved with the taciturn Dr. Rogers. When Claire became chronically ill with Lupus, her former husband could not handle a wife who was not always at her best. He made her feel less than desirable, and their marriage came to a painful end. She is afraid that another romantic relationship will suffer the same fate, but she is greatly attracted to Jason. Lynne Marshall's experience as a Registered Nurse lends an interesting authenticity to the medical story line, and her heartwarming characterizations make this a very touching and satisfying romance read. Seeing Jason come to terms with his loss and come alive again, and watching Claire overcome her self-doubts and bloom again as a woman makes you root for these two lovers to find their very happy ending.

"The Heart Doctor and the Baby" by Lynne Marshall introduces us to Rene Munro, a successful obstetrician, who at age thirty-five is single and longing to become a mother. She sees her colleague, Jon Becker, a top-notch cardiologist, as the perfect candidate to father her baby. While working together as members of the Mid-Coast Medical Group, Rene and Jon had formed a friendly, respectful professional relationship that had not included a romantic involvement. Jon had been greatly hurt when his wife of many years had surprised him with a divorce, and he had immersed himself in his work while remaining close to his two teenaged daughters. Earlier in her life, Rene had been deeply in love with someone whom she thought would marry her and give her the family she so wanted. Instead, he left her broken-hearted and alone, and Rene had focused on her career of helping others bring their children into this world. When Rene asks Jon to father her child, he is stunned, and his whole world is turned upside down. After much discussion and thought, Jon agrees with Rene's plan, and they form a contract. However, hidden longings and unexpected desire soon come into the picture, and a practical arrangement becomes an emotional roller coaster. Have two competent, intelligent and reasonable people made a mistake with unforeseen, lasting emotional consequences? Lynne Marshall's medical expertise and skill as a storyteller draw us into the dilemma of two hearts who thought they knew exactly what they wanted, but are shaken to find that they need much more.

Phil Hansen, the acknowledged playboy of the Mid-Coast Medical Group, finally meets his match in
 "The Christmas Baby Bump".  A former surfing star who became an esteemed pulmonary specialist, Phil is a gorgeous golden boy. Seemingly carefree and permanently unattached, he enjoys a successful career, the attentions of beautiful women, and an enviable lifestyle in a magnificent home. After he meets his new colleague, Stephanie Bennett, he starts to look at his own life with new eyes. Taking care of his much younger half-brother while his father and stepmother are vacationing proves to be another eye-opener for Phil. He recruits all the help he can get, including a surprisingly reluctant Stephanie. Phil is used to short-term, leave on good terms, romantic flings, but he shocks himself by wanting more from Stephanie. She is keeping a painful secret, and while she enjoys her relationship with Phil, she knows that she is there for a brief while to fill in for a colleague on maternity leave. In her mind, she can become lovers with Phil, and then leave their relationship behind when the time comes. An unexpected pregnancy changes both of their lives, and Phil is determined to have Stephanie and their child in his life. Will former world-class player Phil win this emotional war and become the family man he suddenly longs to be? Lynne Marshall brings her "Mid-Coast Medical Trilogy" to a resoundingly romantic conclusion as Phil and Stephanie find a happiness neither had ever imagined.


