The first full week of May is considered National Nurses Week in the US. We’ve always considered nurses as front line workers, caregivers, and I’ll say it, overworked and underpaid. Our current global pandemic situation is shining an even brighter light on the incredible work nurses do every day. The jobs they commit to are literally life and death now, so honoring them for one week a year seems a little understated, no? When I started searching for books with nurses in the spotlight, it came as no surprise that many are set during war times; in fact, it seems rather fitting.
The Vacant Chair by Kaylea Cross
Set during the Civil War, Brianna Taylor’s family has been torn apart. Now she is adjusting to life as a widow and decides to help ease the suffering of wounded soldiers by becoming a nurse at the Union hospital. Her patients give her purpose and make her feel alive again, but she is determined to keep her professional demeanor front and center.
Left for dead, Captain Justin Thompson ends up under Brianna’s care. Just as she begins to trust their relationship and let her professional boundaries down just a little, Justin is called back out to the front lines. Filled with deep, genuine emotions and heart, Brianna and Justin have to face a cruel hurdle that could separate them forever.
The Second Chance Hero by Jeannie Moon
As a combat nurse in Afghanistan, Kim Torres is well versed in death and destruction. Nothing could prepare her for the death of her fiancé, in her arms, no less. So she makes the decision to get as far away from men and war as possible by becoming a nanny.
Major Owen Kent has returned from his deployment with the Marines in Afghanistan only to discover, all of his friends are in the throes of settling down and starting families. Owen is a serial dater, and settling down is decidedly not on his todo list. Color him surprised when he encounters his friend’s new nanny, a woman who caught his eye and, if he’s honest with himself, stole his heart half a world away. Kim wants nothing to do with him, so winning the battle for her heart will be a fight worth fighting.
Unveiled by Courtney Milan
Milan’s Unveiled offers a bit of a twist on our Nurses Who Rock theme! Lady Margaret has the man that destroyed her father’s legacy in her sights, and she should not have any feelings for Ash Turner, the new duke in town. Tasked with spying on him under the guise of a nurse, Lady Margaret has her hands full fending off his smoldering appeal and his tantalizing promise of passion. When pasts collide, loyalties are tested. Can old wounds be nursed back to health?
Virgin River by Robyn Carr
The wildly adored, at least by me (!), Netflix original series by the same name, Virgin River kicks off Carr’s series that focuses on the life, times, and troubles of midwife and nurse practitioner, Melinda Monroe. Having suffered a terrible loss and looking to escape her pain, she responds to a help wanted ad in the remote mountain town of Virgin River. The recently widowed Melinda thinks a hefty does of small town, secluded charm is just what she needs to find her center again.
However, much to her chagrin, the town is not at all what she hoped for. The cabin she’s given to live in is an absolute dump, the roads are treacherous, and the local doctor she contracted to work for wants nothing to do with her at all. Poor Melinda realizes her mistake almost immediately and begins to plot a way to leave this insane situation. But a tiny abandoned baby on the front porch of her new office makes her rethink her plans. Of course, a few confusing and possibly sizzling encounters with former marine Jack Sheridan throws a bit of cement into her plan to leave as well.
I can not wait for another season of this Netflix series. Until then, I guess I’ll have to do a re-read of the series.
Other Nurses on the page for your consideration…
