I loved San Diego as the setting for this book! It was pretty authentic to the vibe of the city and it was fun to recognize streets, landmarks, and neighborhoods. I wish that I had read the first book in the series before this one so I could have read about Taylor and Seth's previous experiences together, but I didn't feel like I was thrown in the middle of an ongoing story. Themes of grief and trauma are front and center in the lives of the crisis team members and ER nurses, as well as hope for the future and moving on- especially in Taylor's case. The pace of the book starts quickly, but then settles into a much slower pace as the thoughts and angst of the characters are explored - mostly through the viewpoints of Seth and Taylor, but we also have scenes from the perspective of ER nurses Sloane and Kasie. They provide a subplot, which also has an impact of the climax of the book. I wasn't a fan of the love triangle, and wished that the majority of Seth and Taylor's time together wasn't so platonic- although their friendship was great once she decided to stop being so cold to him. I feel like Taylor's need for control to overcome her grief prevented her from feeling emotions, especially ones she didn't understand or want to feel or fit into her vision for the future. It's one of the lessons she learned in the story, but it also had the side effect of dampening the romance until the very end.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

How to move from the raw place to the controlled one. But...do we want the control or do we want the peace?

Nurse Taylor Cabot has her plan with the to-do list. She needs to move from her grieve for her deceased husband. So she puts his items away, she dates a handsome surgeon and she plans to cut off her part in the Crisis Response team. But...something about being a chaplain for the people hurt by the crisis stirs her heart. So does Seth Donovan, the dedicated mentor a.ka.a "the chaplain to the chaplains". But as the questions about her husband´s last hours emerge, Taylor is not sure about the truth and the lies anymore. How much more can she take? Can she ever cope with her pain?

This is a second volume in the Crisis Team series, but can be read as a standalone novel.

There is much rawness and reality in this book, which I like very much. I understand Taylor, and even more I can understand her nemesis/frenemy Sloane (the most interesting character for me here!). The females are strong here, fighting their situations and or/their lot in life - yet there is certain emtional rawness and even fragility present in them, so they are real. Men are a bit more schematic (Rob, for example, does not feel very real), but Seth manages to stay an interesting man, who owns his life even with his painful past.
The plot is rich and well-layered, full of happenings well-combined with the quieter moments to ingest the food for thought.
I also gained a lot of information about the crisis teams - novelty for me (we don´t have service like this in my EU country) and I find their service being both unique and beautifully selfless.

I have enjoyed the book - far more than I thought I would! My shame, your gain, if you read it - and you should!

I started reading this book when I got it from NetGalley. After reading the first two chapters, it didn't get my attention enough to keep reading it, so I put it aside. I think the main problem was that the main male character didn't get my sympathy, so why bother reading it if I didn't want him to be in a relationship with the female character anyway? I had the intention to get back to this book and try and continue reading, but I never got to it. Maybe if there was some interesting characteristics of the male character, even flaws that could be worked on, I might have kept reading it. But that's my personal opinions, I figure that maybe if I insisted, the book might have been worthwhile...

Candace Calvert books always blow me away with her amazing medical scenes, which is the entire book! Being a nurse, Ms. Calvert doesn’t have to research the knowledge is already there, thus why her medical fiction are so amazing, Including this one, Step by Step. ER nurse Taylor Cabot is ready to have a life again after loosing her husband in a tragic accident. But when Friend Seth Donavan reappears, her life is turned upside down again.

This is a really good book, and the characters just steal your heart and keep it long after you finish the story. This storyline is excellent, sometime it’s gets sad and emotional so be prepared to sometimes cry, and other times laugh as you follow Seth and Taylor as they find out shocking truths and dangers that will have you biting your nails! I just couldn’t put the book down until I found out exactly what happens. Ms. Calvert makes sure there are enough twists and turns that readers will enjoy this book till the very last page.

This author is an auto-read for me and many of my patrons.