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Heartstone #1
Medicine Man
Willow Taylor lives in a castle with large walls and iron fences. But this is no ordinary castle. It’s called Heartstone Psychiatric hospital and it houses forty other patients. It has nurses with mean faces and techs with permanent frowns.
It has a man, as well. A man who is cold and distant. Whose voice drips with authority. And whose piercing gray eyes hide secrets, and maybe linger on her face a second too long.
Willow isn’t supposed to look deep into those eyes. She isn’t supposed to try to read his tightly leashed emotions. And neither is she supposed to touch herself at night, imagining his powerful voice and that cold but beautiful face.
No, Willow Taylor shouldn’t be attracted to Simon Blackwood, at all.
Because she’s a patient and he’s her doctor. Her psychiatrist.
The medicine man.
WARNING: This book discusses sensitive issues including but not limited to, depression and suicide.
Listening Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
It has a man, as well. A man who is cold and distant. Whose voice drips with authority. And whose piercing gray eyes hide secrets, and maybe linger on her face a second too long.
Willow isn’t supposed to look deep into those eyes. She isn’t supposed to try to read his tightly leashed emotions. And neither is she supposed to touch herself at night, imagining his powerful voice and that cold but beautiful face.
No, Willow Taylor shouldn’t be attracted to Simon Blackwood, at all.
Because she’s a patient and he’s her doctor. Her psychiatrist.
The medicine man.
WARNING: This book discusses sensitive issues including but not limited to, depression and suicide.
Listening Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
12 pages, Audible Audio
First published September 27, 2018
2379 people are currently reading
19957 people want to read
About the author
Saffron A. Kent
35 books6,313 followersSaffron A. Kent is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Contemporary and New Adult romance. She writes dark, forbidden, and emotional romance that blurs the line between love and obsession. Her books feature burn that hurts, the broken boy who shouldn’t be touched, the girl who can’t stay away, and the secret that could destroy them both. She's known for her poetic prose and romance that delivers both beautiful destruction and the promise of being remade by love that should never have happened.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,140 reviews
November 22, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! Medicine Man (stand-alone). Ultra forbidden romance between two lonely souls with secrets!
“I wanted him to know the truth. Maybe because my feelings for him – crush, fascination, whatever -isn’t like my illness. It’s one pure thing, and I didn’t want to hide it.”
Medicine Man (stand-alone) opens up to high school student and heiress Willow Audrey Taylor, Lolo aka Snow Princess counting down the days until she completes her treatment in a psychiatric facility. More on why she is there to unfold with story.
Willow’s confined and monotonous existence is soon knocked off its axil when Dr. Simon Alistair Blackwood Ice King signs on as her new physiatrist. It’s contempt at first sight.
But when Dr. Blackwood starts digging into Willow’s mind and past, disdain turns to curiosity then crush onto lust. Soon their forbidden flirtation threatens everything, especially the secrets they guard.
Poetically told mostly from Willow’s POV it’s a forbidden romance with star-crossed lovers written all over it. Flawless character development and a beautiful impossible love had me rooting for Simon and Willow from the moment they met. Angst and mystery spiced up with smoldering sex that almost set my Kindle on fire. Kudos Saffron!
***
Hero: ★★★★1/2
Heroine: ★★★★★
Plot: ★★★★★
Storytelling: ★★★★★
Sexual tension: ★★★★★
Sex scenes: ★★★★★
Story ending: ★★★★★
******************************************
OVERALL RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Angst: | MEDIUM FOCUS |
Darkness: | MEDIUM FOCUS |
Humor: | MEDIUM FOCUS |
Kink: | MEDIUM FOCUS |
Romance: | HIGH FOCUS |
Sex frequency: | MEDIUM FOCUS |
Suspense: | LOW FOCUS |
ARC provided to me by author Saffron Kent in exchange for an honest review.
September 24, 2018
“I don’t have my pride, Willow, because I feel like a man on death row. Begging for life. Begging to live one more day. Begging to fuck you one more time.”
If this book isn't proof that you should always give second chances then I don't know what is.
I'm so wonderfully speechless.
So fucking gobsmacked, someone needs to join me on release day to raise a glass... all the glasses to Ms. Kent.
_______________
An Explanation
Earlier this year, I received an ARC for Gods and Monsters. After reading the novel, I wrote a review and gave it 1 star (zero stars if I could) because I thought what it was telling the readers wasn't right. I still and always will hold strong to the points I made in that review, because all those truths are self-evident.
I even thought that I wouldn't pick up a Saffron A. Kent novel ever again, for the sole reason that I actually hate giving negative reviews. Even through all its issues, authors work hard with their writing and publishing a novel can be one of the scariest and most vulnerable things to do.
Yet, somehow Medicine Man made its way through to my kindle.
I. was. hooked.
Not the chapter after chapter hooked, the type of hooked that had my eyes burning because I didn't even want to blink in case I missed a second of reading. The kind of hooked that kept me up till 5 in the morning with four shots of espresso and no dinner (because who has the time to cook when YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS). The kind of hooked that made me reach the last page, and all I wanted to do was flip back to the beginning and start the journey all over again.
That kind of hooked usually never. Never happens to me.
The Plot
Let me try and win you over.
This is a story about a girl who purposefully fell off of a roof.
This girl isn't well.
In fact, she's so unwell that she has managed to trick herself into thinking that she actually is.
This is a story about a man who is broken inside.
This man is a fixer.
In fact, he can fix just about everything and everyone other than himself.
This is a story about how a girl who wants to fall to her death, yet learns to fall in love instead. With a man who wants to fix her, yet learns to fix himself instead.
Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
So here's what won me over.
This book has many trigger warnings (that was stated in the beginning, cheers). Depression and Suicide being some of the many sensitive issues that are touched upon. One of the main themes, I'd say before even the Romance was the Mental Health. Not that this book wasn't steamy, because I'm talking panty dropping scenes, hot damn.
However, something that perhaps resonated very deeply and hit home really hard was the way mental health was handled in this book. I thought for sure I would have to rate this book down a couple stars because magic dick syndrome has its little symptoms pop up here and there and there was the constant message of "Love can cure my depression."
Except it wasn't.
It was done so brilliantly and cleverly because of how real the narration and the bouts of insanity felt. When you have a mental health issue, when you have any sort of disorder with your mind or body - you want to believe that everything and anyone can be your cure. You want out of your situation so badly, that you start to believe in other people more than you believe in yourself.
Willow realized that towards the end and the one and only important message that I want to plaster all over every paperback and e-book of this, is this:
The Writing
There was something so special about the writing in this. The way the atmosphere and pathetic fallacy was perfect under different conditions and the way some narrative descriptions was exactly what it feels like to be in that mindset. Eerie is a word that encapsulates this book.
The cover doesn't do this book justice. Although, it's an okay cover - this book was so much more than just okay.
It is a pretty big ass book. In fact, that's probably what would deter people away or cause them to lose interest. (I didn't lose interest even once but then again, I've already stated how fucking addicted I was to this.)
There are two more books coming after this one revolved around some characters you see. I need them now. No, I needed them yesterday - I just didn't know.
Although, the book deals with sensitive situations and triggering topics, it really is such a hot book. There was so much sexual tension and the burn was perfect and slow.
I'm going to stop gushing and end this review with a little paragraph that I re-read multiple times. My eyes began to leak and I hope yours do too because whoever is dealing with issues like our Warrior Willow is, or even other issues; it's okay not to be okay.
If this book isn't proof that you should always give second chances then I don't know what is.
I'm so wonderfully speechless.
So fucking gobsmacked, someone needs to join me on release day to raise a glass... all the glasses to Ms. Kent.
_______________
An Explanation
Earlier this year, I received an ARC for Gods and Monsters. After reading the novel, I wrote a review and gave it 1 star (zero stars if I could) because I thought what it was telling the readers wasn't right. I still and always will hold strong to the points I made in that review, because all those truths are self-evident.
I even thought that I wouldn't pick up a Saffron A. Kent novel ever again, for the sole reason that I actually hate giving negative reviews. Even through all its issues, authors work hard with their writing and publishing a novel can be one of the scariest and most vulnerable things to do.
Yet, somehow Medicine Man made its way through to my kindle.
I. was. hooked.
Not the chapter after chapter hooked, the type of hooked that had my eyes burning because I didn't even want to blink in case I missed a second of reading. The kind of hooked that kept me up till 5 in the morning with four shots of espresso and no dinner (because who has the time to cook when YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS). The kind of hooked that made me reach the last page, and all I wanted to do was flip back to the beginning and start the journey all over again.
That kind of hooked usually never. Never happens to me.
"I can’t ignore this growing… something just under my ribcage. Something like longing but with a sharper edge. More like restlessness."
The Plot
Let me try and win you over.
"There’s a sun stuck in my head. It’s bright and glaring. It hurts my eyes, my skull, my very bones. I shove a pillow on my face, trying to shield myself from the rays. Obviously, it doesn’t help. Because the sun is inside my head. Inside. My head."
This is a story about a girl who purposefully fell off of a roof.
This girl isn't well.
In fact, she's so unwell that she has managed to trick herself into thinking that she actually is.
This is a story about a man who is broken inside.
This man is a fixer.
In fact, he can fix just about everything and everyone other than himself.
This is a story about how a girl who wants to fall to her death, yet learns to fall in love instead. With a man who wants to fix her, yet learns to fix himself instead.
"Medicine is in his blood. Like illness is in mine. My blood is tainted with poison and his is laced with the antidote."
Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
So here's what won me over.
This book has many trigger warnings (that was stated in the beginning, cheers). Depression and Suicide being some of the many sensitive issues that are touched upon. One of the main themes, I'd say before even the Romance was the Mental Health. Not that this book wasn't steamy, because I'm talking panty dropping scenes, hot damn.
"Broken heart is more dangerous than a disease of the mind, though. They give you a pill to make your brain happy, but they haven’t yet made a pill for heartbreak. So there. That should teach everyone who wants to fall in love."
However, something that perhaps resonated very deeply and hit home really hard was the way mental health was handled in this book. I thought for sure I would have to rate this book down a couple stars because magic dick syndrome has its little symptoms pop up here and there and there was the constant message of "Love can cure my depression."
Except it wasn't.
It was done so brilliantly and cleverly because of how real the narration and the bouts of insanity felt. When you have a mental health issue, when you have any sort of disorder with your mind or body - you want to believe that everything and anyone can be your cure. You want out of your situation so badly, that you start to believe in other people more than you believe in yourself.
Willow realized that towards the end and the one and only important message that I want to plaster all over every paperback and e-book of this, is this:
"Well, as happy as you can be while living with clinical depression. Unfortunately, love isn’t a cure for it, but the love of my life is there with me every step of the way."
"As much as I enjoy the fantasy of him curing me, of him being my medicine man, I know he can’t. I know in this life, the only person who can save you is yourself. I’ve been fighting to save my life ever since I was born. I don’t need him to save me."
The Writing
There was something so special about the writing in this. The way the atmosphere and pathetic fallacy was perfect under different conditions and the way some narrative descriptions was exactly what it feels like to be in that mindset. Eerie is a word that encapsulates this book.
The cover doesn't do this book justice. Although, it's an okay cover - this book was so much more than just okay.
It is a pretty big ass book. In fact, that's probably what would deter people away or cause them to lose interest. (I didn't lose interest even once but then again, I've already stated how fucking addicted I was to this.)
"I’m already locked up. I’m free to be insane."
There are two more books coming after this one revolved around some characters you see. I need them now. No, I needed them yesterday - I just didn't know.
Although, the book deals with sensitive situations and triggering topics, it really is such a hot book. There was so much sexual tension and the burn was perfect and slow.
"I feel like I needed that, his tongue inside my mouth, tasting, sweeping, licking. Hungry. I needed to be his food, his sustenance, like he’s become mine."
I'm going to stop gushing and end this review with a little paragraph that I re-read multiple times. My eyes began to leak and I hope yours do too because whoever is dealing with issues like our Warrior Willow is, or even other issues; it's okay not to be okay.
“Because the thing is that it’s not my fault either. That I was born this way. It’s not my fault that sometimes things get just a little bit harder. It’s not my fault that every day I fight a silent battle. I implode. I don’t make a sound. I don’t say a word. I don’t let anyone know what I’m going through. It’s like I’m blaming myself. And I don’t want to do that anymore. I told you because it’s not my fault. It’s not my fault that some days my goal is just to make it through the day. While others make plans to ace an interview or a test or go see a movie or for a walk, I make plans to just get through the day. It’s not my fault. It’s my achievement. It’s my strength that I fight. Someone told me that I’m a warrior, and that I’m ashamed of it. So this is me…” I nod, unfisting my hands. “Not being ashamed. This is me asking for help.”
September 28, 2018
4 stars!!!
Medicine Man is a deliciously forbidden and flawlessly written story. Seriously, Saffron Kent is one heck of a writer. She is uber talented and every book I’ve read of hers has had just the right amount of taboo with a lot of sexy. This was no exception.
Willow Taylor is an eighteen year old girl who is clinically depressed. So depressed, that she ended up in a facility called Heartstone after attempting to take a flying leap off a roof. Heartstone is a psychiatric hospital. There, Willow meets a lot of people that change her life forever. One of them is a man named Simon Blackstone.
Simon is a man who Willow is enamored with from the first moment she meets him. He’s someone who helps Willow come to terms with her condition. He helps her see herself in a different light. As a fighter. Someone who doesn’t need saved, someone who can save herself.
Simon would be the perfect man for Willow, if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s in his thirties and her psychiatrist. Willow calls him her Medicine Man, her Ice King. He’s mercurial and can be a real jerk, but it’s pretty apparent he has feelings for Willow as well. But Simon isn't perfect. He’s got issues of his own to deal with, issues from his past that have scarred him.
Willow and Simon’s relationship is complicated. It’s hot and cold, it’s push and pull, and it’s scorching and sexy. There is something about a good forbidden romance that is so much more endearing than a cookie cutter love story. Every single book I’ve read of Saffron’s has had this quality. This unputdownable, completely engaging quality. It’s in the writing, in the romance, and in the undeniable chemistry between these two.
