It’s been awhile since I read a medical romance. I jumped at the chance to read A Nurse to Claim His Heart. A bonus for my decision was the fact it featured one of my favourite tropes — fake relationships. It also gave me the chance to try a new to me author.
Will a fake relationship turn into a forever romance? Find out in Juliette Hyland’s latest Harlequin Medical Romance, the first story in the Neonatal Nurses duet! I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: A Nurse to Claim His Heart
Author(s): Juliette Hyland
Series: Neonatal Nurses Book #1
Published by Harlequin Medical Romance on March 29, 2022
Pages: 198
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Medical Romance
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Format: eArc 
Purchase: Amazon|B&N|Kobo|ITunes
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A picture is worth a thousand words…What about a viral video?
When Dr. Benedict saves an infant on the Washington Metro, the treatment he performs with nurse Penny becomes the talk of the town—and social media! Not least because the world thinks they’re a couple… While a real relationship is a no-go zone for divorced Benedict, prolonging their “faux-mance” is the perfect way to raise vital hospital funds. But the longer their ruse goes on, the more real it feels!
From Harlequin Medical: Life and love in the world of modern medicine.
Neonatal Nurses
Book 1: A Nurse to Claim His Heart by Juliette HylandBook 2: Neonatal Doc on Her Doorstep by Scarlet Wilson
SUMMARY
Dr. Benedict Denbar and Nurse Penelope Green both work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Wald Children’s Hospital. They have a great working relationship and although they are attracted to each other, what they shared never went beyond friendship. Benedict is an unbeliever in happily ever after and marriage, while Penelope wants it all.
One morning, while on their way to work, Benedict and Penny found themselves in the middle of a medical emergency. Through great teamwork, the emergency was efficiently handled, catapulting them into a social media sensation. Now everyone things they are a couple. To boost the hospital’s image and gain funding for a cause dear to his heart, he convinced Penny to keep up the façade of them being in a relationship for a few weeks. They both believe they could guard their heart, but the attraction flaring between them proved to be a stronger element.
This fake relationship story was not at all what I expected. The books I read with this trope involves the characters trying to convince family and friends that they are together. In this situation, the aim of the fake relationship was for image boosting, hoping to achieve a dream. Drama and angst were absent from this story.
Penny and Benedict made a great team professionally and personally. Benedict suffered a lot in the past, and this colored his perception of love. So it was fun seeing him falling hard for Penny. Although burnt in the past, Penny never gave up on finding her happily ever after. She hopes to find it in Benedict’s arms.
The romance which developed between the couple filled me with hope. I knew Benedict would eventually see what staring him in the face, that love is not an emotion to fear but one to embrace. Now, it was easy to sympathize with Benedict for his tragic past, but his lie of omission didn’t make him extra brownie points. He had ample opportunity to tell Penny the truth. Besides, the revelation of the truth made him appear a hypocrite.
The story provided an inside look into the operations of the NICU. It highlighted the pain parents suffer watching their child undergoing treatment in the unit and the joy when they pull through. The story ended on a beautiful note. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better ending. It was perfect for this couple.
Readers who enjoy the fake relationship trope and medical romance should add A Nurse to Claim His Heart to their reading list.
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About Juliette Hyland
Juliette Hyland believes in caffeine, hot drinks and happily ever afters! She lives in Ohio, USA, with her prince charming, who has patiently listened to many rants regarding characters failing to follow the outline. When not working on fun and flirty happily ever afters, Juliette can be found spending time with her beautiful daughters, giant dogs or sewing uneven stitches with her sewing machine.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
