Two interesting women meet and clash personalities as they are forced to work together in the ME’s department. Assistant chief medical examiner Olivia Price is emotionally cut off and distant. She resents having somebody forced on her who hasn’t passed through the normal channels. Jay “Flash” Reynolds was a high-flying trauma surgeon until an accident left her physically damaged and emotionally bereft at the loss of her career. Forced by friends in high places to try out in a different discipline she is angry and resentful of the changes. Thrown together by chance and caught up in local drug wars the two women must find a way to work together.

This is a mashup from the Justice and First Responder Series’ and although it does work as a standalone you certainly get more from knowing the backstory of many of the secondary characters. Cops, trauma surgeons, firefighters, and now medical examiners all play a role with a host of characters re-appearing as minor characters. As with many of Radclyffe’s books it’s like touching base with old friends.

The crime story is somewhat secondary, while it plays an important part in the action of the novel it is more of a vehicle to the developing working relationship of the main characters; their increasing friendship and interdependence. As always the medical drama and detail is excellent and I always enjoy learning more about different disciplines within the medical world.

It’s fast paced, full of detail with multiple story arcs and re-visits, along with a slow burn romance and powerful women who need to grow into a relationship by overcoming their issues, both physical and emotional. Another strong Radclyffe story and a good cross over between series.

Technically, this is part of the First Responder series which are usually stand-alones, but, in this one, a few old friends from the Justice series are part of the overall plot. Based on that - it's probably best if you've read the Justice series so you know who they are; although, there's probably enough background info that you can sort of figure stuff out but you may be wondering who these secondary characters are and why are they having hot sex in another couple's romance book.

I go back and forth on whether the inclusion of the Justice characters/ongoing police drama was really needed in this book. I think I would have been quite happy - make that more happy - if they were not and there was a more fleshed out story with Jay and Olivia. The Justice story line intersects - providing crime scenes and bodies for the main characters (Medical Examiners) - and we get a number of chapters that give an update on Del, Sandy, Rebecca and Catherine (Sloan, Jason and Watts make brief cameos) and where they are with the never-ending task of putting Zamora away ... and to confirm that yes, they still have really hot and heavy sex. Sometimes, I wonder if they had less sex, they may have been able to wrap up the Zamora case in book three or four ... rather than chewing through six books in the series and a couple of barge-ins on other books in different series. I think the characters of Jay and Olivia could have stood alone without the inclusion of the other story line, but it would have had to been expanded - even if it only ended up as novella length. Even so, the Justice over-story gives the main characters some ready made secondary characters and set up for how and when the bodies start falling and if you've read the other series, you'll be happy to see what's going on with them. It doesn't necessarily detract, but I do think the interludes with Sandy and Del take time away from the main characters that could have been used for further story and character build up.

Jay, a talented Trauma surgeon (dark and broody - just the way we like 'em), has recovered from a horrible accident which has resulted in her no longer being able to continue as a surgeon. Strings are pulled and she's been given a fellowship in the pathology department where she will train as a medical examiner under Dr Olivia Price. Olivia, the beautiful and aloof (ice queen ... ah, tropes how I love you) deputy medical examiner, reluctantly takes Jay into the training program and of course decides that she should work directly with Jay in order to evaluate her ability to transition from trauma to pathology. Immediately they are out to a crime scene, investigating and then back in the morgue for autopsies - all while fighting (not really all that hard) the burgeoning attraction between them. There's baggage and second guessing to deal with - and a little bit of a crime spree that makes sure that Jay and Olivia are working round the clock.

I think what I liked most about this one was the different angle - they are still doctors, but are medical examiners rather than hot shot surgeons. Let me restate .. they are hot shot medical examiners. I found this to be an interesting twist and the details surrounding this type of role were woven into the story line and kept my interest. Full disclosure - I loved early Patricia Cornwell and the BBC show Silent Witness, so I may have a morbid fascination with Medical Examiners (omigod .. I also watched Quincy re-runs when I was a kid). As characters go, Jay and Olivia could have had more page time - see comments about the Justice over-story - but I think that they had enough originality to separate them from the standard Rad archetypes. Jay isn't as cocky or as much of a player as some of Rad's docs - she is coming to grips with the crash and burn of her dreams of being a trauma surgeon and adapting to the new role as a medical examiner. Olivia is an interesting character who has some baggage that isn't fully explored - but she's a self-assured and confident doctor in her own right.

