Stubborn Heart

3.5 Stars ~ Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Ken Murphy, and since I'm such a geek about books, I had to come right home and see about reading his first release, 'Stubborn Heart'. Since I knew that the author has spent a considerable portion of his life as a nurse in a hospital, I knew the information, i.e. procedures, etc., would be accurate. What a relief. It makes me crazy to read a book where the author hasn't done the proper research. And since I have two sisters who are ER nurses, and I spent twenty years in a healthcare environment, it was a relief to read a book that told it like it was.
Mark is a nurse at Atlanta General in the SICU department, Surgical Intensive Care Unit. He's a hard worker and he loves his job, but his last relationships were rife with cheating by the other person, so Mark has given up on ever giving his heart to anyone again. It's not worth it. Trevor is the new cardiothoracic fellow assigned to their hospital. Trevor is instantly taken with Mark, and wants to spend more time with him. Mark is definitely attracted to Trevor, but very wary of spending time with someone he works with. Luckily for Trevor, their personalities and senses of humor really mesh, helping to ease the path for them to date.
These guys are so adorable together. Mark is hesitant to have this be anything more than just fun, because he knows that in a few months Trevor's time in Atlanta will be up, and he'll be moving somewhere else for a job. Trevor doesn't feel the same way and falls in love with Mark, even knowing that Mark won't let himself trust, or love, Trevor. It was fun, and a little bittersweet, actually, to watch them, even Mark, fall in love, and begin to make a life together. But what will happen when Trevor has to leave? Will Mark be able to put aside his fears for the man he loves?
This was a very sweet story. Mark and Trevor are good characters, and I think the author portrayed them well. I felt that there were times when the story dragged, and perhaps it could've been condensed a little. However, if you enjoy sweet and nice, with a wonderful happy ever after, then this is the book for you.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

Shopping in a gay bookstore in downtown Atlanta which frequently carries an assortment of Dreamspinner Press books, I stumbled upon Stubborn Heart by native Georgian, Ken Murphy. As a native myself, I was instantly drawn to the cover, which included a shot of downtown Atlanta in the background. However, after reading the synopsis on the back cover, I was hooked. I knew that I would more than likely enjoy the book because of its connection to Atlanta, and I was not disappointed. Moreover, I think that any reader who loves a good gay romance with a challenge would enjoy this book. Here is why.
First, Murphy creates realistic characters. As a practitioner in the medical field himself, Murphy knows how serious and demanding a career in healing can be. Mark, his title character, is no exception to the rule. Working long shifts at a local hospital, he has very little time for romance. That, compounded by the fact that his foray in to the world of love has produced more than one or two disasters, indeed gives him a stubborn heart. Hurt by walking in on his lover with another man at the very beginning of the story, the reader sees someone he can relate to in Mark-a cautious, yet passionate man. Then, along comes a gorgeous young doctor who has a fellowship in Mark's hospital. Trevor sees something beautiful in Mark and he works hard to make sure Mark knows it. While Trevor does seem to fall fast (something that is more the stuff of legends than reality) Murphy does ground this by allowing the reader to see more of Trevor's past, and that is where we meet Derrick, Trevor's roommate. Initially, I thought that Murphy may take the story in a direction that sometimes spells death for a good gay romance, but while Trevor and Derrick's friendship and past is fully revealed by Murphy, he does not allow the story to be hijacked by it.
Second, Murphy knows how to handle romance and drama at the same time. Something happens to these men on the streets of Atlanta, and Murphy successfully pulls it in to the story line and gives it a realistic place. The romance is affected by the event, but Murphy does not give it a quick fix.
Thirdly, Murphy provides a realistic ending. We know that Dreamspinner requires a HEA or HFN ending, but Murphy makes his characters, and his readers no less, fight to get there. However, as he ends the book, he leaves the plot open for further exploration. I think there will be a sequel. We see a resolution, at least for now, for Trevor and Mark, but not so much for Derrick. This leads me to believe that in the next installment, Murphy will probe his love life and further develop Mark and Trevor's.
Kudos to Murphy, as this is his first book, and further kudos for setting it in a place so familiar to him but not allowing the location to trap the characters. I would most definitely put this one on your list of \"must reads.\"

I don't love it and I don't hate it. The preview was fun and engaging, just like the first couple of chapters. After that, it quickly becomes hum-drum and I've found myself nodding off a couple times. One thing stood out to me at the beginning: Mark has some very valid concerns about dating someone he works with, but his friends keep telling him he's imagining things and creating mountains out of molehills and I just don't get that at all. Then, if Mark believes that \"happiness is just a myth,\" why does he fall into love with Trevor so quickly? Where's the drama? Where's the tension? Where's the emotions that make me want to empathize with any of the characters? There's a huge distance between the very annoying POV-shifting narrator and the reader that's hard to overcome. I felt no danger of these two not staying together. And as for Mark choosing \"between guarding his heart and giving it completely, the risk he swore never to take again\" ? Yeah, right. When did that happen?