Title: The Doctor Who Has No Ambition
Author:  Victoria Quinn
Publisher/Year:  Victoria Quinn 2/9/21
Length:  198 Pages
Series: Soulless #9

Overview

As the world’s most renowned heart surgeon, I accomplished every dream I had. I did my humanitarian work in South Africa, conducted ground-breaking research with my clinic, and made a difference every single day. The best part? The way my father looked at me…like he’d never been more proud.

But when my patience dies on the table, I lose everything.

And I mean EVERYTHING.

My wife left me.

I lost my practice.

And worst of all…I lost myself.

I’ll never be able to reclaim everything I lost, nor do I want to.

Until I meet Sicily…and she refuses to accept no for an answer.

My Thoughts

We met Dex as the carefree middle child, the boy who was very devoted to his medical career that was turning into something quite successful. He brought a lightness to Derek’s story that we needed at times when things were so stressful, and we could only envision what his life would be like.

Boy were we wrong. What happens at the onset of this ninth installment makes us turn completely around, missing the happy go lucky successful doctor because of a trauma that he can’t get past. Dex is the world’s best Heart Surgeon and he’s married to the love of his life Catherine. Her father needs a surgery that no other heart surgeon will take on so Dex is the one to perform it. There are risks of course but if anyone can do it, it’s Dex. Until it’s not .

That starts the downward spiral for Dex – Catherine’s father doesn’t make it through surgery and no one quite knows the reason. Dex did everything right yet when he was taken off bypass, Allen didn’t make it. Catherine holds Dex responsible for the death and that’s something that she can’t get past. She breaks Dex’s heart and takes all his money when she divorces him. He refuses to practice any more and we find him as the IT guy working for Cleo now.

Enter Sicily, the leading lady of this story. A girl who’s landed a gig working for Cleo and she’s on the cusp of greatness. Great Job, great Man, until that man isn’t so great. She soon learns that he’s married and has kids and her world is shattered. It’s only when she’s working for Cleo and meets Dex and his humor and good nature that her life starts to turn around.

Knowing Deacon and Cleo as we do, we know that they’re not going to settle for Dex working where he’s not using his talents. They have an intervention of sorts, and words are spewed – words that you can’t really take back. There’s anger and fear and the underlying desire for Dex to return to greatness, but he’s not ready.

That’s a theme that we see over and over again in this series if i’m honest. After Derek’s rocket failed, we saw him implode and refuse to work on anything that may have a chance at failure. It took the love and support of his family and that of a woman that cared for him and not what he brought to the world in order to turn that cornder.

For the bulk of this ninth book, we see Dex fight his demons, and we see Cleo and Sicily take charge of what could be an amazing future. They set up a practice for Dex, convince him that he’s worthy of so much more, and push him on the path to resurgence.

There’s a patience that has the same situation of Catherine’s father that needs him – Dex is the only doctor that will perform the surgery and it’s a matter of getting over his ghosts to even take a consultation and see if he’ll ever get past his fears.

Underneath this story line we also have that of the boss/employee attraction as we’ve come to appreciate it throughout the Soulless series. First it was Cleo working for Deacon, running his life and making him realize the value in just about everything. Then it was Emerson and Derek – showing that it’s possible to let someone in and see the better parts of life. So that’s the journey that we’re starting to take with Sicily and Dex although nothing has come of it just yet. we know that they each find the other attractive and not just from a physical level. They relate on an emotional level as well, but I wonder as a reader what it will take to get them to acknowledge the other and act upon it. I guess that’s what book ten will be.

The other bit of this story is Daisy – the youngest Hamilton. We’re starting to get a glimpse into her persona and her life right now – so that once this trilogy for Dex is over, we can slide into her world. I can’t wait to continue on with Dex and Sic and I can’t wait to see what comes next for Daisy too. Enjoy!