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Damaged Goods #1
Heal Me
Broken beyond repair, who is going to save him now?
He should have died in the accident. Somehow he survived. His body is shattered and his soul is crushed. It’s going to take a miracle to heal him. The nightmares and flashbacks are killing him. The scars have destroyed him. But he was broken way before the crash. He’s damaged goods and he needs a hero.
Suddenly he was back there, pinned against the steering wheel, bones sticking through his skin, his suit soaked in blood, surrounded on all sides by crumpled metal.
Putting people back together is James Hayden’s speciality, but heisn’t prepared for the way Matt Harmon bulldozes into his life like a hurricane. The attraction for him is instant and he is torn between his feelings and his professional boundaries.
“Why would you want to help me?”
“Because you need it. Because you’re drowning.”
Matt will never admit an attraction. He’s straight and he’s never looked at another man in his life. But James isn’t just any man. He’s the only one who understands what Matt is going through and the only one who can save him from himself.
I wanted to feel how his lips soothed and subdued me again. Made me into a different person. A better man.
He should have died in the accident. Somehow he survived. His body is shattered and his soul is crushed. It’s going to take a miracle to heal him. The nightmares and flashbacks are killing him. The scars have destroyed him. But he was broken way before the crash. He’s damaged goods and he needs a hero.
Suddenly he was back there, pinned against the steering wheel, bones sticking through his skin, his suit soaked in blood, surrounded on all sides by crumpled metal.
Putting people back together is James Hayden’s speciality, but heisn’t prepared for the way Matt Harmon bulldozes into his life like a hurricane. The attraction for him is instant and he is torn between his feelings and his professional boundaries.
“Why would you want to help me?”
“Because you need it. Because you’re drowning.”
Matt will never admit an attraction. He’s straight and he’s never looked at another man in his life. But James isn’t just any man. He’s the only one who understands what Matt is going through and the only one who can save him from himself.
I wanted to feel how his lips soothed and subdued me again. Made me into a different person. A better man.
- GenresM M Romance
341 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2023
29 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 10, 2024
4.5 stars - long ass RTC
This book deserves a long glowing review, plus a little space for grievances. 😅
This book deserves a long glowing review, plus a little space for grievances. 😅
March 14, 2023
4.5 Stars. I will start by saying I absolutely loved this book. However, it was a very hard book to read. Matt, one of the MCs is 100% a homophobic asshole who does thankfully change but it is an incredibly slow process. He is an ass to everyone in his life (except his housekeeper). He has a lot of issues (hence the book name of Heal Me) that he needs to work through. Internalized homophobia, a not so great childhood, not knowing how to deal with his emotions, not liking being touched, PTSD from almost dying in a car accident. He’s just a mess and he takes that out on everyone. So please do not read this book if any of this is something you cannot handle. This isn’t the book for you.
If this is something you handle you are in for a wild ride. This is not a sweet, lighthearted romance. This is an angsty, gritty, hurt/comfort with romance that left me in a state of anxiety for a lot of the book. Matt has a lot to work through and it seems that James is the only person that can help him but Matt doesn’t understand it or allow himself to want it. James is a freaking saint to deal with all the shit Matt puts him through. I honestly don’t know how he put up with it. He just saw something in Matt that Matt doesn’t even see in himself. In my opinion there’s nothing not to like about James. He was a fantastic character and tried hard to ignore his feelings for Matt.
The chemistry was off the charts for these two and we got a whole range of intimacy from them. Casual, hate, lovemaking and even James walking out because he had enough of Matt’s attitude. Once it starts there is no lack of sexy times.
It takes a good portion of the book to start seeing Matt change. It was actually really interesting reading Matt’s inner dialogue. At the beginning of the book he is saying really nasty things while in his mind he is telling himself not to say them and why is he acting like that. Later on in the book when he starts changing he’s saying much nicer things and his inner voice is scared and not liking how vulnerable he’s feeling.
Matt does end up changing and dealing with some of his issues. He does some apologizing, treats everyone better and even changes the way he manages his staff. However, I wasn’t fully sold on the apologies and I felt like he needed something more to fully redeem his horrid behaviour. I was also hoping for an epilogue to see if they had managed to stay together and have a real HEA.
Overall though this book had me interested on every single page. This author is amazing at not being predictable. I had no idea where this book was going and what was going to happen! I absolutely recommend if you’re looking for something angsty and gritty. Also if you have read Inferno by this author you get some cameos from those characters which was really cool!!
On a side note from what I understand this book is a rerelease of Rescue Me by this author with a lot of changes. I looked through some of the 1 star reviews from that book and everything mentioned seems to have been removed from this book as I don’t remember any of the thing people had issues with. I would not take any of those reviews into consideration.
If this is something you handle you are in for a wild ride. This is not a sweet, lighthearted romance. This is an angsty, gritty, hurt/comfort with romance that left me in a state of anxiety for a lot of the book. Matt has a lot to work through and it seems that James is the only person that can help him but Matt doesn’t understand it or allow himself to want it. James is a freaking saint to deal with all the shit Matt puts him through. I honestly don’t know how he put up with it. He just saw something in Matt that Matt doesn’t even see in himself. In my opinion there’s nothing not to like about James. He was a fantastic character and tried hard to ignore his feelings for Matt.
