Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Irregular Heartbeat 
AUTHOR: Chris Zett
NARRATOR: Abby Craden
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
RELEASE DATE: January 29, 2019
LENGTH: 10 hours, 6 minutes
BLURB:
After nearly a decade as a professional drummer, Diana Petrell leaves her rock-star life behind to continue her residency in emergency medicine. She’s determined not to let anything stop her—not even falling in love with her aloof mentor, Dr. Emily Barnes.
Emily has only ever focused on her career as a senior attending in the emergency department, and she isn’t happy about having to babysit a resident with a ten-year gap in her résumé, no matter how intriguing she is.
But every time they work together, it’s not just their patients’ heartbeat that gets a little irregular. Soon, the once-clear lines between work and personal life begin to blur.
When Diana’s unorthodox secret past is revealed, putting her job in jeopardy, Emily has to choose between her career and her relationship. A lesbian romance that asks how much we’d risk for love.
REVIEW:
Soo… I decided I should branch out and try something new. Get out of my comfort zone so to speak. Which is why I found myself picking up my first f/f book. Yes, I am, or rather was, a lesfic virgin. I’d seen Irregular Heartbeat around audible for a while and the book stayed in the back of my mind for a few weeks while browsing other books. After reading the blurb (and a few reviews) I decided I should try it on for size.
Diana Petrell is changing directions of her life (again). She’s done with being a rock-star. Done with the drama that world brought. So she’s going back to the life she left, the life as a doctor, a resident. Understandably she’s very nervous her first day, but being grilled by her attending on every small thing and decision was not what she hoped for. But she’s determined to stick it out, to thrive and will work hard to achieve her goals.
Emily Barnes is known as the ice queen by her co-workers. All work and no play, not even a smile. Her icy stare is legendary in the hospital. She needs to have and be in control and trusts no one, especially not new residents. There’s no doubt that she was a talented doctor, but lacking a bit in the interactions with others.
At first I wasn’t too fond of Emily, but that quickly changed when I realised that her behaviour was never out of any sense of meanness, she was just socially awkward and just didn’t really know how to interact with others. It made her seem aloof and icy, but underneath it all she was anything but. I loved it when she tried to come out of that shell, interact with her co-workers and let go a bit. And her interactions with Diana were wonderful. I loved their slow-burn romance that it had time to grow and wasn’t rushed. It also wasn’t all about passion or lust, but there was a mutual respect and admiration they built on.
If you are a fan of medicine, the (non)glamourous working lives of doctors, the patients they see and the illnesses they treat, then this book is definitely something you might want to check out. Personally I love it. Medicine in all its forms has always interested me, but I also recognise that if that’s not your cup of tea, then this book won’t be either. Because there is a lot of it.
I’m not going to lie to you; I am partial to male narrators. Not because they are more talented – far from it, some of my favourite narrators are women. It’s just the tone of their voice, is more soothing to my ears (and suffering from daily migraines, the tone of voice is very important to me). That being said, I loved Abby Craden’s voice. It was soft and rich and music to my ears. She’s also a very talented narrator with a wide range of voices for the different characters. She weaves in so much emotion to her performance; you can feel the icy stares from Emily, as much as the drive from Diana to succeed.
For me, Irregular Heartbeat was probably the perfect book to start with when entering the f/f world. It was filled to the brim with medical drama and emergencies. The romance was slow-building and low on steam (something I always appreciate in all of my books). Add in Abby Cradens’s wonderful performance and became an instant fan and wouldn’t mind listening to more of this duo in the future.
RATING: 
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