Title: Memories of the Heart
Author: Felice Stevens
Genre: Adult, Gay Romance
Release Date: February 12, 2015
Ruthless, Controlling, A Loner. All words used to describe Dr. Micah Steinberg by the hospital staff for their next head of surgery. When a letter arrives from his grandmother’s friend at the assisted living facility, his orderly world tilts dangerously out of control.
Josh Rosen had everything until it was revealed much of his world was a lie. Forced to re-evaluate his life, Josh gives up his career and returns home to New York City to care for his beloved grandmother. What Josh didn’t figure on was an attraction to a man who on the surface, appears to be exactly like the life Josh chose to leave behind.
As Micah struggles with the reality of his grandmother’s illness, the bond they share deepens, as Josh helps Micah heal, then open his heart. Micah discovers there is more to life than work, control and success. Josh is in deep but has yet to tell Micah who he really is.
When the fight for the hospital’s head of surgery turns ugly, Josh’s past and present collide. Micah must let go of the past and accept who he is, if his life is going to move forward.
Life is full of surprises, and as both Micah and Josh learn, love can happen whether you plan for it or not.
Amazon Amazon CA Amazon UK Amazon AU
4.5 out of 5 stars
Memories of the Heart is a fantastic story showing that it's never to late to change and allow love, both romantic and family, be the guiding force in your life.
Micah is what everyone imagines a surgeon might be, he's dedicated to the job to the point where he's excluded everything else from his life. His grandmother, who helped raise him, is almost an afterthought. Relationships outside of random one night hookups in a bar don't exist for Micah. He has one close friend, Alex, whom he shares most everything with but even then doesn't always make time for him. His carefully ordered and maintained world is thrown for a loop when he receives a scathing letter from his grandmother's friend, Ethel, in the nursing home where they reside. For someone like Micah, this just pisses him the hell off, how dare someone tell him he's not a good grandson. Micah heads off to the nursing home to give this older woman and her grandson, mentioned in the letter, a piece of his mind.
Josh, Ethel's grandson, has had his life swept out from underneath him. He's moved back home to rethink his life and what he wants from it. Unfortunately his grandmother's letter puts him directly in the path of Hurricane Micah. Which in the long run actually ends up being a good thing for both Micah and Josh. Josh is able to be the solid emotional connection that Micah won't let himself need until it's right in front of his face. Micah accepts Josh for who he is, even before knowing what Josh gave up.
In this story you see Micah, who's crafted a distanced persona directly related to the trauma of his youth. Then you have Josh, who was at the top of his game with everything in his grasp when the floor fell out from under his feet and left him hanging. Two more disparate men are able to be what the other needs, and in that help the other person find their best self. In Micah's case, it allows him to open up and show emotions again. For Josh, it brings him full circle back to the job he loved doing and gives him the real love that he deserves.
This book is another example of why Felice Stevens has quickly become one of my new favorite authors. Memories of the Heart is a very well-written, completely character driven story, and for this reader that's exactly what I love to read. Felice is able to create strong characters and a story that showcases both their faults and their strengths. I have to add, she seems to love giving us the adorable animal in her stories. This is no different with the sweet rescued pup, Lucky who captures both Josh and Micah's hearts. This all makes Memories of the Heart one of my best reads so far this year.
I highly recommend this story for those that like their characters a little broken but willing to work to fix themselves and allow someone else into their lives.
I have always been a romantic at heart. I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending just around the corner. I started reading traditional historical romances when I was a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that my interest in romance novels became renewed.
But somewhere along the way, my tastes shifted. While I still enjoys a juicy Historical romance, I began experimenting with newer, more cutting edge genres and discovered the world of Male/Male romance. Once I picked up her first, I became so enamored of the authors, the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion of the books, I knew I wanted to write my own.
I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.
HOSTED BY:
Thanks so much for having me!
ReplyDeleteAny time Felice!!! <3 ~ Chris
Delete