There were parts of this romance I loved, and parts I didn’t always love. By the end, I realized how beautiful it was, even though it hurt to get there. As much as the romance aspect was a bit wishy-washy for me, one thing that I loved from start to finish was Willow. My Warrior Willow. This girl was sweet, scared, strong, and tough as nails when she needed to be. Her growth was beautiful and astounding. She is a true fighter and an amazing heroine. I loved her to pieces and she made this book for me.
After finishing this story, I saw there would be two spin off stories from other characters and OMG I need them asap. Seriously, I cannot wait for more from these characters. Hopefully, we will get a peak into Willow and Simon’s future while reading as well.
Medicine Man is a unique and all consuming story. It’s a powerful read and one that made me think and feel. I can’t shout out enough how beautifully written it is. Overall, a really great read.
Simon Blackwood is such a contradiction. He wants to save me, but he also wants me to save myself. He wants me to fight, and at the same time, he wants to protect me.
Medicine Man is a deliciously forbidden and flawlessly written story. Seriously, Saffron Kent is one heck of a writer. She is uber talented and every book I’ve read of hers has had just the right amount of taboo with a lot of sexy. This was no exception.
Willow Taylor is an eighteen year old girl who is clinically depressed. So depressed, that she ended up in a facility called Heartstone after attempting to take a flying leap off a roof. Heartstone is a psychiatric hospital. There, Willow meets a lot of people that change her life forever. One of them is a man named Simon Blackstone.
Simon is a man who Willow is enamored with from the first moment she meets him. He’s someone who helps Willow come to terms with her condition. He helps her see herself in a different light. As a fighter. Someone who doesn’t need saved, someone who can save herself.
He’s not a hero, he said. Maybe that’s why I shattered myself just now. For him. So he could fix me, save me like a hero he says he isn’t. With his medicine in my blood putting me to sleep, I close my eyes to that ridiculous thought. I don’t want anyone to save me. I don’t need saving. I also don’t need a hero.
Simon would be the perfect man for Willow, if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s in his thirties and her psychiatrist. Willow calls him her Medicine Man, her Ice King. He’s mercurial and can be a real jerk, but it’s pretty apparent he has feelings for Willow as well. But Simon isn't perfect. He’s got issues of his own to deal with, issues from his past that have scarred him.
Willow and Simon’s relationship is complicated. It’s hot and cold, it’s push and pull, and it’s scorching and sexy. There is something about a good forbidden romance that is so much more endearing than a cookie cutter love story. Every single book I’ve read of Saffron’s has had this quality. This unputdownable, completely engaging quality. It’s in the writing, in the romance, and in the undeniable chemistry between these two.
My medicine man is curing me, purifying my blood, vacuuming the illness out of me. With his mouth, his kisses, he’s drinking down all my poison. That thing inside me that gives me blue eyes. He’s making me cleaner, healthier. He’s purging me. He’s making me happy. The thing that’s as elusive to me as love.
There were parts of this romance I loved, and parts I didn’t always love. By the end, I realized how beautiful it was, even though it hurt to get there. As much as the romance aspect was a bit wishy-washy for me, one thing that I loved from start to finish was Willow. My Warrior Willow. This girl was sweet, scared, strong, and tough as nails when she needed to be. Her growth was beautiful and astounding. She is a true fighter and an amazing heroine. I loved her to pieces and she made this book for me.
After finishing this story, I saw there would be two spin off stories from other characters and OMG I need them asap. Seriously, I cannot wait for more from these characters. Hopefully, we will get a peak into Willow and Simon’s future while reading as well.
Medicine Man is a unique and all consuming story. It’s a powerful read and one that made me think and feel. I can’t shout out enough how beautifully written it is. Overall, a really great read.
January 25, 2022
– 3.75 stars
I’M SHOCKED!!! Me rating a SAK book more than 2 stars?! Here I was, already giving up on SAK’s books, because her St. Mary’s series is not only bad, it’s atrocious. So I started Medicine Man with zero expectations and got everything. simonwillow SAK’s best couple methinks.
Medicine Man still has SAK’s signature obsessed heroine trope, but I thought it was done so much better in this setting. We have Willow (h) who is at Heartstone Psychiatric Hospital, because of a ‘Rooftop Incident’. She hates all kind of doctors and psychiatrists for trying to dissect her brain and illness, but then she meets Simon (H) who understands her. I hate the obsessed heroine trope, hence the reasons why none of SAK’s previous books worked for me, but with Medicine Man I could kind of understand the obsession. Imagine being confined weeks in a mental institution with barely connections to the outside world. Sure there are things to do, but overall you’re limited in the activities you can do and distractions that come with the outside world and then comes this hot older doctor who believes in your strength when everyone around you only sees a weakness, because of your depression. I’m sorry, but I would get obsessed with Simon Blackwood as well. 😌
Simon & Willow were so cute!! Simon was so supportive of her and Willow managed to get some of the stick in his ass out ... honestly soulmate behavior. 💅 let’s forget that this book is unethical, because patient and doctor, but I really don’t care, because the forbidden aspect is what’s made it even better in my opinion.
Another topic I thought was handled well was the mental illness aspect of this book. I was glad to see that Willow was not miraculously healed from depression just because she got ✨ magic dick ✨, but that it was rather shown that depression is an illness that is never going away and something Willow will have to fight every day of her life, but having a great supportive system sure as hell helps a lot.
A heroine who is not that desperate for the Hero to fuck her? A heroine with pride? i- what universe did I enter into? I’m so traumatised by Salem, Callie and Willamina that I had to read that diaglogue 5 times and still can’t believe that Willow really said “I won’t be begging you to fuck me, either” omg I’m going to cry, she’s doing the bare minimum and I love her. What a queen. 😭
WAS THIS PERFECT?
No far from it, it’s SAK’s writing we’re talking after all (✨ no shade, just facts ✨) and this book still made me cringe at times.
excuse me, what🤡
jail. delete delete delete right NOW or non of you will ever see the gates of heaven 🤠🤠🤠🤠
rosy pussy ✍️ fairy pussy ✍️ PrInCeSsS puSSy ✍️ I’d still rather choose princess pussy over fairy pussy anytime soon, but I prefer not having to choose between either terrible options, thanks.
Also Willow being the biggest Harry Potter fan saying: “Don’t watch the movies. They suck.”
Me re-watching all the Harry Potter movies right now: 👁👄👁 i- excuse me, i’m going to let myself out and go watch the next Harry Potter movie. 🏃🏻♀️
Conclusion
I still got second hand embarrassment from the writing at times, but I believe in simonwillow supremacy that I didn’t mind it as much. It helps that it's nowhere nearly as bad as St. Mary series (I'm sorry for dragging that series that much, but it really traumatised me beyond anything) so I'm always "👁👄👁 uhh okay this is pretty bad, BUT it could always get much worse!!!" Willow and Simon had me in my feels and I love them. Medicine Man is BY FAR SAK’s best book and that’s the hill I’ll die on.
“You make my sadness not so… sad.”
I’M SHOCKED!!! Me rating a SAK book more than 2 stars?! Here I was, already giving up on SAK’s books, because her St. Mary’s series is not only bad, it’s atrocious. So I started Medicine Man with zero expectations and got everything. simonwillow SAK’s best couple methinks.
Medicine is in his blood. Like illness is in mine. My blood is tainted with poison and his is laced with the antidote.
Medicine Man still has SAK’s signature obsessed heroine trope, but I thought it was done so much better in this setting. We have Willow (h) who is at Heartstone Psychiatric Hospital, because of a ‘Rooftop Incident’. She hates all kind of doctors and psychiatrists for trying to dissect her brain and illness, but then she meets Simon (H) who understands her. I hate the obsessed heroine trope, hence the reasons why none of SAK’s previous books worked for me, but with Medicine Man I could kind of understand the obsession. Imagine being confined weeks in a mental institution with barely connections to the outside world. Sure there are things to do, but overall you’re limited in the activities you can do and distractions that come with the outside world and then comes this hot older doctor who believes in your strength when everyone around you only sees a weakness, because of your depression. I’m sorry, but I would get obsessed with Simon Blackwood as well. 😌
“There’s no shame in having to fight. There’s no shame in having to kick and scream. There’s no shame in being a warrior. It’s the most honorable thing you can do for yourself. Pick up a sword and fight. Just reach out, Willow, and pick it up. That’s all you have to do. And if someone makes you feel ashamed just for the fact that you’re a fighter, then...” He licks his lips. “Then fuck them.”
Simon & Willow were so cute!! Simon was so supportive of her and Willow managed to get some of the stick in his ass out ... honestly soulmate behavior. 💅 let’s forget that this book is unethical, because patient and doctor, but I really don’t care, because the forbidden aspect is what’s made it even better in my opinion.
Another topic I thought was handled well was the mental illness aspect of this book. I was glad to see that Willow was not miraculously healed from depression just because she got ✨ magic dick ✨, but that it was rather shown that depression is an illness that is never going away and something Willow will have to fight every day of her life, but having a great supportive system sure as hell helps a lot.
“It’s biology. If you keep staring at it with your bratty eyes, it will get that way.” I give him those bratty eyes. “I wanna suck it.” He flinches at my declaration and I keep going. “But I won’t ask you for that. And you know what else? I won’t be begging you to fuck me, either.”
“You won’t?” I pout. “No. Because if someone wants to fuck me, then he should have the courtesy to tell me that himself. I have pride, you know.” Finally, he stops smoothing down my hair and starts playing with the seam of my lips. “That’s good, Willow. Pride is good. One of us should have that.”
A heroine who is not that desperate for the Hero to fuck her? A heroine with pride? i- what universe did I enter into? I’m so traumatised by Salem, Callie and Willamina that I had to read that diaglogue 5 times and still can’t believe that Willow really said “I won’t be begging you to fuck me, either” omg I’m going to cry, she’s doing the bare minimum and I love her. What a queen. 😭
“Do you know why I love the rain?”
“Willow –"
“Because it reminds me of second chances. It makes me think that if this ugly world can be pure after a heavy shower, I can be pure too. I can get all the chances that I want.”
WAS THIS PERFECT?
No far from it, it’s SAK’s writing we’re talking after all (✨ no shade, just facts ✨) and this book still made me cringe at times.
“And he is hard. And hot. And so big. Like a pipe or something. It makes me feel so small, smaller and more feminine than I’ve ever felt. So I undulate against him.
excuse me, what🤡
Jesus, it’s big. And swollen.
No wonder I had to jack him off with two hands. The head of it seems purple in color, darker than the rest of the length. And he’s oozing out pre-cum. A white, pearly drop that makes me think of white, pearly gates.
Keeper of the black gates of Heartstone has a dick that makes me think of the white gates of heaven.
jail. delete delete delete right NOW or non of you will ever see the gates of heaven 🤠🤠🤠🤠
“I kept my slippers on my princess feet for you. L-like you told me. Won’t you come for me, Simon? Please come in my princess pussy.”
Also Willow being the biggest Harry Potter fan saying: “Don’t watch the movies. They suck.”
Me re-watching all the Harry Potter movies right now: 👁👄👁 i- excuse me, i’m going to let myself out and go watch the next Harry Potter movie. 🏃🏻♀️
Conclusion
I still got second hand embarrassment from the writing at times, but I believe in simonwillow supremacy that I didn’t mind it as much. It helps that it's nowhere nearly as bad as St. Mary series (I'm sorry for dragging that series that much, but it really traumatised me beyond anything) so I'm always "👁👄👁 uhh okay this is pretty bad, BUT it could always get much worse!!!" Willow and Simon had me in my feels and I love them. Medicine Man is BY FAR SAK’s best book and that’s the hill I’ll die on.
March 10, 2021
4,5 stars
If you have strong feelings about a relationship between “a patient & her doctor”, or “an 18-year-old virgin & 33-year-old adult”, then, this book might be a hard pill to swallow for you.
The book has all kinds of wrong in it and things they do can easily be judged if you are not flexible in your judgement. However, if you just let yourself feel what they feel, then the wrong can feel right because it is how they feel and they cannot help it.
I once read "Unrequited" from this writer and I didn’t like that book much. I still think my 3 stars was too much for that book. That's why, I was hesitant to read another book from this writer. And also, this book contained two things that I do not prefer in my romance: A virgin heroine at the age of 18 and a hero who is 15 years older than her. Despite not liking the idea, I still wanted to read this book because I am drawn to books that are about mental illnesses, that’s why...
The heroine has clinical depression. I also suffered from depression for 2 years and although it is not a life-long illness for me, I have an idea about it and what it feels like and that’s why, I wanted to read this character’s story.
Now I am happy that I took the leap despite my pet peeves because, like the magician who pulls a rabbit out of his pocket, the writer creates a love story between these two characters that makes me believe in them and that makes me accept them as a couple; and it was kind of magical for me to be rooting for their HEA. I still can’t believe myself but I really loved this book and the story it tells.
Safety:
There are things happening in the book that I would never condone in real life and that I would be really pissed at but hey, it is fiction and I enjoyed their forbidden affair because it somehow felt right. As the heroine said, it was like they were born for each other. So I pushed away all my common sense and morals that tried to dictate how I should feel about the book and I let myself get invested in their story, so sue me 😊
And if you are concerned about other kinds of safety, well, there is no cheating whatsoever.
The plot and the characters:
Our heroine Willow is diagnosed with clinical depression and she also has suicidal ideation. She meets our hero in the psychiatric facility where she is treated. Simon is her psychiatrist. Willow is there because she attempted to kill herself. Simon is a doctor but he is also a broken man as his mother was bipolar and she killed herself.
The relationship between Simon and Willow is unethical and wrong but it somehow helps them in the long run. Their feelings don’t cure them, of course, but those feelings help them fight for their lives. He teaches her to see herself as a warrior who fights for her life every day rather than feeling like a lacking and scarred person who is not enough for anyone. And meanwhile, she teaches him that he doesn’t need to be perfect to be a hero. He can fall, he can fail but he can rise again.
When he breathes out, I breathe in.
I’m filling my tired lungs with his air.
