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Loading... After Hours: (InterMix)by Cara McKenna
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  WhiskeyintheJar | Apr 27, 2024 |    ) DebJack | Jul 28, 2023 |  ) kbranfield | Feb 3, 2020 | The characters weren't as interesting and I didn't feel like her place of work was an actual place or the things that happened there would actually take place there. I probably wouldn't recommend this for anyone looking for genuine depictions of mental illness (though I'm sure McKenna did some research) the whole thing just feels unnecessarily gritty and was pretty boring. (  ) lydia1879 | Feb 1, 2020 | 5 Stars Seeking a job closer to her sister and nephew, Erin Coffey takes a high risk nursing position in the locked ward of the Larkhaven Psychiatric Hospital. On her first day, Erin meets Kelly Robak, the physically intimidating and powerfully sexy orderly who epitomizes everything she doesn't want in a man. But Erin is drawn to Kelly's strength and finds herself agreeing to his not so subtle indecent proposal … will this be just a one night stand or will something deeper develop if Erin and Kelly can open themselves up to the possibility? Wow! This books is amazing, incredible, fantastic and (insert your favorite adjective here)! Even though After Hours is classified as erotica and there are numerous and detailed sex scenes, the intimacy between Erin and Kelly goes far beyond the physical, and the emotional depth of their connection increases as their relationship develops. Due to her family history, Erin is wary of large and intimidating men and immediately jumps to the wrong conclusions when meeting Kelly. Yes, he is huge and scarred and scary, but he is also an amazingly gentle and deeply caring person. His dynamics with the mentally disturbed patients on the ward reveals a strength of spirit and goodness of heart that bely his formidable physical appearance. Although Erin soon realizes her errors in judgment, it takes time for her to overcome her prejudices and the question of whether she is able to open herself up to love is a central conflict in the story. Suffice it to say that Kelly is well worth the effort. The setting of the Larkhaven Psychiatric ward is original and gripping. McKenna manages to skillfully and subtly convey the threat that the patients pose, yet at the same time evokes strong feelings of empathy for their circumstances and suffering. The audiobook narration is very good. It does take a couple of chapters to get used to Lucy Rivers' slow, clear pronunciation, yet once immersed in the story, her performance heightens the emotional and physical intensity of the situations, and her voices for both the male and female characters are well done. All in all, a terrific romance with wonderfully engaging characters and I cannot recommend the book enough to anyone who enjoys a powerful romance. (  ) Lauren2013 | May 24, 2018 |
 ( this review was originally published at Dear Author) After Hours is a gritty romance. It’s set in the economic wreck that is much of the state of Michigan. The protagonists work a “high security ward designed specifically for men who suffered from persistent, disruptive psychotic episodes.” The book is has poverty, violence, and people who just barely make it through each day. The hero and heroine share a relationship that, in the first half of the novel, some may deem abusive. As I read it I so did not want to be anyone or anywhere in the book. It made me grateful for my cushy, safe life. It reminded me how protected I am. It made me, at times, uncomfortable. It is a harsh tale well-told and I like it so much I’ve read it three times in the past month. ... If I had to label After Hours, I’d call it an erotic romance. Ms. McKenna devotes a large portion of the book to graphically detailing the sexual encounters between Erin and Kelly. These encounters are combative and caring; they work to show the fragile bond that Erin and Kelly build almost in spite of themselves. Erin and Kelly are only truly comfortable when they are in charge. They are care givers not care takers and neither can easily accept support from the other. Both are good people, human, but good..... Ms. McKenna is a decisive and strong writer. Her descriptions of the patients and the employees at Larkhaven are unsentimental and clear. She accurately depicts the pecking order–from the physicians down to the kitchen workers–that exists in every medical institution. She manages to show each of her characters as complex. In the world she creates, there are no stereotypes, no easy to peg personas. She writes with compassion, humor, and intelligence; I can’t imagine anyone faulting the picture she paints of psychotic patients and their caregivers. There isn’t much of anything to fault in this novel....The barriers to Erin’s and Kelly’s happiness are real and not easily overcome. The ways that they...change are incremental and feel true. By the novel’s end, the promises Kelly and Erin make to one another are blunt, beautiful, and believable.
Erin Coffey has been a nurse for years, but nothing's prepared her for the physical and emotional demands of her new position. Needing to move closer to her dysfunctional family, she takes a dangerous job at Larkhaven Psychiatric Hospital, where she quickly learns that she needs protection-and she meets the strong, over-confident coworker who's more than willing to provide it. Kelly Robak is the type of guy that Erin has sworn she'd never get involved with. She's seen firsthand, via her mess of a sister, what chaos guys like him can bring into a woman's life. But she finds herself drawn to him anyway, even when he shows up at her door, not eager to take no for an answer. What Erin finds even more shocking than Kelly's indecent proposal is how much she enjoys submitting to his every command. But he can't play the tough guy indefinitely. If they want to have more than just an affair, both will have to open up and reveal what they truly need. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.82)
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Wikipedia in English
5
Never pass-up a McKenna book if you can. (