SWEET MEDICINE

Author: Barbara Sheridan ISBN: 9781906328160 7/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: TOTAL-E-BOUND.COM
Time Period: Victorian, Old West

Trevor Lynbrook was indulged in pursuing medicine and became a promising surgeon. After his father dies leaving him heir to the title as Earl of Greylock he is forced to give up medicine and turns his attention to wine, women and song. To save Trevor from himself his grandfather volunteers him to aid an old friend in America and Trevor is sent to Oklahoma Territory to run a clinic adjacent to the Cheyenne reservation where Lucy Willis teaches school. Down to earth and happy with a simple life, Lucy has no time for pompous people who think they're better than everyone else and she certainly doesn't like Trevor's superior attitude. She refuses to be one of his conquests...no matter how much he thrills her.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Lucy Willis is 23 and widowed with a small son. To make her situation even more difficult, she is living in a time where having a child with an Indian is taboo. Lucy accepts a job in Indian Territory in the community of Sweet Medicine, teaching the Cheyenne children. The situation becomes even harder when a child is stricken by appendicitis and the local doctor is unable to help. The chief of the Cheyenne becomes suspicious and does not trust Lucy.

A physician, Dr. Trevor Lynbrook, Viscount Ashford, arrives from London to help treat the Cheyenne community. Trevor has quite the history, full of drinking and women. He has left London to prevent a scandal and becoming an embarrassment to his family. The sparks fly between Lucy and Trevor. Both individuals work through prejudices that are common to this time in an attempt to help the Cheyenne. While working together, Lucy and Trevor fall in love. The story takes the two from the States back to England, where Trevor's family will not accept Lucy or her half-breed son. Lucy and Trevor must overcome jealousy and prejudice in an attempt to stay together.

This was a great read. Although the story is fiction, it remains true to the prejudices common to this time and the type of difficulty that individuals of this era faced. The love story between Lucy and Trevor is fascinating as it unfolds. Sheridan makes her main character, Lucy, a strong-willed woman for her time. As Lucy and Trevor face the dilemma his family presents, it is real. I enjoyed reading SWEET MEDICINE. It was a quick read for me and an emotional journey from beginning to end.

Kym Oetting