Does he realize that?
He’s in me, now.
Willow is his Snow Princess with her silvery hair and blue eyes. And Simon is her king who slays dragons for her.
The book focuses on the illness and its dark moments and that’s why, it is sometimes really depressive. However, it has its light and fun moments as well as intensely hot moments. It is emotional, steamy, depressive, sad, hopeful and heartwarming all at the same time.
Writing:
It is written in dual point of view although we have more of Willow’s voice. The writing is phenomenal and it makes you feel a lot! You feel as if you are there in that hospital with them, watching and experiencing everything as if it is happening right in front of your eyes.
My rating:
I really had a hard time rating this book.
If I were to judge the unethical and wrong parts of their relationship, I would have ended up giving it 2-3 stars only but I reiterate that it somehow felt right despite being wrong and inappropriate. The writer made me believe in it being right for them.
So, I am only deducting 1 point - a symbolic minus point for it - but I am not letting myself grade this book with less than 4 stars.
And despite my high rating, I am warning you that this book is not for everyone. You really need to be flexible about certain issues to be able to enjoy their story...
***********************************************
Here are some QUOTES from the book that may give you a better idea…
“I told you, Willow. I’m not supposed to think of you in any other terms but as my patient. Do you know how unethical this is?
Me coming into your room in the middle of the night?
Do you know what kind of men do things like this?
Weak men.
Men who fail.
Men who can’t control themselves.
You don’t want anything to do with men like that, Willow.
You need to be smart.
You need to stay away from men like me.”
***
“Willow, whatever this is, it isn’t real. All of this. It’s co-dependency. You think I’m saving you and I think I’m the only one who can save you. It’s all fucked up, all right? We can’t do this.”
“But you’re forgetting something,” I whisper, knowing it in the depths of my soul. As much as I enjoy the fantasy of him curing me, of him being my Medicine Man, I know he can’t. I know in this life, the only person who can save you is yourself. I’ve been fighting to save my life ever since I was born. I don’t need him to save me. I need him to kiss me right now. And touch me, possibly f*ck me. Oh God, yes, I want him to f*ck me.
“What?”
“ I’m the Warrior Willow. I can save myself.”
“I don’t have my pride, Willow, because I feel like a man on death row.
Begging for life.
Begging to live one more day.
Begging to f*ck you one more time.”
***
“Don’t say no,” he rasps. There’s so much anguish packed in those three words that my tears start falling. Like I’m the rain and he’s the cloud that makes me flow.
Does he really think I’ll ever say no to him? If he does, then he really doesn’t know the things I feel for him. The things I’ll do for him. The depths I’ll go to and fall in, for him. Simon Blackwood doesn’t know anything, then.
***
I am his playground, and he can play all he wants. I’m his medicine in this moment, curing his illness. His princess slaying his dragons.
***
Every time I hear his voice roughened with concern or see his gray eyes darken with worry, I fall in love with him all over again. I feel so feminine, so fragile and so cherished that I want to crawl in his lap and ask him to fix everything for me. And he will, or he’ll die trying.
“Do you know why I love the rain?”
“Willow –"
“Because it reminds me of second chances. It makes me think that if this ugly world can be pure after a heavy shower, I can be pure too. I can get all the chances that I want.”
***
“You haven’t even said it yet.”
“Said what?”
“That you love me.”
I’m taken aback. “I… I haven’t?”
“No.”
I know he tells me every day. I know that. That’s the best part of my day. He says it right when he’s about to leave me for the night and go back to his apartment. I take those three words and sleep with them under my pillow. But I didn’t realize that I hadn’t said it yet. I say it to myself all the time.
*********************************************
You can follow my instagram page from here
If you have strong feelings about a relationship between “a patient & her doctor”, or “an 18-year-old virgin & 33-year-old adult”, then, this book might be a hard pill to swallow for you.
The book has all kinds of wrong in it and things they do can easily be judged if you are not flexible in your judgement. However, if you just let yourself feel what they feel, then the wrong can feel right because it is how they feel and they cannot help it.
I once read "Unrequited" from this writer and I didn’t like that book much. I still think my 3 stars was too much for that book. That's why, I was hesitant to read another book from this writer. And also, this book contained two things that I do not prefer in my romance: A virgin heroine at the age of 18 and a hero who is 15 years older than her. Despite not liking the idea, I still wanted to read this book because I am drawn to books that are about mental illnesses, that’s why...
The heroine has clinical depression. I also suffered from depression for 2 years and although it is not a life-long illness for me, I have an idea about it and what it feels like and that’s why, I wanted to read this character’s story.
Now I am happy that I took the leap despite my pet peeves because, like the magician who pulls a rabbit out of his pocket, the writer creates a love story between these two characters that makes me believe in them and that makes me accept them as a couple; and it was kind of magical for me to be rooting for their HEA. I still can’t believe myself but I really loved this book and the story it tells.
Safety:
There are things happening in the book that I would never condone in real life and that I would be really pissed at but hey, it is fiction and I enjoyed their forbidden affair because it somehow felt right. As the heroine said, it was like they were born for each other. So I pushed away all my common sense and morals that tried to dictate how I should feel about the book and I let myself get invested in their story, so sue me 😊
And if you are concerned about other kinds of safety, well, there is no cheating whatsoever.
The plot and the characters:
Our heroine Willow is diagnosed with clinical depression and she also has suicidal ideation. She meets our hero in the psychiatric facility where she is treated. Simon is her psychiatrist. Willow is there because she attempted to kill herself. Simon is a doctor but he is also a broken man as his mother was bipolar and she killed herself.
The relationship between Simon and Willow is unethical and wrong but it somehow helps them in the long run. Their feelings don’t cure them, of course, but those feelings help them fight for their lives. He teaches her to see herself as a warrior who fights for her life every day rather than feeling like a lacking and scarred person who is not enough for anyone. And meanwhile, she teaches him that he doesn’t need to be perfect to be a hero. He can fall, he can fail but he can rise again.
When he breathes out, I breathe in.
I’m filling my tired lungs with his air.
Does he realize that?
He’s in me, now.
Willow is his Snow Princess with her silvery hair and blue eyes. And Simon is her king who slays dragons for her.
The book focuses on the illness and its dark moments and that’s why, it is sometimes really depressive. However, it has its light and fun moments as well as intensely hot moments. It is emotional, steamy, depressive, sad, hopeful and heartwarming all at the same time.
Writing:
It is written in dual point of view although we have more of Willow’s voice. The writing is phenomenal and it makes you feel a lot! You feel as if you are there in that hospital with them, watching and experiencing everything as if it is happening right in front of your eyes.
My rating:
I really had a hard time rating this book.
If I were to judge the unethical and wrong parts of their relationship, I would have ended up giving it 2-3 stars only but I reiterate that it somehow felt right despite being wrong and inappropriate. The writer made me believe in it being right for them.
So, I am only deducting 1 point - a symbolic minus point for it - but I am not letting myself grade this book with less than 4 stars.
And despite my high rating, I am warning you that this book is not for everyone. You really need to be flexible about certain issues to be able to enjoy their story...
***********************************************
Here are some QUOTES from the book that may give you a better idea…
“I told you, Willow. I’m not supposed to think of you in any other terms but as my patient. Do you know how unethical this is?
Me coming into your room in the middle of the night?
Do you know what kind of men do things like this?
Weak men.
Men who fail.
Men who can’t control themselves.
You don’t want anything to do with men like that, Willow.
You need to be smart.
You need to stay away from men like me.”
***
“Willow, whatever this is, it isn’t real. All of this. It’s co-dependency. You think I’m saving you and I think I’m the only one who can save you. It’s all fucked up, all right? We can’t do this.”
“But you’re forgetting something,” I whisper, knowing it in the depths of my soul. As much as I enjoy the fantasy of him curing me, of him being my Medicine Man, I know he can’t. I know in this life, the only person who can save you is yourself. I’ve been fighting to save my life ever since I was born. I don’t need him to save me. I need him to kiss me right now. And touch me, possibly f*ck me. Oh God, yes, I want him to f*ck me.
“What?”
“ I’m the Warrior Willow. I can save myself.”
“I don’t have my pride, Willow, because I feel like a man on death row.
Begging for life.
Begging to live one more day.
Begging to f*ck you one more time.”
***
“Don’t say no,” he rasps. There’s so much anguish packed in those three words that my tears start falling. Like I’m the rain and he’s the cloud that makes me flow.
Does he really think I’ll ever say no to him? If he does, then he really doesn’t know the things I feel for him. The things I’ll do for him. The depths I’ll go to and fall in, for him. Simon Blackwood doesn’t know anything, then.
***
I am his playground, and he can play all he wants. I’m his medicine in this moment, curing his illness. His princess slaying his dragons.
***
Every time I hear his voice roughened with concern or see his gray eyes darken with worry, I fall in love with him all over again. I feel so feminine, so fragile and so cherished that I want to crawl in his lap and ask him to fix everything for me. And he will, or he’ll die trying.
“Do you know why I love the rain?”
“Willow –"
“Because it reminds me of second chances. It makes me think that if this ugly world can be pure after a heavy shower, I can be pure too. I can get all the chances that I want.”
***
“You haven’t even said it yet.”
“Said what?”
“That you love me.”
I’m taken aback. “I… I haven’t?”
“No.”
I know he tells me every day. I know that. That’s the best part of my day. He says it right when he’s about to leave me for the night and go back to his apartment. I take those three words and sleep with them under my pillow. But I didn’t realize that I hadn’t said it yet. I say it to myself all the time.
*********************************************
You can follow my instagram page from here
May 15, 2020
5 Ice King Stars ⭐️
Just steal my breath, break my heart, punch me in the gut for good measure and then mercifully put me back together. Because once wasn’t enough to have read Medicine Man, I had to go back for seconds. And to me, if was just as breathtaking and glorious the second time around.
Eighteen year old Harry Potter enthusiast Willow is on the inside after ‘The Roof Incident.’ Her days are filled with many forms of therapy and medication. It’s tough to accept when it was just an ‘accident’, and no she doesn’t need to be ‘fixed’...
"The look where they think I’m crazy and I’m lying, and they pity me. They think that if they poke me too much, I might explode. I don’t like that look."
Dr Simon Blackwood, psychiatrist, intuitive, calm, anti hero. The first person to see beyond her embellished truths and to enable her to heal.
”You’re ashamed that every day you have to fight to stay alive. You’re ashamed that you have to fight at all. So you lie. And instead of being proud of yourself, you’re fucking ashamed.”
Simon has personal experience with Willow’s everyday struggles. He sees the warrior that she is, his admiration slowly turning into more. Although morally and ethically wrong, the connection is real until wrong becomes right.
”It doesn’t make sense.” His gray, almost black, gaze flicks back and forth. “You’re my patient. You’re my responsibility. I’m supposed to fix you, not think about your lips.”
Medicine Man is the real deal forbidden tale done perfectly. From a doctor/patient relationship, a significant age gap and scorching moments, it may not be for all. At times, my heart felt heavy, then bittersweet and finally euphoric. The respect and empathy this author showed writing about something as serious as mental illness is commendable. The suffering was real and the love between these two characters, greater.
Just steal my breath, break my heart, punch me in the gut for good measure and then mercifully put me back together. Because once wasn’t enough to have read Medicine Man, I had to go back for seconds. And to me, if was just as breathtaking and glorious the second time around.
Eighteen year old Harry Potter enthusiast Willow is on the inside after ‘The Roof Incident.’ Her days are filled with many forms of therapy and medication. It’s tough to accept when it was just an ‘accident’, and no she doesn’t need to be ‘fixed’...
"The look where they think I’m crazy and I’m lying, and they pity me. They think that if they poke me too much, I might explode. I don’t like that look."
Dr Simon Blackwood, psychiatrist, intuitive, calm, anti hero. The first person to see beyond her embellished truths and to enable her to heal.
”You’re ashamed that every day you have to fight to stay alive. You’re ashamed that you have to fight at all. So you lie. And instead of being proud of yourself, you’re fucking ashamed.”
Simon has personal experience with Willow’s everyday struggles. He sees the warrior that she is, his admiration slowly turning into more. Although morally and ethically wrong, the connection is real until wrong becomes right.
”It doesn’t make sense.” His gray, almost black, gaze flicks back and forth. “You’re my patient. You’re my responsibility. I’m supposed to fix you, not think about your lips.”
Medicine Man is the real deal forbidden tale done perfectly. From a doctor/patient relationship, a significant age gap and scorching moments, it may not be for all. At times, my heart felt heavy, then bittersweet and finally euphoric. The respect and empathy this author showed writing about something as serious as mental illness is commendable. The suffering was real and the love between these two characters, greater.
September 29, 2018
If you haven’t read Saffron’s The Unrequited, then you must. This otoh is both shallow and protracted, also, the protagonists have zero chemistry. It’s a no for me. DNF @23%
June 9, 2021
1 star
Probably the most disappointing book of this year for me. There was so much wrong with it I just can't even. I mean, if you're going to write a book based on mental health, make it a book based on mental health, and don't just use mental health as a ploy to make the reader root for the characters. And honestly, other than the first pages where it was mentioned that Willow suffered from depression, we never really see an instance where she exhibits symptoms of a depressed person. Unhinged? Yes. Obsessive? Yes. Delusional? Definitely. But depressed? Hell to the fuck to the no.
And can we just talk about Simon? I honestly cannot understand how one could like a character like him. He was literally Christian Grey category cultist. Let me just break things down for you so you can understand-
In a position of power// knows his patient has feelings for him, and yet goes and gives her hopes, only to tell her that said hopes will amount to nothing// said patient is a mental health patient, so he's just fucking her up even more, making her desperate to please him, until all she ends up doing is thinking about things that she should do that will make him happy- aka fucking her up even more// zero work ethics// also, is he really psychiatrist? Because how callously does he play with the health of his patient? Ugh.
I don't like the plot.
Simon and Willow were probably the least likable characters for me of all the ones that Saffron has written.
And I just don't like the entire tone of this book, because somehow it felt like instead of empowering, it felt insulting of people actually fighting depression.
