In every clique or group, there are always some individuals who are hiding in the shadows or are simply not as visible compared to their peers. This book is a great representation for the less glamorous, one where these characters take centre stage and claim the right to their own story.

Pierce, a PA (Physician Assistant), recently dumped by her ex, was on an escape mission to Boston City Hospital to get over her heartbreak. When she met Cassidy, a new resident in her hospital, what appears to be a promising romance is threatened by history in Cassidy’s past.

I liked that both Pierce and Cassidy, even when holding less superior professions (compared to the pair of surgeons - Galen and Rowan) and was fumbling around with their new relationship had their own story even when they could have been easily overshadowed by the solid and established power couple. It just goes to show that in the face of gorgeousness, beauty, glam and power, everyone deserves to have their story told too.

I just reviewed First Do No Harm by Emily Smith. #NetGalley

First do no harm by Emily Smith is set in the medical field and I really enjoy a good medical romance. This one about a heartbroken PA Pierce and ER resident Cassidy with troubles in her past was okay. The story was fine, I liked the interaction between Pierce, Cassidy, Galen and Rowan (The last two you could have encountered in an earlier book) but it wasn't great. There were some inconsistencies within characters (like Pierce being a serial monogamist, but also a very experienced player like her niece and then all of sudden very insecure about her sexual capabilities) it took me out of the flow and kept me from really connecting with the characters.
All in all, not a bad book and I will pick up a future one from this writer, but at the moment there are better books out there more enjoyable to read.

Reeling from the breakup of a long term relationship, Pierce Parker heads to Boston and a new job thanks to her surgeon cousin, Galen. Pierce is a PA (Physician Assistant ) who clearly likes her job. I always enjoy a good medical drama. The scenes in the emergency department felt realistic,whirlwind and true to life.

Her first meeting with the new emergency resident, Dr. Cassidy Sullivan also felt realistic. Cassidy knows her way around a hospital thanks to her own personal journey. When the two team up to save a life the reader knows it’s only a matter of time before they fall in love. This is an instalove romance with Pierce and Cassidy both fighting the attraction they have for each other. Pierce is not sure she is ready to commit and leans heavily on her cousin Galen to soothe her butch nerves. Cassidy has her own issues which make her feel unworthy and unwilling to commit fully to Pierce. Her friendship with Galen’s girlfriend Rowan helps her when the going gets rough.

This was a quick read with bumps in the budding relationship between Pierce and Cassidy telegraphed early and handled poorly by Cassidy. I usually like the butch/femme dynamic but it felt overplayed in First Do No Harm. I didn’t read the book featuring Galen and Rowan but found Galen to be unlikeable and arrogant. Rowan and her warm heart saved the romance for me, helping out Cassidy when she needed to sort out her feelings and allow Pierce to be there for her in good times and bad.

3 Stars

ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.

This was an easy book to read. Nothing too big or dramatic happens, so if you're wanting a simple love story - this is it.

I thought the authors ER knowledge was cool. She works there, so it's more realistic than a lot of other medical books. And there is a nice mixture of the love story and the medicine.

This book also has quite a bit of Galen and Rowen from the author's first story, "All of Me". If you were a fan of that book, it's nice to get chapters from their life again. And they are still going strong!

Overall, and easy breezy book. If you liked the first one, you'll like this one.

Physician Assistant, Pierce Parker, was unlucky in love in Atlanta, so she relocates to Boston City Hospital to put her past girlfriend, Katie, behind her. She begins dating again but the spark just isn't there with the few women that she meets for first dates. She laments that she will never find "the one" with that magical chemistry and explosive first kiss. Rowan and Galen from All of Me are back in this book with Galen being Pierce's cousin.

Dr. Cassidy Sullivan, a new emergency medicine resident, left Rhode Island after her residency program was disbanded not too far into that program. Early during her residency at Boston City Hospital, Cassidy meets Pierce and they start to hang out as friends. However, Cassidy and Pierce quickly connect as friends and more with a chemistry that is quite explosive.

This book for me was a quick read, I enjoyed all four characters as well as the friendship element between Cassidy and Rowan and the cousin/friendship element between Galen and Pierce. It seemed realistic that they would support each other given their backgrounds. The crisis that happens in the story felt reasonable given the one main character's past medical history and other character's past relationship issues. I would recommend this book to others. 4 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Pierce Parker left Atlanta after her girlfriend broke her heart and moved to Boston where her cousin Galen (you’ll remember her from All of Me if you have read it, which I haven’t) helped her get a job as a physician assistant. Once settled, she feels ready to date again but no one feels right, until she meets Cassidy Sullivan, a new emergency medicine resident. The two women hit it off right away, but Cassidy’s past and Pierce’s insecurities threaten their relationship.

A word of advice: when a woman looks at you with “longing? Curiosity? Fondness? (…) whatever it was, it was intense”, do not assume she’s “just a coworker, or maybe a friend at best”. Especially if you’re a character in a lesbian romance novel. It makes no sense.

The main problem with this novel is that it’s frustrating. I could get over the characters’ immaturity, we all have our journey and some take longer than others (and Cassidy’s got excuses). That’s okay. The story itself is okay – with some really moving parts –, the characters didn’t grab me but they’re okay too. My problem is more with the writing itself, or the editing, I don’t know exactly. Some things don’t make sense, and after a while, it gets annoying. One example: Pierce knows she’s good in bed because many of her former lovers have told her so (yeah, she can be a little obnoxious when she’s talking to herself, she’s a lot more charming with others) then a few chapters later, she’s trying to remember “anyone who might have said she held any kind of skills whatsoever under the sheets”. And why does she need her cousin’s advice on what to do with a woman if that advice is what the reader has been told she’s been doing all along? That’s just one example but there are other times where the characters contradict themselves and also quite a few repetitions – I’m not talking about voluntary stylistic ones.

