Review: Critical Condition by Nicki Edwards

At Last!

I’ve been waiting to read Liam’s story since the release of Life Support , and was more than disappointed when I discovered Nicki’s last release, The Peppercorn Project, was a new series. I was waiting to find out if Liam would meet his perfect match, thank you very much.

Well, Liam’s story was worth waiting for. It took a while for him and Poppy to get together, but it was definitely worth the wait. I was left with a soppy smile on my face, so the romance definitely hit the right spot.

There wasn’t so much medical stuff in Critical Condition as in Life Support, which is great for those of us who get a little queasy at the sight or mention of blood. For those who enjoy medical romances—don’t worry. There should still be enough medical content to keep you interested, drawing on Nicki’s own experiences as an ED nurse. Just not as much blood.

Liam will need no introduction for those who have read the earlier books in this series. If you haven’t, don’t worry, as this is a standalone novel (although we are reintroduced to the lead characters from the earlier novels).

But Poppy was the standout character for me. She’s likeable and intelligent and beautiful … but the outward perfection hides a woman who is paranoid she’ll develop bipolar disorder and turn into her basket case of a mother. Critical Condition did an excellent job of portraying the difficulties of growing up with someone with an unmanaged mental health condition—a sad state of affairs, and one too many children grow up in.

One note to my Christian readers: while Nicki Edwards is a Christian, her novels are written for the general market. As such, they do include language and scenes you wouldn’t find in a Christian novel.

Recommended for those who enjoy a good general market medical romance. Thanks to Momentum Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

You can find out more about Nicki Edwards at her website.

Review: The Peppercorn Project by Nicki Edwards

Bittersweet Australian Rural Romance

When Isabelle Cassidy’s husband dies, he leaves her not just their two children but also all the debts from their overextended city lifestyle. Isabelle applies for a reduced rent property in the tiny South Australian town of Stony Creek as a way of getting back on her feet financially, and providing her small family with a new start. While she does have some trouble adjusting to life in the small town, her major issues are her son—who keeps getting into trouble at school—and her own inability to move on from life with Dan.

The Peppercorn Project is the first book in a new rural romance series from Australian author Nicki Edwards. I didn’t enjoy this as much as I enjoyed the books in her first series (and I think there is still one more to come in her Escape to the Country series, because there is one recurring character she has yet to marry off).

I think there are a couple of reasons I didn’t enjoy this as much. One is that the first book in a series often has a lot of setting in terms of time and place and introducing new characters, and it naturally feels a little unfamiliar.

Another is that The Peppercorn Project is about a widow who is still in love with her husband for much of the book—which meant she wasn’t a character I found it easy to related to (but let’s be honest. Who wants to be able to relate to a widow who lost the love of her life in a freak accident?). This meant the romance took a long time to get going, and felt a little rushed towards the end.

I’ll also provide a brief content warning: while Nicki Edwards is a Christian, The Peppercorn Project is a general market romance novel. It’s clean, but there are still a few scenes that many Christian romance readers won’t feel comfortable with.

But those slight niggles aside, The Peppercorn Project is an enjoyable light romance with shades of darker issues, like the drug problems affecting rural Australian communities. The cover is lovely, the writing is good, and the characters are excellent.

Matt Robertson is a worthy hero, a policeman intent on protecting his adopted community of Stony Creek . . . and the beautiful wounded widow who has just moved into town. Issie is fragile and distant, daughter Mietta is a darling, and Fletcher is achingly familiar. The townsfolk range from goodheartedly interfering to downright irritating, which is exactly as it should be (after all, we have to get to know some characters so we have an idea of what to expect in the next novel in the series).

Overall, this is an enjoyable light read with a location and characters I’ll want to come back to. Only no more distraught widows, please!

Thanks to Momentum Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Nicki Edwards at her website (http://www.nickiedwards.com.au/).

Review: Life Support by Nicki Edwards

Great Next Installment to Medical Rural Romance Series

Nurse Emma Chirnside’s marriage is over, but her husband dies before they can get a divorce. She finds he’s left her a house in her rural home town of Birranagulla . . . only it turns out to be more mansion than house. And it’s managed by her high school crush, Tom Henderson. Meanwhile, Tom seems to have picked up some baggage of his own, including a sick mother, and a daughter.