Instantaneous love cures depression?
Probably the most disappointing book of this year for me. There was so much wrong with it I just can't even. I mean, if you're going to write a book based on mental health, make it a book based on mental health, and don't just use mental health as a ploy to make the reader root for the characters. And honestly, other than the first pages where it was mentioned that Willow suffered from depression, we never really see an instance where she exhibits symptoms of a depressed person. Unhinged? Yes. Obsessive? Yes. Delusional? Definitely. But depressed? Hell to the fuck to the no.
And can we just talk about Simon? I honestly cannot understand how one could like a character like him. He was literally Christian Grey category cultist. Let me just break things down for you so you can understand-
In a position of power// knows his patient has feelings for him, and yet goes and gives her hopes, only to tell her that said hopes will amount to nothing// said patient is a mental health patient, so he's just fucking her up even more, making her desperate to please him, until all she ends up doing is thinking about things that she should do that will make him happy- aka fucking her up even more// zero work ethics// also, is he really psychiatrist? Because how callously does he play with the health of his patient? Ugh.
I don't like the plot.
Simon and Willow were probably the least likable characters for me of all the ones that Saffron has written.
And I just don't like the entire tone of this book, because somehow it felt like instead of empowering, it felt insulting of people actually fighting depression.
Instantaneous love cures depression?
September 21, 2018
MY REVIEW: can also be found on my blog:
➽ KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS
MEDICINE MAN: Is a full length, a taboo romance novel by Saffron A. Kent. In this we meet Willow Taylor and Simon Blackward.
Release Date: September 27th, 2018
Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Eighteen year old Willow is a patient at Heartstone Psychiatric hospital where it houses forty other patients within it’s private facility, thirty three year old Simon is her Psychiatrist.
Due to a roof incident she’s been admitted as a patient for the next four weeks so they can monitor her for suicidal tendencies and righting her medication.
Willow was such a complex character, many years she actually thought she was born a witch, she is nothing like her family members, and was convinced at the age of eleven that they would come for her like they did with Harry Potter, at the age of fourteen she was diagnosed with clinical depression, instead of going to her dream school of magic she ends up at Heartstone Psychiatric Hospital at the age of eighteen.
Simon was a hard man to bond with, his father founded Heartstone Psychiatric Hospital, he was closed off due to his upbringing which made him into the man he is today, in some ways I never really gelled with his character. He never really took life by the horns and lived, until Willow, she slowly brought him back to life.
This was a long book, and I think if it was cut in half it would’ve kept my attention throughout and my rating would've been a lot higher, the first few chapters I loved, all the feels in the world, then it just lagged in places, up until you reach over half way it picked up again, when she’s released from the ward all the feels came rushing back again and I fell in love with her character all over again.
I went into this expecting either it was going to be a wee bit dark or it would take a walk down looney bin lane with it being set in a Psychiatric hospital but neither of these things happened, but it still didn't take away me loving the Heroine in this book, she was quirky and nerdy, strong and feisty, a full out Harry Potter fan, from her tee shirts with quotes to her carrying around one of her most loved books of the series. Though her inner dialogue took away some of the enjoyment of reading as some of the scenes were too drawn out and I found myself zoning out.
So even though my rating is somewhat low I did come away with loving some of this book.
September 22, 2018
~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~To start off with I just have to say that this author is an AMAZING writer. Every book I have read by her to date has been fantastic. Did I love this one as much as the previous two I have read (The Unrequited and Gods & Monsters)? Well, not quite, and I'll get to the reasons why in a bit, but I did very much enjoy it overall (hence the 4-Star rating). The writing was excellent (as usual). The pace was OK. This is really where the book lost half a star for me. It was a fairly long book, and the first half of this book moved REALLY slow for me. That said, the pace does pick up quite a bit after the 50% mark. The plot was engaging (more so in the second half). It was also quite unique. Last, it was all wrapped up in a very sweet epilogue that gave us just a TINY hint about what lies in store for a couple of the secondary characters.
~HERO~
SIMON...So Simon is the other reason this lost half a star. I liked Simon, but I didn't love him. This may be because I absolutely ADORED Willow, and in comparison I felt Simon was maybe a bit weak. On top of that, some of his decisions, and how he went about certain things in regard to Willow didn't strike me as being very astute for a psychiatrist of some repute. And I'll be honest I was kind of pissed off about how the big drama played out at the end, and how Willow I sound like I hated the guy, but I didn't. I think for me he was just the weaker of the two main characters. Having said that, he did earn A LOT of extra brownie points for his behavior near the end. So his character was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
~HEROINE~
WILLOW...I ADORED Willow. A-D-O-R-E-D her. She was strong (especially near the end). She was feisty. She had balls to go after what she wanted. She was a good friend. A good human being. She was funny. She was sweet. She was a bit nerdy. Her struggles hit very close to home for me both personally and through extended family, and I just wanted to reach into a book and give her a hug. Willow was by far my favorite character in this book, and probably in the top five of all-time favorite heroines, I have ever had the pleasure to read about.
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
This book had a plethora of excellent secondary characters. I adored Willow's friends (Renn, Vi, and Penny), and I am super excited that Renn and Vi are going to be getting books of their own.
~HEAT LEVEL~
MEDIUM...The sex was a bit slow to come (50%), but boy oh boy was it smokin' hot when it did finally arrive. These two set my tablet on fire. They also had a fantastic on page chemistry.
~ANGST LEVEL - SEXUAL HISTORIES~
MEDIUM...This was a fairly angsty book simply because of the plot set up (patient/psychiatrist). There is also a bit of an age difference, the heroine just turned 18 and the hero is 33. The heroine was a virgin (groan), but OK, it was believable enough in this instance. The hero wasn't a manwhore and hadn't slept with anyone in three months, and there wasn't any OW or OM drama.
~IN THE END~
Did I enjoy it? Very much so.
Was it perfect? It had a few small issues, but nothing too major.
Would I recommend it? Yes, for sure!
Who would enjoy this book? Pretty much everyone.
July 31, 2022
oh he’s so hot and so miserable
September 19, 2018
*3.75 stars*
Loved it. Willow and Simon’s story was beautiful. Simon Blackwood is holding back from really living. He harbors great guilt because he failed to live up to his personal expectations and he blames himself for his parents’ unhappy lives…that is until the day he meets his patient Willow Taylor. Willow is beautiful and kind but she has not let herself open up to anyone since the diagnosis of her mental disorder that interferes with her daily life. Simon can see through her and her lies and can really feel her pain. They both start developing strong feelings for each other and soon they can’t keep their hands off each other.
The author does such an amazing job of creating sexual heat between them, not to mention the steamy sexual escapades between the two, all of which is off-the-charts hot. Their romance is a deep and powerful one. I liked the story a lot and was attached enough to want to know what happens next. I loved the hospital atmosphere and the medical romance…I just felt that Willow’s inner dialogue was tediously prolonged in several scenes polluting the writing and making the reader tired or even bored. Also, I found the supporting characters very interesting being a fundamental part of the story but I needed to know more about them. I think they needed elaboration.
Quite a long book but it did hold my interest. All in all I loved it, a really great forbidden-love romance!
In short:
Hero 4/5 | Heroine 4/5 | Plot (Point, Originality) 5/5 | Writing Style 4/5 | Steam 5/5 | Romance 5/5 | Angst-Suspense 4/5 | Darkness 3/5 | Humor 1/5 | Secondary Characters 3/5 | Drama-Conflict 4/5 | Mystery 2/5 | Twists 4/5 | Pacing Steady | Action 3/5
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
Loved it. Willow and Simon’s story was beautiful. Simon Blackwood is holding back from really living. He harbors great guilt because he failed to live up to his personal expectations and he blames himself for his parents’ unhappy lives…that is until the day he meets his patient Willow Taylor. Willow is beautiful and kind but she has not let herself open up to anyone since the diagnosis of her mental disorder that interferes with her daily life. Simon can see through her and her lies and can really feel her pain. They both start developing strong feelings for each other and soon they can’t keep their hands off each other.
The author does such an amazing job of creating sexual heat between them, not to mention the steamy sexual escapades between the two, all of which is off-the-charts hot. Their romance is a deep and powerful one. I liked the story a lot and was attached enough to want to know what happens next. I loved the hospital atmosphere and the medical romance…I just felt that Willow’s inner dialogue was tediously prolonged in several scenes polluting the writing and making the reader tired or even bored. Also, I found the supporting characters very interesting being a fundamental part of the story but I needed to know more about them. I think they needed elaboration.
Quite a long book but it did hold my interest. All in all I loved it, a really great forbidden-love romance!
In short:
Hero 4/5 | Heroine 4/5 | Plot (Point, Originality) 5/5 | Writing Style 4/5 | Steam 5/5 | Romance 5/5 | Angst-Suspense 4/5 | Darkness 3/5 | Humor 1/5 | Secondary Characters 3/5 | Drama-Conflict 4/5 | Mystery 2/5 | Twists 4/5 | Pacing Steady | Action 3/5
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.
April 17, 2024
long story short- stage 3 schizophrenic falls in love with her pedo therapist
December 12, 2018
4 Stars
Overall Opinion: This was actually a pleasant surprise and better than I thought it'd be! I appreciated the fact that the story felt unique to me. Yes it had that familiar taboo/forbidden love type aspect, but it wasn't like anything I've read before. I liked the Girl Interrupted type setting in majority of the book, and I couldn't help but remember that movie and the bonds that the patients made just like in this book. I also appreciated the fact that the H wasn't perfect and that he was dealing with his own damage as well. Overall, I liked it!
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Willow and Simon's story. Willow is in an in-patient psychiatric facility because she attempted to kill herself at her 18th birthday party. Simon is the new doctor in the facility that has everyone curious and talking. Willow for the first time since arriving feels trusting enough to actually talk with him, but she's also deeply curious to figure him out because he too seems to be damaged. They dance around it, but eventually realize that they cannot deny the strong connection they fell towards one another and start a secret affair. There are some big secrets revealed, some hot sexy times, and some sad moments...but there is a HEA ending.
POV: This alternated between Willow (mostly) and Simon's POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No, they take a while to develop stronger feelings.
H rating: 3.5 stars. Simon. I liked him for the most part, but I didn't like how he went about pushing the h away at one point.
h rating: 4 stars. Willow. I liked her. I felt bad for her situation, but I also admired her strength.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Hot. They have some hot tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW/OM drama: Yes, but very mild
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This had pretty good closure and what I would call a HEA .
Safety: This one is probably Safe with exception for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences.
Overall Opinion: This was actually a pleasant surprise and better than I thought it'd be! I appreciated the fact that the story felt unique to me. Yes it had that familiar taboo/forbidden love type aspect, but it wasn't like anything I've read before. I liked the Girl Interrupted type setting in majority of the book, and I couldn't help but remember that movie and the bonds that the patients made just like in this book. I also appreciated the fact that the H wasn't perfect and that he was dealing with his own damage as well. Overall, I liked it!
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Willow and Simon's story. Willow is in an in-patient psychiatric facility because she attempted to kill herself at her 18th birthday party. Simon is the new doctor in the facility that has everyone curious and talking. Willow for the first time since arriving feels trusting enough to actually talk with him, but she's also deeply curious to figure him out because he too seems to be damaged. They dance around it, but eventually realize that they cannot deny the strong connection they fell towards one another and start a secret affair. There are some big secrets revealed, some hot sexy times, and some sad moments...but there is a HEA ending.
POV: This alternated between Willow (mostly) and Simon's POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No, they take a while to develop stronger feelings.
H rating: 3.5 stars. Simon. I liked him for the most part, but I didn't like how he went about pushing the h away at one point.
h rating: 4 stars. Willow. I liked her. I felt bad for her situation, but I also admired her strength.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Hot. They have some hot tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW/OM drama: Yes, but very mild
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This had pretty good closure and what I would call a HEA .
Safety: This one is probably Safe with exception for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences.
September 25, 2018
Oh, my heart! Once again Saffron Kent has stolen a night's sleep from me, and I DON'T CARE. This book is SO GOOD.
It starts out really strong--great writing, an engaging heroine, lovable friends. When I was first reading, it reminded me of Poisonwood Bible... then Girl, Interrupted... Willow is a great heroine. I love her so much. "Warrior Willow" is sassy, analytical, magical, suicidal--only she believes she's special. She's adorable.
Then "Medicine Man" Simon shows up, and it starts to build... Simon (her psychiatrist) is distant, cold, recovering from his own childhood trauma, and SO swoony... It's a bit of a slow burn, but then, literally right at 50 percent, they have sex, and it is Hot hot HOT! Kindle on fire!
It's WILD and totally unethical and taboo, and who the fuck cares, because it is fiction and it is SO GOOD... Then the dark part comes... Then it's all just FEELS FEELS FEELS and tears and awesomeness all the way to the end.
Simon is not the magic cure for Willow's illness, but he gives her the strength to keep going. And the epilogue is the perfect icing on the cake.
So there you go: I loved it. Now do yourself a favor and don't miss this sexy, magical tale of love and survival. It's the best taboo love story I've read this year...
It starts out really strong--great writing, an engaging heroine, lovable friends. When I was first reading, it reminded me of Poisonwood Bible... then Girl, Interrupted... Willow is a great heroine. I love her so much. "Warrior Willow" is sassy, analytical, magical, suicidal--only she believes she's special. She's adorable.
Then "Medicine Man" Simon shows up, and it starts to build... Simon (her psychiatrist) is distant, cold, recovering from his own childhood trauma, and SO swoony... It's a bit of a slow burn, but then, literally right at 50 percent, they have sex, and it is Hot hot HOT! Kindle on fire!
It's WILD and totally unethical and taboo, and who the fuck cares, because it is fiction and it is SO GOOD... Then the dark part comes... Then it's all just FEELS FEELS FEELS and tears and awesomeness all the way to the end.
Simon is not the magic cure for Willow's illness, but he gives her the strength to keep going. And the epilogue is the perfect icing on the cake.
So there you go: I loved it. Now do yourself a favor and don't miss this sexy, magical tale of love and survival. It's the best taboo love story I've read this year...
