What these extraordinary men have been through and accomplished is inspirational and amazing. The lives of Jonas and Jose are logically told from childhood onward, including some highly emotional events, homophobic family personalities, the numbness of loss, and more. Editing out or significantly shortening some episodes would have reduced the word count and made the story a bit punchier. Childhood experiences are reiterated in the first person and when being recounted by or to a partner. The MOB funds the clinic is a frequent phrase. Another side-effect of this aspect is often repetition, and this story has fallen to unnecessary recurrences. Given the perspective, I wasn’t surprised that a few autonomous body parts crept in. The tale is told in the first person from the viewpoints of Jose and Jonas. There is drama, but with its MOB connections, somehow, I expected more action than was given. This sweet tale is led by two delightful men of color who have been through hell. The Healer is the first in a three-book series, and all can be read as standalone. The question is whether he will regret his decision. Nevertheless, seeing something different in Jonas, he makes an exception. He promised himself that he would only date those out of the closet. The only thing that keeps him going is his job as a nurse at the local mob-funded medical center. Unable to be himself, he’s died a little every day since.

Can he protect those he loves in time?ĬW: Homophobia, bullying, racism, teenage drinking and smoking, death of parents, sibling abuse, attempted murder, violence, explicit content.Īs a child, Jonas was forced back into the closet for fear of a family rift. Unfortunately, I keep irritating him too much for him to really notice me.Ĭan the two men stop dancing around each other and colliding long enough to realize they are the perfect match? Will Jonas’ family finally accept him as he is? And danger lurks too close to home for José. José is a fiery nurse I work with, and I want him. But after eighteen years of absolute loneliness, there is only one man who could finally pull me out to see the light of day. So, back into the closet I went to maintain the peace.

When I came out as gay at thirteen, it threatened to tear the family apart. Family is life and goodness, and I would do anything to protect them. But I’ve been lonely, too, until the bumbling nurse standing a foot taller than me had me constantly irritated, yet, I found him strangely endearing.įamily is everything. As a nurse, I can finally do something meaningful. I have been living life day to day to make a good life away from gangs and violence. My parents were murdered, my best friend was sent to prison for a drug deal gone wrong, and eventually, my grandmother, who raised me since I was fifteen, died. To heal the body you must first heal the soul.

The Healer by Courtney W. Dixon