PRO CONNECT
Vanessa Mateland makes her home on Cortes Island, British Columbia. Her life experiences, as a community nurse and a sailor, have given her insight into human relations and a thorough knowledge of the magnificent gulf islands in the Pacific northwest. In addition to this, her formal education, a B.Sc.N. from the University of Alberta and an M.A. from University of Victoria, gives her a solid base in research and writing. All of the above, and more, enable her to thoroughly understand the problems and pleasures awaiting her characters.
In Cortes Connection published in 2015, Vanessa creates a passionate romance which explodes between two doctors on a kayak trip around Cortes island.
An earlier novel by Vanessa, Learning to Live: a tale of love and death, published in 2014, is an adventure-romance about a beautiful but breakable woman who escapes from a mental hospital. She bravely faces the many challenges needed to survive in the community while collecting loving friends and warding off an evil pyromaniac bent on her destruction.
Now, in her soon-to-be-released third novel, Galiano Gamble, Vanessa weaves a tale of love and romance between a beautiful Vancouver medical specialist and her handsome office nurse . After their first sexual encounter Shawn disappears and JJ (Dr. Joanne Jane Tomkins) gambles all to follow him to his retreat on Galiano Island to coax and seduce him to return to the city.
“... an enjoyable romantic adventure with a strong conclusion.”
– Kirkus Reviews
In Mateland’s romance novel, a kayak trip through the Victoria, Canada, region comes alive through the eyes of two lovers.
Dr. Juli Armstrong needs a break from her high-intensity practice, and what better way than a guided ocean kayak tour? Despite the advice of her best friend, who wants Juli to meet a man, Juli is convinced she’s there for her own enjoyment…until she gets partnered up with Dr. Richard Thompson, an arrogant, overbearing doctor from rural Cortes Island. She wants peace and quiet, not commands from a man who isn’t even her tour guide. However, once others abandon the trip, he actually does become her tour guide. Rich loves his rural island practice, but working constantly for the last several years has taken a toll on his health. He wants a break, and the kayak trip is exactly what he needs. Despite his stress, however, Rich is ready for a relationship. He’s immediately interested in Juli, but it takes a lot of paddling and some natural challenges before he can start to break through her guarded exterior and get to know the woman beneath. Both Juli and Rich are reluctant to trust, but their souls are drawn to each other, pulling them together despite the differences and challenges between them. The relationship between Juli and Rich is believable, fraught with real-life difficulties. Their emotional growth is complex, with the stops and starts of real life as they try to change and evolve. Despite strong characters, the story is slowed by pacing issues. Mateland spends time on mundane things like Juli’s preparation for the trip even though the story doesn’t really begin until she arrives at the docks. The author does a fantastic job bringing the setting to life, providing vivid detail about all aspects of the region. At times, however, the book reads like a tour guide, and even Juli rolls her eyes at Rich’s extensive lectures about the local tides, animals, and nature.
Takes time to gain momentum, but an enjoyable romantic adventure with a strong conclusion.
Pub Date:
Publisher: Dog Ear Publisher
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
Favorite book
Forever Amber
Passion in life
Writing romance novels.
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