Despite all my whining about the inclusion of the Justice series (which I also enjoyed), I did enjoy this book and recommend it.

'Netgalley ARC provided by The Publisher in exchange for an unbiased review'

Likable read!
Radclyffe created a storyline/series that is filled with erotic sex scenes,medical references/scenery and violent drug confrontations that could easily fit into a movie scene or film. This author never holds back on the things or the style in which she writes because she is as descriptive as ever in this book and even down to her long detailed in the plotline. Furthermore her writing style has always been about the senses; you can hear,feel,taste and see everything that is going on. There are lots of different relationships at play in this storyline which i had a bit of a hard time keeping track of all their home lives never mind that this story lacks something like maybe chemistry and energy between all the cast. I had so many unanswered questions at the end:- like the hetero relationship one of the main character had in the past (i'm scratching my head with that part of the story)

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. I was so very happy and surprised that I was finally able to read a book about a medical examiner. IT seems that most authors focus on hospital doctors or police officers or even firefighters. It was a nice change of pace to enter the medical examiner's office, and the interactions between Olivia and Jay were terrific. The chemistry was perfect as Radclyffe can always make the characters chemistry come alive. The only problem that I had while reading this was the constant flashing to other characters, I haven't read all of the books in this series, and I felt I was missing something vital to the plot line as I was reading. I would recommend reading the books before this, so you do not suffer through plot holes as well. Overall great read!

I was unable to review this book because of a conflict in my schedule. Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused the publisher or the author of the work. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review for you and I look forward to reviewing for you in the future.

Heart Stop is the sixth book in the First Responders series by Radclyffe. I have not read any of the other books in the series. While there is a complete story here, and it could be read as a stand alone, I think those that have been following the series will enjoy it much more than newcomers to the series.

Jay (Flash) Reynolds has a brilliant future as a trauma surgeon until an eighteen-wheeler on a rainy night changes her life. Newly appointed chief medical examiner Olivia Price is more at ease with the dead than the living—at least the dead never lie. All she needs to do is listen to their stories. What she doesn't need is a surly new resident who would rather be somewhere else. Two women, one with a damaged body, the other a damaged spirit, challenge each other to dare to live again.

Heart Stop is a story that left me of two minds. I liked the characters, and their banter. I think that they both have huge stories to tell and the bits we get about there past are like teasers, I know there is more to tell, especially with Olivia. I liked the drama of the story going on in the background, but felt like there is much more going on than I understand because I have not read the previous books and found myself confused about who everyone was and how they interconnect. I did enjoy the romance, to a certain point, but then it felt more like they just decided they were in love and no more needed to be said. I think maybe that the resolution for their relationship just felt a little too pat. I think more of them talking and working on their issues and less of the background story in the city would have made me happier.

Heart Stop is a good story, and I liked the characters. I think those that have read the related books would get much more out of everything that was going on, but since I did not have the background on the larger story arch and who everyone was I felt a little lost.

DNF at 60%

My first Radclyffe.
I can totally understand why she has already received many awards and prizes for her works. I WISH I could enjoy FF fiction as much as I enjoy MM fiction to be able to give a fair opinion on this book.
But lesbian fiction IS my not my first choice. I CAN enjoy it, but I am VERY picky here. I need more plot, a zero steam and better not too much tension, and well...<i>women in tight dark jeans, motorcycle boots, and a black T-shirt</i> don't do it to me. Unfortunately.
I'm a 100% straight woman. And that means, I LOVE men.

I have to check, if Radclyffe wrote something in the category GAY fiction.

