Title: Royal Betrayal
Author: Nina Bruhns
Published in July 2006 by Harlequin's Intimate Moments
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 0-3732749-4-7
Other Books by Nina: Blue Jeans and a Badge Hard Case Cowboy Ghost of a Chance Sins of the Father Sweet Revenge Sweet Suspicion
The King of Silvershire is in her care, and Dr. Zara Smith has no idea what the problem is, or how to help him. The surgery she performed to remove the brain tumor was successful, but His Majesty has not regained consciousness, and this worries her almost to distraction. It is not, however, the only problem facing her, for she has suffered the loss of a patient before, and it shook her confidence to the core. The tabloids already had a heyday when the death of a child in her care occurred last year. She could do nothing about it then, and it appears she can do nothing for her king now. If King Weston dies, her shame would be compete, and her father, and her family would never forgive her. Not all her hard earned medical knowledge, not her caring and diligence, not her aristocratic title would be able to save her or her professional reputation. In her mind, failure is NOT an option, and she is going to do whatever it takes to help her king survive. To crawl back to Lord Daneby, her father, in such disgrace was not something she is willing to think about, but then she may have no choice. Of course, that is only if she can survive the scandal...
Dr. Walker Shaw was called in on this special case by Russell, Lord Carrington, the acting Regent of Silvershire. The King has remained in a coma since surgery for a brain tumor. The surgery, performed by an extremely gifted surgeon was successful, but to date, he has remained in a state of unconsciousness. His surgeon, however, was caught in a blast that threatened the king's life. As a psychiatrist, and a consultant with the Lazlo Group, Walker used his talents in memory recovery to assist in the aftermath of traumatic events, to counsel and help Lazlo's clients to recover lost memories and data. He followed Lord Carrington down the halls of the palace medical wing, questioning him about his latest assignment. The bombing in the palace a few days ago has injured the surgeon who had been taking care of King Weston. The young doctor was caught in the bombing in protecting the king. In throwing herself across him, she had saved the king's life yet again, but in a sense lost her own. When she awoke from the blow to her head, she remembered nothing, not her name, who she was, where she was, or what she did. The Duke of Carrington was stymies and to how to help, and as been greatly relieved by Corbet Lazlo's recommendation in assigning Walker to Dr. Smith's case.
When Walker entered the room, he expected to see Dr. Zara Smith, the renowned neurosurgeon. He was assured she was his patient, but the woman whose room he entered brought back hard memories of years before. Then she called her self "Lady Sarah" and was an intriguing and inventive lover. That was years ago, and since then, scandal had rocked Walker's world, and literally halted his meteoric rise in his field. It was not his fault, and yet there was not a thing he could do about it because he was being threatened, and his family still lived under the sword. His past was best forgotten, and yet here it was intruding again on his present. The conference in Italy and the young doctor with whom he had an affair has bloomed into an even more beautiful woman, and yet she has no idea who she was then, is now, and most definitely won't remember Walker or the time they spent together. This could be for the best, but there is something in Walker wanting her to remember, wanting him to be memorable enough to trigger the return of her memory. Walker is certain the feelings between them before were real, strong, and sure. The problem was timing, not enough to devote to his career and keep up his acquaintance with "Lady Sarah." By the time he had tried to get in touch with her, she had disappeared, scandal has blown his career sky high, and he was left as a psychiatric consultant, which has brought him full circle and back to "Lady Sarah's" side.
Zara Smith. Her name. It sounds strange to her, she doesn't remember, but that is what the nurses have called her, what the doctors call her, and it seems odd. Her life is a blank, and she struggles with strangers who talk to her as if she should know them, refer to things she doesn't remember, and yet no one will not tell her what she needs to know. The won't tell her who she really is, what she really does, and most frustratingly why she is here. She is feeling trapped, and the new doctor isn't helping. Shaw, Dr. Walker Shaw seems too aloof, too far removed, and most maddening in his refusal to answer her questions ablaut herself and her situation. She wants to cooperate, she really does, but in a catch 22 situation, she also feels she needs information to go on, and to be able to find her way from there. What she gets is entirely different. She is taken into another room, where she encounters King Weston, but he lies as if dead, and she feels saddened. A jog to her memory, a remembrance of place, but not how, of time, but not when, of direction, but frustratingly not with whom or why. A trip to the old city brings back location memories, in the antique shop a painting, her home. But the trip has dire consequences, and Zara soon finds herself back in the bed she so longed to escape, and this time, she is the target...
Nina Bruhns brings to life another saga in the Capturing the Crown series. Royal Betrayal tells the story of Dr. Sara Smith, a renowned neurosurgeon, aristocrat of Silvershire, and the target of an assassin's plot. She has no idea of the threat to her life, her focus has been totally on King Weston, and the fact he has not regained consciousness since the surgery. She knows he has been the target of forces who want a democracy in Silvershire, and until some recent events, the movement had been gaining ground. Now, with the monarch's life hanging in the balance, and a regent on the throne, Zara finds herself not cowing who she is, and depending on a dazzling yet scruffy American Psychiatrist for guidance. For Dr. Walker Shaw, learning to know the woman he has longed to find is a trial, a temptation, and an ordeal. When they first met, Walker was attracted to her, and the affair had been hot bout brief. They parted with promises, but neither had the time to follow up. The shock of seeing her without her memory, and being put into the position of being the best person to help her regain what she lost is almost too much. To discover that she may be the assassin's target and not the king almost puts him over the edge.
Royal Betrayal is a romance of the first water, and Ms Bruhns again shows her talent for strong characters and a fascinating and well told story. The settings, the actions, and the plot all blend in to an exciting a suspenseful romance of intrigue and mystery. The interplay between Zara and Walker go a long way to making the story live in the reader's mind, bringing a total absorption in the tale, and doing what all good writers strive to do, making you believe in happy endings. The twists and turns in Royal Betrayal will keep you on your toes, and only when the last page is read, will you truly and fully understand their relationship. It is in your bookstore now, and if you have never read a Harlequin Intimate Moments, Royal Betrayal is an excellent introduction to both the imprint, and to Nina Bruhns.
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
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