Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: In the Venetian’s Bed
Author: Susan Stephens
Publisher: Mills & Boon
ISBN: 0-263-84830-4
Release Date: July 2006 UK
Genre/Sub-genre: Contemporary Romance/Modern Romance
Year/Setting: Current/Venice
Overall Rating: 4.5
Sexual Content Rating: Sexual
Language (Profanity) Rating: None
Violent Content Rating: None
Susan's Website: www.susanstephens.net
Nell Foster has certainly had her share of emotional upheaval. Her husband is involved in a tragic accident very early in their marriage – in fact he didn’t even know they were going to have a child. At the hospital, though getting information out of the hospital staff is next to impossible. Never had she felt so frustrated and helpless. After what happened to him, Nell shuts a large portion of herself off – except for that portion reserved for her daughter, Molly. To get away, they visit Venice. Even here Nell can’t get away from upheaval. Molly suffers an illness one day as they were on a gondola and while the gondola operator called ahead for help, Nell didn’t understand the language or what was being done. It didn’t help that the doctor was very close lipped and distanced himself from them once Molly began to improve. Dr. Luca Barbaro was just like the doctors who cared for her husband (at least in Nell’s mind).
Nell makes her life’s work upon returning home setting up patient’s advocate systems and volunteers. She creates teams of volunteers who act as liaisons between the patient’s families and the doctors – trying to create positive situations and explain what is happening for the family’s benefit as well as keep the families from pressuring the medical staff. All in all a very good idea and well received in England (which is where she lives). She is ready to take it beyond England and a hospital in Venice has agreed to talk to her about being the pilot hospital in that area.
The medical director of the hospital is none other than Dr. Luca Barbaro. Nell just isn’t sure she is up for this - - not only does she remember him as aloof but she also remembers him as very alluring. These are emotions she just can’t allow herself. Molly and their aide/friend, Marianna, accompany Nell back to Venice.
Luca also has a different memory of Nell – a frazzled, impatient woman with a major chip on her shoulder but boy does she make his heart race. Spending time with her to talk about this project of hers just might not be a bad idea.
Susan Stephens takes a good look at the idiosyncrasies of the human mind with In the Venetian’s Bed. The human mind tries to always be logical and think through all possible angles. But because the mind only has one side of the story (or usually) the view it forms can be a bit one sided. It takes the human heart to mix things up and make life interesting.
Nell and Luca certainly experience jumps in the heart field—for multiple reasons. One that the hearts want more and two that everything they are doing is thought to be wrong but feels so right. I found myself chuckling on more than one occasion—not because the book is a comedy but because I could see myself in Nell.
Lori
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