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A Place in Your Heart Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

Gracie McBride isn’t looking for love; she’s looking for respect. But in this man’s world of Civil War medicine, Gracie is expected to maintain her place changing beds and writing letters. Her biggest nemesis is the ward surgeon, Doctor Charles Ellard, who seems determined to woo her with arrogant kisses and terrible jokes.

Charles is an excellent surgeon. He assumed he would be well received by an army at war. He was not. Friendless and alone, he struggles to hide the panic attacks that plague him while the only person who understands him is a feisty Irish nurse clearly resolved to keep him at a distance.

But Charles is sent to the battlefield, and Gracie is left with a wounded soldier, a box of toys, and a mystery which can only be solved by the one man she wishes could love her, both as a woman and a nurse.
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07CKYZ61M
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Wild Rose Press, Inc (May 21, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 21, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2680 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 289 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

About the author

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Kathy Otten
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Kathy enjoys writing stories with wounded heroes and feisty heroines. She writes contemporary romance, historical fiction, and young adult, in all lengths from short story to novel. She was a finalist in the Utah/Salt Lake RWA Hearts of the West Contest and a winner of the Northwest Houston RWA Lone Star Writing Competition.

Kathy is also a certified book coach, helping writers bring their vision to life. Specializing in empowering new writers, she offers a variety of coaching packages tailored to give writers the tools they'll need to move forward on their own.

She lives in the rolling farmland of western New York and enjoys long walks with her German Shepherd Henry.

You can contact Kathy through her web site at kathy@kathyotten.com

Sign up for a free 15-minute coaching call. Subscribe to her newsletter.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
15 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2020
The Civil War era fascinates me. Add a spirited Irish nurse heroine and a stubborn Yankee doctor who are at odds with each other, and the sparks fly. And against their will, sparks of desire ignite as well.
Otten’s detailed description placed me right there in the army hospital and onto the hastily-assembled battlefield hospital. The characters were well-drawn and complex. I loved them—from the unconventional main characters down to the minor ones. I even rooted for several patients to make it.
What awed me the most was the incredible detail that went into making the operating scenes so realistic and, on a side note, the names of the places peppered into the story.
I read long into the night wanting to finish just one more chapter, with a quick peek ahead to see what was waiting for me. Its well-crafted plot, the delightful mix of characters and realistic setting made it a great read. It’s a 5-star for me. If you like this period of history, tension and romance, I highly recommend it.
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2019
A very romantic story set during the Civil War. It also has a mystery in the story to make it interesting
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2018
I really liked the hero and heroine. Charles was not the typical alpha male but a man with a genius-level mind for medicine countered by the inability to express emotions or relate to women. But Gracie, ah, Gracie, the widow—Irish to the core outspoken, down-to-earth, no-nonsense, and a feisty nurse to be reckoned with.
The story was set in hospital wards and in battlefield triage tents. The author has a way of making the setting of this historical come vibrantly alive. I felt as if I was there, in the Civil War era because of the author's slight of hand in adding in rich details of the period, facts, and things of every-day life. I found the elements of the military, the aftermath of battles, and medical care of wounded fascinating, not overwhelming or intrusive.
This was a good historical romance with a mystery element. Unfortunately, in regard to the mystery of Charles true identity, I felt the explanation too pat, too rushed, and that the grandfather caved far too easily when finally confronted.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2022
Watching the hero and heroine learn about each other, overcoming misconceptions, was great. Otten drafts such feisty but understated women--love them.
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2018
I am a big fan of historical romance, though usually my preference is for the Regency era or the occasional Highlander offering. But the blurb on this Civil War romance caught my attention. It centers on an Irish nurse named Gracie and the disagreeable surgeon who drives her crazy.

Charles constantly makes cracks about her tender sensibilities and insists that the medical ward is no place for a woman. What seems like arrogance, though, really masks a complete inability on his part to connect to other people. It is never explicitly stated, but I feel like he may have had mild Aspergers or fallen somewhere on the autism spectrum. He could not express his feelings; he did not understand humor. He was ostracized his entire life but just could not find his place. Except with medicine.

This is definitely an enemies to lovers story. Charles makes Gracie crazy, but over time she grows to appreciate his skill and realizes there is more to him than meets the eye. It doesn’t hurt that he excites her with his unbidden kisses. Still, she doesn’t feel like any man can ever replace her late husband. This is a slow burn romance for sure. (And a virgin hero, BTW.)

I liked Gracie and her unwavering commitment to her patients. I felt her frustration dealing with all of the sexist doctors she encountered. For that matter, I felt Charles’s frustration with some of the backward medical thinking of the time. Though I liked the hero, I still did not feel like I understood entirely his violent tendencies or exactly what happened in his past that got him demoted. Maybe I’m supposed to infer a little bit more about that, as I did with the autism, but I think I would’ve liked an explanation that was a little more overt.

There is a lot of time and attention focused on the medical elements of the book. Everything from the smells and sights of a hospital ward to surgical techniques and the damage various bullets can do. I don’t know a lot about the accuracy of things like that, but if you dig that level of detail, it’s there.

Then there is the mystery which pops up in the second half. I don’t want to spoil it, but it did not feel completely necessary to the story. It almost felt like an afterthought. It takes so long for this couple to really completely connect that I felt a little short-changed. They get together and then it’s all over. I know they have an HEA, but I wanted more clues about what their life was going to be like together. Maybe an epilogue would’ve helped in that way.

There were a couple of typos, but overall, I enjoyed the story. I’m glad I picked it up and if you are in the mood for a historical romance with a medical bent, you should consider giving it a try.

Rating: B/B-
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2018
Otten's a master at weaving historical details into the fabric of a story. She transported me to the world of Civil War medicine inhabited by engaging characters.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2019
Gracie and Charles cross paths in the medical wards of patient care during the Civil War as they both strive to survive and be accepted for the roles to help heal. Interesting characters in a time of strife find a future with good story line. This is the first book I've read by this author and will look for her other books.

Ebook from netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.
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