Description
An emergency physician and a waitress discover a mysterious connection in this lesbian medical romance with a twist.
Dr. Hope Finlay loves her job as an emergency room physician, especially since it allows her only brief encounters with her patients. She learned early in life not to get attached to anyone because it never lasts.
Laleh Samadi, a waitress at her aunt’s restaurant, is the exact opposite. She easily connects with people and loves her big, boisterous Persian family, despite their tendency to meddle in her life.
When Laleh needs to be rushed to the ER with heart trouble, Hope saves her life. Afterwards, strange things begin to occur: Why does Laleh suddenly know even the most obscure diseases, while Hope is fluent in Farsi?
Soon, they can no longer deny that there’s a mysterious connection between them—one that becomes stronger with each passing day.
Are they losing their minds…or their hearts?
Additional information
| Publication Date | September 2016 |
|---|---|
| Formats | epub (for Kindle Reader/Kindle Apps, for iBooks, Nook etc.), mobi, and pdf |
| Length | 109,000 words |
| Language | English |
| ISBNs | 978-3-95533-733-9 (mobi), 978-3-95533-734-6 (epub), 978-3-95533-735-3 (pdf) |
| Publisher | Ylva Publishing |
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If you encounter any problems, please select “Contact Us” from the menubar, and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.21 reviews for Heart Trouble by Jae
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Kurt – :
Right. This is a well written story with an unusual premise, almost science-fiction in separate moments, humorous in others but then always returning to the emotional questions which were it’s core. Trust me, the emotions of the two main characters are fleshed out and gone over. Unfortunately with this title there is not much to which I can point out that would not be a spoiler.
The book is written in such a way that it could’ve ended at three different points, but always trudges on to fully wrap up every loose end. I would sit back and think, “Oh, that was nice,” only to realize I was at the halfway point of the book – or at the 3/4 mark. The tension/deal breaker that was introduced felt overblown when it happened but then made sense to me later, so it was infinitely better than some ex returning to stir things up or some gross miscommunication with the main characters.
Likes: Jae has been at this for a while and she writes books without spelling or grammatical errors. The story flows and reading the book is effortless and somewhat compelling – or I was in the mood for just this kind of story. The main characters were lovely and I enjoyed getting to know them throughout the book which is no mean feat. Usually a character does something irritating along the way but not here. The questions the author brings up about free will and destiny in life and relationships were important and resolved.
Dislikes: Warning: This is purely personal and quite subjective. I don’t think I liked any of the supporting cast except the Aunt of Laleh. I get/got that they were PERSIAN. This did not need to be mentioned so often. The Persians I know (Iranians) or have met were very liberal and free and this story reads like the family just emigrated or something. They must have come during the Shah’s reign or shortly thereafter and should be/would have been considerably westernized.
I did not enjoy the cameos from other books Jae has written (Hollywood Series). I haven’t read them or didn’t finish them and the characters seemed like ghosts to me here. Dr. Jordan. Does she have her own book somewhere? I found her off-putting, base and not humorous. Some of the dialogue between other characters felt overlong and not possible in speech but this was rare.
Overall, 4.5 stars in my current mood. Recommended.
Dani – :
*ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review*
Usually I’m not the biggest fan of romance novels and even less do I usually read paranormal books as I’m a huge fan of crime and mystery. Lately I have started to make exceptions to this rule when it comes to Jae. Her books are well written, full of humor and not sappy.
Her newest book ‘Heart trouble’ takes us to Los Angeles, where Doctor Hope Finlay works in an emergency department. One day she has to resuscitate Laleh Samadi, who had been taken to the ER by her mother due to heart problems. Laleh survives and everything should be all right and back to normal but something happened. Both women have a mysterious connection afterwards and can first access knowledge of the other (like Hope speaks Farsi suddenly and Laleh knows all medical terms) and later feel the emotions of the other. This unusual connection brings them closer, they spend a lot of time together until friendship turns into more.