First up, Life Support isn’t Christian fiction, although there are references to prayer and heaven. It is a clean read (there is an extremely vague sex scene, I don’t recall any bad language, and the only violence and gore is related to the fact Emma works in an Emergency Department. It seems even small-town Australia gets more than their share of car accidents and other medical emergencies. (No, not a book for those who don’t like medical drama.)

I liked both Emma and Tom as characters. Emma, because she works in the Emergency Department even though she’s financially independent. Tom, because he’s a man of true character, in that his decision to pursue a relationship with Emma is about Emma—her inheritance doesn’t come into it. The minor characters are also good, especially the loveable Ruby. And Liam.

Life Support is a sweet, well-written romance with plenty of conflict in all the right places, and a fabulous setting (which is based on the real life Mt Mitchell Homestead, in case you're looking for a wedding venue in Victoria, Australia). It’s the fourth book in the series, but easily read as a standalone novel. Now I’m hoping this isn't the last in the series, because I'm really looking forward to Liam's story . . .

Thanks to Momentum Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Operation White Christmas by Nicki Edwards

A White Christmas Dream . . .

Australian Hollie Douglas has always wanted to experience a white Christmas, so has planned a pre-Christmas wedding to Steve, followed by a two-week honeymoon at Niagara Falls (yes, the Canadian side). But things don’t always go to plan, and a series of unfortunate coincidences sees her stranded in a near-blizzard and sharing a house with the handsome Jim Bell and a baby llama called Roo (because what else would you name a baby llama? In Canada?).

It’s a novella, which makes a quick read that left me with an ‘aww’ feeling, because it was that sweet. It’s a sweet romance about two mending people coming together and find a possible future together.

Operation White Christmas is the third book in Nicki Edwards’s Escape to the Country series, but is easily readable as a standalone story. It is set in Canada, not Australia, and is more contemporary romance than medical romance (good news for those who don’t like blood!). Recommended.

Thanks to Momentum Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Emergency Response by Nicki Edwards

Enjoyable Australian Medical Romance

Amazon Description

Intensive care nurse Mackenzie Jones is no stranger to running. As a teenager she fled her family home, leaving tragedy and loss in her wake. Now, after fifteen years alone in Sydney, with the strain of working in a city hospital wearing her thin, she's tempted to run again.

Mackenzie jumps at the chance to work in a mining town in the Western Australian desert – anything to lift her spirits. Though she barely dares to hope, she wonders if she might find the kind of love that can ease her loneliness.

In the outback, Nathan Kennedy is at a loose end. He's been making money in the mines for years, and pressure from his family to return to the east coast, settle down and get married is reaching fever pitch. The problem is, he hasn't met the right woman.

When Mackenzie turns up in town, there's an instant attraction between her and Nathan, maybe even true love. But tragedy's not done with Mackenzie Jones – the past is about to catch up with her in more ways than one.

Can Nathan convince Mackenzie to stop running, or is this just another tragedy in the making?

My Review

Mackenzie Jones meets the handsome Nathan Kennedy at a wedding, then finds herself on the other side of the country, but working in the same tiny rural town as Nathan. They start seeing each other, but the relationship is cut short when Mackenzie is called back home—her estranged father is dying, and as the oldest child, the unattached child, and the nurse in the family, he becomes her unwelcome responsibility.

The writing was very good. There were some intentionally humorous lines (“she’s got a better backside than Pippa Middleton”) and some I found funny even though they weren’t intended to be (“she had a strong New Zealand accent”. Really. Have these Aussies ever listened to themselves?).

And one part of the story was unexpectedly poignant—a visit to the degazettted town of Wittenoom, site of the blue asbestos mine made famous (to me, at least) by Midnight Oil and their song, Blue Sky Mining. That’s not for the faint-hearted.



Although Nicki Edwards is a Christian, Emergency Response isn’t Christian fiction. This means there is some content you wouldn’t normally see in a Christian novel (e.g. consumption of alcohol), but it is still classified as a “clean read”. Well, except for the blood. But I guess a little blood is to be expected with a medical romance set in rural Australia. Recommended. As long as you don’t mind the blood.

Thanks to Momentum Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.