The chemistry was off the charts for these two and we got a whole range of intimacy from them. Casual, hate, lovemaking and even James walking out because he had enough of Matt’s attitude. Once it starts there is no lack of sexy times.
It takes a good portion of the book to start seeing Matt change. It was actually really interesting reading Matt’s inner dialogue. At the beginning of the book he is saying really nasty things while in his mind he is telling himself not to say them and why is he acting like that. Later on in the book when he starts changing he’s saying much nicer things and his inner voice is scared and not liking how vulnerable he’s feeling.
Matt does end up changing and dealing with some of his issues. He does some apologizing, treats everyone better and even changes the way he manages his staff. However, I wasn’t fully sold on the apologies and I felt like he needed something more to fully redeem his horrid behaviour. I was also hoping for an epilogue to see if they had managed to stay together and have a real HEA.
Overall though this book had me interested on every single page. This author is amazing at not being predictable. I had no idea where this book was going and what was going to happen! I absolutely recommend if you’re looking for something angsty and gritty. Also if you have read Inferno by this author you get some cameos from those characters which was really cool!!
On a side note from what I understand this book is a rerelease of Rescue Me by this author with a lot of changes. I looked through some of the 1 star reviews from that book and everything mentioned seems to have been removed from this book as I don’t remember any of the thing people had issues with. I would not take any of those reviews into consideration.
March 25, 2023
I’m not entirely sure how Scarlet is able to make a tragic situation good, but she has done just that with this book! The growth, both personally and physically, of these characters were phenomenal! And, reading through the struggles of a homophobic man who’s attracted to another man, was tough yet eye opening. There are a lot of different emotions in the book, feelings of worthlessness, abandonment, bigotry, and fear of rejection. The accident alone would be enough to tear any person down, but when adding in the additional events of the story, we have an emotionally charged masterpiece!
𝐻𝑒 𝒹𝒾𝒹𝓃’𝓉 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓌𝒽𝓎 𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒥𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝒷𝓎 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒. 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝑔𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒽𝒾𝓂 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓇𝒶𝑔𝑒. 𝐻𝑒 𝒹𝒾𝒹𝓃’𝓉 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝓈𝑜 𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓁𝑜𝓈𝓉.
Both MC’s were interesting to say the least, with James having the more level head of the two. Matt suffers from a lot of internalized trauma, that he unfortunately takes majority of it out on James, and James just can’t let him go. There’s definitely love there, even though I do believe it is a toxic type, but Matt doesn’t exactly know how to express or show emotions. But, even though it’s a long, painful journey, we begin to witness a change in Matt.
“𝕷𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝖆𝖙 𝖒𝖊. 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓’𝖙 𝖙𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖓 𝖆𝖉𝖛𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖌𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖒𝖊. 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓’𝖙 𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖕𝖚𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖒𝖊. 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓’𝖙 𝖘𝖊𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖊𝖉 𝖒𝖊.” 𝕳𝖊 𝖙𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝖆 𝖉𝖊𝖊𝖕 𝖇𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍. “𝕬𝖑𝖑 𝖞𝖔𝖚’𝖛𝖊 𝖉𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊 𝖒𝖞 𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊. 𝕳𝖊𝖆𝖑 𝖒𝖊. 𝕾𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖒𝖊.”
Now, their chemistry was fiery hot 🥵, can’t keep their hands off each other, and every emotion known to man was experienced by them. Hate, casual, so much passion and desire that’d it make a Pastor blush with shame. They’re nasty yet caring, lustful and beautiful all in one, with a lot of spice and flavor for all!
An engaging storyline with a great deal of depth for the characters!
𝐻𝑒 𝒹𝒾𝒹𝓃’𝓉 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓌𝒽𝓎 𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒥𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝒷𝓎 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒. 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝑔𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒽𝒾𝓂 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓇𝒶𝑔𝑒. 𝐻𝑒 𝒹𝒾𝒹𝓃’𝓉 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝓈𝑜 𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓁𝑜𝓈𝓉.
Both MC’s were interesting to say the least, with James having the more level head of the two. Matt suffers from a lot of internalized trauma, that he unfortunately takes majority of it out on James, and James just can’t let him go. There’s definitely love there, even though I do believe it is a toxic type, but Matt doesn’t exactly know how to express or show emotions. But, even though it’s a long, painful journey, we begin to witness a change in Matt.
“𝕷𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝖆𝖙 𝖒𝖊. 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓’𝖙 𝖙𝖆𝖐𝖊𝖓 𝖆𝖉𝖛𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖌𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖒𝖊. 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓’𝖙 𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖕𝖚𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖒𝖊. 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓’𝖙 𝖘𝖊𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖊𝖉 𝖒𝖊.” 𝕳𝖊 𝖙𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝖆 𝖉𝖊𝖊𝖕 𝖇𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍. “𝕬𝖑𝖑 𝖞𝖔𝖚’𝖛𝖊 𝖉𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊 𝖒𝖞 𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊. 𝕳𝖊𝖆𝖑 𝖒𝖊. 𝕾𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖒𝖊.”
