Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: The Courage to Heal
AUTHOR: Hunter Frost
PUBLISHER: JMS Books
LENGTH: 57 Pages
BLURB:
Former U.S. Army Sergeant Wade Carter returned from Afghanistan a broken man. Permanently injured and weighed down with PTSD, his scars run deeper than flesh and bone. When his regular physical therapist is taken ill, the sexy replacement doctor has Wade wishing he’d touch much more of his body than his busted leg.
Dr. Jesse Okenah isn’t a beginner when it comes to working with veterans, but his new patient stirs up feelings that go beyond professional. It’s Wade’s wounded soul, more than his mangled leg, that needs TLC in order for him to live a healthy, fulfilling life again. Jesse just needs to figure out how to deliver that care to the stubborn vet without crossing a line — and losing his heart.
REVIEW:
I’m not usually a fan of books this length but I’d previously read another Hunter Frost short story, only half the length of this one actually, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So I figured I’d give this one a go too. As with that other book I was impressed right from the beginning, as the author threw us straight into the story with a bit of yelling and angry frustration as MC Wade is faced with a most unhelpful receptionist, who really shouldn’t be allowed to interact with the public.
He was tired of being treated like yesterday’s trash, discarded after he was no longer fit to serve his country. No one needed to tell him he was a failure. He reminded himself of that every goddamn day.
Wade has reached the end of his tether. After returning from Afghanistan broken, both physically and mentally, he has pushed away everybody in his life. His parents, his friends, his doctor, his therapist – he refuses to see any of them. He works from home and even gets his groceries delivered because he can’t face the thought of braving the supermarket. The only person he does still leave the house for is his physical therapist but after making the painful hour and a half drive to see her, he discovers that she has cancelled his appointment. Facing the afore mentioned, uncaring receptionist across the desk is more than he can emotionally handle and Wade is gearing up for an epic meltdown when Dr. Jesse Okenah appears and takes over the appointment. Wade is attracted to Jesse from the moment he sees him but never even considers that anything could come of it. Who could possibly want someone as damaged as he is?
Despite the horrible place that Wade is at in his life, this isn’t a dark or depressing book. It’s about Wade reaching a turning point and beginning to heal. Jesse is the perfect character to compliment Wade. He adds lightness to Wade’s hopelessness and I’m glad that the story was presented from both men’s point of view. It was fun to listen to the two men interact, the way Jesse could tease Wade about his bad leg helped Wade feel more “normal” again. The last thing he wanted was pity.
Another thing that helped Jesse feel normal again was the sex. I’m not a fan of sex in short stories. I always figure that with the word count already so limited, those words need to be saved to tell more story rather than see the characters get busy in bed. And the sex scene in this story went on for longer than I would have expected. But by the end of it, I liked what the author had done. As I mentioned, having sex for the first time in over a year helped Wade feel more like his confident, pre-injury self again. And the change in him became more pronounced as the scene went on.
Despite the short length of this book, I enjoyed this tale of the wounded soldier finding the hope and courage he needed to move forward with his life again. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for any future books by this author.
RATING: 
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