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I enjoyed the book but would have enjoyed it more if I'd read the preceding book in the series. A doctor immerses herself in work rather than face the tangle of her personal life and her possible muscular dystrophy diagnosis. The story centers around the doctor, Claire, her boyfriend, and to a lesser extent her mother and father and patients. Likable book.

This is the second book in the Claire McCall Series and it picks up where book one leaves off. Could you read it as a stand alone? Yes, but you will enjoy the story so much more and understand the characters better if you read book one first (it was really good too). Is there romance? Yes, but it isn't the focal point of the story. Is there mystery and suspense? You bet! There is also some very brutal treatment of ladies, but handled very well in this story. This is written from a medical profession prespective and you get a real feel for what happens when you are a small town doctor.

I like the description I read of this book because in a few words it describes it well: "A disabled parent, a rekindled relationship, an on-hold engagement, and a brutal attack-all weigh heavily on Dr. Claire McCall's mind. But her greatest worry is the pending results of medical tests to see if, like her father she carries the fatal gene for Huntington's Desease. Can she keep trusting God for her safekeeping?"

This story also handled some very tough questions about suffering and commitment and love. A few of my favorite phrases, "A commitment to Christ doesn't give us an exemption from pains", "God reveals some things to us in his timing for our good. We would never choose hardship, but it is the trials that bring the sweetest character," and "fear is alot like faith except with a different object of focus". There were just alot of thought provoking lessons to be learned as I read this story and I really appreciate how this author writes; very real to life, with a solid message behind the story. I will say this isn't a story I recommend you read at night if you are home alone. There were parts in the story that got a little intense and frightening for me, it got the old heart pumping at times.

Looking forward to reading the 3rd book in this series, "All I'll Ever Need"! ( )