Matters of the Heart by Catherine Maoirisi is a lesbian medical romance where a doctor and patient find love together.

In the first few minutes of her new private contract, Dr. Andrea Trapani gets a front-row seat as her angry patient’s girlfriend breaks up with her and storms out. Darcy Silver doesn’t want Andrea there, even if casts on her arms and legs means she can’t do anything for herself, but Andrea is determined to care for her until alternative care can be arranged.

Darcy is lonely and bad-tempered, regularly swinging between lashing out and hitting on Andrea. Only one of Darcy’s friends has visited since her car accident, and with her girlfriend gone, she has no one but Andrea and her mansion’s caretakers. Andrea’s methods to bring down the dangerously high blood pressure that caused Darcy’s heart attack are working, but can either woman trust the feelings slowly developing between them?

The Characters

I don’t know how Catherine Maoirisi did it. I hated Darcy at the beginning and didn’t think anything could redeem her—so much so that I considered putting this book down. I’m glad I didn’t, however, because Darcy has one HECK of an arc, and is a totally different person at the end, through the love and patience of Andrea and some of their friends. Andrea has her own baggage, but this is really Darcy’s book, and I enjoyed seeing how she interacted with Darcy at every stage of their relationship.

The Writing Style

Matters of the Heart is written well with good plotting and pacing to the story.

The Pros

Darcy’s character growth is the biggest pro for me. I also liked the side characters, particularly Darcy’s friends. Through them and their scenes with Darcy and Andrea, Catherine Maorisi did a great job of conveying the way friends can also be family and community.

The Cons

I had a problem with how the thing Candace had done to Darcy in the past was handled, mainly that it wasn’t acknowledged for exactly what it was. I can’t say more without getting spoilery, but it was a missed opportunity to address an issue that rarely gets called out in lesfic.

The Conclusion

I recommend Matters of the Heart to anyone who’s looking for a solid, traditional romance.

Excerpt from Matters of the Heart by Catherine Maoirisi

“If you don’t feel like running tonight, you might enjoy sitting in the garden. Have you seen it? It’s private and it’s safe. You get to it through the kitchen.”

“I think I’ll run tonight, but I’ll keep it in mind.”Andrea carried their dishes to the cart. “Okay, Darcy, time to check vitals again. She smiled at the blood pressure reading. “One hundred fifty over seventy-five. Not perfect but much better.”

Darcy didn’t respond.

Now what? “Something wrong?”

Darcy cleared her throat. She gazed at the windows. “I was just trying to figure out how to get you to not leave tomorrow.”

So Maria was right. Andrea wasn’t surprised she’d enjoyed the challenge of taming the beast but she was surprised she’d enjoyed Darcy’s company and surprised to realize she wanted to stay. She had no illusions, Darcy’s underlying issues, fear of being alone and feelings of abandonment, were not gone, but once she got past her terror and rage, Darcy was an interesting woman.

“Let’s see now.” She tapped her finger on her lips. “Hmm. You could try asking me to stay.”

Darcy turned to Andrea, her face hopeful. “Dr. Trapani, would you stay and take care of me? Please?”

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Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 9781594934933
  • Publisher: Bella Books

Catherine Maoirisi Online

Note: I received a free review copy of Matters of the Heart by Catherine Maoirisi. No money was exchanged for this review. I will always review books as honestly as possible and on occasion I refuse to review books.