ER charge nurse Erin Quinn is off duty when the emergency room is besieged by farm workers suffering suspicious symptoms. Fire department captain Scott McKenna and his crew are called in to assist with handling the media. When Erin arrives, she and Scott immediately butt heads, something that becomes an ongoing event in their relationship. Since they don't see eye to eye, it helps that neither of them wants to be in a relationship right now. Erin is taking care of her recently widowed grandmother, and Scott, still reeling from a family tragedy, is looking for work as far from the San Francisco Bay area as possible.

Candace Calvert does an excellent job of keeping the suspense high and the romance on a low but certain boil in this high stakes medical drama. I didn't even realize there had been a book one in the Mercy Hospital series until I was at least halfway through this story, and that's a good thing. Calvert does an excellent job of keeping the reader in the now, providing just enough detail about past events for understanding, making this installment of the series a credible standalone read.

The weaving of the subplots, all tentacles off the main plot, was skillfully done, and Calvert made it easy to believe that Erin and Scott would eventually have their happily-ever-after, even if neither of the two of them could see its possibility.

DISASTER STATUS will be enjoyed by fans of romance, suspense, and medical dramas alike.

Book Summary

Charge nurse Erin Quinn escaped personal turmoil to work on the peaceful California coast. But when a hazardous material spill places Pacific Mercy Hospital on disaster status and stresses staff, she’s put to the test. And thrown into conflict with the fire department’s handsome incident commander, who thinks her strategy is out of line.

Fire Captain Scott McKenna has felt the toxic effects of tragedy; he’s learned to go strictly by the book to advance his career, heal his family, and protect his wounded heart. When he’s forced to team with the passionately determined ER charge nurse, sparks fly. As they work to save lives, can they handle the attraction kindled between them . . . without getting burned?

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