The question is: are these feelings really what both of them feel and are they drawn to each other because of the mysterious connection or because it’s real love.
I enjoyed the book a lot and couldn’t put it down until I finished it. Again, Jae wrote a wonderful story that will make you laugh and put a happy smile on your face.
For fans of Jae’s Hollywood series: you’ll get to meet Jill and Crash again and even Lauren and Grace have a short scene in the book.
Carolyn McBride – :
In the interest of honesty, I received a free ARC in exchange for a review.
When I first started reading ‘Heart Trouble’, I expected fluff and I was not disappointed. Romantic fluff is an important part of my sanity, it’s my refuge when the rest of the world gets crazy. This story allowed me to escape, and taught me a few things as well! I was pleased to see an element of multiculturalism, woven in such a way that it was a part of the story’s foundation. I fell in love with Laleh (and I cheered her aunt on too!), and I admit, I wanted to slap some courage into Hope from time to time. Her loss made her who she is, and she’s certainly in the right profession, and I found myself wishing she’d be braver. That being said, both characters had great growth.
There is an element of “supernatural” here, and I figured out early on the what happened and why of it before the characters did. And craved olives all over again… I enjoyed the extraordinary aspect (not going to give away what it is)
Honestly, I found myself a little envious of Laleh’s apartment! I was very pleased to see Crash and Jill make an appearance or three as well. I just love when we can see different characters all from the same ‘world’. I enjoyed being able to immerse myself in a world I already knew.
I was a little disappointed when the book was done, I thought I had flipped to the wrong page. It couldn’t really be all done, could it? I’d read it in less than two days?
This is a ‘comfort read’, as heartening and soothing as a cup of hot chocolate.
If you enjoy reading a well-crafted, realistic romance, this is your book!
Karola – :
*free ARC for a review*
To be honest, this is my first review! I really read alot, but this book was one I could read without wondering about missing a page or asking myself, what does this part or sentence mean. Although there are many words in Farsi (the persian language) or about medical stuff, the meaning is always explained. The story of Hope and Laleh is well written, with many laughs, smiling scenes and times when you have to watch out for your own heartbeat. The connection between them is sure a little crazy, but to imagine this could be possible… Just the scene where Hope’s in the shower pleasing herself while Laleh’s in the grocery store! A real laugh out loud moment! I also enjoyed to see Jill and Crash made their way into this book.
If you like a well written romance story, then I can recommend this book. And finally I admit it, I really like all of her books.
Lavita Stallworth – :
I liked this book a lot. I liked the supernatural aspect of it and I really liked the how you got to know each of the characters and you grew to like them. Spoiler: That being said I hated the ending I felt like their were still questions that needed to be answered at the end. I dont know if the author is planning on making a sequel to this book because of the unanswered questions or not but I feel like she should. To me a book is really good if i went away satisfied with the ending I was not satisfied.
jane shambler – :
What can I say Jae has done it again. Her talent as an author is astounding. This book has me from the first page. Although at the beginning it seemed as though it was going to be quite a serious story when in fact it had me laughing out loud. Now I hear you saying so what!? Let me set it up for you… there I was sitting on a hospital ward receiving treatment which at times can be painful and very tiring and there I was laughing, not giggling under my breathe but full belly laugh. I’ll give you a hint…Grocery store- cake mix- mosit at that…O.M.G. Hilarious. You have to read you got no choice now. Really well written. Enjoy.
Tara at The Lesbian Review – :
Heart Trouble is a very sweet book with an interesting, original premise. It wasn’t exactly what I expected out of a medical romance, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
The characters were great and I especially loved Laleh and her family. I was also happy to see Jill and Crash from Just Physical and the cameo from Lauren and Grace from Damage Control.
Damage Control and Under a Falling Star are still my favourites by Jae, but Heart Trouble is a solid book that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys contemporary romances.
