Heart Stop

I'm a huge fan of Radclyffe, and am always excited to get my hands on one of her books. I especially love some of her earlier series like her Justice series and Provincetown series. When I heard this book was going to be full of Justice series people, I could not wait to read this. I am so happy this book was everything I love about the First Responders and Justice series.

They way the First Responders series is written, each book is it's own story. You can read them in any order. Now this book is a little different, because it is basically Justice Series 6.5 if you count the prequel A Matter of Trust. Can you read this book without reading the Justice Series first? Absolutely. The only problem is you will be learning a lot of new characters, and you will not have the connection to them, like I did reading all the previous books. I did not think Radclyffe would write another Justice book. It really was such a treat to be able connect to these women again. My only small complaint, there was only a little of Sloane and no Michael. Michael and Sloane are one of my favorite lesfic couples, so it was disappointing. I do understand it though, they would not have fit into the story as well, I still wanted a Micheal cameo though.

Beyond the Justice Series folks, the main story focuses on Jay and Olivia. Jay, if my memory is correct, was a secondary character in Trauma Alert, First Responders book 1. There are also a few appearances from Ali and Beau. You would not have to read that book first, and to add, it was nice to see Ali again. Anyway, Olivia is a new character, as far as my memory remembers. She is the Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, and takes her job very seriously. When Jay, a former trauma surgeon, shows up in her office for a job, Olivia thinks she is unqualified. Pressure from the top lands Jay the job. Can Jay handle the job? And can they keep working together despite the fierce attraction?

One of the things I enjoy about Radclyffe's writing, is her characters. She is really good at crafting characters that you would either want to hang out with or date. What was great about Olivia and Jay, their chemistry was off the charts. I mean totally smoking hot the two of them. I have not read that much chemistry in a while. The sex scenes were pretty intense also.

Not only was the chemistry and romance good, the overall story was good. I was riveted with all the medical examiner scenes. I never thought I woulds say that, but it was so damn interesting. With shows like CSI, crime scene techs get all the glory. But medical examiners are just as important, and I was extremely interested in all their scenes. They were very well written.

Overall, this book checked all the boxes that I look for in a good read. A great romance with an interesting storyline, that kept me turning the pages. I wish there could somehow be a sequel with all these same characters. I want more of the medical examiners, and the Justice crew. This is an easy book for me to recommend.

Reviewed by Lex Kent

This is the sixth book of the First Responders series written by Radclyffe. This time the plot focuses on situations within the medical examination department, where the causes of death are determined, instead of going into the frenetic pace of hospital urgencies, which is the usual environment in the medical novels of this author. As usual, too, secondary couples play an important role in the story, sometimes diverting us from the main plot... I have enjoyed very much the romantic story between Jay and Olivia. Although they have a very different background and despite the cold reception that Olivia has with Jay in the beginning, I liked the growing of their attraction, the respect with each other and with their decisions and the final acceptance of their feelings. In general and as always, the book made me have a very good time.

reviewed by Rosi DePlma

What a nice addition to the first responder series. You don't necessarily need to go in chronological order to enjoy this or any of the other books, I did. passion love and a little medical jargon thrown in for flair, you wont be disappointed when reading this next stage of Radclyffe series.

Reviewed by Paloma Vergara

Radclyffe as always writes incredibly good novels and this one is no exception.

The characters Jay and Olivia are great, you can feel the chemistry between the two straight away.

This is a wonderfully written story, the romance between both enjoyable and the build up is heart warming.

The plot has it all romance, passion and tension.

To be honest she is one of my favourite Lesbian writers, I have been a massive fan of hers for a number of years which is why I found this novel so special, you get to catch up with some old favourites characters.

It isn't necessary to have read the books about the other secondary characters but it would add to your enjoyment, its made me go back and re-read them again.

I would certainly recommend this novel, an excellent read

Reviewed by Cathy Williams

This was great. As always, Radclyffe allows us to get lost in a fun and exciting medical romance. Both lead characters Jay and Olivia were enough to keep me wanting more. The chemistry between them was rousing and kept the pages turning. The secondary characters from a previous series were fun to revisit as well.

I don't think I will ever get enough of Radclyffe's story telling. Even a story about medical examiners, bodies and morgues was exciting and appealing. As all of Radclyffe's books, I will be recommending to my students.

Reviewed by Kris Johnson