I received a copy of this story for an honest review.
Aldo Lawson is not your normal teenager. Born the only girl in a set of special triplets, Aldo and her brothers always feared the world around them. Their Aunt Lucy has raised them to know that their ability to heal others, taking energy from themselves or those near them and transferring to people in need, makes them different and puts them in constant danger.
“We are in the business of stealing energy. We take from the strong and give it to the weak. Healer Robin Hoods.”
Aunt Lucy has kept Aldo and her brother’s safe by spending years on the run. Just when the group thinks they’ve reached a level of calm and normalcy, everything blows apart when an unexpected healing after a parking lot accident introduces Aldo to another of her kind, Thomas Watson.
“He was the same as me, a healer, yet seemed so different, like some exotic creature from a foreign land.”
The attraction between teenage Aldo and twenty-something Thomas is instant, strong, and a major red-flag to Aunt Lucy. The sparks between the two result in Aunt Lucy revealing a huge secret – Vampires are real, the thing they want most is Healer blood, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it including using other Healer’s. Suddenly everyone’s motives are in question. Does Thomas really care for Aldo and if so why does he keep disappearing? Why did Lucy wait until Thomas’s arrival to share the truth about Vampires with the triplets?
The story then starts to jump between teenage Aldo’s POV and Aldo’s POV six years in the future. Adult Aldo is now living alone, working as a stripper, and desperately searching for the man who demolished her heart and left her broken - Thomas.
Adult Aldo’s quest to find Thomas and answers about why he left is complicated by a blood healer by the name of Rhett Mason. Blood healers are healers who were once like Aldo but have been turned Vampire. Rhett has taken an interest in Aldo and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her away from Thomas.
“You can write him a short letter to say goodbye, and I strongly suggest you discourage him from trying to find you. I will you this one thing as a token of trust. I can be your best friend through all of this or be your worst enemy.”
Between the action, danger, and mystery, Toler still manages to sneak in a few moments of hotness for her heroine.
“With one last major pull, I thought I would pass out, and suddenly, he pushed hard and fast, and he released into me, moaning my name. Flooded with sheer ecstasy, I was a puddle of a young woman that had just been undone.”
“Healer” is a diamond in the rough. It’s the first book from a self-published author and though there are a few minor issues with formatting, spelling, and continuity those didn’t keep me from enjoying the overall story. If you actually look past them you’ll find a pretty damn impressive paranormal read. Strong heroine dealing with special powers of healing and dream walking – check. Two hot mysterious guys with their own unique powers and questionable intentions – check. Vampire characters creating a real feeling of danger and foreboding – check. Unpredictable ending – super-duper check.
This book had me taking reading breaks at work like I was a literary smoker (Just a page or two more and I’ll quit, I swear!). I have no doubt as Toler digs deeper into the characters and universe she’s created, the stories are only going to get better and better.
For paranormal fans, I recommend checking out “Healer” and showing Toler some love. “Healer” is the first part in a planned three part series and the follow-up novel “Hybrid” will be released in 2014. I’m already looking forward to it. Happy Reading.