Now, their chemistry was fiery hot 🥵, can’t keep their hands off each other, and every emotion known to man was experienced by them. Hate, casual, so much passion and desire that’d it make a Pastor blush with shame. They’re nasty yet caring, lustful and beautiful all in one, with a lot of spice and flavor for all!
An engaging storyline with a great deal of depth for the characters!
June 7, 2023
Wow it’s been a while since I loved a book this much! This was an interesting case of I feel the mc so much but GOSH he’s such an ahole! But this book almost had me in tears, again and again and again!
I was super invested in this story, the amazingly witten side characters and I couldn’t put the book down until I’d read the last word lol!
The only thing I didn’t love was the ending/last few pages. The ending was a nice try to spice things up again bc the final chapter(s) you could indeed notice the author was writing towards the end. Somehow it was a bit boring and predictable but also at the same time it was rushed compared to the rest of the book (which was a shame as it fell a bit flat compared to the other chapters which played with my emotions and almost had me cry, had me rolling my eyes and had me jumping up and down in my chair - so angry at a certain character 😤😂) So I’d rate the ending 3.5 stars but the rest of the book was 5 stars so I’m not gonna take a star off my rating because I enjoy it SO MUCH that the overall experience still deserves 5 stars!
I was super invested in this story, the amazingly witten side characters and I couldn’t put the book down until I’d read the last word lol!
The only thing I didn’t love was the ending/last few pages. The ending was a nice try to spice things up again bc the final chapter(s) you could indeed notice the author was writing towards the end. Somehow it was a bit boring and predictable but also at the same time it was rushed compared to the rest of the book (which was a shame as it fell a bit flat compared to the other chapters which played with my emotions and almost had me cry, had me rolling my eyes and had me jumping up and down in my chair - so angry at a certain character 😤😂) So I’d rate the ending 3.5 stars but the rest of the book was 5 stars so I’m not gonna take a star off my rating because I enjoy it SO MUCH that the overall experience still deserves 5 stars!
April 12, 2023
This was hard to rate. I would have given 2 stars for the first half, it picked up a bit towards the end. The main issue is the MC, I had no understanding for him. I wanted to DNF after the 1st chapters. He was an ungrateful dick to everyone, the flimsy reasons given for his attitude weren't enough to make u like him. The way he treated his foster parents made no sense, he was just a jerk. Around the middle James and Matt s relationship became so toxic, funny enough that part made more sense than anything. Over-all I wouldn't recommend this to a friend.
April 1, 2023
4.5 stars. This author always manages to make me feel a lot for the characters and this book is no exception. Matt was so very hateful towards himself and harsh to everyone around him because of that. I liked that James didn't just accept everything thrown at him. The supporting characters were interesting and the plot near the end was particularly unexpected.
March 28, 2023
4.5 stars
Matt is a terrible person. Truly awful, in the way only Scarlett Blackwell can write. She excels in writing these horrible people who ordinarily you'd stay a million miles away from, but in her books you can't help but fall for them and want them to turn things round and get their HEA anyway. That's my experience with her books, anyway, and I wouldn't change that for the world. I know what I'm getting when I pick up one of her books, if I want light and fluffy I'll go elsewhere. I pick these up when I want dark.
Heal Me is the first in a series, and it's set in the same world as Inferno. Matt has been in a bad car accident, and requires a nurse to help in his recovery. As I said, he's a terrible person, difficult is perhaps the best word, but he's spoiled, bitter, lonely, arrogant, homophobic and honestly I don't know why his friends put up with him, he's constantly awful to them. There's a core of good in there though, he's been through a fair bit in his life, but he's still terrible. When he finds himself attracted to his nurse, he gets worse really. He's never been attracted to men and denies it and pushes James away.
I couldn't put this down, I love Scarlet's brand of terrible men who do awful things yet get their HEA, this is another of those that I loved and will likely revisit. I'm in.
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.
Matt is a terrible person. Truly awful, in the way only Scarlett Blackwell can write. She excels in writing these horrible people who ordinarily you'd stay a million miles away from, but in her books you can't help but fall for them and want them to turn things round and get their HEA anyway. That's my experience with her books, anyway, and I wouldn't change that for the world. I know what I'm getting when I pick up one of her books, if I want light and fluffy I'll go elsewhere. I pick these up when I want dark.
Heal Me is the first in a series, and it's set in the same world as Inferno. Matt has been in a bad car accident, and requires a nurse to help in his recovery. As I said, he's a terrible person, difficult is perhaps the best word, but he's spoiled, bitter, lonely, arrogant, homophobic and honestly I don't know why his friends put up with him, he's constantly awful to them. There's a core of good in there though, he's been through a fair bit in his life, but he's still terrible. When he finds himself attracted to his nurse, he gets worse really. He's never been attracted to men and denies it and pushes James away.
I couldn't put this down, I love Scarlet's brand of terrible men who do awful things yet get their HEA, this is another of those that I loved and will likely revisit. I'm in.
