Review - A Healing Love by Tara Chevrestt

A Healing Love 

by Tara Chevrestt

Publisher:  Secret Cravings Publishing

Release Date:   May 31, 2013

Buy Link:  Amazon

Book Description:

Kimberly Rogers vowed to fight a tragic past the only way she knew how: she joined the Army and became strong. No man would hurt her again. But a war wound sends her to her brother's in Cripple Creek, WY, with vision and hearing impairments.

Whereas glasses can help her see and hearing aids can help her hear, nothing can force her to talk again. Is she really unable to speak, or is she hiding behind her disability to protect herself, her pride, and her heart? Regulated to the most menial of jobs, her world in shambles, Kimberly is finally convinced to seek medical assistance.

Carlos Medina is Jackson Hole's best therapist. If anyone can make Kimberly speak again, it's him. But Kimberly has to meet him halfway, and Carlos has his own past tragedy that the young, mute woman threatens to force him to conquer.

They both have wounds…and sometimes wounds must be reopened before they can heal. Can they open up to each other? Can Kimberly find her voice again and open her heart? Can love heal them both?            

My Review

A contemporary romance dealing with emotionally and physically wounded characters, Tara Chevrestt’s A Healing Love tackles acceptance and recovery.  Likable characters, lively dialogue and a touch of humor make this emotionally charged story easy to connect with.   Set in a small fictional town in Wyoming, Ms. Chevrestt reminds us that in order to heal we must first face our problems and be open to giving and receiving love.

Physically wounded during a tour of duty in the Army that was meant to help strengthen her emotionally, Kimberly Rogers has two choices; move to her parent’s home , where she’ll be treated like a little girl, or return to Cripple Creek, Wyoming to live with her brother and sister in law and move on with her life.  Self conscious about her physical injuries and emotional issues, Kimberly is reluctant to accept help from others and is determined to prove her own worth.  It’s only when her injuries get in the way of her ability to get a good job and provide for herself as an adult that Kimberly is finally convinced that it’s okay to accept the medical help she needs.

Jackson Hole’s best therapist, Dr. Carlos Medina, is Kimberly’s best hope.  He’ll have to get past his attraction to his new patient and get her to accept his sometimes unconventional help.  Forced to face a tragedy in his own past, Carlos will have to decide if helping Kimberly is worth facing the memories and pain he’s pushed away.   

The scenes between Kimberly and Carlos are well written, have lively dialogue and plenty of emotional angst.  While mutually attracted to each other, Kimberly suffers from doubts about her ability to attract a healthy, normal man, and Carlos worries about crossing the line between doctor and patient.  Ms. Chevrestt does a good job developing both characters and providing us with both of their points of view; while Kimberly was physically wounded while serving in the army, she’ll have to face the emotional scars in her life, from a childhood experience, in order to move forward, while Carlos will have to accept that he’s not responsible for the loss in his own life and for the decisions some of his patients have made.    

While at first I wasn’t comfortable with Carlos and Kimberly’s attraction to each other, Ms. Chevrestt does a good of keeping their relationship mostly platonic until Carlos helps Kimberly as much as he can and then transfers her as a patient to another doctor.

The secondary characters in this story are mostly Kimberly's brother and sister in law, Jonathan and Jasmine Rogers, along with some of the business owners in Cripple Creek, Wyoming.  While Jonathan and Jasmine play an important part in Kimberly's life and recovery, the business owners helped provide Kimberly with situations, which forced her to face the truth.  In fact, these scenes are some of the funniest in the book.  While there is no villain, Kimberly's injuries, both physical and emotional, provide plenty of challenge. 

Will Kimberly and Carlos’ relationship work out in the end?  Will Kimberly get her voice back with Carlos’ help?  You’ll have to read A Healing Love to find out, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of Ms. Chevrestt’s work.

My Rating: 4 Out of 5 Crowns 

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour. I was not compensated for my review; it is solely my opinion of the material I was provided.