I received a free copy from the publisher for an honest review.
Kim – :
Received a free ARC from the publisher for an honest review
Being a big fan of Jae’s prior novels, I had high expectations, and was not disappointed. As with her previous works, the story is well written and characters are developed throughout the book. Although I struggled a little with mystical aspect of the “connection” created between Dr. Hope Finlay and Laleh Samadi following their meeting in the ER, I did enjoy the complexity it introduced into their growing relationship. In addition, the differences in cultures with Lalah’s Persian family was a nice layer to the story as well.
Jae has written a wonderful story that will allow you to escape into the book and get to know these characters for a while. I love getting lost in a well-written romance where the story and relationship are the stars, and this one delivered for me. I enjoyed the appearances by Jill and Crash (as well as the mention of Grace and Lauren) from other books in Jae’s Hollywood series. Visiting with characters from past books is always a wonderful surprise, and makes me want to go back and reread them.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and as with prior books by Jae, couldn’t put it down until I finished it. The only dislike would be the character of Dr. Jordan. I felt like I was missing something with her. It was as if she was present in the story as an introduction, or perhaps a preview of a future story, but I was not sold on her needing to be a part of this plot.
pat iserman – :
“Heart Trouble”
I loved this story.
Laleh Samadi and Hope Finlay meet under life threatening circumstances.
Hope is an ER doctor,Laleh is a waitress in her Aunt Nasrin’s Persian restaurant.Laleh has a heart condition that causes her heart to beat too fast.She has a very bad episode that lands her in the ER with no pulse.Dr.Hope Finlay and her team go to work but all does not go as planned.
Jae’s fertile mind has thrown in a wonderfully creative wrench into this story.Her 2 main characters find themselves in a situation they never could have imagined and it was a pleasure following along with their struggles.
Highly recommended.
Now,does anyone have a recipe for “fesenjan”???
rrrahming2020 – :
At first, I didn’t know what to expect from this newest book from Jae. I was trying to get a sense of what it was about, and the type of story it was. Was this fantasy mixed with romance? Or was this just a story not set in a fantasy world, but about something weird that happens to these two ordinary women with no special powers? I decided on the latter and just dived in.
I was very worried the first few chapters, because I couldn’t figure out how these two very different women would get together and eventually fall in love. The different cultural backgrounds made that even more unlikely, because the Laleh character’s roots were firmly ingrained as a Persian-American. On the flip side, Hope, was a see-it-to-believe-it science minded doctor who was very comfortable being unattached and keeping people at arm’s length. These reasons alone had me asking out loud at times, how the heck will these two come together?
Then it happened. Jae weaved something magical between these two and through the connection they shared, and spending time getting to know one another, you see the little signs of love start to grow. I don’t know how Jae did it, but she did it!
I liked that Jae brought the reader around to her way of seeing this romance come alive. That’s the best way to describe how these characters meet, befriend, and then fall in love.
Something else about this that was a nice surprise was Jae bringing in Jill and Crash from Just Physical from her Hollywood series. It was nice to see these characters here; I actually liked Jill more here than in Just Physical. Lol.
Overall, I ended up liking this one by Jae. Sometimes with Jae’s books she’s either a big hit with me, other times, some of her books miss the mark with me. I’m glad that this one turned out to be better than I imagined.
Karen Mcintosh – :
I absolutely adored this book and found it to be deeply emotional, extremely romantic and one that really had me by the heart strings. Laleh comes into contact with Hope when she is rushed into ER with a heart problem but nothing could prepare either of them for the connection between them that results. Without giving too much away, they become bonded to each other in a very unusual way and start to feel things that neither imagined was possible. I loved Laleh as she was so contented, kind and part of a very loving family. She brought all of this to the relationship and helped Hope change and feel open to emotions and being with another person completely. I found the descriptions of Laleh’s family really interesting and the Persian food, language and traditions was fascinating. Also bringing in characters from Jae’s other books in the Hollywood series was a winner with me. Jill and Crash are great characters and certainly added to this story. The love scenes were really intense and beautiful and made it all the more emotional. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
I was given this ARC free by Ylva in return for an honest review.
