Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Heal

SERIES: White House Men #7

AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 393 pages

RELEASE DATE: October 29, 2021

BLURB:

Del feels broken. Can Issa be the person to help him heal?

President Delano “Del” Shafer is grieving the loss of his wife, Sarah. Now that the culprits behind the Pride Bombing and all the killings are caught, everyone has been able to move on…except Del.

His friends have all found love. Even his son is happier than Del could have ever imagined. Yet he is stuck, unable to move past the grief, the loss, and the loneliness. He has the most coveted job in the world, but he’s tired of it all. If not for Issa, his twenty-year-younger body man, he wouldn’t even make it out of bed most days.

Issa, with his unfailingly sunny disposition, his infuriatingly stubborn optimism, his endless care for Del. Issa, who becomes the sole reason Del is still standing, is still smiling, is still clinging to the hope that things will get better. Issa, who is making Del feel again, laugh again, live again.

But can he also make him love again?

Heal is the last book in the White House Men series, a continuing MM romantic suspense series that needs to be read in order. It contains a sunshiney assistant, a slightly grumpy president, sweet hurt/comfort, an age gap, and the happiest of happy endings. 

REVIEW:

If you’ve kept up with this series, you know it’s been a doozy. From the very first page of the very first book, it’s been action packed, it’s been emotional, it’s been a journey. It’s been about love and loss, letting go and moving on, death and grief, and so much more. But for me, I think this book has been the one of the hardest out of the whole series for me.

President Del Shafer has been through more than most men in his forty some odd years. From being the Vice President to being shoved into the Presidency, to attempted assassins and successful ones, and so much more. He’s lost the love of his life, only to turn around and find that everyone who has had something to lose during this Presidency, those who have stuck by him, those who have been his rocks, his best friends and confidants, and employees he now considers friends find love. But because of everything that’s happened, Del hasn’t had time to grieve himself. He’s had to be too much to too many others first. And now that things are changing, he finally gets to grieve and he wants to move on. But without his wife, how can he?

And this is where I love Issa. I knew from the end of book 6, Issa was going to be a challenge for Del from the first and he would never stop, and I was right. I laughed and cried with them, and cheered Issa on every time he challenged Del. He wouldn’t let Del give up his life and stop living. And what tickled me more was all Del’s friends were having a ball watching it. Maybe behind closed doors or behind their hands, but they were laughing. Because Issa gave Del something to live for again. He gave a way to grieve, a way to smile, a way to laugh, and a way to remember without it ever being a contest. Issa is the sun in a cloudy, rainy, gloomy day and someone who you can lean on and feel safe. But he’s also smart as a whip, just as feisty, and just as witty.  I absolutely adore Issa and think he’s perfect for Del.

But in the end, no matter how happy he may make Del or make things better, it’s up to Del to decide which way he wants his life to go. Del has to learn that it’s ok to let go and move on. Or he can stay where he is and hold on to his memories and let life go on. Either way, life has to move in some direction. And I think Del sees which way he needs to go.

This has been a memorable series. It’s been an emotional journey that I know may have had some major triggers for others. But it’s also been a series to make you think. The lgbt community is alive and full of loving people. And no one should be condemned for it. Love is the key is whatever form it comes in.

RATING:

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