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Women’s Fiction
Date Published: December 1st, 2025
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
The Hippocratic Oath dictates, “First, do no harm,” but what if
success demands it?
The calm and compassionate Dr. Joyce Porter is proud to work at McArthur
Fertility Institute, where miracles happen every day. Couples determined to
conceive flock to the clinic, drawn by its unmatched IVF success rate and
glowing reputation.
But behind the clinic’s shining facade lies a disturbing secret. When
another doctor mentions a peculiarity in the facility’s methods, Joyce
investigates. What she discovers is worse than she could have imagined. Now,
she must decide whether to confront the institute’s renowned director
about his unscrupulous deeds or compromise her ethics by turning a blind eye.
She knows staying silent could destroy people’s lives, but speaking out
could destroy hers.
As the line between healing and harm blurs, Joyce must decide how far
she’s willing to go to protect her patients, her integrity, and the
future she still hopes to build.
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before shifting to a career in higher education, first as an assistant
professor, then as a college dean, and finally as a vice president.
Her dedication to helping patients and students left her little time to write,
but the idea for a novel stuck with her. Inspired by deeply moving stories of
couples undergoing IVF, she developed her first novel, In Vitro.
Now retired, M.J. lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a spicy
cat named Simon. She volunteers at a local elementary school, where she reads
with kindergarteners to foster a love of books. Tai chi, crafting, and wine
tasting are a few of her favorite hobbies.
