Thank you for stopping by, I will be sharing my review of the wonderful The Long Walk Back by Rachel Dove as part of the blog tour arranged by Brook Cottage Books. I'm delighted to be also sharing an extract from the book along with a fab giveaway to win a signed copy.
First of all though let's take a look at the description for the book...
Release Date: 11th January 2018
Publisher: HQ Digital
Does everyone deserve a second chance?
As an army trauma surgeon Kate knows how to keep her cool in the most high pressure of situations. Although back at home in England her marriage is falling apart, out in the desert she’s happy knowing that she’s saving lives.
Until she meets Cooper. It’s up to Kate to make a split-second decision to save Cooper’s life. Yet Cooper doesn’t want to be saved. Can Kate convince him to give his life a second chance even though its turning out dramatically different from how he planned?
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So I guess I should start by saying that I'm a pretty emotional person I will cry at both sad and happy moments, I just can't help myself! When I first picked up this book I really had no clue as to how involved I would become in the story. There were parts of the storyline that well and truly had me choked up you know those times where you try to take a breath these parts were pretty much always involving Kate and her son. Even if you don't have the same reaction as me I really do think that parts of this book will make you think and feel. It didn't take me long at all to become fully immersed in the story and even though there was the emotional conflict within the story there were also moments of humour that created a lovely balance.
The characters were complicated but so engaging, I loved Kate and Cooper they were written well and made me root for them right from the start. They have a magnetic connection and I couldn't wait to see how it would all end especially as they are so similar with their stubborn but also resilient nature. I loved the theme of second chances even though it is difficult to contemplate moving forward. Along with trying to look to the future and make the best of what life throws at you. There was family drama, love and friendship all coming together to make a story that held my attention all the way through.
Emotional but hopeful too, a gorgeous story!
Five stars from me!
With thanks to Brook Cottage Books & Rachel Dove for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion
Kate was in a real mood; Trevor could tell from the way she pounded across the tent to him. He was doing his rounds, and they had had a good night. A good night here was when they still had the same number alive as the day before. A great day was when there were no casualties at all, but Trevor was hard pushed to remember many days like that.
‘Who’s upset you? Neil whingeing about doing the dishwasher again, is he?’ Trevor asked, and immediately regretted cracking the joke when the icicles from Kate’s frosty glare jabbed him in the chest.
‘Captain Cooper thinks he is hilarious. I’m just waiting for him to call me ‘toots’ and slap me on the behind,’ Kate said, seething. Trevor checked the vitals on his sleeping patient, and satisfied, made notes on his chart.
‘So he’s awake? That’s amazing! How is he doing?’
‘Oh he’s doing just fine, for a male chauvinist pig.’
Kate,’ Trevor admonished, trying not to laugh at her furious expression. ‘How are his vitals?’
Kate pursed her lips, taking a breath to focus on the job. ‘He’s stable, the chest drain is working well. I’m still concerned about his leg though. He has limited blood flow to the area, and I' m worried about sepsis.’
Trevor nodded sadly. ‘So he will probably lose the leg, if we try to keep him alive.’ He rubbed at his temples. ‘Not told him any of this, have you?’
Kate shook her head. ‘I told him you would explain on this morning’s ward round. I wanted to go through everything again, monitor him closely for as long as we safely can before we make a decision.’
Trevor looked at her, his face unreadable. ‘It may not be our decision, it’s up to him.’
Kate looked nonplussed. ‘The evac chopper is coming in two days. At present, he’s too unstable to move. We need to get him home then, leg or no leg. A decision between losing a limb and dying is not a great thing to have thrust at you, granted - but he wants to live, surely?’
Trevor placed the chart at the foot of the bed and started to walk towards the next patient, issuing medication instructions to the nurse as he walked.
‘Kate,’ he began in a tone he might have used to tell his child that Father Christmas wasn’t real. ‘I have worked on men like Captain Cooper since this whole nightmare started. These are army men to the core. Sometimes going home means no family, no buddies, no job, and a lifetime of relying on other people. They are proud, and sometimes, to them, the reality is worse than death. Don’t take anything for granted when it comes to patient wishes.’
‘A boy died yesterday, to save these men. Surely that’s reason enough to want to live?’
Kate ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly feeling tired all over again.
‘Cooper knows that. Better than most, probably. It’s still his decision, he has to live with it. Understood?’ Trevor spoke firmly now.
Kate opened her mouth to argue, but she thought better of it. She respected her mentor, always had, and she didn’t want to argue. Not when the fact that life was so short and precious was evident in every face, every feature she saw over here. ‘Understood.’
My first solo novel, Crossing Life Lines is out now in Kindle and paperback format. Look out for my horror shorts, published through Bayou Brew Publishing: The House of Sugar Blood, August 2013 and Uni Assassin, out now, and my short story, Mallow Girl, out now.
In July 2015, I won the Prima magazine and Mills & Boon Flirty Fiction Competition, with my entry, The Chic Boutique on Baker Street, out now in ebook and paperback, and the follow up novel in the series, The Flower Shop on Foxley Street.
Author Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelDoveauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriterDove
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5831003.Rachel_Dove
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writerdove/
Blog: https://racheldoveauthor.wordpress.com/
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I really enjoyed Rachel's debut novel, looking forward to reading her latest.
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonderful story, definitely recommend x
DeleteThank you so much! This review is everything to me, I am so glad that you liked it!
ReplyDeleteRachel Dove xxx
My pleasure Rachel xx
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