Reviewed by Vicki
TITLE: Love Can’t Conquer 
SERIES: Love Can’t Series #1
AUTHOR: Kim Fielding
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 260 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 3rd, 2016
BLURB:
Bullied as a child in small-town Kansas, Jeremy Cox ultimately escaped to Portland, Oregon. Now in his forties, he’s an urban park ranger who does his best to rescue runaways and other street people. His ex-boyfriend, Donny—lost to drinking and drugs six years earlier—appears on his doorstep and inadvertently drags Jeremy into danger. As if dealing with Donny’s issues doesn’t cause enough turmoil, Jeremy meets a fascinating but enigmatic man who carries more than his fair share of problems.
Qayin Hill has almost nothing but skeletons in his closet and demons in his head. A former addict who struggles with anxiety and depression, Qay doesn’t know which of his secrets to reveal to Jeremy—or how to react when Jeremy wants to save him from himself.
Despite the pasts that continue to haunt them, Jeremy and Qay find passion, friendship, and a tentative hope for the future. Now they need to decide whether love is truly a powerful thing or if, despite the old adage, love can’t conquer all.
REVIEW:
Wow. I’m going to say it right now….. I loved this book. Was it a sweet easy read? NO! Was it worth it? YES!
This book starts off with a bit of a glimpse of Jeremy’s young life, and the almost connection he makes with a boy in school. He’s chubby and bullied, called the “f” word I can’t even type, way before he even realized he was in fact gay. The boy, Keith, is a troubled teen and ends up vanishing and Jeremy continues on… But he grows up to be a strong, powerful man, with a heart of gold. He’s a rescuer, a healer, a helper. He was a cop, but is a Park Ranger in Portland when we meet him again, rescuing an abandoned gay kid. He has issues with his parents, and has built himself a new life in Portland, staying after college. He hangs out at a local coffee shop and is friends with the owner, Rhoda. One night Jeremy goes home to discover his ex-boyfriend bleeding on his door step. He hasn’t seen Donny for five years, and their relationship was rocky and ended badly. Yet he takes Donny in and patches him up. He does send him on his way in the morning, only to have it turn bad. This draws Jeremy in to an ultimately scary situation, eventually nearly costing him his life.
Before all the bad shit happens, he meets a man in a coffee shop. Qayin has some issues, he’s a recovering addict, both drugs and alcohol, has some mental issues, attempted suicide multiple times, and hasn’t spoken to his parents in years. Yet, under all of that is also a really good guy. He’s going to school, working a crap job, and has a shitty apartment, but he’s trying so hard. He’s indulging in some coffee and reading in P-Town, the coffee shop, when he sees “Captain Caffeine”, a very large and handsome man. He sees him again, and overhears him talking to Rhoda, and realizes he knows who he is…. the chubby kid from school that seemed to connect with him before his life went to hell.
This gets our two men together, and the story takes off. There was a lot here that really worked for me. Both of these men are older, in their forties by now, and their attitudes reflect their life experiences. Both have had some issues, Qay certainly has had a rougher time that Jeremy, but they have both got some strength and independence. As much as Jeremy wants to help people, we get glimpses of his failures. Donny being the big one, but some of the kids he’s tried to help don’t keep at it. I liked that everything he touched wasn’t gold, just like in real life. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But he keeps trying. Qay is a pretty flawed man, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Yet he still tries. He does fuck it all up, which is also realistic. Even Jeremy can’t save him, he has to do it himself. I do love a story about a damaged man, which Qay soooo is, and a good redemption story, which this eventually is. Yes, that’s a spoiler, as rough as this story is, it does ultimately have a very good ending.
Portland is a character in this story as well. I’m not overly familiar with Portland, but I’m in Washington and get the feeling of the city. The cold, the rain, the beautiful days, the funky atmosphere. The descriptions worked for me, either Kim has spent some time in the area or has done some realistic research. I’m a big fan of details like that, but it can be overdone easily, but this was just perfect. There are a few additional characters that really added to the story too. Especially Rhoda, she’s this wonderful mother character…
Overall this is a damn fine book. A great plot, damaged men, a redemption story, angst, drama, older men who act like older men, good sex (but not a lot, also realistic for older men!), great side characters, a detailed setting, mistakes, and a realistic ending. I’m not one to be able to talk about the writing, I know it’s good, but not why. I just know it all worked, the story flowed, the perspective shifted, and it all made sense to me. I loved it!
Kim Fielding is right up there among my favorite authors. Her books aren’t flashy, they can be just a little dark and angsty, with some screwed up men. But damn, they are so good. I’ve never been disappointed with anything I’ve read from her, and I’ve read a bunch. She’s just a fantastic author, I highly recommend not only this book, but her others as well. If you haven’t read anything by her, give this one a try, if you love it go grab some others, you won’t be sorry. (If you want a really angsty book, read her book The Tin Box. I cried and cried!)
RATING: 
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