Customer Reviews

Night Call

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Night Call is another Radclyffe novel based on an area that is familiar to her as a retired doctor, the medical profession.

Jett McNally is a helicopter pilot and a veteran of the Middle East war. She's having trouble getting over what she saw in combat, plus she's trying to mend from a broken love affair, so working the night call flying the medivac chopper at a local hospital suits her fine. She can live a shadow existence without attracting much attention, she thinks. Dr. Tristan Holmes is highly respected for her skills as an anesthesiologist and is well known for her "love them and leave them" lifestyle. She's not looking for a relationship, but can't help being fascinated about the enigmatic Jett when they start working together. She becomes determined to discover what makes this woman tick and finds, to her surprise, that she might be interested in more than just adding another notch to her bedpost. Drs. Honor Blake and her partner Quinn Maguire, introduced in earlier books, are central figures in this story. They provide a picture of wedded bliss and family ties that encourages Tristan to keep pursuing Jett, no matter how distant she seems.

Night Call is another romance written in the style that Radclyffe's fans have come to expect and enjoy. It tells a familiar story of two women who meet, overcome an obstacle and find each other, with some sex scenes to spice up the plot. There was real potential in this story for Jett McNally's situation to be explored. The role of US women in a combat zone is a new one with many complications of adjusting to those duties while not really being considered battle ground soldiers. This would have been a chance to examine the feelings of those women and the struggles they go through in a system that is confused about their status, but Radclyffe didn't choose to take that course except on a superficial level. The opportunity to tell a fresh and topical story was bypassed in favor of a more routine romance. That will certainly please the die hard fans, but the possibilities that are glimpsed in this book will make some readers wish Radclyffe had used her considerable talent as a writer to do something different.

If the reader is looking for a predictable story that hits all of the expected buttons, then Night Call fits the requirements. It's easy escapism for a few hours of entertainment.

Disappointed...not my favorite Radclyffe. The Jett and Tristan storyline was exhausting. I didn't like the tortured head games they played. The only thing that kept me reading was hoping Honor and Quinn would pop up occasionally.

I have read some of Radclyffe's other books, and while I enjoyed them somewhat more than I did this one, they seem to all fall into the same pattern. Not only that "girl meets girl, girl fights obstacle, girl and girl live happily ever after..." but the pattern of the lesbian Utopia that Radclyffe visits every single time, where there are only lesbians and lesbian friendly people as far as the eye can see, and also that the dialogue between all her characters fall heavily, if not pretty completely, into one of two camps, either telling each other how much they love each other, or what they are doing to each another sexually. There is never any depiction of lesbians as real people in their interactions with each other, or anyone else, having real conversations and emotions and moods and moments of flat out snarkiness or anger or pain, except when character is about to succumb to the best sex she has ever had, after which everything is hunkydory, true love is declared, even if they have only known each other for three days, and they ride off into the sunset together. This sums up Tristan and Jett completely.

Honor and Quinn are a long term couple who, like all of Radclyffe's other couples, say little to each other except how much they love each other. Angelic child, invisible grandmother on site whose sole function is to do for them and serve them, even literally calling her to tell her to come over and make breakfast for them. Not one moment of post partum or complication response from Honor. Not one thought even of annoyance or anger from Quinn when Honor insists on going to work after the huge accident, only days after being near death giving traumatic birth. Not one moment of brattiness from angelic child. Not even one moment of snarkiness from the grandmother, who might rightfully wonder, since Quinn and Honor were both extremely busy doctors who already had one child she had to care for,and as she was already waiting on the three of them hand and foot, why they chose to have another child.. Not one real natural emotion,or sharing of thoughts and feelings day to day, only repeated "I love you's."

I know Radclyffe can write better than this. It seems a laziness to just keep casting different names, and the nonstop "cutesy" whatever names are wearying too, Saxon, Pearce, Winter, Jett, Tristan, Quinn, Reece, Arly...??? into the same old same old. How about some character humanization and development? How about some plot development? Unfortunately lesbians settle for poor quality fiction as it is mostly what is out there. Don't settle!

