Island Nurse

    Carol is a new nurse whos first job is taking care of elderly Elizabeth Stafford who is recovering from a broken hip. As Mrs. Stafford is recovering quickly she encourages Carol to spend some time out with her 17 year old grandson, Herb, and his girlfriend Flo.

    Flo's older cousin Ronnie has just purchased a fancy new yacht to enter in the yearly race so the group goes to check it out. There Carol meets the handsome and flirty Ronnie and quickly is asked to attend a dance with him which she accepts.

    Back at the Stafford house Carol is visited by Flo's mother Lisa who wants to hire Carol to take care of her grandfather, William Elliot, who is suffering from diabetes and a weak heart. Carol asks to think over this offer but after Ronnie declares his love for Carol at the dance she decides to accept the job to remain close to him.

    The Elliot family reside in a grand old house on Myrtle Island, across the bay from the Stafford's. The inhabitants are Mr. Elliot, the patriarch. His grandson David, his Granddaughter Lisa, Lisa's husband John, and their three children Flo, Julie, and Billie. Ronnie is also his grandson but lives on a separate island that was gifted to his now deceased parents by Mr. Elliot.

    Mr. Elliot, despite his red hot temper, is kind and approves of Carol instantly. While Carol is meeting the family for the first time Billie runs up saying a man has just gone overboard out in the water. He, David, and Carol rush to rescue the man with Carol having to revive him. He remains at the house for the night then quickly leaves the next day. Julie believes she had seen the same man wandering around the swamp on the families property the day before. And when Lisa reports there's been several cases of poisoning from illegal moonshine on the nearby marine base she works at, they start thinking the mysterious man was a revenue agent looking for a hidden still. 

    Carol is invited out for a boat ride with Herb, Flo, Julie, and Billie but once on their way they inform her they're going to the swamp to look for the still. They worry that if it's found by the law the public might believe it's Mr. Elliot's and they want to protect him from any possible scrutiny that could affect his weak heart. However they don't find it. 

    Lisa and John are holding a party to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Ronnie attends making it the first time Carol has heard from him since the dance despite several weeks passing. Although she wants to be angry about his absence she quickly falls for his charm, much to the displeasure of David who has developed feelings for her. Broken hearted he heads out of town the next morning.

    Carol attends another dance with Ronnie where she notices he's sweating a lot and out of breathe as well as has a nasty cut on his hand. Despite her advice to see a doctor immediately he brushes it off and again declares his love for her and insists they get married. Carol thinks he's being ridiculous and when he kisses her she wishes it was David. 

    The next day a hurricane is approaching. The large oak trees surrounding Myrtle Island make it a safe haven during a storm but when Mark, Ronnie's hired man, shows up saying Ronnie is delirious with a fever and needs immediate medical attention Carol must leave the safety to help him. She hates to leave Mr. Elliot but knows the worry over his grandson could cause a life threatening episode. 

    After traveling through stormy waters to get to Ronnie's house, Hilda, the housekeeper, brings Carol dry clothes to change into: bedroom slippers, lingerie, and a dress, all of which she says have been left there after "weekend parties". 

    Carol cleans and disinfects Ronnie's wound and monitors him until his fever reduces. Then, due to the storm, she must spend the night there.

    The next morning there is a lull in the storm when Carol awakes and finds Ronnie on the mend. She demands to be taken back to the Elliot house as she is terribly worried about Mr. Elliot. Mark informs her they are in the eye of the hurricane and he can try to find a boat to get her back but they will have to be quick. Ronnie however tells her to stay and doesn't seem to care his grandfather could die without her aid. 

    David then bursts in looking disheveled. He arrived back in town shortly after Carol had left the previous day and quickly went after her, not trusting Ronnie. However his boat's motor died and he was washed up to the swamp. There he sought shelter in the old cotton gin where he discovered a still placed there by Ronnie and Mark. 

    Disgusted by Ronnie's illegal actions as well as his "weekend parties" Carol quickly leaves with David and they make it back to Myrtle Island to find Mr. Elliot in a horrible state. He desperately needs oxygen but with the roads flooded and the storm still raging there's no way to get him to a hospital. David suggests getting an oxygen tank from the marine base hospital and him and John set out against the storm in an effort to save their beloved grandfather's life. 

    A nervous two hours ensues before they return victorious and the elderly man's heart quickly stabilizes bringing him back from the brink of death. Carol and David confess their love and get engaged with Mr. Elliot gifting them nearby land to build a home. 

- I really liked Mrs. Stafford. Despite her age she loves to keep up with the goings on of the young people and she's never judgmental about what they're doing or how they're acting. She's not a "back in my day" kind of person at all. She's also an ideal patient as she follows Carol's instructions perfectly so she will be up on her feet as soon as possible as she refuses to become wheelchair bound in her old age.

- Carol is very level headed when it comes to Ronnie's love bombing which is a nice change of pace for a romance book. When he declares his love for her on the first date, and when he proposes marriage on the second, Carol thinks he's being ridiculous and dramatic. 

- The book was written by Marcia Ford which was a pen name for Ruby Lorraine Radford. I have reviewed several of her juvenile mystery book on this blog already. One thing that's clear from her writing is that she's a proud southerner. It's quite nice reading something that takes place somewhere that the author is not only very knowledgeable about but also passionate about. 

- One thing that did make me quite sad was dialogue between David and Carol where they talk about how awful it is that the rest of the country stereotypes southerners as ignorant, backwoods morons. The way it was written seemed very personal and it made me sad to think Radford was probably talking about her own experience with being discriminated against. I really don't think its okay to be cruel to people based on where they come from. After all no one chooses where they are born.

- Radford was around 67 years of age when this book was written. I was shocked! It reads very youthful. I've read books before that were clearly written by someone older but that's not the case here. Radford was certainly able to change her writing with the times and, as someone who can't write at all, I admire that.

    Overall I really enjoyed this book. Like most Avalon books it was paced fairly quick, making me want to keep reading to see what would happen next. It also wasn't very suspenseful with it's mystery which I appreciated. I need a break from suspense after reading My High Love Calling.