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.
July 23, 2024
She really lost me with the active shooter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2025
I would have liked this so much more if they really did fall in love. The characters, main and side, kept thinking about it and talking about it. But I was not at all convinced. As a reader, I saw every single interaction they had, and I cannot for the life of me figure out when, or more importantly why they fell in love. It didn't make any sense, especially from James's end. Like what did he even see in Matt that made him fall in love with him? Not like him, but love him?!?! And that's all before the increasing homophobia towards him from Matt after they started sleeping together. From my side of things, this read as a classic case of overblown lust and i-wanna-fix-the-broken-man kind of "love". So the way James kept coming back to Matt and pandering to him was not at all romantic and I kept screaming at him to get his brain back into his skull and start protecting himself and to cut a toxic man out of his life. Alas, the complete opposite happened.
I had no issue with how unlikable Matt was an MC. He had so many faults and he was lucky to have so many people who refused to give up on him. I was looking forward to seeing how he would grow and develop as a person to earn his hea. And the theme of internalized homophobia can be such a compelling one, especially how it's overcome. Unfortunately here, Matt gets over it like 2 minutes before the book ends (not to mention that the catalyst for that was so not it), and not in a convincing way imo. As a matter of fact, the same happened with all his other faults. His redemption was way too close to the end and way too instantaneous without any apologies or rectifications. So I don't even believe in the hea. At most, it was a hfn, and that's being generous. Even putting aside the internalized homophobia and all the other issue with Matt's attitude, I wasn't convinced of how he and James fit together as a romantically involved couple. Like I said, this was lust masquerading as love. But I did keep reading til the end, so that's something at least. And the prose, in isolation of the plot, was not bad either (which is more than I can say about a lot of other romance books). So 2 stars from me.
One more thing before I post, about that first time they slept together. Matt was absolutely right. He was drunk and no matter which way you slice it, James took advantage of him. It's not like they were already in a committed relationship or something. James knew exactly how Matt felt about being with another man (not that Matt's homophobia was in any way correct, but still), and there was absolutely no discussion beforehand with a sober Matt about anything. So while I wouldn't say this was sexual assault or rape, it came very close to that line and was not at all "hot" or something that endeared James to me as a reader. I'm thinking this book might be closer to 1.5 stars rounded up.
I had no issue with how unlikable Matt was an MC. He had so many faults and he was lucky to have so many people who refused to give up on him. I was looking forward to seeing how he would grow and develop as a person to earn his hea. And the theme of internalized homophobia can be such a compelling one, especially how it's overcome. Unfortunately here, Matt gets over it like 2 minutes before the book ends (not to mention that the catalyst for that was so not it), and not in a convincing way imo. As a matter of fact, the same happened with all his other faults. His redemption was way too close to the end and way too instantaneous without any apologies or rectifications. So I don't even believe in the hea. At most, it was a hfn, and that's being generous. Even putting aside the internalized homophobia and all the other issue with Matt's attitude, I wasn't convinced of how he and James fit together as a romantically involved couple. Like I said, this was lust masquerading as love. But I did keep reading til the end, so that's something at least. And the prose, in isolation of the plot, was not bad either (which is more than I can say about a lot of other romance books). So 2 stars from me.
One more thing before I post, about that first time they slept together. Matt was absolutely right. He was drunk and no matter which way you slice it, James took advantage of him. It's not like they were already in a committed relationship or something. James knew exactly how Matt felt about being with another man (not that Matt's homophobia was in any way correct, but still), and there was absolutely no discussion beforehand with a sober Matt about anything. So while I wouldn't say this was sexual assault or rape, it came very close to that line and was not at all "hot" or something that endeared James to me as a reader. I'm thinking this book might be closer to 1.5 stars rounded up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2023
3.5 stars
I didn't immediately leave a review after reading this book because I needed time to process and I'm still not sure about it.
I loved the plot: a broken man, both physically and emotionally, and his nurse who helps him healing.
I loved the characters too, James is caring, thougthful, very attentive; Matt is a giant mess, hurt so many times over the years.
I loved the side characters too, they were amazing friends for both Matt and James (I honestly couldn't understand why they loved Matt so much, though).
But the level of hurt/comfort in this book was too much unbalanced towards the hurt: James and Matt's relationship is on a rollercoaster and they don't know how to get off and be on a more solid ground. Angst is the feeling that overwhelms the whole book, James seemed so hopeless and Matt kept hurting him over and over again. His words cut deep, his internalised homophobia and his abandonment issues made him so mean toward the only person who truly understood him and loved him, his behaviour was toxic, unfortunately there's no other word to describe it.
I keep thinking James gave him too many chances, he was always at Matt's beck and call, his resignation to satisfy Matt's sexual needs and Matt's behaviour after every one of them tainted all their moments together.
I liked that the problems were not immediately resolved and that the story is spread over several months, but the incessant back and forth was too much.