Ana Leamaro – :
*free ARC for a review*
I first would like to state that JAE is one of my favourite authors and I read all her books. I thought the Hollywood series was not as good as the others I’ve read before so I had great expectations for this one specially when I read the summary and there were Doctors and strange paranormal connections.
I can not say that I didn’t like the book, because I did, but I was extremely disappointed because I thought the plot was very basic and uninteresting. Compared with other books from JAE there was no plot at all. The story could be explored in very different directions much more interesting, it could explore more the medicine side or than the paranormal side. It could also explore the Persian culture side that it’s liberal and not as extremist or conservative as it’s portrait now a days.
The main characters are just ok, they could be better developed. The love story is romantic and not overly dramatic, it has several moments that make you laugh and others that make you smile. I always like a book with a sense of humour.
The support characters were extremely boring, specially Jordan, Hope’s best friend. I didn’t understand why Jill from the Hollywood series shows up, it’s a little out of place.
The feeling that I had about this book is that the motto was great but there wasn’t enough time to properly mature and develop a much interesting story. So 3 stars for the story and another one because it’s a Jae’s book.
pharridge – :
I love medical romance novels and this one didn’t disappoint. The story is interesting with well developed characters that make you want to find out more about them. I won’t go into writing about the story itself as I think the book blurb sums it up well.
Laleh and Hope definitely have a stronger connection than most that is highlighted by their almost symbiotic relationship throughout the book. I’m not great with the supernatural or unexplained happenings but it works well within this story. Meeting literally by a shock, Laleh and Hopes lives are destined to intertwine more than most. Jae has a great writing style that puts you right in with the characters hopes, dreams, desires and fears. I like the fact that she had characters from another of her books in the story.
Definitely worth a read.
I received an arc copy in return for an honest review.
Roe – :
One of the main characters in Heart Trouble is an emergency room doctor.Jae’s portrayal of Dr. Hope Finlay is one of compassion, intelligence, and when needed a stoical persona. Doctors need to keep their emotions in check otherwise they will not be able to do their job on a daily basis. When Hope uses a defibrillator to save her patient’s life, she accidentally gets jolted along with her patient, Laleh. Strange feelings and knowledge start to take place, at first unknowingly, between Hope and Laleh. This is when Jae’s characters display a roller coaster of emotions relating to different situations they find themselves in. For example, Hope has a craving for Persian food and knows exactly which restaurant to go to…even though she has never been there before. The restaurant just happens to owned by Laleh’s aunt and where she works. Laleh has the knowledge of an emergency room doctor and loves olives.
Eventually, Hope and Laleh figure out this craziness that they are experiencing is connected to them and the ER mishap with the defibrillator.
Two strangers can now feel and sense joy, sorrow, compassion…as each other experiences them in real time. How can they deal with these emotions, especially for Hope who has always tried to keep her emotions hidden? It’s not easy, but Jae skillfully allows the reader to step into their shoes and feel the emotions along with these characters.
This book is very well written and researched. Heart Trouble is highly recommended and will not disappoint the reader.
I received an ARC for an honest review.
Nadine Stamminger – :
I´m a huge fan of romances and lovestorys so I was thrilled to get the chance to read this book in advance. I already read some of Jae´s works and knew I can expect a solid book well written and with no errors and even with an amazing and advanced style of writing easy to understand for me as not native englishspeaker. The more I appreciated the appereance of former main charackters from her other books in this novel, I can’t describe the feeling but it felt so coherent that her works connect so well with each other and gave the story earthiness with all the spiritual connection between the to main Character Dr. Hope Finlay and Laleh Samadi
I felt in love with the character from the first moment on. They are well portrayed and I love how Jae played very well with the characteristics a special group of people has (in this case persian and doctors).