This book is very good written, and though it is the book#6 in the series, you can read it as a stand alone.

I am a massive fan of Radclyffe's writing and was really pleased to have another First Responders story, with characters from the Justice series showing up too. The two main protagonists are both strong, determined women who despite starting to work together under inauspicious circumstances learn to accept their differences and what starts out as a tense working relationship develops into a loving, respectful partnership. As always, Radcliffe has written a cracker of a story, I highly recommend it.

As always this was a solid piece of writing from Radclyffe. The premise was interesting and unique. The two leads were both likeable and had great chemistry. It was great to see some of the characters from the author's previous books. If you like medical romances definitely read this one.

So I haven’t read the Justice Series. I love Radclyffe and have read a ton of her other books, but not the justice series. I had no idea who these other secondary characters were. I figured I should know, but I did not. It is okay though, and not needed to enjoy this novel. This is the 6th book in the First Responder Series, and I have not read the entire series. They are stand alone so it is okay to jump in at any point. Radclyffe is usually hit or miss with me. A miss being a good book I enjoyed but not long lasting, but still one I may pick up again some day. Some of her books though, stick with me, and I need the ebook, the paperback, and the audiobook so I can pick them up over an over again. Several of her books are that way for me, but this ins’t one of those books. I think it is a good read, and I enjoyed it, but not one of my favorites from the author. Though if you are a fan of Radclyffe, especially the Justice Series you should read this book asap.

The familiarity Radclyffe has with the reader is genuine and evident in Heart Stop. In this short read, Jay and Olivia are the central points of focus but I can't help feel like there's a lot drawn from other books past and potentially future and this is confusing if you're not across them all or have forgotten.
The characters seemed only mildly developed and the story isn't one of Radclyffe's best.

Jay Reynolds had her life all planned out until an accident changed everything. When she ends up working in the Medical Examiner’s office under the tutelage of Olivia Price, things become complicated for both of them. Olivia is not happy at being forced to take on Jay under unusual circumstances and Jay is moving further away from her dream of being a top trauma surgeon. I really liked both main characters and seeing how they dealt with each other and how their simmering attraction played out. Jay was strong, capable and determined and not about to give up in any sphere of her life. Olivia was brilliant and stunning and Jay could not resist. But she had demons from her past and the question was whether she could ever get past them. The backstory of gang warfare and the minor characters really made this an interesting story and had me hooked. Radclyffe is a favourite author of mine and I can always rely on her to keep me enthralled. As always the sex scenes are extremely hot and will not fail to please.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I only picked it up last night and I just could not put it down. It has a bit of everything. The main characters are very realistic, the chemistry between the two main characters is hot and there is just enough angst in there to give it a realistic feel.

The two main characters are Dr Jay Reynolds who has been in a horrific car accident and is looking to changing careers from a successful Trauma surgeon to a career in pathology. Then you have Dr Olivia Price who is an extremely excellent Assisstant Chief Medical Examiner. She is an extremly serious person who is dedicated to her job and her expectations are high for not only herself but for those she works with. She was also betrayed by her first love. She decided long ago that was no longer in her future.

Now the two meet in unusual circumstances of Jay beeing fast tracked on to her pathology programme. And the angst begins between the two main characters. Sexual tension and attarction starts. The two are like chalk and cheese. I can not say much more because I want you to enjoy it as much as I.

Also, you get to meet some old friends from the justice series Rebecca Frye, Sloan, Catherine, Jason, Dell, Sandy and not forgetting Watts. Also Ali Torveau and Beau Cross. They all play very good cameo roles in an exciting and entertaining book. Radcliffe has been able to incorporate these characters as part of the main story. She does it with ease aswell. You find yourself missing them. I guess Ali plays the most influential of the characters. You also get a brief glimse of our favorite CSI Dee Flanagan.

I really enjoy Radcliffe. But this has something extra. I think it's the way she incorporated the Justice series as a back drop to this story. Radcliffe never ceases to amaze me. Always a new angel. I gave this 5 stars. I can not wait for more. Enjoy!