Anyway, I wouldn't have minded all this angst and torment and I would have given it a higher rate if it wasn't for the HEA, too rushed and not at all satisfying for me: after 300 pages of internal turmoil we've got just one chapter of truly happiness. Moreover, Matt never had to grovel to win James back, who was just there for Matt's taking; I wish James . He should have made him work hard to be able to trust him not to break his heart again. Lastly, .
Anyway, I recommend this book to the readers who love angsty stories.
I didn't immediately leave a review after reading this book because I needed time to process and I'm still not sure about it.
I loved the plot: a broken man, both physically and emotionally, and his nurse who helps him healing.
I loved the characters too, James is caring, thougthful, very attentive; Matt is a giant mess, hurt so many times over the years.
I loved the side characters too, they were amazing friends for both Matt and James (I honestly couldn't understand why they loved Matt so much, though).
But the level of hurt/comfort in this book was too much unbalanced towards the hurt: James and Matt's relationship is on a rollercoaster and they don't know how to get off and be on a more solid ground. Angst is the feeling that overwhelms the whole book, James seemed so hopeless and Matt kept hurting him over and over again. His words cut deep, his internalised homophobia and his abandonment issues made him so mean toward the only person who truly understood him and loved him, his behaviour was toxic, unfortunately there's no other word to describe it.
I keep thinking James gave him too many chances, he was always at Matt's beck and call, his resignation to satisfy Matt's sexual needs and Matt's behaviour after every one of them tainted all their moments together.
I liked that the problems were not immediately resolved and that the story is spread over several months, but the incessant back and forth was too much.
Anyway, I wouldn't have minded all this angst and torment and I would have given it a higher rate if it wasn't for the HEA, too rushed and not at all satisfying for me: after 300 pages of internal turmoil we've got just one chapter of truly happiness. Moreover, Matt never had to grovel to win James back, who was just there for Matt's taking; I wish James . He should have made him work hard to be able to trust him not to break his heart again. Lastly, .
Anyway, I recommend this book to the readers who love angsty stories.
April 1, 2023
Matt Harmon is a broken man in more ways than one. Hospitalized after wrapping his car around a tree, with multiple injuries that will require many weeks to heal, he demands to leave the hospital and needs a live-in nurse. He is a cold, arrogant, angry man, one who doesn’t accept responsibility for his words and actions, he hates being touched, resents his parents, and is straight.
After firing two female nurses, James Hayden is the nurse that he grudgingly accepts. Matt is angry about his situation, basically helpless in many ways, resentful at the need for help, in pain, and not a very pleasant person to be around. James is accepting of Matt’s grumpiness, not reacting most of the time, a calming influence.
Matt finds himself attracted to James, doesn’t understand it and fights against it because he “ is not gay, he’s straight”. James feels the attraction, too, but Matt says things that drives James away because of the feelings he cannot accept. Once James is gone, Matt cannot forget him and much of the rest of the book is Matt trying to reconcile his attraction and feelings for James when he cannot accept the idea of being attracted to a man, the physical connection the two men have, his feelings of not being worthy of love, his” mind talk” trying to process all the things he thinks and feels about James, and two of his best friends who are in a gay relationship, all making him an emotional mess. When an event happens putting those he cares for in danger, Matt makes choices that finally help him clarify what he has been fighting for so long.
I liked the book and it kept me interested although I did get frustrated with Matt’s constant seesawing between his actions and his emotions. Main Characters were compelling and others really added to a better understanding of Matt and his personality. The actual defining event that helped clarify things for Matt surprised me, but it worked. I plan to read the second book in the series now.I would rate this book 4.5 stars.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
After firing two female nurses, James Hayden is the nurse that he grudgingly accepts. Matt is angry about his situation, basically helpless in many ways, resentful at the need for help, in pain, and not a very pleasant person to be around. James is accepting of Matt’s grumpiness, not reacting most of the time, a calming influence.
Matt finds himself attracted to James, doesn’t understand it and fights against it because he “ is not gay, he’s straight”. James feels the attraction, too, but Matt says things that drives James away because of the feelings he cannot accept. Once James is gone, Matt cannot forget him and much of the rest of the book is Matt trying to reconcile his attraction and feelings for James when he cannot accept the idea of being attracted to a man, the physical connection the two men have, his feelings of not being worthy of love, his” mind talk” trying to process all the things he thinks and feels about James, and two of his best friends who are in a gay relationship, all making him an emotional mess. When an event happens putting those he cares for in danger, Matt makes choices that finally help him clarify what he has been fighting for so long.
I liked the book and it kept me interested although I did get frustrated with Matt’s constant seesawing between his actions and his emotions. Main Characters were compelling and others really added to a better understanding of Matt and his personality. The actual defining event that helped clarify things for Matt surprised me, but it worked. I plan to read the second book in the series now.I would rate this book 4.5 stars.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 31, 2023
Matt & James’ story was a lot to handle. Matt is honestly not a great guy. He’s full of self-loathing and self-directed homophobia. After the car accident that should have killed him, but only shattered his body, he’s also full of self-consciousness, worried more about how women will find his looks than being grateful that he’s alive. When his home nurses don’t meet his approval, he fires each one until he finds one he’s amenable to. Enter James. The chemistry between them is immediately apparent, though we get to see just how much Matt hates his attraction to men when he realizes that he’s attracted to James.