At the beginning I had no idea how this two woman can become a union because they are so different from each other Laleh the persian beauty with a big traditional persian family and Hope a pragmatic scientist who tried to keep people and emotions far enough from herself to not get hurt.
But they found their way together first as friends and then they found love in each other.
I enjoyed this book a lot, it only took me about 3 evenings I couldn’t resist to go to bed early with a nice tea, warm blanket and this book 😉
I received an ARC for an honest review.
Millie Ireland – :
“Only Connect” – Heart Trouble Tells us What it is Like when you Actually Do
When I was a teenager, I read EM Forster’s Howard’s End. In Chapter 22 comes the often-quoted exclamation: “Only connect!…the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer.” The yearning to truly, fully connect made a powerful impression on me. To my teenage mind, true love would be transcending, a profound and passionate fitting together. If I were to ever find my true love, I would share everything.
In Heart Trouble, Jae takes the idea of connection and pushes it to its limits. What if two people become truly, intimately connected? What if each can feel what the other feels? What if they can no longer tell where one’s sensations end and the other’s begins? Jae uses each of these “What ifs” to create an engaging and truly moving love story, in parts laugh-out-loud funny and elsewhere achingly sad. True connection may be the ideal, but that does not always make it easy – or even desirable.
The two people at the heart of Jae’s story are Laleh Samadi and Hope Finlay. Laleh works in her aunt’s restaurant and plans to one day run her own. Hope is an ER doctor. They meet in the Emergency Room of the hospital in which Hope works, and their first encounter is truly electrifying for them both. Though they are entirely different, they are drawn to each other and find themselves to be connected in ways that neither can explain. They soon learn that to be so intimately connected has its drawbacks, and the heart of the story lies in their exploration of their attraction, their shared understandings and what it is that really holds them together.
While this novel could be classified as a medical romance, it also draws in elements of paranormal fiction. If you have read titles from Jae’s Shape-Shifter or Vampire Diet Series, you will recognise the playfulness with which she develops the paranormal storyline, as if it were entirely…well, normal. To make the most of feast to which Jae is treating you, I’d recommend that you suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride. In parallel, the storyline draws you in to Hope’s medical world and Laleh’s Persian cuisine, so that by the final pages you can toss medical terms about confidently as you grow hungry for adas polo.
As in all her novels, Jae is meticulous in her crafting of this tale. The strength of the storyline is matched by attention to production detail.
This is a wonderful story that I urge you to read and enjoy. To borrow Forster’s words, live in fragments no longer. Immerse yourself in the totality of this tale, and connect fully with the characters as they work their way through their very special relationship. You’ll be glad you took the time to do so!
Review of an Advance Reader Copy from Ylva
Cheryl H – :
Heart Trouble earns a rating of 4.5 stars.
Laleh Samedi is a waitress working for her aunt in the family restaurant. She is part of a large, loving extended family. One night her heart starts to race and she collapses in the ER of a large Los Angeles hospital. In the process of reviving Laleh a literal connection is made with Hope Finley, the ER doctor who saved her life. Think of this connection as the Universe saying, “what must I do to get you two to notice each other?”
This is another wonderfully written book by Jae. The romance is complex as are the two leads. The action in the ER is exciting and feels real as does living in a Persian America family. The attention to detail is amazing. The secondary characters are three dimensional and have purpose. The conclusion to this book is just right.
This is a lovely romance, well written and well edited. I recommend Heart Trouble
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Enrico – :
This romance by Jae is quite a light reading, but a warm, embracing one.
It’s one of those stories that make you feel well. It had a sort of soothing effect on me, washing away the stress of the workdays in the simple waters of good, positive feelings. It gently brought me back the desire to read in a moment I didn’t have any.
The touch of supernatural gives the novel a glimmer of magic, the sensation that sometimes the universe is benign. Sometimes a bit of serendipity is nice.