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November 5, 2021
why is it so hard to write a review for a book I love? 😭😭
September 24, 2018
Medicine Man is THE book that I have been waiting for the past few months. The forbidden aspect lured me in, the promise of something somewhat crazy and dark had me on pins and needles but do you know what did me in? This author. From the moment I read Unrequited , I knew that she was going to be the one to watch and I’ve been a fan of hers her ever since.
Do you know what’s it's like to have different thoughts throughout your childhood? To feel different? To have to look at your loved ones and wonder why you can’t be normal for them? This is what it’s like for eighteen year old Willow. Now a patient at Heartstone Psychiatric Hospital due to an incident resulting in her mom fearing for her future, Willow has a few weeks to turn things around and be a better version of herself. But when the new doctor arrives, she knows that her stay at this facility is not only going to be a tough one, but a game changer.
Simon Blackwood is a brilliant psychiatrist. He’s worked hard to get to where he is and he’s proud of it but don’t be fooled, his road to success was not an easy one. It was fueled with heartbreak and determination to be better than someone who laid the ground work for his own future. Being the new psychiatrist at Heartstone is not going to be easy but treating a patient who from day one changed everything for him? That’s going to be a HUGE problem.
I really don’t want to go too much into this book so I’m going to keep this review somewhat short. First off let me just say that the beginning of this story was PHENOMENAL!!! Straight out of the bat Willow was my girl. I liked her attitude, her connection with staff members and her relationships with the other patients. Those girls were amazing and I really loved them as secondary characters especially when Simon came in.
Now as for the middle, sadly my interest began to waver and the story dragged a lot for me. I could not get back to the feeling that I had when I first started the book and that did cause me to lose interest. But then we got to the final ending of it and I started to fall in love again!!! I think that the story was too long in my opinion and if it was a bit shorter, I would’ve loved this so much more.
With that being said, I still really liked this one and I can’t tell you how much I can’t wait to read the other books in this series because it’s going to be good!
*Teaser used is from the author's site.
January 20, 2023
Oh SAK, you never do me wrong!
I was hesitant to begin this book. I knew I was going to read it because I bought it LOL, but I was hesitant because reading a book about mental health issues can be such an emotional and eye-opening experience, and I wanted to make sure I was in the right headspace to read it. But I should’ve known that Saffron A. Kent would be able to do this justice.
The book begins with Willow (18) in a mental institution after the incident dubbed “The Roof Incident.” It was Willow‘s 18th birthday and she decided to jump off the roof. Because of it, her mom decided to take her to a mental institution because Willow’s mental health needed to be addressed. Willow has had a pretty lonely life, made out to be different or a freak at school because she has been depressed and didn’t want to worry her perfect mother, perfect family members, about what was going on in her mind, so she kept a lot of it hidden. Unfortunately, because of this, it all manifested the day of her 18th birthday.
At Heartstone, she makes friends, something she always wanted to have. Then one day, Simon Blackwood (33?) enters the picture. He’s the son of one of the founding doctors of Heartstone and is there because one of their doctors had a heart attack and is recovering from it. As soon as Willow sees Simon, she’s attracted to him and finds him intriguing. He also finds her intriguing, especially after she tells them that she lied to patients in order to make them feel better, so that they could do their job easier. He absorbs all of this and really takes note of the things that Willow does. In fact, he observes her and watches her a lot.
Willow wants him, is completely into him, and it becomes more and more evident that he starts to feel the same about her. He gets jealous when she laughs with other people, jealousy that shows his delicious jealous and possessive side. Because she’s a V, she doesn’t necessarily know how to approach the situation, but when he finally decides to kiss her, Oh Em Gee... it was 🔥🔥🥵🥵. And his dirty mouth is everything 🔥🥵💦.
There is the taboo element of him being her doctor, but he knows exactly how to make her feel better, how to be aware of her moods, her thoughts, how to have her express them. The fact that he is a doctor helps; Plus, he has personally experienced what living with someone with mental health issues is like. Throughout the book, he makes her promise that she will continue her treatments, her appointments, and her medication no matter what.
As always with books by SAK, The chemistry, the connection, the smexy times are all palpable, delicious, raw and hot🔥. I love that Simon didn’t see Willow as just a mental health patient, but he saw more, as a woman that he could live a life with despite it. The tenderness with which he speaks to her, attends to her, added to the scrumptiousness of him being a solid foundation for her to be able to build from, and gave her the support she needed. SAK does an amazing job addressing misconceptions about what institutions look like and what people see or think of when encountering mental health topics. She doesn’t gloss over them or make it seem like they are curable. I thought that was commendable, which I appreciated. Thank you SAK.
Highly recommended!
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing
-mild owd- it’s one-sided
-mild omd- it’s also one-sided
-mental health issues/suicide attempt/depression
-loss of a parent to suicide
-loss of a parent to Alzheimer’s
-h is a virgin
-HEA
I was hesitant to begin this book. I knew I was going to read it because I bought it LOL, but I was hesitant because reading a book about mental health issues can be such an emotional and eye-opening experience, and I wanted to make sure I was in the right headspace to read it. But I should’ve known that Saffron A. Kent would be able to do this justice.
The book begins with Willow (18) in a mental institution after the incident dubbed “The Roof Incident.” It was Willow‘s 18th birthday and she decided to jump off the roof. Because of it, her mom decided to take her to a mental institution because Willow’s mental health needed to be addressed. Willow has had a pretty lonely life, made out to be different or a freak at school because she has been depressed and didn’t want to worry her perfect mother, perfect family members, about what was going on in her mind, so she kept a lot of it hidden. Unfortunately, because of this, it all manifested the day of her 18th birthday.
At Heartstone, she makes friends, something she always wanted to have. Then one day, Simon Blackwood (33?) enters the picture. He’s the son of one of the founding doctors of Heartstone and is there because one of their doctors had a heart attack and is recovering from it. As soon as Willow sees Simon, she’s attracted to him and finds him intriguing. He also finds her intriguing, especially after she tells them that she lied to patients in order to make them feel better, so that they could do their job easier. He absorbs all of this and really takes note of the things that Willow does. In fact, he observes her and watches her a lot.
Willow wants him, is completely into him, and it becomes more and more evident that he starts to feel the same about her. He gets jealous when she laughs with other people, jealousy that shows his delicious jealous and possessive side. Because she’s a V, she doesn’t necessarily know how to approach the situation, but when he finally decides to kiss her, Oh Em Gee... it was 🔥🔥🥵🥵. And his dirty mouth is everything 🔥🥵💦.
There is the taboo element of him being her doctor, but he knows exactly how to make her feel better, how to be aware of her moods, her thoughts, how to have her express them. The fact that he is a doctor helps; Plus, he has personally experienced what living with someone with mental health issues is like. Throughout the book, he makes her promise that she will continue her treatments, her appointments, and her medication no matter what.
As always with books by SAK, The chemistry, the connection, the smexy times are all palpable, delicious, raw and hot🔥. I love that Simon didn’t see Willow as just a mental health patient, but he saw more, as a woman that he could live a life with despite it. The tenderness with which he speaks to her, attends to her, added to the scrumptiousness of him being a solid foundation for her to be able to build from, and gave her the support she needed. SAK does an amazing job addressing misconceptions about what institutions look like and what people see or think of when encountering mental health topics. She doesn’t gloss over them or make it seem like they are curable. I thought that was commendable, which I appreciated. Thank you SAK.
Highly recommended!
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing
-mild owd- it’s one-sided
-mild omd- it’s also one-sided
-mental health issues/suicide attempt/depression
-loss of a parent to suicide
-loss of a parent to Alzheimer’s
-h is a virgin
-HEA
November 28, 2023
WARNING: This book discusses sensitive issues including, but not limited to, depression and suicide.
With that said, this book was AMAZING. It was delicious. I DEVOURED the chemistry. It was so good I reread my fav chapters again. The writing was just so fricken beautiful!! The way she handled her depression was gritty and I loved her for it.
The tension was palpable. I didn’t get annoyed once and there was minimal drama. The spice was delectable and Simon was so hot. Also I love a good age gap 😌 Also omg Willow was so manipulative but damn I forgive her because she had him wrapped around her fingers. And the fact that he saw through what she was doing but still ate out of her hands anyway>>>
It really took me out of my reading slump and it was so easy to read. I knew I was going to love this book from chapter one!
Side note:
The tattoo ww made me so fricken happy.
Fav Quotes:
“I pull up the only chart I’m interested in, for some unfathomable reason.
Name: Willow Audrey Taylor.”
“I’m the Warrior Willow. I can save myself.”
“Loving her is my purpose. It’s the thing that runs in my veins, alongside my blood.
Loving Willow was what I was born to do.”
With that said, this book was AMAZING. It was delicious. I DEVOURED the chemistry. It was so good I reread my fav chapters again. The writing was just so fricken beautiful!! The way she handled her depression was gritty and I loved her for it.
The tension was palpable. I didn’t get annoyed once and there was minimal drama. The spice was delectable and Simon was so hot. Also I love a good age gap 😌 Also omg Willow was so manipulative but damn I forgive her because she had him wrapped around her fingers. And the fact that he saw through what she was doing but still ate out of her hands anyway>>>
It really took me out of my reading slump and it was so easy to read. I knew I was going to love this book from chapter one!
Side note:
The tattoo ww made me so fricken happy.
Fav Quotes:
“I pull up the only chart I’m interested in, for some unfathomable reason.
Name: Willow Audrey Taylor.”
“I’m the Warrior Willow. I can save myself.”
“Loving her is my purpose. It’s the thing that runs in my veins, alongside my blood.
Loving Willow was what I was born to do.”
October 4, 2018
**A 2018 TOP PICK**
5 STARS!!
The story in a nutshell: Willow has struggled with mental illness her entire life. After 'The Roof Incident' on her eighteenth birthday, she agrees to be institutionalized for 6 weeks at Heartstone Psychiatric Hospital . . . where she meets Dr. Simon Blackwood.
Oh, wow! Saffron Kent has written a rare gem. She's somehow managed to layer a super-hot taboo love story over the foundation of a meaningful look at mental illness, and then melded it all together with a style of prose that was both beautiful and heartfelt. It was such a joy to read!
Willow was a wonderful heroine; quirky and sweet, but with a bit of bite to her.
Like any good broody alpha, Simon has his own problems which are slowly grinding him down. I loved that the author took the time to craft dialogue between Simon and Willow that allowed them to really connect with each other. Despite the unequal power dynamic, these two flawed characters actually shared a lot of common ground.
Simon and Willow's chemistry was off the charts. There was a great DD/lg vibe to their relationship, and the taboo nature of the situation cranked the heat up to the nth degree. And when I say taboo, I do mean 'taboo'. Simon's actions, as a doctor, were unethical as fuck, unconscionable even . . . except Kent portrays it all with sincerity.
And the dirty talk? Wowzers! It was definitely trashy and cliché - yet SO HOT!
PS: A huge thank you to the Fabulous Jamie for reading this with me! <3
5 STARS!!
"A hero isn't someone who doesn't fall. A hero is someone who knows how to rise."Loved it! Lots of depth, lots of heat; Medicine Man was exactly my jam!
The story in a nutshell: Willow has struggled with mental illness her entire life. After 'The Roof Incident' on her eighteenth birthday, she agrees to be institutionalized for 6 weeks at Heartstone Psychiatric Hospital . . . where she meets Dr. Simon Blackwood.
Oh, wow! Saffron Kent has written a rare gem. She's somehow managed to layer a super-hot taboo love story over the foundation of a meaningful look at mental illness, and then melded it all together with a style of prose that was both beautiful and heartfelt. It was such a joy to read!
Maybe I can keep the good memories and forget the ugly ones.The story didn't start out with a bang though. The first 10% or so was a bit of a snoozefest. It wasn't until Willow and Simon have their first real conversation that I really sat up and took notice ---> after that, I was HOOKED.
Willow was a wonderful heroine; quirky and sweet, but with a bit of bite to her.
"You have something against doctors?"Her lonely struggle with depression was painted with such vivid and careful strokes.
Say no. Say no. Say no.
I offer him a tight smile. "Yes. Especially psychiatrists."
That's the worst part of being mentally ill: you don't know the real you because the illness and meds fuck with everything.She came across as very human and I was made to feel her every heart-piercing emotion as she attempted to come to grips with herself . . . with the help of her new doctor.
Like any good broody alpha, Simon has his own problems which are slowly grinding him down. I loved that the author took the time to craft dialogue between Simon and Willow that allowed them to really connect with each other. Despite the unequal power dynamic, these two flawed characters actually shared a lot of common ground.
There's something haunting him and it's more than the fact that I'm his patient and he's my psychiatrist.Ironically, the way Simon respected and understood Willow's struggle was nothing short of awe-inspiring. He truly only wanted good things for her. Gah!! There were some incredible moments in this book.
"There's no shame in having to fight. There's no shame in having to kick and scream. There's no shame in being a warrior. It's the most honorable thing you can do for yourself."But of course, all the while, there was an electric undercurrent of attraction between them.
I can't ignore this growing...something, just under my rib cage, something like longing but with a sharper edge. More like restlessness.When it explodes? Holy hell!
I lose my breath at the sight of his sheer need.~Fans self~ This book was HOT, you guys!
Simon and Willow's chemistry was off the charts. There was a great DD/lg vibe to their relationship, and the taboo nature of the situation cranked the heat up to the nth degree. And when I say taboo, I do mean 'taboo'. Simon's actions, as a doctor, were unethical as fuck, unconscionable even . . . except Kent portrays it all with sincerity.
And the dirty talk? Wowzers! It was definitely trashy and cliché - yet SO HOT!
"Your princess wants to suck your cock. Won't you let her?"Fortunately, the dirty talk was just the icing on the cake, and Simon doesn't save Willow with his magic dick (oh, sorry, maybe I should have put that behind a spoiler tag. :D ) Rest assured, the core of the story actually revolves around two lost souls finding themselves and each other.