I enjoyed this book. My attentions were a bit split between the compelling new story of Tris and Jett and the dance they do to find belonging with one another, and the continuation of the joining of Honor and Quinn from "Fated Love" (with also a brief interlude in a story in "In Deep Waters 2" where we hear about Honor going into labor; we are also introduced to Tris in "In Deep Waters 2"). I love continuation. One of my favorite things is seeing what comes next, how couples who seem so right for each other actually work to carry out their lives together. How they really fit. Or how new experiences shape thier actions and reactions in the future. And the family life Honor and Quinn have created is precious, and a joy to behold.

But the center of the book for me was Tris and Jett. The medical back-drop Radclyffe creates is as colorful as always, providing for angst and drama and triumph and a catalyst to relationships between people in a life and death world. Jett has recently returned from flying helicopters in the Army, and it's striking the similarities between that world, and the world she and Tris inhabit while on night call.

In these two women Radclyffe has once again constructed two decent, competent, compelling characters with complex emotions and motivations. This author's skill at bringing to life women we care about is what makes her books such a pleasure to read. Tris has recently had something of an emotional/sexual awakening at the convention in Las Vegas, and tired of a long succession of "special friends" is drawn to the challenge of getting to know Jett better, to penetrate the walls and barriers that surround the somewhat aloof and isolated chopper pilot, something she feels paid off well in Vegas. For her part, Jett is undone by Tris' alternately gentle and probing actions, and fearful of the emotions they elicit.

An enjoyable read. Not quite as tightly plotted and consistently profound as Lonely Hearts Club, in my opinion, though it did have its moments. I enjoyed the sexual tension that simmered between Jett and Tris most of the book, as they each tried to hold back. But while the transitions between Tris/Jett to Honor/Quinn weren't jarring per se, they didn't quite mesh cohesively for me, their characters being at such different points in their lives, and their stories never really connecting beyond crossing paths in the same settings, and broader shared experiences in the hospital. It was more like two novelettes shoved together (but at least they were two good novelettes).

So if you haven't read "Fated Love" yet, I'd recommend doing so before reading this, not only because it's a compelling book in and of itself, but it will help lend depth and context to Honor and Quinn and their family. And you get introduced to Tris in "In Deep Waters 2," so if you're of a mind to, check that out also. Clearly my few criticisms are merely quibbles, and this book is still a cut above most, one I'll undoubtedly revisit in the future, so I'm comfortable displaying my review as 4 stars, even though it wasn't the strongest Radclyffe offering I've read. It was enjoyable revisiting this medical world with characters we've grown to love before, or been briefly introduced to in past stories. It's always a pleasure to put myself in this author's hands and just sit back for the ride. She makes reading effortless and fun.

What a disappointment. I own over 26 Radclyffe books and gladly gave this one away. Rather buy Secrets In The Stone, with refreshing characters, intrigue and a fresh storyline.

An interesting set of characters and plot twists. I hope to see more of them in future books. There is nothing to be said that hasn't already been said overall a great book!

This book was good, not as good as others I have read by Radclyffe. The games played in this grow weak after a while, even after Jett and Tristan get involved they still do the push and pull but I suppose it was essential to who they are. The sex is steamy though and is well written even though it seems like Jett falls into the butch stereotype being the "tough top" for the most part. I was happy to see that she let her guard drop finally and loosen up. Good read though and I would read it again.

This book it not one of Radclyffe's finer novels. The book is extremely slow and isn't holding my intrest at all. It jumps back and forth a lot in the book, which usually isn't a problem for me. But the story line really isn't going anywhere. Save your money it isn't worth purchasing.

the book was very entertaining. a page turner that keeps you not wanting to put it down

I appreciate Radclyffe writing what she knows...medical drama. I work in the field, specifically surgery and it's nice to see realistic stories come from this domain.
She's also adept at writing stories about things not so well known...the life of a military chopper pilot. Let me say that my other half is former Army. Radclyffe's attention to detail with all of her characters is commendable...but I appreciate it even more with this story. Thank you for getting those nitty gritty details (rank, etc) correct.
For those who have read Fated Love, you will get an update in the lives of Honor and Quinn. I will not provide any spoilers to ruin the story but I believe you will come away completely satisfied.
The meat of the story surrounds the growing attraction of pilot Jett McNally (interesting names as always!) and anesthesiologist Tristan Holmes. I agree with the previous reviewer that the difference in these two couples is quite striking; however, I appreciated the contrast.
I did not feel this novel was as strong as other Raclyffe works but it is still very worth of your time.
I eagerly await the author's next work.