Reviewed by J.L. Abbott

Reviewer Rating: ** Stars
Title: A Woman's Journey
Category: Romance
Author: Rosemary Nourse
Publisher: Bookmice
ISBN: 1-930756-84-4
Release date: 15 August, 2000

A Woman's Journey  is a collection of three contemporary short stories,  each revolving around the romantic life of a nurse.  In "The Psychiatrist," Corinne Baker returns to live in her peaceful  hometown after years in a major city.  She accepts a position in the psychiatric ward of a major hospital and settles into a routine, making new friends and renewing old acquaintances.

Life for Corey grows complex as she questions the ethics of one doctor at the hospital, and falls in love with another.  Her new life settles  into place after she accepts the marriage proposal of her beloved and looks forward to a bright future spent at his side.

"Courage For Love" involves the heartbreak and struggle endured by a young woman as she works to set her life, and those of her two young children, on a new course after the tragic death of her husband.   In the midst of the whirlwind of  her nursing activities at a local clinic and the demands of her
sons, she meets a neighbor and widower.  The two become friends and gradually find their feelings deepen for one another until marriage becomes inevitable.

"Only There"  is a story of a nurse who leaves an unsatisfying relationship behind when she  joins her colleagues on a humanitarian mission to war-torn Eastern Europe.  The strain of  providing medical care under stressful conditions takes its toll on the group.   Olivia finds herself drawn to a young doctor she'd worked with in the past.  The attraction is mutual, and the two begin to develop a deep relationship while they're abroad.  The question confronting the pair is whether or not they'll sustain their feelings for one another once they return home.   The situation is resolved happily at the story's conclusion.

While the stories are mildly entertaining, if predictable, the writing technique employed in A Woman's Journey  leaves much to be desired.  Dialogue is wooden and mechanical, at times, annoying.  Characters are a bit shallow and obvious.   Pacing is uneven.    To enjoy this collection, the reader will
want to focus on storyline, alone.

Copyright © 2001 by  J.L. Abbott