I couldn't get into this one--probably my fault for attempting to read a medical romance, but a quarter of the way through it was all hospital politics and the two leads had still barely spoken to each other. I've enjoyed some of Radclyffe's books in the past and I'm sure I will again, but this series may not be for me, because I was bored by all the doctor-y details.

Who can write a good romance? Radclyffe!!! Who can write a good book with a medical setting? Radclyffe!!! Put those two ingredients together and you have “Passionate Rivals”.

Emmett McCabe is about to complete her 4th year of residency at PMC Hospital in Philadelphia. She has excelled in all phases of her residency and should be named chief resident. Emmett and all her fellow residents at PMC are surprised and upset when they learn that another medical program’s residents will be integrated within their program effectively immediately.

Sydney Stevens is a 4th year resident of this transferred program and is also a rising star. Five years earlier, Emmett and Sydney had a passionate, though brief, relationship, then Sydney disappeared from Emmett’s life. When they meet again, there is confusion, hurt, immediate physical attraction and anger between the two. These are great ingredients for a Radclyffe novel.

I am thrilled that Radclyffe resurrected characters from three of her earlier novels – “Fated Love”, “Crossroads” and “Night Call”. Quinn and Honor are two of the main characters from those books. From the onset of the story readers can immediately connect to Radclyffe’s characters. They are so well defined and developed, both physically and emotionally, that readers can close their eyes and picture them.

Radclyffe’s storyline is smooth, fast-paced and clever. She was a doctor who practiced in Philadelphia and can bring the medical scenes to life in a vibrant and exciting manner.

Although I have mentioned that Radclyffe used characters from an earlier series, “Passionate Rivals” can be read as a stand alone. However, readers will enjoy this book so much that they may wish to read the others.

I rate “Passionate Rivals” with 5 out of 5 stars.

I was given this ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

It was a pleasant surprise to learn that this book was a continuation of the Honor series by this author. This is a series I read voraciously. The story itself was a good one, and the writing was very good and held my interest throughout. The only issue I had was that the plot was somewhat formulaic, and there was not a lot that was original. I didn't dislike the book, but I didn't love it either. Would give this 3.5 if I could. Just not a 4.0 for me.

It was better than the most recent Radcliffe books. Don't get me wrong, I am a long life fan, but they just fall into too many cliches and unnecessary dynamics. No regrets on reading it but may have forgotten it already.

Rad bills this as a “new” series set in the PMC universe, but it read as part of that series to me. This one features Emmett as the PMC resident who is destined to become chief resident in her 5th year, and Syd, who works at another hospital and is also slated to be chief. A spanner gets thrown into the works when Syd’s hospital has to close their residency program (would it really happen that quickly and mid year?) and is thrust into PMC with her buddies. This leads to all sorts of angst amongst both sets of doctors and is supposed to set up a rivalry between Syd and Emmett for the chief spot (or they could end up sharing it). The other spanner is they know each other (intimately) and Emmett has never understood why Syd just disappeared.

I liked both Syd and Emmett, didn’t really like any of the other supporting characters, but did enjoy catching up with Quinn, Honor and Arly. The supposed rivalry amounts to not much, given that they both are very respectful of the other, and the solution is forecast well before the end, so it lacks any heat. The main problem is that we don’t find out why Syd left Emmett and what the big trauma in her life was until the 88% mark, although there are hints earlier. This book would have been way better if they’d cleared the air earlier, and if Rad had cut down some of the medical scenes out show the the two of them getting to know each other again, the fact that they didn’t know each other at all in the past is evident by what Syd reveals and Emmett’s lack of knowledge about it.

Rad also does that thing where one character (Emmett in this case) is sleeping their way around the hospital, in this day and age, I sincerely doubt that would be tolerated, especially in someone being groomed for a chief position where said behaviour could definitely come back to bite them.

This is a fairly typical Rad story, it’s not my favourite, but I did enjoy it, just would have liked more of a connection between the leads other than ‘we have amazing chemistry’. 3.5 stars.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was not impressed by this book. The main characters, Emmett and Sydney, once had a brief affair. They are both now up for the position in the hospital. Emmett appears to remember more of the affair than Sydney and wants to know why Sydney is acting like she doesn't remember at all. This goes on for more than half of the novel. Once we finally find out why, there is more muddling through of the characters. So much more could have been done with these characters. Emmett appeared to be very pathetic when around Sydney. Sydney was portrayed as unfeeling.
If you know these characters from previous books, you may want to find out where they are now, but I was not a fan.

