The Heart of Doctor Steele 

by Colette Dixon 

3.5 out of 5 

Synopsis 

The mysterious Dr. Steele has taken up residence next door, and scandalous rumors about him are spreading through Margaret Landeau’s small Massachusetts town. Rumors of women he’s ill-used and exploited for his experimental surgeries. Never one to believe gossip, Margaret arms herself with a basket of baked goods and ventures to discover the truth from the man himself.

John Steele has lost everything. His parents, his aunt, too many women he intended to save, and his good name. All he has left is his aunt’s home in a far-flung village and a library he’s stocked with whiskey. He has nothing to offer anyone. Especially not the bold woman next door whose passion for healing reminds him of the man he once was.

But when a dangerously ill girl arrives on his doorstep, pleading for help, Margaret is thrust into his world. She will learn who the real Dr. John Steele truly is, and soon, not even his dark past can stop her from fighting for the brilliant doctor she now loves. But he must deny his crushing desire for her—loving a man like him can only cast a shadow over her own bright future.

Review 

When a mysterious stranger moves in next door, Margaret finds a man who sees her as more than what society will allow.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Margaret Landeau is the daughter of a professor - whilst her own family has always encouraged her intellect, and aren't forcing her to marry - life for a woman in 1845 is restrictive. Margaret is only meant to aspire to marriage and children, as women at that time aren't thought capable of big decisions.

When a disgraced doctor moves in next door, Margaret jumps at the opportunity to be his surgical assistant.

Dr John Steele has been chased from Boston by gossip and rumours of malpractice. His forte is removing ovarian cysts, a treatment that is held as a taboo. Many intelligent people and doctors would rather leave a woman in agony, than treat them as seriously as a man.

Hiding in his late-aunt's house, Dr Steele doesn't get chance to wallow, as Margaret is pushing him to be involved with the world again.

I really liked learning about the historical medical practises of the time, and how poor female care was. Not just in the non-treating of cysts, but the puerperal fevers because of poor hygiene, and how little autonomy a woman had over her own body.

I found it absolutely fascinating. This wasn't a gimmick or fluffy filler, but very well-written. It felt well-researched and is woven strongly throughout the story.

I enjoyed following Margaret as she uncovers the truth behind Dr Steele's past, as well as establishes her desire to become a doctor. You get the feeling that she wants to help people, but she also wants to prove that she is as capable as a man.

I liked how supportive Margaret's family is, and especially how all of this brought her closer to her little sister Charlotte. Charlotte starts as a pretty young girl, who conforms to society's standards; buy grows throughout to show she's smart, but still different from her sister.

I liked the route the plot took, as it could have easily bailed out.

It also didn't portray this as being aa fluffy happy-ever-after. Margaret isn't blind to Dr Steele's faults, she recognises his depression and dark moods, and realises that they may return.

The not-so-good.

For an historical novel, I felt that the writing and narrative were on the blunt side.

There's a lot of descriptive work around the surgical side of things which works well, but the social side wasn't always believable for the period, and disrupted the flow of the story.

For example, at the very beginning, Margaret lets herself into Dr Steele's house because he didn't answer the door, and when he doesn't respond she has a snoop around.

In the first half of the book, I found their dialogue exchanges somewhat blocky and unrealistic.

About half-way Margaret has a complete personality change - she's been Dr Steele's most fervent supporter, and she is adamant in not judging anyone based on gossip and second-hand information. Yet when she hears a new foul rumour about him she completely flips, despite the rumour having no evidence, and that she has witnessed what a good man he is.

After it was resolved, Margaret went back to her old faithful self.

It was like it was wedged in to add drama.

Overall, this was a 3.5 out of 5 for me. I would be interested in reading more of this author's work.

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