Matt and James’ have an intense back-and-forth relationship. They each promise one another, themselves and others that they’ll stay away from each other, they won’t go back, they won’t sleep together again and they won’t fall in love. They break these promises repeatedly, but it isn’t until a scary & deadly situation arises that the two men find their way together, fully and permanently.
There will be people who hate Matt and won’t be able to get past his treatment of his friends, James and even Matt himself. He is deeply flawed but deserving of redemption. James is perfect for him and Matt knows this, which makes him fight against James harder than he fought even to survive his life-altering injuries.
Please note that there is a lot of homophobia from the main character, talk of sleeping with others (no cheating) and descriptions of Matt’s injuries from his car accident.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and, as always, my review is honest and unpaid.
Heal Me
Scarlet Blackwell
Matt and James’ have an intense back-and-forth relationship. They each promise one another, themselves and others that they’ll stay away from each other, they won’t go back, they won’t sleep together again and they won’t fall in love. They break these promises repeatedly, but it isn’t until a scary & deadly situation arises that the two men find their way together, fully and permanently.
There will be people who hate Matt and won’t be able to get past his treatment of his friends, James and even Matt himself. He is deeply flawed but deserving of redemption. James is perfect for him and Matt knows this, which makes him fight against James harder than he fought even to survive his life-altering injuries.
Please note that there is a lot of homophobia from the main character, talk of sleeping with others (no cheating) and descriptions of Matt’s injuries from his car accident.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and, as always, my review is honest and unpaid.
Heal Me
Scarlet Blackwell
April 30, 2024
2⭐️
my god, this was hilariously bad, and yet for some godforsaken reason i still had to see it through to the end?
plot points that didn't make any sense:
• james being in love with matt after talking to him a grand total of about 5 times, half of which he was being a homophobic arsehole for
• james being a total doormat and just letting matt act that way with absolutely no repercussions
• matt basically being able to walk fine a few weeks or so after being in a car wreck that shattered his pelvis and snapped his leg in two and then a few months later he's at the gym lifting 200 pound weights? one minute he need morphine and the next he's sauntering round the bathroom? i've had colds that put me down harder than that
• matt being a homophobic arsehole, his parents (see point 5) were weird rich folks but not homophobes, and his friends were all sexually fluid so there's literally no reason for it
• matts "foster" parents - if they adopt you, they're called adoptive parents! why in god's name did they keep saying foster a million times? also, why was matt so pissy at them? he acted like he'd gone through severe abuse, when they seemed like perfectly reasonable people
• the last minute mass shooter thing that literally made me snort out loud in disbelief, i'm sorry but WHAT THE FUCK was that? i was going to give it three stars and suspend all my disbelief for the rest of the issues until that point
absolutely wack at every juncture
my god, this was hilariously bad, and yet for some godforsaken reason i still had to see it through to the end?
plot points that didn't make any sense:
• james being in love with matt after talking to him a grand total of about 5 times, half of which he was being a homophobic arsehole for
• james being a total doormat and just letting matt act that way with absolutely no repercussions
• matt basically being able to walk fine a few weeks or so after being in a car wreck that shattered his pelvis and snapped his leg in two and then a few months later he's at the gym lifting 200 pound weights? one minute he need morphine and the next he's sauntering round the bathroom? i've had colds that put me down harder than that
• matt being a homophobic arsehole, his parents (see point 5) were weird rich folks but not homophobes, and his friends were all sexually fluid so there's literally no reason for it
• matts "foster" parents - if they adopt you, they're called adoptive parents! why in god's name did they keep saying foster a million times? also, why was matt so pissy at them? he acted like he'd gone through severe abuse, when they seemed like perfectly reasonable people
• the last minute mass shooter thing that literally made me snort out loud in disbelief, i'm sorry but WHAT THE FUCK was that? i was going to give it three stars and suspend all my disbelief for the rest of the issues until that point
absolutely wack at every juncture
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2023
The book is well written with believable characters that develop over the course of the book. But here are two things: the book is too long and by the end of it, you dislike everyone in it so much, you don't care what happens as long as it ends. The main character was tragically damaged in a terrible car accident. Got it. But he was clearly a bad person before and after. He changes eventually. He is convinced his friends will stand by him. They do. I keep asking, why?
The second main character loves him. Again, why?
They remind you of magnets that are forced together over and over only to repel each other almost violently, never thinking to turn slightly so they attract. (I know, magnets don't think, but you can get the point.)
Without giving a spoiler, you rather feel like the author feels the same way about forcing an ending. The big heroic scene? It comes out of nowhere. It is never explained why it happened, who made it happen, or anything else. But it made the book end. At least semi-happily.
I, for one, was just glad it ended.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The second main character loves him. Again, why?
They remind you of magnets that are forced together over and over only to repel each other almost violently, never thinking to turn slightly so they attract. (I know, magnets don't think, but you can get the point.)