We aren't made to live our lives alone.I definitely recommend if you're looking for some trashy romance that runs side-by-side with a serious story that will tug at your heartstrings. This is going on my list of 2018 favorites!
PS: A huge thank you to the Fabulous Jamie for reading this with me! <3
May 4, 2023
3.75 stars
i dont have a point in saying what im about to say. or if i have, idk what that is. but im just going to say it anyway bcs this thing has kept me wondering.
i have read three books by this author, and im a little concerned with how she always seem to “diagnose” her female protagonists with some unresolved mental health problems sprinkled with a tiny dose of dick syndrome. the line between them getting a proper treatment and them being “recovered” bcs of their love and obsession for their men is a little blurry.
idk how the right procedure for any mental illnesses go, and maybe the purpose of this book is not to show me that. the author even mentioned in a little disclaimer that she didnt mean any offense or harm. however, it just worries me sometimes when authors take the liberty to use a certain mental illness as a plot device to fit their story.
in any case, i enjoy reading her books bcs her prose writing skills is just exceptional and her stories are always unconventional and compelling. though the repeated characteristics of a certain aspect in her books does upset me a little, like for example i wanted to see a heroine whos not clingy for once and a hero who knows how to give a good chase and a nice grovel.
(Note: Originally Read in 2019, but Shelved on the “2018 Reading Challenge”)
i dont have a point in saying what im about to say. or if i have, idk what that is. but im just going to say it anyway bcs this thing has kept me wondering.
i have read three books by this author, and im a little concerned with how she always seem to “diagnose” her female protagonists with some unresolved mental health problems sprinkled with a tiny dose of dick syndrome. the line between them getting a proper treatment and them being “recovered” bcs of their love and obsession for their men is a little blurry.
idk how the right procedure for any mental illnesses go, and maybe the purpose of this book is not to show me that. the author even mentioned in a little disclaimer that she didnt mean any offense or harm. however, it just worries me sometimes when authors take the liberty to use a certain mental illness as a plot device to fit their story.
in any case, i enjoy reading her books bcs her prose writing skills is just exceptional and her stories are always unconventional and compelling. though the repeated characteristics of a certain aspect in her books does upset me a little, like for example i wanted to see a heroine whos not clingy for once and a hero who knows how to give a good chase and a nice grovel.
(Note: Originally Read in 2019, but Shelved on the “2018 Reading Challenge”)
April 25, 2022
this fmc is insufferable, not only is she dumb as hell, she also mentions h*rry p*tter in every other fucking sentence and i am done. DONE.
writing a book in the year of the lord 2018 with that many hp references was definitely a choice by the author and anyone this obsessed with this mediocre series and it's abomination of an author in this day and age should not be trusted.
dnf @19%, i bet if you counted the amount of times h*rry p*tter is mentioned in this 500 page book, you would get a three digit number. fuck this shit.
writing a book in the year of the lord 2018 with that many hp references was definitely a choice by the author and anyone this obsessed with this mediocre series and it's abomination of an author in this day and age should not be trusted.
dnf @19%, i bet if you counted the amount of times h*rry p*tter is mentioned in this 500 page book, you would get a three digit number. fuck this shit.
September 5, 2020
I want something forbidden on the start of my weekend. And I am not disappointed with my choice of Medicine Man. Ir has that forbidden romance between the doctor and his patient. Plus the age gap.
This is my first read by Miss Kent. I like the story and the flow of the story. The relationship between Simon and Willow is slow and seductive. Not slow burn.
My only wish is less inner dialog. More seductive part.
Overall this is a wonderful read to start my weekend.
4 stars
This is my first read by Miss Kent. I like the story and the flow of the story. The relationship between Simon and Willow is slow and seductive. Not slow burn.
My only wish is less inner dialog. More seductive part.
Overall this is a wonderful read to start my weekend.
4 stars
November 17, 2020
⭐️ 4.75 5 "Warrior Willow" Stars ⭐️
"[...] You make my sadness not so… sad.”
✰ Initial Thoughts ✰
This book. . .THIS BOOK. . .I. . .my mind has been blown. Truly. This is what my brain looks like right now -
It has been a full week since I finished Medicine Man and I'm still not sure what I want to say. This is one of those books where the more you sit with it the more you love it (ie. i bumped my rating up to 5 stars). MEDICINE MAN is a book that truly shouldn't work for me. It has a giant ass age-gap (i'm not a hater but it's not a real draw either), the hero is her doctor, the heroine is 18, this is entirely a romance driven plot (i like a little extra something something sometimes), and there is DRAMA. And, not gonna lie, at first? I was feeling pretty meh about it (I KNOW SHAME ON ME). Not much was happening, and Willow just seemed like every other 18 year old heroine, but then. . .✨Dr. Simon Blackwood appeared✨
It's like he breathed air into not just Willow, but the book as well. After Simon's introduction MEDICINE MAN righted itself, and became this intensely beautiful story about two lost souls falling in love. This book was so much more than what I thought it would be, and I extend a heartfelt thanks to Mina for pushing me to read this book! Not only did I have an amazing time reading this book, but I can confidently say - ✨🥳 MEDICINE MAN is my favorite book of 2020 ✨🥳 Essentially, this book made me feel ALL my emotions, and I couldn't stop reading it. So, thank you Saffron A. Kent for writing such a beautiful story!
✰ What I ADORED ✰
✦ Willow Taylor - AKA The Snow Princess ✦
First things first, I want to set the record straight. I know Willow kept calling herself a Snow Princess, but personally I think she was Luna Lovegood. To me MEDICINE MAN is the alternate universe story of Luna Lovegood in which she is getting sexy with her attractive doctor. ✨ don't@me ✨
ANYWHO. . .
MEDICINE MAN may be a heart-stopping, passionate, and engaging romance, BUT, this book is 100% completely Willow's journey. I'm going to be honest at first I underestimated Willow. I thought she was just another 18 year old protagonist who was making googly eyes at her sexy doctor when she should be focusing on her mental health. However, and let's say it together, SHAME ON ME! Willow proved to not only be a caring, compassionate, joyous, and complex woman, but she also truly did put herself, and her mental health first above all else. Willow's story is a story of self love.
Medicine is in his blood. Like illness is in mine. My blood is tainted with poison and his is laced with the antidote.
It is a story of putting yourself first. It is a story of finding your voice and finding your inner-strength. This is a story of friendship. This is a story of overcoming the stigmas society puts on mental illness. This story is everything.
I’m a fighter. And there’s no shame in fighting. There’s honor. He told me that. Dr. Simon Blackwood. Simon.
Willow was an amazing protagonist who captured my heart. I could go on and on about Willow (and trust me this review will basically be a shrine to her), but I think this little story sums up the essence of who Willow truly is -
“Goldfish [Hedwig the Goldfish]. I set it free when I was twelve. Well, gave it back to the store and asked them to set it free.
“Why?”
“Because I thought she was alone and she needed friends.”
✦ Dr. Simon Blackwood - AKA: Medicine Man ✦
Am I outing myself as a McSteamy fangirl? Maybe. However, this is who I pictured as Dr. Simon Blackwood so again ✨ don't@me ✨. And yes, I am still not over that season 8 finale. . .anyway. . .
BACK TO THE REVIEW. . .
To be totally honest with you guys in the beginning I was NOT Simon's biggest fan. He felt very closed off and even when we did get his POV he still didn't really open up. I felt a bit disconnected from him, and while I enjoyed him as a character I wasn't loving him (especially after the shit he pulled @68% ➡ he knows what he did). But, and this is a testament to SAFFRON A. KENT'S writing, I actually really fell for him while he was groveling. Simon became - while no less hot - much more human. I felt his pain and I felt his struggle. I understood and saw where he was coming from. I understood why he pushed Willow away. I understood why he fell for Willow. And I understood why he was perfect for her. This brooding, lovable, and sometimes stupid man made me fall for him and, I want my heart back dammit.
He wants to save me, but he also wants me to save myself. He wants me to fight, and at the same time, he wants to protect me. A unicorn. He’s a unicorn.
I think what I loved the most about Simon was how much he encouraged Willow to not only see herself as the warrior she truly was, but in the way that he stood BESIDE her. He could've easily overpowered her, and smothered her with an overly protective domineering personality. Instead he was NEXT TO Willow constantly encouraging her, but ultimately letting her use her own strength to stand. That is a TRUE MAN.
But as it turns out, she didn’t need saving. All she needed was for me to move the fuck on from the past and accept what she already knew. That I had feelings for her. I have feelings for her.
✦ The Romance - An EPIC Love Story ✦ I'm seriously glad that Mina recommended MEDICINE MAN to me, because if not I probably would've kept putting this one off *hides in my shame corner* I know blasphemy right? But, in my defense, I had just come off of reading My Darling Arrow , and while that book was nice it didn't inspire a lot of confidence. I was also really worried that with Willow being Simon's 18 year old patient it would get really icky really quick. Luckily MS. KENT was on her A game (or something) because she did a FABULOUS job at making the romance taboo enough to be sexy, but not so taboo that it felt unethical.
“Promise me, Willow. Your health is the most important thing to me. It’s not a joke. Do you understand? You won’t let anything affect it. Anything. Least of all a man like me. Tell me you understand.”
The romance between Willow and Simon was bursting with intense sexual tension and chemistry. These two had this almost instant connection that they turned into something magical. What made this romance work despite the seemingly insurmountable differences was the immense respect they had for one another. It never felt like Simon thought of himself as better than Willow, nor did he look at her as someone who couldn't take care of herself. Instead he saw her as someone who was unbelievable strong, but happened to need a little push to fully embrace that strength.
There’s no shame in having to fight. There’s no shame in having to kick and scream. There’s no shame in being a warrior. It’s the most honorable thing you can do for yourself. Pick up a sword and fight. Just reach out, Willow, and pick it up. That’s all you have to do. And if someone makes you feel ashamed just for the fact that you’re a fighter, then...” He licks his lips. “Then fuck them.”
Likewise, Willow while a tiny bit obsessed with Simon (i mean who wouldn't be) she never put him ABOVE HERSELF. The love she had for Simon was a strength not a weakness. Not only was Simon really good for her, but I think in a way she was even better for him. She softened his hard edges, allowed him a place where he could truly be himself, and she pushed him to be the best version of himself.
“You’re not an asshole. You never were. You’re just an idiot.”
So, if the "taboo" aspect of the romance is what's keeping you from reading this book don't let it. MS. KENT did a fabulous job handling the age-gap, and ethical dilemma, so I say GO FOR IT. The romance between Willow and her Medicine Man is truly epic and shouldn't be missed.
🚦 SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD 🚦
✦ Willow's Backbone - AKA: She IS NOT a Doormat ✦ Willow Taylor is freaking awe-inspiring. There is a scene in this book. . .
There is a scene in MEDICINE MAN -
There is a scene in this book that just. . .*angrily starts crying*
Well it caused me to have a bit of a melt down (thank you @Mina for talking me through my anger/sadness/dismay). The scene in question was so visceral that I literally felt Willow's heart breaking. And when Simon said THIS FUCKING BULLSHIT -
A weak, pathetic man who couldn’t resist a good fuck. That’s what it was. That’s what you felt. A man in heat. A man going for tight-as-fuck pussy. I don’t know how else to explain it to you. How much plainer I can get but this is it, you understand? It was fucking phenomenal, but it was just that. A fuck.”
I just about lost it.
I say this with 100% conviction, he broke her heart. Truly. The way in which he cheapened and spit on the love they had shared was despicable. Now, up until this point it seemed like Simon was Willow's ultimate, not weakness, but soft spot. She wasn't obsessed with him, but she definitely had stars in her eyes every time she talked/interacted with him. So, when he broke her heart I was expecting her to pull a Salem and continue to obsess about him. HA. HA. HA. How wrong I was. Nope. Instead Willow got her shit together and actually focused more on her mental health. We jumped to 3 months later and find her succeeding at school, having a nice job, living with her best friend, and really just enjoying life.
Love shouldn’t make you lose your mind like that. Love could be hurtful, but it shouldn’t be toxic. It’s too pure for that. Too magical. It’s not an illness and I won’t let it become one.
Say it with me people -
👏✨ WILLOW 👏✨ HAD 👏✨ A 👏✨ GOD 👏✨ DAMN 👏✨ SPINE 👏✨ OF 👏✨ STEEL 👏✨
Not only did she REFLECT on the relationship between her and Simon, but she -
👏✨ KNEW 👏✨ WHAT 👏✨ SHE 👏✨ DESERVED 👏✨
She knew what love should look like and how it should feel. But more importantly she knew what kind of love she wanted and needed, and she wouldn't settle for ANYONE who wasn't willing to give it to her. What made me so damn happy was, even after she forgave Simons' words she didn't fully give him her heart until he proved his forgiveness through his actions. Essentially, she made Simon fucking grovel and I adored her for it. Also I freaking loved the scene when she stormed into the bookstore and demanded that the random guy behind the counter go on a date with her -
“You and me.” I stab my finger at him. “We’re going on a date. Tomorrow. Got it?” His eyes are wide and confused. “I have a b-boyfriend.” “I don’t care,” I snap. “I’m moving the fuck on. And you can’t stop me.”
🚦 END SPOILERS 🚦
✦ The Friendships ✦ I LOVED the friendship between Willow and the other girls at Heartstone. Watching Willow find her people was a beautiful thing to watch and I felt like such a #ProudMama every time she interacted with her new friends.
I finally found my friends. My kind of people.
This book demonstrated that friendships are just as important as romantic relationships. What Willow found in her newfound friendships was a sense of family and belonging. She found ride or die friends who not only understood her, but loved her wholeheartedly for who she was.
✰ My One Annoyance ✰
✦ EVERYONE Knows About Harry FREAKING Potter ✦ Honestly this complaint? annoyance? grievance? isn't solely aimed at MEDCINE MAN . However, MEDICINE MAN really embodied this trope the most. There's this phenomena in romance novels where the heroine ALWAYS acts so damn shocked when the hero knows what Harry Potter is. When Willow said this -
“Hedwig.” “You had a pet owl?” There he goes again, stealing my breath. How fucking unfair is it that I’ve finally found a man who knows Harry Potter like I do, but he isn’t into me.