*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2018947149

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R23SKKX39T1T3S/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

*I received an Arc from netgalley and the publisher for an honest review*

The story itself was ok and I enjoyed it, there were just a few things that bothered me and I couldn't get past them. The two main characters were well portrayed and their chemistry worked.
What bothered me and the reason for the two stars is that the point of view changed too suddenly- like one sentence was from Jay's view and the next sentence was from Olivia's view. I like it more when it changes with a clear line. Sometimes it was hard to figure out who said what and who's view is it now. Another negative point is that there was too much explaining of how things looked. Like every room and every person was described in too much detail and the result was that there wasn't enough dialogue to keep the story alive.
I know all of that is a writing choice and style - it is just not the right one for me.
I also don't like that in all of her books some characters (in this one not the main ones) are reduced to just sex and nothing else. It just gets boring after a while. And that all the semi important characters end up to be gay is kind of unrealistic and kind of bothers me. Like yes it is a lesbian book but not everybody needs to be a lesbian - it is just not how it works.

This is book six of Radclyffe’s First Responders series. I love anything written by Radclyffe and this book is no exception! As with each Responders book, Radclyffe focuses on one of the professions in this medical field. Through her books, I have come to appreciate learning more about these essential jobs.

In this particular book, Radclyffe looks at the area of Medical Examiners (ME). One of the leading ladies in this book is Jay Reynolds who was a trauma surgeon until injuries incurred in a major automobile accident caused her to switch medical fields. Jay became aware that an ME’s job encompasses more than just performing autopsies.

The other main character is Olivia Price, an ME at University Hospital in Philadelphia. One of her responsibilities is to train the doctors to become medical examiners. Olivia is a workaholic and is very precise in everything she does. After their initial meeting, Jay and Olivia are attracted to each other.

The subplot in this book brings in the characters from Radclyffe’s Justice series. I love the characters she has created in this series and was very happy when I read the book’s synopsis. Radclyffe does an excellent job of intertwining the characters from the different series.

The storyline is fast paced. From the beginning of the book, I was hooked. Radclyffe’s writing is very smooth. I loved the interaction between Jay and Olivia, as well as their contact with the secondary characters. The love story was believable.

You do not have to read any of the other books in this series or the Justice series to enjoy this book. I highly recommend Heart Stop and rate it with 5 out of 5 stars!

I was given this ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

I've read a couple of other books in the First Responders series (and have the first three in my eReader all ready to read when I have a spare second), so I thought I'd try this one too.

Unfortunately I didn't like it as much as the others I've read.

The main story (sorta) was about Jay and Olivia. Olivia is the Assistant ME and Jay is a former Surgeon who's gone through hell in the last year. She gets a fellowship under Olivia in the ME's office. It's rocky at first for multiple reasons, and then it has it's ups and downs, but, of course, they do get closer because it wouldn't be a romance book if that didn't happen.

But, at the end it seemed like suddenly with a snap of the fingers they were together. That always weirds me out because I like to have at least some of a work up to the ending. I mean, I know that these are romance books, but I've read plenty of LesFic (heck, I've read plenty of Radclyffe LesFic) where the conclusion to the relationship didn't come from around a corner and whack me in the face, it was built to quite satisfyingly. Unfortunately I didn't feel that in this book.

Also, there were just too many relationships and characters in this book. To warn people, this does have quite a big tie in with Radcylffe's Justice Series (also plan to read it, but haven't gotten there yet). I got caught up pretty fast with what had happened in the previous books, but, unfortunately, they, and so many other characters in relationships seemed to sap all the time away from Jay and Olivia,

Still, I liked the previous books that I've read in this series, and if you've just read the Justice series (and hadn't gotten annoyed with it by the end) you might like to get more of the non-romance story that was quite twisty and turney. To each their own.