I have read worse books but this one is annoyingly inconsistent. There are a few strokes of brilliance here and there, but not enough to choose First Do No Harm over most of the novels being released right now.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Rowan and Galen, the main characters in All of Me, were secondary characters in this book. I was happy to see that these characters played a prominent role in this story. Their relationship and its struggles were also somewhat similar to what Cassidy and Pierce went through.

Dr. Cassidy Sullivan and PA Pierce Parker were the newest members of the Boston City Hospital staff. Pierce left Atlanta after her girlfriend abruptly ended their one year relationship. Cassidy left Rhode Island after her residency program was disbanded at that hospital. Throughout the story Pierce sought the advice of her cousin Galen both professionally and personally. Rowan became Cassidy’s confidant.
Pierce was a serial monogamist, but she was afraid of falling too quickly again for someone and getting her heart broken. However, Pierce and Cassidy quickly connected on all levels. As their relationship intensified, they looked forward to the future, but a serious event in Cassidy’s past threatened their relationship.

Both characters were likable, but Pierce’s vulnerability in her personal life made her even more likable and realistic. I enjoyed the interactions between the four characters, especially between Pierce and Galen. They displayed good-natured ribbing and emotional support when needed. I also enjoyed seeing Galen and Rowan’s love story evolve with a sense of maturity and a total commitment to each other.

Personally, the story angst moment was very relatable. When you place yourself in that same mindset as Cassidy, you sometimes don’t think clearly. You think you are doing the right thing, but you only end up hurting those you love. Cassidy’s initial thoughts was to protect Pierce and allow her to live her own life. So that emotional thinking angst moment to me was justifiable.

As with All of Me, I enjoyed the medical aspect of this storyline as well and actually wished there was more of that. I did think the ending could have used a few more pages. Overall, this was an interesting and enjoyable read.


An ARC was given for an honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author Emily Smith for providing me with an ARC of First Do No Harm!

Okay, who doesn’t love a book about lesbians that’s set against a medical backdrop?! I so, so enjoyed this! I love that the author had first-hand experience in this environment, too. It brought a whole new perspective to the game. I didn’t read “All of Me,” but that didn’t hurt my understanding of this novel at all. Truly an enjoyable read that I recommend!

Thank you again to those named above for the chance to read and review this ARC!

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

This was great medical romance.

Pierce is a Physician assistant who hasn’t been great in love the department. Having moving to Boston after having an awful break up she still feels that her true love in out there even though after series of dates she starts to question if this is true.

Dr. Cassidy is the new emergency resident when she and Pierce meet Pierce feels that spark that has been missing from her dates and Cassidy feels it to but Cassidy is hiding something and when her past come into the present will their romance survive or go under.

I like both characters and the chemistry is there but I wish the conflicts was handled better. I did enjoy the bond between Pierce and Galen who we find out are cousins and I enjoy the friendship that develop between Cassidy and Rowan if you don’t know Galen and Rowan they were first couple in the first book All Of Me I like that they were secondary characters and supporting Pierce and Cassidy.

Physician assistant Pierce Parker was not so lucky in the love department. Moving to Boston after an awful breakup, she went on random dates, trying to experience sparks again to no avail. But it was more than just sparks when the hospital's new resident Dr. Cassidy Sullivan came along. As Cassidy's past caught up with her, would the pair be strong enough to push through all obstacles?

I wish I could say I liked the story, but it was only okay. This medical romance did not work for me as well as I had hoped.

The best things about "First Do No Harm" were probably the bond between cousins Pierce Parker and Dr. Galen Burgess, and the friendship between their girlfriends, Dr. Cassidy Sullivan and Dr. Rowan Duncan. I liked how the cousin duo were very open with each other and able to discuss love and sex. It was also great that Rowan went out of her way to make sure her partner's cousin and Cassidy were settling well in Boston. For more of Galen and Rowan, they had their own book "All of Me" which I have not read.

As for the writing, the word choices and conversations were a bit bland due to repetition. Subsequently, the characters suffered from the loss of individuality. "First Do No Harm" is not a long book, and I felt there were too many internal struggles in too few pages. Also, the rising action was relatively long, making the resolution abrupt and denouement too short. But I guess the too slow build was mainly caused by the plot line being a little all over the place. There were a lot of random scenes and that unfortunately made the book unmemorable.

That being said, I do see potential in this mildly enjoyable book, and I would gladly read future works by Smith.

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. I really liked this book, the connection between Pierce and Cassidy was instantaneous and their story was amazing to read about. Crazily enough I did not like the book prior to this that was about Rowan and Galen and yet as I read this one with them as secondary characters I loved them. I am going to be giving "All Of Me" another read. I was deeply entranced by this one, it is a must read!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review 'First Do No Harm".

This is an enjoyable lesbian romance set amongst medics and health professionals in a busy Boston hospital's Emergency department. So there in a nutshell is one of my favourite genres. And when an author has first-hand experience of the environment, it just adds additional authenticity and other dimensions to the reading experience.

Superficially everything seems fine with these characters. Gorgeous, intelligent professional women skilled at their chosen occupations, successful and generous too. And the storyline moves nicely along with these factors into the mix. There is a lot to like about this novel. It reads well, the characters literally leap of the page which a couple of minor proofing errors doesn’t deter from.

When the drama came, I admit at being disappointed with how the conflict of emotions was handled by one of the main characters.. If you loved someone would you seriously do that to them? Knowing what had gone before? In spite of warnings? And then well it was one aspect of the book that jarred with me. Trust is so complicated ..

Would I read it again? More than likely. For 5 * I would have needed to see more characters' development over the big issues. It was all late in the day and if only the character had kept in mind the title of the book.