While I have only read a couple of medical romances I was looking for something for St Valentine's Day. With a title like A DATE WITH HER VALENTINE DOC we have a good idea what to expect from this adult romance. Could there be any surprises in store?

A lady called Bertie, short for Beatrix, has certainly had a surprise. She's just back at work in a London hospital after what was supposed to be her honeymoon. Her groom backed out just before the wedding, and she went off red- faced and didn't tell anyone at the new job. Bertie, otherwise known as Doctor Clark, works in the Intensive Care Unit and the new director arrived in her absence. Dr Matt Bishop has a job to do, getting the department within budget for a change, and no time for small talk. Anyway, Bertie would rather talk about her research project on stress reduction at the unit, than about herself.

Bertie's new boss is less than supportive, but I doubted that a doctor would be so unprofessional as to verbally abuse him. I'll just put it down to Bertie herself being under considerable emotional stress, and counsel others not to do the same. The hospital routine is quite thoroughly described, including operations and the lack of time any staff can find at a teaching hospital to chat with anxious relatives. Bertie tries to make the experience easier for everyone, given that patients and relatives often arrive in complete shock. There's no time to have a heart-to-heart with her colleagues, and anyway she's too embarrassed to admit the truth, especially to Matt. Then she's appointed to run a St Valentine's Day fundraiser ball. Now she feels a total sham.

This is a fun story with well-described locations, which would give anyone considering a hospital career a good idea of what to expect. There are entertaining exchanges, mainly to do with dog-minding, while Bertie had an unconventional childhood and keeps recalling how her parents did without electricity or schools for several years. I think it's worth reflecting that despite these earnest people's desire to raise children free from capitalism, the world needs doctors. And, I have to say, A DATE WITH HER VALENTINE DOC by Melanie Milburne is a pretty sexy book.