Medicine Man (Heartstone Series Book 1)

Reviewed by Donna on behalf of KFFWillow Taylor. An eighteen-year-old who resides at Heartstone Psychiatric hospital with forty other patients, nurses and techs she regards as the enemy. There’s a man who seems cold and distant with piercing grey eyes. She isn’t supposed to look at him with longing or touch herself at night with him in mind. He’s her psychiatrist, Dr. Simon Blackwood, much older than her and off-limits. The Medicine Man with inappropriate want.Willow’s beautiful, funny and been battling a mental disorder from a young age, struggling to live her life like any other young woman. She doesn’t connect with any of the professionals except she finds herself drawn to Dr. Blackwood to the point where finds herself talking to him. Simon seems to be able to read Willow, even sees right through her.Simon Blackwood is harbouring some deep issues of his own and it compels him to want to fix everyone, especially the girl with the silver-coloured long hair. It’s undeniable something about her catches his attention and somehow he’s seen as her hero, which is the last thing he wants to be to anyone. Dr. Blackwood carries a lot of guilt on his shoulders, and discovering his many hidden depths made this read a real page-turner.The secondary characters were very well-written into the mix, and the interactions between Willow and Renn, Vi and Penny were quite funny at times. Regardless of them battling their own issues, it was nice to see banter and friendships forming. Whether it was their chats, reading or playing poker, they were very entertaining. In one scene with yoga, I couldn’t help but laugh-out-loud.Heartbreak abounds. Let’s not forget this is a psychiatric hospital and there are some elements that not only made me tearful but the patients’ inner battles with their mental illnesses I also found upsetting. The harsh reality of it all is brought home when they’re having a bad day and nothing less than heart-rending. Chemistry and hot steamy scenes had me fanning myself because just wow, Simon Blackwood is one hell of a dirty-talker. Their taboo doctor-patient relationship without forgetting to mention the age gap, had me hoping and wishing it would or could work out for them. Simon’s a hot broody male and intrigued me no-end with the mystery surrounding him.Medicine Man and his little warrior have such a rollercoaster of a time with their feelings and turmoil. Ms. Kent has spun quite the forbidden the tale; so much so that I was sat on the edge of my seat, waiting for it all to go terribly wrong. The author is a very talented wordsmith and I felt every word and emotion throughout. There was so much sadness surrounding the backstory of depression and it was dealt with delicately and respectfully. I also enjoyed the playlist which accompanies the book and it brings out all the feels. I can’t recommend this book enough and will be doing a re-read with the music on repeat. Tip; one of the tracks Medicine Man by Charlotte OC sums up everything beautifully. Bravo Ms. Kent. Five well-earned stars.

Medicine Man is impeccable. Saffron Kent has written a forbidden love story that is beyond beautiful. She carefully crafts the most unlikely of romances while also tackling the difficult subject of depression masterfully. Willow Taylor and Simon Blackwood are a couple that never should have happened. But the patient and her doctor found that desperate spark, that rare connection that neither of them could ultimately ignore.This is by far Kent's best work to date. There is no doubt about it. The way this story is told, being in Willow's confused mind most of the time was so thoughtfully communicated, I think I fell for her almost immediately. Sure she has her inner demons to slay but I loved that she was genuine. Even her ease at lying to herself, to her therapists and to her family made her real to me. As the book progresses and more is explained as to the whys of her actions, I simply wanted Willow well again. I wanted her to be able to live the charmed life of an 18 year old, and I wanted her to love and be loved.Simon Blackwood, Willow's Medicine Man. Oh wow. Talk about a tortured soul. Harboring his own dreadful secrets and pain, it was that slow-burn attraction to the Princess that is his Willow that wouldn't let me look away. Theirs is not an easy kind of affair but the stolen glances, the urge to touch one another, the unplanned therapy sessions, and a few chapters in his POV, oh yeah these two had a chemistry that just could not be denied. And it may be Simon's recent past that drives him to want to 'fix' everyone in his path but from the very first moment he laid eyes on Willow, he had to know he was destined to be her hero. Whether or not he wanted that title.What makes this book stand out for me is just how easily Kent blends this forbidden romance with the underlying theme of depression. Most of the book takes place at an institution but Kent shows the human side of being in a facility of this kind. The way Willow has finally found her peeps with Renn, Vi and Penny on the Inside, when she never had them on the Outside. This trio provides some very key moments of levity and show that even those who may be deemed at times a bit unstable mentally, they can still enjoy the everyday pleasures, whether it be reading, playing poker or even the torture of yoga. To be honest, their oft-times quirky natures were endearing. And despite the tension, the feeling of sadness at being 'locked' away from society, Medicine Man never felt too dark nor did it feel too overwhelming. I felt a true sense of optimism that all the patients stood a chance of re-entering the Outside world successfully.Medicine Man is a story filled with hope and a road to redemption that offered the opportunity to right the wrongs that sometimes threaten to destroy one's soul. Both Willow and Simon prove that there is a chance to find that one imperfect love. The one that may come at the most inopportune time yet simply cannot be ignored. Sure they both hurt and I hurt right along with them, many times with tears in my eyes. But in the end, I'd have to say it was well worth it.Medicine Man deserves nothing less than 5 huge stars!