I have never read a Radclyffe novel I didn't like. And this one is no exception. This one had much more of a medical theme and I found it very interesting. Just enough to make you feel like you were standing right beside the surgeon watching every move. The characters are rich and very likeable. And there is an ongoing mystery running through the romance that will give you a little jolt when it is revealed. Overall, a very enjoyable read.

Well, I knew it was about medical students book. however I was so chucked how much medical cases and drama was involved I skipped too much (when they were discussing a case or whatever) I thought the chemistry was not really that strong they did not make sense to me but the writing was beautifully done so I did not feel like stopping.

Emmett and Sydney are in their final rear of surgical residency. A lack of funding at Sydney's hospital sends her and her follow colleagues to PMC where Emmett is vying for chief resident spot. When Sydney arrives, she is suddenly Emmett's main competition. The two women work to balance their positions as colleagues and as rivals, and their attraction towards each other.

You can never go wrong with a book by Radclyffe, they're always solid, dependable good reads. I always enjoy reading their books and I can't resist a good medical romance. And the medical details are amazing, I don't know if they're correct, but as a reader they're exciting and the drama keeps the pages flying by. I haven't read Fated Love, that I'm seeing in other reviews is connected to this book, and I had no trouble losing myself in the book!

I. Love. Slow. Burn. The slower the better. It was balanced out by their high pressure, high stress, fast paced environment of residency which kept the book going.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good hospital drama on the TV, so I was looking forward to reading this book. And happily it doesn’t disappoint as in many ways it reads a bit like a script. It’s full of knowledgable medical details that create a tense atmosphere and great backdrop to the romance. The writing feels effortless as it is well crafted, although I think that is due to such an experienced author, who no doubt works very hard to make it appear so easy. A pleasant read.

Another great romantic novel by Radclyffe. I like how the story is set with characters that I know from her other novels. The story line is similar to her earlier novels of lost and found love.

Passionate Rivals is that kind of book that reminds you of the exceptional talent that this iconic author has pioneered in Lesbian fiction. Philadelphia Medical Center is the home of a reboot of the series that veteran characters Honor and Quinn call home, but this time centered around a new crew of surgical residents under their tutelage. Fortunately, this is a stand alone novel so you won’t feel like you’re stepping in the middle of a long established plot line. The pace of their residency is energetic and the attraction between Emmett and Sydney is mesmerizing and downright smokin’ hot. Their romance follows intriguing twists and turns that also draw in a fantastic supporting cast and I loved every minute of it. Another great offering from one of the best in this genre.

PMC has a sudden influx of interns from nearby Franklin Medical Centre when budget cuts force the closure of their internship programme. Emmett, a fourth year and in line for chief resident realises she might have to fight for her position and runs straight into her opposition. She met Sydney five years ago and her confusion and sense of loss never quite left her.

This is another fast-paced medical drama from Radclyffe. The trauma scenes are nail-biting, vibrant and it’s hard not to get caught up in the frenzy. It was great that Quinn and Honor from ‘Fated Love’ made an appearance because they’re one of those fiction couples I liked. The romance between Emmett and Syd is good but there were times I felt the drama of the surgeries overshadowed their connection and that the balance was a little off.

I would have liked a little more depth to Syd’s character and background and a stronger sense of what their first meeting was all about and how it came into being. That said, it was still an good read and fulfilled my medical fiction craving.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review

They always say write about what you know and when it comes to medical romance, nobody knows her material like Radclyffe does. Passionate Rivals (A PMC Hospital Romance #4) is a veritable wet dream when it comes to medical procedures, so if that’s your bag this is a must read.

There’s no need to get acquainted with the other books in the series before reading this one (not unless you want to of course) because I didn’t and I was able to read it without feeling lost. Honor and her wife Quinn from the first book Fated Love play a role but they come with their own little backstory so no worries there.

