Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed on 4/27/2009 + 5322 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I've wanted to read WOUNDED HEALER for awhile, and I'm glad that I did, since I read it in a day. The story has a lot of good things going for it, but be forewarned that, at least for me, there were several things that were also so irritating I often wanted to throw the book against the wall.

Erin Grayson and Chris McIntyre served together during Operation Desert Storm. Although they obviously came from different backgrounds and had different belifes (Erin was a Christian and Chris was not), the two formed a close friendship during the few months they served together. Until Erin caught a glimpse of the reason behind Chris's emotional stress, and a tragic accident caused the death of a fellow serviceman. After that, the two women went their separate ways with no further contact.

That is, no contact until Chris is involved in another tragic event that once again results in death. Erin, resolved that God wants her to help her old friend, hops on a plane and heads to Chris's side, determined to help her through the hard times, no matter how long it takes.

And it's going to take awhile. Chris is battling personal demons, ones that have been with her since she was a child. She finds solace in alcohol, doesn't want to hear a word about God and his plans for her, and is convinced that her current lot in life is all that she deserves.

What follows is a story told in present day, with Erin hoping desperately that Chris will come to find God's love, interspersed with sections of story dedicated to the women's time in Desert Storm.

First, the good: These two characters are great, easy to relate to, and the dialogue is, for the most part, believable. Although I absolutely cannot stand Scott Mathis, Erin's husband, I'm hoping that my attitude towards him will change when I read the second book in the series. I really enjoyed the parts of the book set during Desert Storm, and came to love the secondary characters of the story.

The not so good: Although I enjoy Christian fiction, Ms. Fleisher has a way of pushing the religious aspects on the reader. I know a lot of very religious individuals, but I've never met anyone in real life who literally prays with every other breath - about every single thing - like Erin does. These parts of the story irritated me, but the backbone of the storyline was interesting and enjoyable enough that I kept reading.

Overall, I'm not sure I'm a fan of Ms. Fleisher's writing style, but thankfully her storyline is intriguing enough that I plan on reading the rest of the series.

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