I adore a forbidden romance but it's a genre that has to be done right to work, and boy does Saffron A Kent get it right!Medicine Man follows Willow, an 18 year old girl whose stuck counting down the days until she can leave the psychiatric hospital she's in, and then new doctor Simon Blackwood arrives and her world suddenly shifts as she finds herself desperate to find out more.Willow is such a wonderful character. She's a very complex character, whose struggling a lot but just trying her best to get through. It takes her time to realise how strong she is but once she realises she's determined to fight her hardest. I also really loved the depression rep we got with her character, it felt very realistic and relatable to me (and doesn't lean too much in to the magic dick trope).If i'm honest Simon wasn't as well developed as Willow but I found myself intrigued by him anyway, and in this novel I found it worked as as much as this is a romance book it's also Willow's story. He has an emotional history and is struggling with a lot of painful emotions but he's also a super hot character - the dirty talk!!I can't write a review for a Saffron A Kent book without mentioning the writing because she is most definitely one of my favourite authors. The way Saffron writes is just so beautiful and she explored the atmosphere here in such a great way.I adored this one so much, I've had it sitting on my kindle for quite a while and am so glad I finally got to it as this was such a beautiful, angsty and emotional romance that really kept me locked to my kindle reading and took my breath away. I can't wait to dive in to the books following the side characters now as I need more of this in my life.

I love the way Saffron Kent's mind works, I never know what to expect when going into one of her stories. I felt this book returned more to the style of The Unrequited, but was a very different story.This book is set inside a psychiatric hospital, but isn't doom and gloom. The friendships between the patients are uplifting, and at times add comedy to the story whilst still dealing with the sensitive issue of mental health. Watching as Willow finally accepts her illness and begins to open up in order to make progress.The relationship between Willow and Simon is both illicit, taboo and incredibly steamy. He acknowledges everything that is wrong with his behaviour and how Willow needs to focus on her own mental health. It feels like something you shouldn't love, but you cannot turn away. He too has demons that he is fighting.Another story with emotional turmoil from Ms Kent, I like that she didn't show mental illness as miraculously cured, but that Willow was actually a warrior fighting a battle every single day.Highly recommend if you enjoy a taboo romance with angst. If you loved The Unrequited I think you will get the same feel from this one.

YES!!! I absolutely loved EVERYTHING about this book. I couldn't stop reading this for anyone or anything. It took over my life. I want to read it again.Saffron A Kent just has a way of delivering forbidden romance stories. This book had exactly what I wanted from a story like this. It was angsty, adrenalin pumping, palm sweating forbidden goodness that was SMOKIN hot too.It's right up there with The Unrequited.I was on the edge of my seat my heart was racing the whole time. I was utterly consumed with the journey of Willow and her Medicine Man. Such a beautiful love story, and one of won't forget.I highly recommend you read this one. It's unforgettable.

Saffron. Oh Saffron. You just love to kill us slowly with your words. In true Saffron fashion, you pushed the boundaries with your unconventional love story and trusted that we understood what you were telling us. This story, again, is very taboo but tell us of a love worth listening to.I won’t lie, some parts were hard to read and rang true as I’m sure they did for many people. But I feel the subject was dealt with in the right way and was written very well. You can clearly tell that these words came from somewhere deep within.I loved this book and it is worth the five stars for me.

I loved this author's book, "The Unrequited". I started out enjoying this. I liked Willow and the other girls in the book. I didn't believe in the relationship between Willow and Simon. It didn't feel real to me. I skimmed parts of the book to get to the end. It didn't live up to my high hopes.