REVIEW: Doing No Harm by Carla Kelly

In Doing No Harm by Carla Kelly, Newly retired surgeon Captain Douglas Bowden is setting out to find the perfect town in which to start his own small practice, preferably away from the coast after his years with the Royal Navy. On his way through the Scottish Lowlands, he finds himself waylaid in the coastal town of Edgar where they are in need of a surgeon. And so begins a new journey for Douglas as he becomes more taken with the townspeople, assisting in their daily struggles to survive, and his growing feelings for lovely business owner Miss Olive Grant.

Captain Douglas Bowden, surgeon, late of the Royal Navy, looked around and saw a simple village, one of thousands he had done his best to keep safe from Napoleon, and it touched his heart. “We did it for you,” he said to the distant little girls. “We would do it again.”

Striving to do her best to keep the good people of Edgar fed and safe has been Olive’s priority in running her Tearoom. And that includes the proud Highlanders who have come ashore since being exiled from their land to the North. But she knows her funds will only hold out for so long and is in search of a solution when Captain Bowden appears in town. Hoping she has an ally in saving Edgar, Olive prays Douglas will decide to stay and realize the good he has brought to both the town and to her own heart as well.

‘She had found the man she loved; there was never any guarantee that such a fellow would reciprocate. The kiss strongly indicated that he might, but there was a much bigger issue at stake in Edgar, and they both knew it.’

Doing No Harm was a beautifully written Historical Romance that held me captivated from page one. Based on what actually took place in Scotland during the Highland Clearances and set at the end of the Napoleonic war, I am not ashamed to say that this novel brought me to tears more than once over the plight of our characters.

“Do you ever want to help the whole world, Captain?” she asked.
“Only my entire life,” he assured her. “We’ll start small here in Edgar.”

Carla Kelly is my go-to author when I want emotional tales written from the perspective of everyday common people. No matter the time period, I know I will be able to relate to the characters, their struggles, and the overall message of the story. That was absolutely the case with Doing No Harm. I loved that Douglas couldn’t help his compassionate nature from shining through, remaining the upstanding surgeon even in his newfound retirement. And Olive’s attempt to feed and nourish her small community on her own limited funds spoke to me of a women with a huge heart who had so much love to give to those in need.

Now I know there will be some readers who might find this story a bit too sweet or will think that everything was resolved too perfectly, but after the heart-wrenching tales of what these people had to endure, I thought the ending was perfection. Again, this book is based on what happened in Scotland in the 1790s and into the 1800s, with Highlanders being exiled from their own land in atrocious ways. With Carla Kelly being a historian, Douglas and Olive’s journey had a ring of authenticity to it that made me feel more invested in how things were resolved for them and their small coastal village of Edgar.

Filled with Scottish pride, genuinely lovely people and their steely resolve, this is a story that is best read slowly in order to savor every scene and every emotionally-fueled passage. Highly recommended.

Book Info:

Michele H| 5 Stars | HJ Top Pick | No |
Publication: Published November 10th 2015 | by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media |

Douglas felt his face grow warm when Olive sat across from him. With no hesitation, she took his hand in hers.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Bowden. How on earth could anyone go through a lifetime of war and not have a bad dream or two?” She released his hand and just looked at him, her face so pleasant. He couldn’t think of a time he had seen such kindness, which made her nearly beautiful.

When war-weary Surgeon Douglas Bowden, recently retired from the Royal Navy, decides to set up a country practice, he wants to be far away from the ocean. But upon seeing a seriously injured boy in Edgar, Douglas rushes to help and finds himself in a Scottish fishing village right next to the sea.

There he meets Olive Grant, she of the Scottish fiery temperament who has long ago given up on romance and marriage. Promising to stay for only a few days until the boy is better, Douglas learns that Edgar has more problems than solutions. Little does he know that it’s his heart that needs the most loving care–and that Edgar (and Olive) are the perfect remedy.

The best healing doesn’t always take place inside the doctor’s office in this brand-new regency romance from master storyteller Carla Kelly.