So yes, it’s heavy on the hospital part. We get a detailed view on what happens in the life of a resident – or better residential hell - a relentless rat-race where only the strongest survives to make it to the top. I loved to get a chance to watch over the shoulders of these capable people and to get a whiff of what it takes to be a medical superstar, but also what sacrifices they have to make in order to get there. Radclyffe is meticulous in her hospital scenes and it makes for a brilliant experience.

Emmett and Syd have tons of chemistry, that much is clear after they are unexpectedly thrown together by fate. There’s no denying something’s got to give. Emmett has a lot of questions and Syd is not willing to tell what made her do the thing she did 5 years ago. It is some major buried hurt that she is unwilling to dredge up (for now). I loved the drama and their mutual pining. The romance was what I’d come to expect from a Radclyffe novel. You have your dark-haired blue-eyed butch (noble, brooding and handsome – usually a player) falling hard for the fair-haired femme. It’s always somewhat bordering on the twee side and the sexy times are semi explicit (as in not in your face but more poetic). Not always something I’m in the mood for but hey, this time I was.

Radclyffe fans will buy this unseen. Romance readers who would like to find out what happens on a trauma ward and dip their toes into medical romance, this is a perfect book to get yourself started.

f/f

Themes: competition, A-type personalities, hospital life, the noble butch, surgeon superstars, what happens in the on call room hardly ever stays in the on call room.

4 stars

* A free copy was provided by Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc. for an honest review.

This book was so confusing to keep the characters and terminology straight, then I realized it was the fourth book in a series :(

I love all of Radclyffe books this was know difference.
It was great to get to know Syd and Emmett and all the other characters. I love when the author incorporates other characters from her other books it was great to see Honor Quinn and Arly even little scene with Linda. Looking forward to next book.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I absolutely loved this book. Once I got past the first couple of chapters I couldn’t put it down. I loved the storyline and especially catching up with previous characters from a previous novel from this author. I loved the main characters of Emmett & Syd and if I had to pick a favourite character it would have to be Syd. Looking forward to reading more on this new series by this author.

Highly recommend reading Fated Love before reading this book although not necessary.

I’m sorry to say I didn’t really enjoy this. The story was set in a medical hospital wher the author had previously set books that I hadn’t read and there were a lot of references to previous characters I felt like we were supposed to know about already.
The main love story I found dull. The best passages by far were those where the author was dealing with trauma and surgical situations those were faced paced, thrilling and I wanted more.
I ended up skim reading this, sadly disappointing but I would maybe give another of the authors books a try simply for the medical scenes, maybe a earlier one this time though.
I was given a ARC by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Passionate Rivals is a Radclyffe continuation in the series in the hospital setting from the books "Fated Love" and "Night Call" with a few of characters from these stories as supporting characters.

In "Passionate Rivals" Sydney and Emmett are rival surgical residents and meet again after unusual circumstances cause them to cross paths.

Passionate Rivals is well written, and while I'm not going to give away the plot; I will share if you've read the previous books, you might not find Passionate Rivals at the same depth of emotional storytelling. Don't let that stop you, as Passionate Rival is a great read! An enjoyable medical romance, with loving characters, and a beautiful theme on the journey to reinvent ourselves and the courage to be happy!

Radclyffe does stellar medical romances. The detail, the characters are always out of the pa Quinn again as well as a new dynamic due Sydney and Emmett.

Sydnerk good. Passionate Rivals is the fourth in the PMC Hospital Series. You will see Honer andy Stevens in nearing the end of her fourth year of her surgical residency. She is at the top and slated to be the next chief resident at Franklin Health Center Hospital. Her world and her career get spun into chaos when Franklin announces it has lost federal funding for their surgical program. Now Syd and a handful of other doctors are headed to a new program across town at PMC. To start all over with new mentors and new co-workers.

Emmett McCabe is the very best in her program, she knows it as well as everyone else. She is easily slated be be PMC's chief resident. Well that is until Sydney Stevens comes back into her life. Emmett knows Sydney from way back when and she is the one women Emmett has never been able to forget.

I loved the details of this book. You truly feel as if your standing on the hospital floor with Emmett and Sydney and their fellow doctors. The medical drama is done to perfection. However the romance I felt was a bit lacking. Still good mind you, Radclyffe's always are. I just would have liked more heat and tension. 

You know unequivocally you are going to get your money's worth when you read Radclyffe. This is no exception, not my favorite but a quality read nonetheless.