Without giving a spoiler, you rather feel like the author feels the same way about forcing an ending. The big heroic scene? It comes out of nowhere. It is never explained why it happened, who made it happen, or anything else. But it made the book end. At least semi-happily.
I, for one, was just glad it ended.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 31, 2023
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
It was a wild ride.
First book by this author and I didn't really know what to expect. This baby is thick and be prepared to be on a wild ride. I've felt every emotion I think. I've been happy, enraged, I've cried and I've wanted to throw this book at the wall.
I was worried at first for the whole nurse thing since medical thing wrote really wrong can make me stop reading but boy it was good. Not too much that it take over the story but right enough to be satisfactory and smooth in the story.
Those men took my heart and put everything inside out. I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil anything but it was rough on me. I've loved it. It's wholesome, it's spicy but nothing feel forced in those spicy scene.
It's really a lovely book with heart wrenching scenes . I won't change a thing and once you reach the end you'll need a moment to think back on everything. It's well written and flow easily, I've lost hours of sleep to finish this book and I regret nothing.
It was a wild ride.
First book by this author and I didn't really know what to expect. This baby is thick and be prepared to be on a wild ride. I've felt every emotion I think. I've been happy, enraged, I've cried and I've wanted to throw this book at the wall.
I was worried at first for the whole nurse thing since medical thing wrote really wrong can make me stop reading but boy it was good. Not too much that it take over the story but right enough to be satisfactory and smooth in the story.
Those men took my heart and put everything inside out. I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil anything but it was rough on me. I've loved it. It's wholesome, it's spicy but nothing feel forced in those spicy scene.
It's really a lovely book with heart wrenching scenes . I won't change a thing and once you reach the end you'll need a moment to think back on everything. It's well written and flow easily, I've lost hours of sleep to finish this book and I regret nothing.
March 30, 2023
I had to stop reading a third of the way through the book in disgust at Matt's homophobic comments. Matt was in a terrible car accident, is bed bound and James is his nurse. But Matt can't stop his attraction to James or his to best friends coming out as gay. He is in such emotional conflict it comes out as terrible homophobia and self hatred. His only redeeming quality is inner shame. It's impossible to like Matt especially when James is so kind and giving even though you understand its coming from a place of pain but James just keeps coming back for more rejection. This book is one torturing ball of angst but is filled with hot, sexy scenes as they can't get enough of each other. Despite all the angst and homophobia, I loved the HEA and the book has so much depth of emotions you feel the anguish throughout it. I received a copy of this book through Book Sirens and this is my voluntary opinion.
April 2, 2023
I love this book. James and Matthew's was difficult to read. Matt was in a horrific accident that almost cost him his life and he need a nurse. He's an angry and difficult man to get along with. He's also very cold and has a chip on his back because of his childhood. James is the nurse assigned to him and he knows how to handle Matt. You can see the chemistry between these two the moment they meet. Neither men are gay but nothing is stopping that attraction between them. Matt has difficulty admitting to himself, his friends, his family and James that he is bisexual. This book deals with gay for you, homophobia, starting over, and forgiveness and I loved it. It's also very emotional, romantic, and sweet, and their sexy times are hot. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.
April 4, 2023
Matt and James
Fast paced book. Good storyline. I liked both characters, but I struggled with them. I would have liked to see James as less of a pushover and Matt more redeemable.
Throughout the book, we see how much Matt is loved and cared for by his friends, but he shows little to warrant this affection. I also don't understand why Matt was so homophobic as neither his parents or his friends were like this. The writer gives no clue as to what caused Matt to be this way. Those were my main issues with both MCs, but all in all I did like the development.
I will continue to read books from this author as I like her style.
Fast paced book. Good storyline. I liked both characters, but I struggled with them. I would have liked to see James as less of a pushover and Matt more redeemable.
Throughout the book, we see how much Matt is loved and cared for by his friends, but he shows little to warrant this affection. I also don't understand why Matt was so homophobic as neither his parents or his friends were like this. The writer gives no clue as to what caused Matt to be this way. Those were my main issues with both MCs, but all in all I did like the development.
I will continue to read books from this author as I like her style.
June 12, 2023
This was a compelling story, with all the angst, misunderstandings and doubting inner voices of both MCs willing me to read on until they finally reached their hard-fought HEA.
I know Scarlet Blackwell specialises in difficult MCs and Matt was definitely that! Despite being convinced that he's physically broken after a serious car accident, his nurse James sees that the damage to Matt is emotional and psychological and pre-dates the accident by decades.
The way these two struggle with their connection (James for professional reasons and Matt for his internalised homophobia) really rachets the emotional and sexual tension. A thoroughly satisfying roller coaster of a read!
I know Scarlet Blackwell specialises in difficult MCs and Matt was definitely that! Despite being convinced that he's physically broken after a serious car accident, his nurse James sees that the damage to Matt is emotional and psychological and pre-dates the accident by decades.
The way these two struggle with their connection (James for professional reasons and Matt for his internalised homophobia) really rachets the emotional and sexual tension. A thoroughly satisfying roller coaster of a read!