The characters are both lovable, sweet and brave in their different ways. The special connection they experience between each other is the distinctive trait of the story, its surprise, its charm, and the only thing I’m going to say about it is that it’s something that the everyone would like to experience, at least in some measure, with the right person.
Who knows? Maybe it’s possible.
Sandra Meier (verified owner) – :
It was like everytime I’m reading a book from Jae, already after a few pages I’was in the middle of the story and I couldn’t put down the book.
I really love Jae’s writing style. She combines funny dialogs and situations with a heart-warming love story and interesting details about the characters and their lives.
The story of Hope and Laleh is funny, sometimes a little scary and a beautiful romance. The two woman grew up in very different families. Laleh, the Persian-American, grew up in a big family where everybody knows almost everything about the others. Her parents, who would like it very much, if she would go for a big and well paid job or at least get a doctor as husband. But her heart makes troubles in more than one way. She loves the job as a waitress in her aunt’s restaurant and sometime in the future she will take over the restaurant. It’s exciting to see as Laleh explores the growing friendship with Hope, the doctor who has saved her life, but is it only friendship? So maybe in the future, she will really have a doctor on her side, who knows?!
Hope, the doctor has a completely different story. Never knew her father and lost her mother very early, she has built a wall around her heart. She never let anyone too close, that they would really matter. She doesn’t want to lose another person. But Laleh is working to tear off the wall bit by bit. Hope is working as a ER doctor in hospital and she was never interested in her patients after they leaving the ER. But why can’t she forget this nice Persian-American woman?
After Hope saved Lalehs life, the two of them experience a very special bond with each other, you will never reveal what kind of bond. So you have to read the book. It’s a beautiful story about friendship and family. I give this story 5 stars.
velvetlounger – :
Jae has taken a new tack with her latest novel, Heart Trouble, and branched out into a medical drama. The premise is unusual, gives her a really wide scope to explore emotional connections – and would fit into a paranormal category.
Dr Hope Findlay is an emotionally repressed ER doc who hs devoted her life to her work and cut off almost everything else. Laleh Samadi is a warm loving and highly emotive woman with a rich Persian background, including the meddling family. They meet by accident when Laleh’s heart palpitations land her in Hop’s ER department and a small mistake with the defib machine creates and unusual bond between them.
This is an out and out romance of the sweetest kind. Two opposites who would normally expect to have nothing in common, are brought together by a powerful link and the empathy between them in palpable in Jae’s writing. As always her characters are extremely well drawn, three dimensional, very human. In this book they are even deeper and more rounded than before because the whole premise of the story is about their emotional bond.
Jae – biogThe secondary characters are charming, from bffs to Laleh’s extended family, there is a warmth and love that permeates. Even when the family tension rises, it is love which shines through and wins out.
Heart Trouble is an absolutely lovely story, a sweet natured romance with a hot slow burn attraction. As usual with Jae you definitely get your money’s worth. An unusual plot and Jae’s normal excellent writing style put this way up the list for top notch traditional romances this year.
(publisher review copy received)
Ameliah Faith – :
YAY!!!!
In this wonderful book, we get to see Jill and Grace and their wives from the Hollywood Series. Its always fun to see old friends from the past.
Laleh is a sweet Persian woman with a huge meddling family. She ends up in hospital where Hope is her Dr. Through an accident, something fantastic and horrible happens to the two of them…
I adore Jae’s work and this book only cemented that fact. I found the story delightful and the writing very well done. There was a lot of technical medical terms and procedures that were spot on. There are also some bits of Farasi “spoken” that were explained in English. Very well done and lots of fun to learn bits in a new to me language!!
This romance is a sweet page turner that held my interest throughout the book. While I hated to see the story end, it did so perfectly leaving everything tied up nice and neat. Now, if you will excuse me, I am off to read the Hollywood series again before I go through this precious story a second time!