Reviewed by Dee
TITLE: Against Doctor’s Orders
AUTHOR: Radclyffe
PUBLISHER: Bold Stroke Books
LENGTH: 264 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 18, 2014
BLURB:
There’d been a Rivers at the helm of Argyle Community Hospital for six generations, and Harper Rivers was set to take her father’s place whenever he decided to hang up his shingle. Unfortunately, the board of directors had other ideas—they accepted a buyout offer from a health care conglomerate with plans to close the hospital’s doors to the community that depended on it. And Presley Worth, a high-powered corporate financier, came to town to oversee the closure. Funny thing was, no one asked Harper, and she had no intentions of following anyone’s orders but her own—no matter how beautiful, smart, or commanding the new boss might be
REVIEW:
Despite how many books this author has to her name, Against Doctor’s Orders is only the second book I’ve read by Radclyffe. I’m so very happy I received a review copy. This story is told in third person and from the main characters’ point-of-view, my favorite style of narration.
Radclyffe has created two very engaging, vastly different characters. For 80% of the story I really wondered how these two could ever find a happy ever after, or if they even would. Hell, the characters themselves didn’t know.
Interestingly, my favorite Aunty has the surname Rivers, and like Ida Rivers, has three daughters, and lives on a farm. In a sense the eerie likeness to my upbringing allowed me to become completely immersed in the setting.
I came to care deeply about these two ladies. My heart went out to Presley, a driven business woman who measured her worth by her success, until such time as she met the River’s family. Once she became a part of the community and the daily lives of a loving supportive family she finally realized some things, like love, were more important in life than her narrow minded family’s approval.
As the title would suggest, a great deal of the plot revolves around medical procedures and the pending foreclosure of a hospital the community depends upon. I read a story not long ago with a doctor and the medical talk overwhelmed me, but that was not the case in this instance. It merely added a layer of depth and made me feel compassion towards the characters.
What did overwhelm me at times were the copious references to what characters were wearing at all times. People who love descriptions of color and clothes will be in for a treat. Example of such taken from one page – Creamy complexion, red gold eyebrows over spring-grass-green eyes, and shimmering hair the color of polished copper… plum-colored top… pink colored ivory cheeks.
I’m not going to rehash the entire plot, many have already done so, and the synopsis is pretty bang on.
A few have quoted the ending was a little rushed. I personally didn’t think it was, so have to wonder if other readers are referring to the declarations made near the end. The story has some erotic content but is by no means central to the plot, or overly descriptive.
I recommend this story to readers who enjoy lesbian fiction with well-developed plots and characters.
RATING: 
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