Review--Doing No Harm

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Doing No HarmDoing No Harm by Carla    Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another sweet tale of good people doing the right thing, one of Ms. Kelly's trademarks. It's especially appropriate to the season and the current world situation, as the people of a small town struggling to survive open their hearts and homes to refugees who just want a chance, and a safe place to raise their families.

The long war with Napoleon is over, and RN surgeon Douglas Bowden finds himself adrift, finally washing ashore in the Scottish lowlands town of Edgar. A medical emergency requires his skills and he puts himself to work, never planning on staying.

However, he didn't count on spinster Olive Grant, who has worked herself to a nub assisting displaced Highlanders driven from their land by the clearances to make room for more profitable sheep.

The novel deals strongly with issues of PTSD, both the form suffered by former military men like Douglas, and the kinds affecting small children who've been traumatized by life. As Douglas and Olive work together to help the refugees and the people of Edgar, they come to realize that not all healing comes from the surgeon's knives or the pharmacy.

Ms. Kelly's books make an excellent holiday read, and Doing No Harm is a timely addition to her collection of Royal Navy historical romances.


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