Title: A Healing Man
Author: Sandrine Gasq- Dion
Series: Men of Manhattan, #5
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella (43K)
Publisher: Wilde City Press (January 21st 2015)
ISBN: 978-1-925180-92-3
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
Blurb: Dario Ramos thought he’d left the fighting behind in the war zone when a life-threatening injury sent him home. But a certain Irishman crossing his path everywhere he went convinced him that his biggest battle might be ahead.
Tiernan Callahan is a bigoted jerk. Ramos finds himself constantly in the man’s orbit, even in a city as big as New York. The wounded warrior knows all about pain and loss — and that sometimes anger is the only form of release. When Tiernan once again crowds Ramos’ space, his eyes are opened to the possibility of other forms of release.
Tough NYC cop Tiernan Callahan is still mourning the death of his beloved youngest brother, Mason. Fearing his close-minded family’s reaction, the young soldier never got to tell them his secret — that he was gay and engaged to the love of his life. Tiernan is surviving on anger and guilt.
When he continues to run into Dario Ramos, who continues to push his buttons, something inside him snaps. Suddenly, anger isn’t the only emotion he feels.
Two very different men, still trying to heal: Can they come to an understanding and heal each other?
Product Link: http://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-romance/a-healing-man/#.VL298EfF9GQ
Reviewer: Tams
Review: Tiernan Callahan comes from a long line of New York’s finest, with family members that have carried both guns and hoses. Tiernan became a cop while his brother Michael became a fireman, and the baby of the family Mason, joined the military in an effort to separate himself from his commanding older brothers. Tiernan’s downward spiral started with the death of his little brother in the line of duty, and was only compounded when his family learned that Mason was gay.
Tiernan has made one bad decision after another since Mason’s death, but none of them haunt his every waking thought like Dario Ramos. Ex military war vet himself, Dario managed to make it home, but he carries both emotional and physical scars from his time in the military. And the asinine cop with red streaked hair and a mean streak that is longer than Dario is tall, continues to work his last good nerve. But for some insane reason, the two of them are constantly drawn into each other’s orbit and over time, they start to see each other in a new light.
Both men are large, in charge, domineering, alpha male personalities that seem to do nothing but piss each other off. It’s when they stop yelling at each other that things really get interesting. It takes Tiernan a while to decipher what it is he feels for Dario. It’s been ingrained in his psyche all his life that gay is bad by his over the top catholic mother.
But there is something about Dario that makes Tiernan want to take a chance, makes the brooding Irish cop smile, all the damn time. He will have to come to terms with his sexuality and make amends with someone he truly wronged before he can even consider where he wants to take his relationship with Dario.
There is really nothing sexier than two sexy as sin, controlling alpha males tripping over each other on their way to the bed then wrestling to see who will come out on ‘top’. It takes these two a little while to accept their mutual attraction as exactly what it is, chemistry. For a while, there I wanted to bang their heads together! But once they shared that first steamy kiss while Dario had Tiernan pushed up against the wall, well from that point on, they can’t keep their clothes on or their hands off each other. Even Tiernan’s partner Danny tells him to stop it. They are giving him a cavity.
The Men of Manhattan series is all about true love and second chances. Both Tieranan and Dario have lost a lot in their lives, but only together can they hope to heal. Love is a powerful thing. This book has all Gasq-Dion’s usually quirky one-liners, firey personalities, a well-written storyline, and flawless character development. And she has already sparked my curiosity for the possibility of a couple different couplings in future installments of this series, I do hope that Danny and Bobby are next!
I highly recommend this series especially if you are a fan of strong alpha male types and are a hopeless romantic like me. Start at the beginning though, there are details that won’t be as crisp for you if you just jump right into this book.