I got this ARC through Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

Likable read! Radclyffe created a story that is filled with erotic sex scenes,medical references/scenery and violent drug confrontations that could easily fit in a movie...the author never holds back,she is as descriptive as ever and detailed in the plotline..her writing style has always been about the senses; you can hear,feel,taste and see everything that is going on...lots of different relationships at play in this storyline which i had a bit of hard time keeping track of all their home lives...this story lacks something..had many unanswered questions at the end,like the hetero relationship one of the main character had in the past?(i'm scratching my head)

4 1/2 Stars. I'm a huge fan of Radclyffe, and am always excited to get my hands on one of her books. I especially love some of her earlier series like her Justice series and Provincetown series. When I heard this book was going to be full of Justice series people, I could not wait to read this. I am so happy this book was everything I love about the First Responders and Justice series.

They way the First Responders series is written, each book is it's own story. You can read them in any order. Now this book is a little different, because it is basically Justice Series 6.5 if you count the prequel A Matter of Trust. Can you read this book without reading the Justice Series first? Absolutely. The only problem is you will be learning a lot of new characters, and you will not have the connection to them, like I did reading all the previous books. I did not think Radclyffe would write another Justice book. It really was such a treat to be able connect to these women again. My only small complaint, there was only a little of Sloane and no Michael. Michael and Sloane are one of my favorite lesfic couples, so it was disappointing. I do understand it though, they would not have fit into the story as well, I still wanted a Micheal cameo though.

Beyond the Justice Series folks, the main story focuses on Jay and Olivia. Jay, if my memory is correct, was a secondary character in Trauma Alert, First Responders book 1. There are also a few appearances from Ali and Beau. You would not have to read that book first, and to add, it was nice to see Ali again. Anyway, Olivia is a new character, as far as my memory remembers. She is the Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, and takes her job very seriously. When Jay, a former trauma surgeon, shows up in her office for a job, Olivia thinks she is unqualified. Pressure from the top lands Jay the job. Can Jay handle the job? And can they keep working together despite the fierce attraction?

One of the things I enjoy about Radclyffe's writing, is her characters. She is really good at crafting characters that you would either want to hang out with or date. What was great about Olivia and Jay, their chemistry was off the charts. I mean totally smoking hot the two of them. I have not read that much chemistry in a while. The sex scenes were pretty intense also.

Not only was the chemistry and romance good, the overall story was good. I was riveted with all the medical examiner scenes. I never thought I woulds say that, but it was so damn interesting. With shows like CSI, crime scene techs get all the glory. But medical examiners are just as important, and I was extremely interested in all their scenes. They were very well written.

Overall, this book checked all the boxes that I look for in a good read. A great romance with an interesting storyline, that kept me turning the pages. I wish there could somehow be a sequel with all these same characters. I want more of the medical examiners, and the Justice crew. This is an easy book for me to recommend.

An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.

Radclyffe maintains the core strengths of her authorship here-enthralling women, strongly positioned in demanding careers, while seeking personal fulfillment. I loved Jay-the explication of the losses professionally and otherwise that she endured following her accident, her reabsorption into medicine (albeit in a new specialty) and her intransigent exchanges with Olivia. Their interactions possessed the balance of the technical and emotional that I have grown to appreciate from the First Responders series, I truly rooted as well as empathized with them. Slipping into this novel was not an act of reliable comfort, I was still captured and excited as a reader, despite dozens of completed volumes by this writer. When Radclyffe bears strongly on the things most familiar and obviously, dear to her, the results are always worth it.

Olivia Price is peeved. She has narrowed down her choices for the three fellowship positions but has just been told that she must make room for Jay Reynolds. She's definitely not enthused. Especially after meeting Jay.
Jay isn't exactly sure that she wants to move into the morgue after having been a trauma surgeon. Being a surgeon was the culmination of a lifelong dream. Working with dead people. Not so much. Until she starts working with the delectable Olivia Price and Jay realizes exactly how much she can learn.
A nice short story but there is a lot of overlap from previous books in the series which means we don't get as much of Jay and Olivia's story as I would have liked.

Three stars
This book comes out July 18