I just couldn't. I'm sorry but, EVERYONE knows what/who Harry Potter is. It is a damn global phenomenon that ALL PEOPLE know about. So, romance novels, can you collectively stop pretending like it is rare to find someone who likes Harry Potter? Thanks.
✰ In Closing ✰
Once again Goodreads is telling me to wrap it up so I'll be brief. MEDICINE MAN at its core is a book about strength. It is a book about loving yourself. It is a book that houses one of the most epic romances I have ever read. Willow's story is truly special and deserves to be read. Simon is a complex hero who's not only sexy as fuck, but also a good man. And, on top of all that, this book is just plain old HOT. Seriously the sex scenes are ✨🔥 pure gold ✨🔥 SO, please please PLEASE read this book.
Because I was born with more than blood in my veins. I was born with strength. I was born with courage to fight. I’m a warrior.
"[...] You make my sadness not so… sad.”
✰ Initial Thoughts ✰
This book. . .THIS BOOK. . .I. . .my mind has been blown. Truly. This is what my brain looks like right now -
It has been a full week since I finished Medicine Man and I'm still not sure what I want to say. This is one of those books where the more you sit with it the more you love it (ie. i bumped my rating up to 5 stars). MEDICINE MAN is a book that truly shouldn't work for me. It has a giant ass age-gap (i'm not a hater but it's not a real draw either), the hero is her doctor, the heroine is 18, this is entirely a romance driven plot (i like a little extra something something sometimes), and there is DRAMA. And, not gonna lie, at first? I was feeling pretty meh about it (I KNOW SHAME ON ME). Not much was happening, and Willow just seemed like every other 18 year old heroine, but then. . .✨Dr. Simon Blackwood appeared✨
It's like he breathed air into not just Willow, but the book as well. After Simon's introduction MEDICINE MAN righted itself, and became this intensely beautiful story about two lost souls falling in love. This book was so much more than what I thought it would be, and I extend a heartfelt thanks to Mina for pushing me to read this book! Not only did I have an amazing time reading this book, but I can confidently say - ✨🥳 MEDICINE MAN is my favorite book of 2020 ✨🥳 Essentially, this book made me feel ALL my emotions, and I couldn't stop reading it. So, thank you Saffron A. Kent for writing such a beautiful story!
✰ What I ADORED ✰
✦ Willow Taylor - AKA The Snow Princess ✦
First things first, I want to set the record straight. I know Willow kept calling herself a Snow Princess, but personally I think she was Luna Lovegood. To me MEDICINE MAN is the alternate universe story of Luna Lovegood in which she is getting sexy with her attractive doctor. ✨ don't@me ✨
ANYWHO. . .
MEDICINE MAN may be a heart-stopping, passionate, and engaging romance, BUT, this book is 100% completely Willow's journey. I'm going to be honest at first I underestimated Willow. I thought she was just another 18 year old protagonist who was making googly eyes at her sexy doctor when she should be focusing on her mental health. However, and let's say it together, SHAME ON ME! Willow proved to not only be a caring, compassionate, joyous, and complex woman, but she also truly did put herself, and her mental health first above all else. Willow's story is a story of self love.
Medicine is in his blood. Like illness is in mine. My blood is tainted with poison and his is laced with the antidote.
It is a story of putting yourself first. It is a story of finding your voice and finding your inner-strength. This is a story of friendship. This is a story of overcoming the stigmas society puts on mental illness. This story is everything.
I’m a fighter. And there’s no shame in fighting. There’s honor. He told me that. Dr. Simon Blackwood. Simon.
Willow was an amazing protagonist who captured my heart. I could go on and on about Willow (and trust me this review will basically be a shrine to her), but I think this little story sums up the essence of who Willow truly is -
“Goldfish [Hedwig the Goldfish]. I set it free when I was twelve. Well, gave it back to the store and asked them to set it free.
“Why?”
“Because I thought she was alone and she needed friends.”
✦ Dr. Simon Blackwood - AKA: Medicine Man ✦
Am I outing myself as a McSteamy fangirl? Maybe. However, this is who I pictured as Dr. Simon Blackwood so again ✨ don't@me ✨. And yes, I am still not over that season 8 finale. . .anyway. . .
BACK TO THE REVIEW. . .
To be totally honest with you guys in the beginning I was NOT Simon's biggest fan. He felt very closed off and even when we did get his POV he still didn't really open up. I felt a bit disconnected from him, and while I enjoyed him as a character I wasn't loving him (especially after the shit he pulled @68% ➡ he knows what he did). But, and this is a testament to SAFFRON A. KENT'S writing, I actually really fell for him while he was groveling. Simon became - while no less hot - much more human. I felt his pain and I felt his struggle. I understood and saw where he was coming from. I understood why he pushed Willow away. I understood why he fell for Willow. And I understood why he was perfect for her. This brooding, lovable, and sometimes stupid man made me fall for him and, I want my heart back dammit.
He wants to save me, but he also wants me to save myself. He wants me to fight, and at the same time, he wants to protect me. A unicorn. He’s a unicorn.
I think what I loved the most about Simon was how much he encouraged Willow to not only see herself as the warrior she truly was, but in the way that he stood BESIDE her. He could've easily overpowered her, and smothered her with an overly protective domineering personality. Instead he was NEXT TO Willow constantly encouraging her, but ultimately letting her use her own strength to stand. That is a TRUE MAN.
But as it turns out, she didn’t need saving. All she needed was for me to move the fuck on from the past and accept what she already knew. That I had feelings for her. I have feelings for her.
✦ The Romance - An EPIC Love Story ✦ I'm seriously glad that Mina recommended MEDICINE MAN to me, because if not I probably would've kept putting this one off *hides in my shame corner* I know blasphemy right? But, in my defense, I had just come off of reading My Darling Arrow , and while that book was nice it didn't inspire a lot of confidence. I was also really worried that with Willow being Simon's 18 year old patient it would get really icky really quick. Luckily MS. KENT was on her A game (or something) because she did a FABULOUS job at making the romance taboo enough to be sexy, but not so taboo that it felt unethical.
“Promise me, Willow. Your health is the most important thing to me. It’s not a joke. Do you understand? You won’t let anything affect it. Anything. Least of all a man like me. Tell me you understand.”
The romance between Willow and Simon was bursting with intense sexual tension and chemistry. These two had this almost instant connection that they turned into something magical. What made this romance work despite the seemingly insurmountable differences was the immense respect they had for one another. It never felt like Simon thought of himself as better than Willow, nor did he look at her as someone who couldn't take care of herself. Instead he saw her as someone who was unbelievable strong, but happened to need a little push to fully embrace that strength.
There’s no shame in having to fight. There’s no shame in having to kick and scream. There’s no shame in being a warrior. It’s the most honorable thing you can do for yourself. Pick up a sword and fight. Just reach out, Willow, and pick it up. That’s all you have to do. And if someone makes you feel ashamed just for the fact that you’re a fighter, then...” He licks his lips. “Then fuck them.”
Likewise, Willow while a tiny bit obsessed with Simon (i mean who wouldn't be) she never put him ABOVE HERSELF. The love she had for Simon was a strength not a weakness. Not only was Simon really good for her, but I think in a way she was even better for him. She softened his hard edges, allowed him a place where he could truly be himself, and she pushed him to be the best version of himself.
“You’re not an asshole. You never were. You’re just an idiot.”
So, if the "taboo" aspect of the romance is what's keeping you from reading this book don't let it. MS. KENT did a fabulous job handling the age-gap, and ethical dilemma, so I say GO FOR IT. The romance between Willow and her Medicine Man is truly epic and shouldn't be missed.
🚦 SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD 🚦
✦ Willow's Backbone - AKA: She IS NOT a Doormat ✦ Willow Taylor is freaking awe-inspiring. There is a scene in this book. . .
There is a scene in MEDICINE MAN -
There is a scene in this book that just. . .*angrily starts crying*
Well it caused me to have a bit of a melt down (thank you @Mina for talking me through my anger/sadness/dismay). The scene in question was so visceral that I literally felt Willow's heart breaking. And when Simon said THIS FUCKING BULLSHIT -
A weak, pathetic man who couldn’t resist a good fuck. That’s what it was. That’s what you felt. A man in heat. A man going for tight-as-fuck pussy. I don’t know how else to explain it to you. How much plainer I can get but this is it, you understand? It was fucking phenomenal, but it was just that. A fuck.”
I just about lost it.
I say this with 100% conviction, he broke her heart. Truly. The way in which he cheapened and spit on the love they had shared was despicable. Now, up until this point it seemed like Simon was Willow's ultimate, not weakness, but soft spot. She wasn't obsessed with him, but she definitely had stars in her eyes every time she talked/interacted with him. So, when he broke her heart I was expecting her to pull a Salem and continue to obsess about him. HA. HA. HA. How wrong I was. Nope. Instead Willow got her shit together and actually focused more on her mental health. We jumped to 3 months later and find her succeeding at school, having a nice job, living with her best friend, and really just enjoying life.
Love shouldn’t make you lose your mind like that. Love could be hurtful, but it shouldn’t be toxic. It’s too pure for that. Too magical. It’s not an illness and I won’t let it become one.
Say it with me people -
👏✨ WILLOW 👏✨ HAD 👏✨ A 👏✨ GOD 👏✨ DAMN 👏✨ SPINE 👏✨ OF 👏✨ STEEL 👏✨
Not only did she REFLECT on the relationship between her and Simon, but she -
👏✨ KNEW 👏✨ WHAT 👏✨ SHE 👏✨ DESERVED 👏✨
She knew what love should look like and how it should feel. But more importantly she knew what kind of love she wanted and needed, and she wouldn't settle for ANYONE who wasn't willing to give it to her. What made me so damn happy was, even after she forgave Simons' words she didn't fully give him her heart until he proved his forgiveness through his actions. Essentially, she made Simon fucking grovel and I adored her for it. Also I freaking loved the scene when she stormed into the bookstore and demanded that the random guy behind the counter go on a date with her -
“You and me.” I stab my finger at him. “We’re going on a date. Tomorrow. Got it?” His eyes are wide and confused. “I have a b-boyfriend.” “I don’t care,” I snap. “I’m moving the fuck on. And you can’t stop me.”
🚦 END SPOILERS 🚦
✦ The Friendships ✦ I LOVED the friendship between Willow and the other girls at Heartstone. Watching Willow find her people was a beautiful thing to watch and I felt like such a #ProudMama every time she interacted with her new friends.
I finally found my friends. My kind of people.
This book demonstrated that friendships are just as important as romantic relationships. What Willow found in her newfound friendships was a sense of family and belonging. She found ride or die friends who not only understood her, but loved her wholeheartedly for who she was.
✰ My One Annoyance ✰
✦ EVERYONE Knows About Harry FREAKING Potter ✦ Honestly this complaint? annoyance? grievance? isn't solely aimed at MEDCINE MAN . However, MEDICINE MAN really embodied this trope the most. There's this phenomena in romance novels where the heroine ALWAYS acts so damn shocked when the hero knows what Harry Potter is. When Willow said this -
“Hedwig.” “You had a pet owl?” There he goes again, stealing my breath. How fucking unfair is it that I’ve finally found a man who knows Harry Potter like I do, but he isn’t into me.
I just couldn't. I'm sorry but, EVERYONE knows what/who Harry Potter is. It is a damn global phenomenon that ALL PEOPLE know about. So, romance novels, can you collectively stop pretending like it is rare to find someone who likes Harry Potter? Thanks.
✰ In Closing ✰
Once again Goodreads is telling me to wrap it up so I'll be brief. MEDICINE MAN at its core is a book about strength. It is a book about loving yourself. It is a book that houses one of the most epic romances I have ever read. Willow's story is truly special and deserves to be read. Simon is a complex hero who's not only sexy as fuck, but also a good man. And, on top of all that, this book is just plain old HOT. Seriously the sex scenes are ✨🔥 pure gold ✨🔥 SO, please please PLEASE read this book.
Because I was born with more than blood in my veins. I was born with strength. I was born with courage to fight. I’m a warrior.
September 27, 2018
I had really high expectations for this book. I’ve loved the other books I’ve read by this author and when I first read the blurb for this book, I was so excited. I love a good forbidden romance! The fact that this is a psychiatrist and patient story really caught my interest. When I got an early copy of this book, I couldn’t wait to start it but I was a bit nervous. Could this book really live up to the high expectations I had? Let me tell you, this book exceeded those expectations. Fantastic writing, angst, forbidden romance, amazing chemistry between these characters, and some super hot sexy scenes, this book was everything I wanted and more.
As much as I loved the romance, this was really Willow’s story. Willow is one of the best heroines I have ever read. The thing about Willow is that she is dealing with a condition that is still stigmatized and some consider a weakness. It’s authors like this and stories like Willow’s that make me love reading. Willow has depression and has struggled with it for years. At only 18, she has been fighting a war in her own mind for years. When she ends up at Heartstone, Willow gets treatment for her depression but also grows as a character. The transformation that she goes through in this book was so real and at times heartbreaking. This wasn’t a book with rainbows and flowers, Willow’s condition is real- it’s never going away and it’s what makes her character so unique. Her journey of self-discovery, the power she gains in learning to manage her depression and the way she deals with everything she faces – you just can’t help but fall in love with her. More than this couple, more than the romance, as a I reader I was rooting for Willow. I can’t express what an amazing heroine she is and how much I loved her character. At times Simon angered me and I didn’t know if he totally deserved her but by the end of this book and the fantastic epilogue, my heart was full and I was so happy with this book I immediately wanted to go back and read it again. With a few twists and surprises, and an epilogue 5 years in the future, this book was everything. This is a top pick of 2018 and I highly recommend it!!!