April 2, 2023
Matt was in a car accident that almost took his life. With several very severe injuries he checks himself out of the hospital and goes home. He hires a nurse James Hayden after firing a couple others nurses. Matt has issues, anger, the scars from the accident and just being a miserable person. James experience working with difficult individuals in the past. He sees Matt is suffering and holding everything inside, he tries to get him to talk but Matt is stubborn. Only life altering incident makes Matt see the truth and make a change in his life.
April 4, 2023
Toxic, toxic, toxic.
Matt was throwing red flags left and right and James had a major savior complex. Nobody can heal you, you have to heal yourself so Matt needed at some point to address his need for therapy and how he would work on his issues for his relationship (and friendships) to work.
You cannot insult people again and again and just say sorry once.
It could have been a great book but at some point I just wanted James to say F.. you and let him grovel and do the real work until he deserved him.
Matt was throwing red flags left and right and James had a major savior complex. Nobody can heal you, you have to heal yourself so Matt needed at some point to address his need for therapy and how he would work on his issues for his relationship (and friendships) to work.
You cannot insult people again and again and just say sorry once.
It could have been a great book but at some point I just wanted James to say F.. you and let him grovel and do the real work until he deserved him.
March 25, 2023
A bi sexual awakening story, with a hurt/comfort theme. In the beginning one of the MCs, Matt, is incredibly hard to like, however, it becomes clear that he is suffering from PTSD, and it is fear that is driving his actions. I adored James, an obvious care giver, who falls for Matt. There’s anguish, pain, angst and passion, but also a lot of 'will they, won't they', which I found a little OTT at times. Their HEA was incredibly hard earned, but satisfying. 3.75 stars.
March 26, 2023
There is a lot of hurt in this hurt/comfort. There is some PTSD content that may trigger some readers. One of the main characters is a homophobic jerk and not even his closest friends are safe from his vitriol. The story moves at a slow, steady pace with a lot of angst and seriousness. While I did like this book it was a hard read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 5, 2023
Matt was in a horrific car accident. He wasn't supposed to live. However, he did. He suffered horrific scars along with PTSD. Matt was one angry SOB. Not only did he physical he also emotional scars.I feel he didn't treat anyone nicely with the expectation of his house lady. James, a nurse, was hired to care for Matt after his accident. James is such a good soul that he not only wanted to help Matt physically, and he wanted to help him emotionally. I understand the emotional scars Matt had. However, most of the time, Matt treated James like sh@t, not caring for his feelings. Matt kept running away from his feelings for James. It took a tragedy for him to open his eyes.
I liked this story. However, I found it a bit long. I wish Matt didn't run so much. It was a well written story. I will definitely read the 2nd story in this series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I liked this story. However, I found it a bit long. I wish Matt didn't run so much. It was a well written story. I will definitely read the 2nd story in this series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 1, 2023
Like every scarlet book this book isn’t an easy read.
I love this authors books! She knows how to write gritty romance that makes you feel a lot of different emotions in a short amount of time.
This book was filled with deep topics and complex characters. Reading matts growth from the start of this book to the end was amazing. He was definitely in a dark place at the start. While a darker read this book had spice and the chemistry between the two MCs was off the charts.
I love this authors books! She knows how to write gritty romance that makes you feel a lot of different emotions in a short amount of time.
This book was filled with deep topics and complex characters. Reading matts growth from the start of this book to the end was amazing. He was definitely in a dark place at the start. While a darker read this book had spice and the chemistry between the two MCs was off the charts.
nope-nope-nope
April 2, 2023Note to self:
April 1, 2023
A full length epic romance between a nurse and patient, with all the hurt comfort you crave. Scarlet's flawless writing shines here as the the delicious love and hate, push and pull, fighting and anger plays out to the inevitable hea. This is gritty and sometimes difficult but that is what Scarlet does well. The emotional turmoil comes through on every page as you get deeper and deeper into this excellent book. Highly recommended.
April 2, 2023
Healing Touch
This is not a fluffy love story. It's gritty and painful. The hurt is plentiful in this but then so is the comfort. It is all worth it though for the opportunity to read this story.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
This is not a fluffy love story. It's gritty and painful. The hurt is plentiful in this but then so is the comfort. It is all worth it though for the opportunity to read this story.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
May 15, 2023
At one point I was thinking about giving four stars, but that was before the event at 86%. Now, it’s a DNF. This was the worst ‘deus ex machina’ that I have read in a romance. Why couldn’t the two men get together in a romantic manner?
I almost stopped reading during the very high drama first part and say that my angst quota for romance reading was filled for the year. The story was still drawing me in and the second half is better than the first, for anyone who is thinking of reading it. Until they get to that scene.
I’m disappointed, but I can’t make myself read anymore.
I almost stopped reading during the very high drama first part and say that my angst quota for romance reading was filled for the year. The story was still drawing me in and the second half is better than the first, for anyone who is thinking of reading it. Until they get to that scene.
I’m disappointed, but I can’t make myself read anymore.
April 2, 2023
This was a really great book by a great author. I loved the characters and the story. It keeps your attention from start to finish.
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