The Doctor's Discretion

By: EE Ottoman

Narrated by: Bryce Hardin

New York City, 1831.

Passion, medicine and a plan to break the law ...

When Doctor William Blackwood, a proper gentleman who prefers books to actual patients, meets retired Navy surgeon Doctor Augustus Hill, they find in each other not just companionship but the chance of pleasure—and perhaps even more. The desire between them is undeniable but their budding relationship is disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious patient at New York Hospital.

Mr. Moss has been accused of being born a woman but living his life as a man, an act that will see him committed to an asylum for the rest of his life. William and Augustus are determined to mount a rescue even if it means kidnapping him instead.

Their desperate plan sets William and Augustus against the hospital authorities and the law. Soon they find themselves embroiled in New York’s seedy underworld, mixed up with prostitutes, spies, and more than a lifetime’s worth of secrets. When nothing is as it seems can they find something real in each other?

©2021 EE Ottoman (P)2023 Bryant Street Publishing

Lovely story with good narration

This was my first EE Ottoman book, and I enjoyed his language and flow. I would say that there were two parts to this narrative: the slice-of-life queer romance of 1830's NY, and the intrigue of the character of Moss, a trans man. I found the slice of life story to be more interesting than the story with Moss. The ending with him wrapped up a little too neatly for my taste, considering what some of the alternative options would have been and the stakes involved in it. But the interplay between William and Augustus was interesting, and I actually enjoyed a lot of their day-to-day interactions with the world around them: eating at public houses, visiting brothels, working with patients. I did find it a little confusing because we know that Moss is a trans man, but Augustus talks about being "like him <Moss>" several times without elaborating on that, leaving me as the reader confused how exactly he viewed himself. I would have appreciated some clarification there. But I did very much enjoy the conversations between him and William with regards to their views on race, slavery, and their lived experiences as queer individuals.

Bryce Hardin is a new narrator to me too. He has a very pleasant deeper tone that I enjoyed. However, some of his pronunciations and where he would put the emphasis in a sentence sounded a little off at times. Not enough to completely take me out of the story, but enough that I, as a frequent audiobook listener, was aware of it throughout the narration. There was some differentiation between the characters, but it was not always clear who was speaking, especially between Hill and Moss. I would still listen to more things narrated by Bryce, and I can see him sounding more natural over time.

A solid 4-stars all around for this audiobook of The Doctor's Discretion.