It happened in a heartbeat. A split-second, a half a breath, that's all it took.

It was so quick, so sharp-edged that you can almost draw a line between before and after, between then and now. Will anything ever be the same again? Perhaps, but maybe not. As in the new book "Unswerving" by Barbara Ridley, things change, and so might you.

She could remember lines, hypnotizing yellow ones spaced on a road, and her partner, Les, asleep in the seat beside her. It was all so hazy. Everything Tave Greenwich could recall before she woke up in a hospital bed felt like a dream.

It was as though she'd lost a month of her life.

"Life," if you even wanted to call it that – which she didn't. Tave's hands resembled claws bent at the wrist. Before the accident, she was a talented softball catcher, but now she could barely get her arms to raise above her shoulders. She could hear her stomach gurgle, but she couldn't feel it. Paralyzed from the chest down, Tave had to have help with even the most basic care.

She was told that she could learn some skills again, if she worked hard. She was told that she'd leave rehab some day soon. What nobody told her was how Les, Leslie, her partner, girlfriend, love, was doing after the accident.

Physical therapist Beth Farringdon was reminded time and again not to get overinvolved with her patients, but she saw something in Tave that she couldn't ignore. Beth was on the board of directors of a group that sponsored sporting events for disabled athletes, she knew people who could serve as role models for Tave, and she knew that all this could ease Tave's adjustment into her new life. It was probably not entirely in her job description, but Beth couldn't stop thinking of ways to help Tave who, at 23, was practically a baby.

She could, for instance, take Tave on outings or help find Les – even though it made Beth's own girlfriend, Katy, jealous...

So, here's a little something to know before you start reading "Unswerving": author Barbara Ridley is a former nurse-practitioner who used to care for patients with spinal cord injuries. That should give readers a comfortable sense of satisfaction, knowing that her experiences give this novel an authenticism that feels right and rings true, no faking.

But that's not the only appeal of this book: while there are a few minor things that might have readers shaking their heads (HIPAA, anyone?), Ridley's characters are mostly lifelike and mostly likable. Even the nasties are well-done, and the mysterious character that's there-not-there boosts the appeal. Put everyone together, twist a little bit to the left, give them some plotlines that can't be ruined by early guessing, and you've got a quick-read novel that you can enjoy and feel good about sharing.