Too Close for Comfort


It's exciting for me as a reader to immediately become so involved in a book that I keep saying to myself: "This would be a great movie!". "Too Close for Comfort", from author Lynne Marshall, kept that reel playing in my head, and I read the book all in one sitting. Lynne is one of my favorite authors. I was hooked on her warm, funny, and touching storytelling from the very first book. Her characters are very real and vividly drawn, and she gives them compelling story lines that are true to life, yet full of unexpected twists and turns. Her romances are sensually sweet, and she writes characters of varying ages--yeah! "Too Close for Comfort" is a rollicking reunion romance that also offers action, suspense, and poignant family drama. Joy Waltham's marriage of over twenty years ended as her health food business began to take off. She and her husband, Paul Donovan, had grown apart as their children grew up, and each of their careers had become more demanding. The final straw for Joy was Paul's agreement that their son, Michael, could enter the service at a very young age. After the divorce, Joy continued to develop her health food business where they had made their home in Los Angeles. Paul eventually retired from the LAPD and moved back to his hometown of Comfort, Maine, where he became the chief of police. Paul had invested in Joy's company, and when she is ready to expand the business she needs his signature on an agreement to let her buy him out of the company. This means coming face to face with him again--something she had not done since the divorce. Once they meet again, the sparks that fly are incendiary! Complicating matters are Joy's accidental discovery of clues to a series of drug-related deaths in the small community, and she involves herself in Paul's investigation of the crimes. He has his hands full trying to protect Joy and solve the case, so he decides to keep Joy very close and under surveillance. While Joy and Paul are rediscovering each other, their daughter, Edie, is running the health food business. Ever since the divorce, and Michael's enlistment, the pressures of the business world and family worries have caused Joy to have anxiety attacks. Spending time with Paul away from her life in LA proves to be freeing and reinvigorating for Joy, and she finds herself letting go of anxieties and grabbing on to new life experiences. Paul knows that he wants Joy back in his life, and he also feels reborn, but can they overcome the issues which drove them apart in the first place? When a family tragedy threatens their happiness, can they pull together and blend a longtime love with new understanding and appreciation? "Too Close for Comfort" features lead characters in their forties who are vibrant, conflicted, funny, sexually vital, and full of life. All Right! Highly recommended.

Review Copy Gratis Author


One For The Road


"One for the Road" by Lynne Marshall, is a delightful, involving, entertaining, sexy romance featuring a hero and heroine who are both in their forties. Hallelujah! I am a great fan of Lynne Marshall. Her love stories are infused with emotional warmth and sensual heat, intelligence, humor, and story lines which make you want to reach for her next book. In "One for the Road", we meet D'Anne Palmer, a lady who found herself a widow shortly after she and her husband had made a major lifestyle change and purchased a luxury forty-foot motor coach. They were to live life on the road, going where they wanted, when they wanted. Her husband's sudden death left D'Anne far from home, on her own, and facing some hard decisions. She decides to rent out the motor home and include her services as driver. To her surprise, a handsome country singer and his band take up her offer in order to make their concert dates. Tyler White was formerly a successful entertainer, until life and some bad decisions got in the way. Now he's on the way to a comeback, and he needs D'Anne and her home on wheels to help make his dream come true. D'Anne is somewhat conservative, a few years older than Tyler, and a recent widow. He finds her attractive from the very beginning, and she knows a hunk of a man when she sees one. Her marriage had been without passion for many years, but she had loved her husband since she was only nineteen years old. Her two grown sons are opposites, one easy to love and the other one a much more difficult personality. One of the things that D'Anne is carrying along with her is the urn with her husband's ashes. She knows that she and her sons will have to find the right place to release those ashes and have a private memorial for her husband. Life on the road proves to be an eye-opener for D'Anne, but she is a gutsy lady with great spirit who comes to really enjoy traveling with the band. Of course, she hadn't expected her feelings for Tyler to be returned with such passion and tenderness. He has natural cowboy charm, true talent as a singer and songwriter, and he is a warm, attentive lover. As the road trip unfolds, a mystery comes to light regarding D'Anne's late husband, who apparently was not the man she thought she married. She must resolve her husband's financial issues, find closure for herself and her sons, and decide what to do with the rest of her life. Will that life include her handsome cowboy? I really loved this story! At times, it made me laugh out loud, and it gave me some food for thought. Would I be as brave as D'Anne when faced with the same situation? Lynne Marshall has once again written a terrific tale with a great heroine, a hunky hero who is masculine and tender, and a story line that takes you to unexpected places. This is one road trip that you wish would go on a long, long time. See you on the road!

2 comments:

  1. Wow! Thank you so much, Virginia. I love your new website and have bookmarked it. Thank you for spotlighting me. :)

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  2. Thank you, Lynne! I was hooked on your books from the very first one that I read : )

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