As much as I loved the romance, this was really Willow’s story. Willow is one of the best heroines I have ever read. The thing about Willow is that she is dealing with a condition that is still stigmatized and some consider a weakness. It’s authors like this and stories like Willow’s that make me love reading. Willow has depression and has struggled with it for years. At only 18, she has been fighting a war in her own mind for years. When she ends up at Heartstone, Willow gets treatment for her depression but also grows as a character. The transformation that she goes through in this book was so real and at times heartbreaking. This wasn’t a book with rainbows and flowers, Willow’s condition is real- it’s never going away and it’s what makes her character so unique. Her journey of self-discovery, the power she gains in learning to manage her depression and the way she deals with everything she faces – you just can’t help but fall in love with her. More than this couple, more than the romance, as a I reader I was rooting for Willow. I can’t express what an amazing heroine she is and how much I loved her character. At times Simon angered me and I didn’t know if he totally deserved her but by the end of this book and the fantastic epilogue, my heart was full and I was so happy with this book I immediately wanted to go back and read it again. With a few twists and surprises, and an epilogue 5 years in the future, this book was everything. This is a top pick of 2018 and I highly recommend it!!!
October 3, 2018
I didn't like this book, I didn't enjoy it at all. Don't get me wrong the blurb was very catchy but I didn't get into this story. :(
But still please don't mind my rating, go and give a shot this book! Who knows, maybe you'll love it. ;)
Ps.
I respect to my friends who gave this book 5 stars, and I'll never, ever judge them for this but it seems I'm the main problem in here... Well, sometimes I'm being the jerk one! Sorry! :-\
October 11, 2018
4.5 Stars for the Ice King and the Snow Queen!
“I think you’ll like how free the people are on the other side.”
“What side is that?” he asks at last, in a soft voice and awareness in his eyes.
“The side where craziness lives. And I’m not talking about the useless kind.”
I loved this book, truly, truly loved it. I was supposed to read it last week but had an overall crappy week so I had to put it off until now. But once I started reading, I just couldn’t stop. This book just gripped me from beginning to end. Boy can Saffron Kent do intense! And not going to lie, that’s the kind of book I enjoy the most, the ones where my chest feels tight and the angst is at times too much to bear. Needless to say, this book has all the feels. It’s so heartbreaking, yet beautiful. I can’t even!
“I don’t want anyone to save me. I don’t need saving. I also don’t need a hero. I definitely don’t need a king who builds a castle for the one he loves. The one with the silver hair. And neither do I want that gray-eyed king to call the silver-haired girl, his snow princess.”
Overall, I found this book so interesting and so engaging. That whole mental patient-doctor storyline was simply fascinating. The author says she drew inspiration from Girl, Interrupted, which is an all-time favorite of mine, and I think she did an amazing job given the subject matter. There are some super heavy subjects involved, mental illness, depression, suicide, along with ethical issues. But the book handles all in a very tactful way, it was both real and raw.
“A small smile appears on his lips at my answer, and I already know that it’s a rare thing for him. Smiles and chuckles. Laughter. Like they are for me. God, he’s making it very hard for me to hate him. I want to hate him. Trust me.”
At the center of this is a very beautiful (and sometimes super hot and sexy) love story between two very flawed, very broken people, Willow and Simon. Also forbidden in many ways since she’s a patient and he’s the doctor, and also, he’s 15 years older than her. Not gonna lie, age gaps are not my favorite tropes, but I loved this one a lot.
“One day I’m going to say it out loud to him. One day we won’t have to meet in the dark like we’re thieves. Like what we have is something to be ashamed of.”
I loved Willow so much, she was such a great, strong character. I loved how she explained her feelings and how she navigated through her struggles. It’s impossible not to fall in love with her, or in my case, even identify with her and some of her feelings. And Simon, what can I say? I have a thing for broken heroes. And even though he was the doctor and “the savior” he was as broken as they come. I loved his transformation the best. The secondary characters were also fantastic. Willow’s girls, Renn, Vi and Penny (can’t wait for their stories!) were essential to the story and I loved their scenes together.
“You make me believe. In magic. In fairy tales. In fate. In falling and rising. In the fact that I can do it. I can be what and who you need me to be. You make me believe I was born for you.”
“ Loving her is my purpose. It’s the thing that runs in my veins, alongside my blood. Loving Willow was what I was born to do.”
Overall, the writing is amazingly beautiful. Ever since I read The Unrequited last year, I became a fan of Saffron Kent, and I knew that I would probably read anything she would write in the future. She’s extremely talented, has a way with words that can definitely pull you in completely. I did find some of the dialogue, especially during certain sex scenes to be a little odd, and I found myself laughing at things I know were not meant to be funny. Perhaps that’s why it wasn’t a 5 star, but let this not be criticism, I loved the heck out of this book!
“Simon’s hazy. I guess it’s the water leaking from my eyes. It’s like I’m watching him through the rainy window of my room. The window where I write his name at night and watch the letters flow like rivers.”
Needless to say, I absolutely recommend this one if you want some different and a little on the forbidden side. I loved the entire thing but those last chapters and that epilogue absolutely did it for me. This is one story that will stay with me and I can’t wait for those spinoffs next year!!!
“I never believed that I could love. I never thought I even knew what the word meant. I was too broken. Too cold and buried inside myself. I was too much in hate with my past and all the things that happened. And then, you happened to me, Willow. I never thought we could have something beyond Heartstone. Every day I counted down the days I had left with you. I was counting down the days of my life. Because I knew the moment you walked out of those gates, I’d die. I’d stop living.”
“I think you’ll like how free the people are on the other side.”
“What side is that?” he asks at last, in a soft voice and awareness in his eyes.
“The side where craziness lives. And I’m not talking about the useless kind.”
I loved this book, truly, truly loved it. I was supposed to read it last week but had an overall crappy week so I had to put it off until now. But once I started reading, I just couldn’t stop. This book just gripped me from beginning to end. Boy can Saffron Kent do intense! And not going to lie, that’s the kind of book I enjoy the most, the ones where my chest feels tight and the angst is at times too much to bear. Needless to say, this book has all the feels. It’s so heartbreaking, yet beautiful. I can’t even!
“I don’t want anyone to save me. I don’t need saving. I also don’t need a hero. I definitely don’t need a king who builds a castle for the one he loves. The one with the silver hair. And neither do I want that gray-eyed king to call the silver-haired girl, his snow princess.”
Overall, I found this book so interesting and so engaging. That whole mental patient-doctor storyline was simply fascinating. The author says she drew inspiration from Girl, Interrupted, which is an all-time favorite of mine, and I think she did an amazing job given the subject matter. There are some super heavy subjects involved, mental illness, depression, suicide, along with ethical issues. But the book handles all in a very tactful way, it was both real and raw.
“A small smile appears on his lips at my answer, and I already know that it’s a rare thing for him. Smiles and chuckles. Laughter. Like they are for me. God, he’s making it very hard for me to hate him. I want to hate him. Trust me.”
At the center of this is a very beautiful (and sometimes super hot and sexy) love story between two very flawed, very broken people, Willow and Simon. Also forbidden in many ways since she’s a patient and he’s the doctor, and also, he’s 15 years older than her. Not gonna lie, age gaps are not my favorite tropes, but I loved this one a lot.
“One day I’m going to say it out loud to him. One day we won’t have to meet in the dark like we’re thieves. Like what we have is something to be ashamed of.”
I loved Willow so much, she was such a great, strong character. I loved how she explained her feelings and how she navigated through her struggles. It’s impossible not to fall in love with her, or in my case, even identify with her and some of her feelings. And Simon, what can I say? I have a thing for broken heroes. And even though he was the doctor and “the savior” he was as broken as they come. I loved his transformation the best. The secondary characters were also fantastic. Willow’s girls, Renn, Vi and Penny (can’t wait for their stories!) were essential to the story and I loved their scenes together.
“You make me believe. In magic. In fairy tales. In fate. In falling and rising. In the fact that I can do it. I can be what and who you need me to be. You make me believe I was born for you.”
“ Loving her is my purpose. It’s the thing that runs in my veins, alongside my blood. Loving Willow was what I was born to do.”
Overall, the writing is amazingly beautiful. Ever since I read The Unrequited last year, I became a fan of Saffron Kent, and I knew that I would probably read anything she would write in the future. She’s extremely talented, has a way with words that can definitely pull you in completely. I did find some of the dialogue, especially during certain sex scenes to be a little odd, and I found myself laughing at things I know were not meant to be funny. Perhaps that’s why it wasn’t a 5 star, but let this not be criticism, I loved the heck out of this book!
“Simon’s hazy. I guess it’s the water leaking from my eyes. It’s like I’m watching him through the rainy window of my room. The window where I write his name at night and watch the letters flow like rivers.”
Needless to say, I absolutely recommend this one if you want some different and a little on the forbidden side. I loved the entire thing but those last chapters and that epilogue absolutely did it for me. This is one story that will stay with me and I can’t wait for those spinoffs next year!!!
“I never believed that I could love. I never thought I even knew what the word meant. I was too broken. Too cold and buried inside myself. I was too much in hate with my past and all the things that happened. And then, you happened to me, Willow. I never thought we could have something beyond Heartstone. Every day I counted down the days I had left with you. I was counting down the days of my life. Because I knew the moment you walked out of those gates, I’d die. I’d stop living.”
September 29, 2018
Forbidden. Tortured. Decadent. Delicious
These are just four words that come to mind after reading the amazingness that was Medicine Man. Good Lord Saffron Kent just owned me with this glorious story and I dont think I'll be able to move on in a very long time. Willow and Simon were EVERYTHING! This story was heartbreaking, epic, moving and so powerful. It was beyond sexy as these characters were emotionally damaged and tortured but so perfect for one another it was almost kismet. Hands down this is one of the best books I've read this year!
"Medicine is in his blood. Like illness is in mine. My blood is tainted with poison and his is laced with the antidote."
Without giving away any spoilers, Medicine Man was a smartly written masterpiece. It is a deeply poignant, erotic and thrilling glimpse of a woman, Willow Taylor, living her life with mental illness and coming to terms with who she is and, more importantly, the daily struggles her illness brings. While on this journey, Willow meets the enigmatic Dr. Simon Blackwood who not only makes her take a shocking inventory of her life but makes her reevaluate her own perceptions of herself and her own self worth.
This story was one hundred percent magical. I am still spellbound by this story and am blown away by Kent's ability to not only tell such a magnificent story but be impressed by the respectful way she describes the daily struggles of mental illness. Willow was incredibly brave and formidable. She was such a breath of fresh air from the usual heroines we see on a daily basis. Likewise, Simon was absolutely incredible. He was LIFE and legit everything I love in a hero. Moody, broody, honest and tortured. And Christ.. what that man can do against a wall.
All in all, I could not get enough of this amazing story. Kent portrayed an incredibly strong woman who not only dared to slay her own dragons but the demons inside her tortured King. Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula
These are just four words that come to mind after reading the amazingness that was Medicine Man. Good Lord Saffron Kent just owned me with this glorious story and I dont think I'll be able to move on in a very long time. Willow and Simon were EVERYTHING! This story was heartbreaking, epic, moving and so powerful. It was beyond sexy as these characters were emotionally damaged and tortured but so perfect for one another it was almost kismet. Hands down this is one of the best books I've read this year!
"Medicine is in his blood. Like illness is in mine. My blood is tainted with poison and his is laced with the antidote."
Without giving away any spoilers, Medicine Man was a smartly written masterpiece. It is a deeply poignant, erotic and thrilling glimpse of a woman, Willow Taylor, living her life with mental illness and coming to terms with who she is and, more importantly, the daily struggles her illness brings. While on this journey, Willow meets the enigmatic Dr. Simon Blackwood who not only makes her take a shocking inventory of her life but makes her reevaluate her own perceptions of herself and her own self worth.
This story was one hundred percent magical. I am still spellbound by this story and am blown away by Kent's ability to not only tell such a magnificent story but be impressed by the respectful way she describes the daily struggles of mental illness. Willow was incredibly brave and formidable. She was such a breath of fresh air from the usual heroines we see on a daily basis. Likewise, Simon was absolutely incredible. He was LIFE and legit everything I love in a hero. Moody, broody, honest and tortured. And Christ.. what that man can do against a wall.
All in all, I could not get enough of this amazing story. Kent portrayed an incredibly strong woman who not only dared to slay her own dragons but the demons inside her tortured King. Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula
April 29, 2022
reseña se viene después porque con la organización de la feria lunar no tengo tiempo jajajaja
May 22, 2022
TW: Suicide, depression, cringy sex scenes and one of the worst main female characters you will ever read about. Also the fact that she actually calls him medicine man to his face and multiple times throughout the book. At some point she will say the idea of getting pregnant turns her on *silently screams*.
This started strong. It really did. I was engaged until 50%, Saffron's dialogues were great, the tension build up was good and I thought this was going to be worth reading all the way to the end. I was wrong. I was so wrong.
Don't get me wrong, this is not by any means the worst book in the world or the worst book I've read, but it's not a good one either.
Worst things first, shall we?
- Our main character is obsessed with Harry Potter. She talks about Harry Potter every 3 paragraphs, she wears Harry Potter t-shirts every single day like a uniform and carries a Harry Potter book around like she is 2 and it's her blankie. And you expect me to want her to fuck the hot psychiatrist who is almost 20 years older? 
She was so absurdly childish that there were certain moments I felt like I was reading about a ped*phil!e and his 7 year old patient.
Psychiatrist and his patient, this could have been such a good trope. Incredible idea, awful, awful execution. Maybe one day Pam Godwin will pick a trope like this up and transform it into what is supposed to be: anything but this.
Some honorable mentions: The sentence "I want to hero-worship your c*ck" was used without a single drop of sarcasm. 
After 50% the amount of sex scenes were absurd, repetitive, cringy to the point of almost being disgusting, misplaced and overused. We had a sex scene immediately after he told her his mom killed herself. It went exactly like this:
"My mom k!lled herself"
"I'm sorry"
"Bend over".
I hate Harry Potter and I thought this heroine was INSULTING to every Harry Potter fan out there. She asks him to "please c*m in my princess p*ssy", again, without a single drop of sarcasm and I decided I wanted to be locked up at the same mental institution she was in after reading that with my own two eyes.
The best part of this book was when one of the secondary characters told the PSYCHIATRIST he needed professional help. The book should have ended there.
Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.
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