The Healer: Deep in the Heart (Harlequin Superromance No. 1105) [Paperback]

Jean Brashear (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harlequin Super Romance | Publication Date: January 1, 2003

She can't stay in his world—and he can't leave his

Brilliant, driven surgical superstar Caroline Malone is desperate to recover from the injury that threatens to end her career, and she'll try anything that might help her heal—including a rest away from it all in the remote Davis Mountains of west Texas.

Half Latino, half Anglo, Diego Montalvo knows exactly how it feels to have fate change your life. Three years ago he lost men as a Special Forces medic, and almost lost his life. Now back in the valley he left to follow the call of ambition—and feeling a measure of peace at last—he's trying to make a new life combining his Western medical training with the nontraditional ways of his Latino heritage as a curandero or folk healer.

Diego's hard-won peace vanishes when Caroline arrives. He understands her world—once it was all he wanted—and there is much he can teach her…if she'll let him. But if he succeeds in healing her, she'll return to a world that's not the world where Diego is needed…or the one he needs.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373711050
• ISBN-13: 978-0373711055
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,191,449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

USAToday and Kindle bestselling author of 30+ novels in romance and women's fiction, a three-time RITA finalist and Romantic Times BOOKReviews Career Achievement Award winner, Jean Brashear knows a lot about taking crazy chances. A lifelong avid reader, at the age of forty-five with no experience and no training, she decided to see if she could write a book. It was a wild leap that turned her whole life upside down, but she would tell you that though she's never been more terrified, she's never felt more exhilarated or more alive. She's an ardent proponent of not putting off your dreams until that elusive 'someday'--take that leap now.

What They're Saying about The Goddess of Fried Okra:

"Jean Brashear's distinctive storytelling voice instantly draws in the reader. She writes with warmth and emotional truth. The depth of her understanding of human nature marks her as a writer to watch, a writer to read and a writer to enjoy."~#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

"Jean Brashear's wholly original, funny and poignant novel has a heart as big as Texas. Told in a warm and intimate voice, it's like a road trip with your best friend. Don't miss it!" ~#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs

"Jean Brashear has that "it" factor. She is an incredibly talented writer who can hit every note with enough clarity to bring the reader tears, laughter, or just, "Oh, my, this is an amazing story." THE GODDESS OF FRIED OKRA is stunning, powerful and raw. Pea is on a journey to heal herself, and find herself--and you will want to go with her to find her dear, dead sister--I do." ~New York Times bestselling author Stella Cameron

"With characters full of heart...and vinegar, Jean Brashear takes us on a road trip through the back doors of modern life. And we get to read every hysterical marker on the way." ~ USAToday bestselling author Pamela Morsi

"THE GODDESS OF FRIED OKRA is a poignant journey of one woman's search for a place to belong. The characters are as delightful and engaging as can be found between the pages of a book, and the book itself is a road map to happiness - something for which everybody yearns." ~New York Times bestselling author Sharon Sala

"A wonderfully engaging story of one woman's search for self. Jean Brashear tugs on your heartstrings and won't let go." ~New York Times bestselling author Julia London

"THE GODDESS OF FRIED OKRA is a fabulous read. Riveting. Original. Those characters grabbed my imagination and didn't let go." ~New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Destiny and transformation -- Very highly recommended, February 17, 2003

By 

C. Penn "WordWeaving" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Healer: Deep in the Heart (Harlequin Superromance No. 1105) (Paperback)

Staff at Mercy Hospital calls her Miracle Malone until a riding accident destroys the gifted surgeon's right hand. Once her hand could massage life back into the heart she held, now it cannot grasp and release objects. When her physical therapy reaches a plateau without the necessary recovery to return her to the cardiac surgical suit, Caroline takes a month to recover in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.

Like Caroline, Diego Montalvo had once been terribly ambitious until a mission gone wrong burdens him with irredeemable guilt. Now Diego marvels that his hands, which once brought death, can bring forth life. As his grandmother ages, he steps into her place in the community as a healer where many of his people are more than a hundred miles from medical care and cannot afford it anyway. Nevertheless, his years as a medic have left scars much deeper than the ones displayed on his body and causing his limp.

Author Jean Brashear creates a powerful tale of spiritual healing in THE HEALER. Brashear's graceful narrative seamlessly bridges two vastly different worlds. Both Caroline and Diego undergo a tragic transforming moment that changes the course of their lives, leaving them with spiritual wounds as damaging as the ones that tear their flesh. In this searing tale, contradictions and impossibilities give way to hearts that need to rediscover dreams and self-forgiveness. Secondary characters, particularly Diego's insightful grandmother, provide intriguing depth to this powerful tale. Once again Brashear proves herself to be an author of fabulous richness, making her a favorite of romance readers. THE HEALER comes very highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars engaging thought provoking romance, January 18, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Healer: Deep in the Heart (Harlequin Superromance No. 1105) (Paperback)

At Mercy Hospital in Dallas, Caroline Malone is the finest surgeon because she always does her best for her patients and expects nothing less from the team. Escaping her beloved work for a needed rest, Caroline rides her steed Star King. However a jackrabbit spooks her horse leading to Caroline injuring her hand and unable to perform cardiac surgery. A depressed Caroline leaves Dallas for the West Texas Davis Mountain to begin what she hopes is the healing process.

In Davis Mountain, Diego Montalvo battles with demons from his military medic days by providing homeopathic treatments to those in need. When Diego and Caroline meet, the clash is between modern medical science and local healing arts, but underneath is a growing love for one another. Diego wonders how he will survive the loss of Caroline when he heals her hand and she returns to Dallas. Caroline wonders how her heart will recover once he heals her hand and she returns to Dallas.

THE HEALER is an engaging thought provoking romance that enables the audience to see the best and somewhat the worst of two approaches to healing. The ploy succeeds because the audience believes that Caroline and Diego have no doubts that their way is the best way even while they debate the merits of both methods. Thus the growing love between them becomes a joy and an albatross, but sheer pleasure for the audience. Readers will seek the first novel in "Deep in the Heart" series, WHAT THE HEART WANTS (starring Caroline's sister Ivy) and anxiously wait missing sibling Chloe's story.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Respectful of Tradition, May 25, 2008

By 

L. Frankel (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Healer: Deep in the Heart (Harlequin Superromance No. 1105) (Paperback)

I was amazed at how moving and appealing I found the hero, Diego, who was a traditional healer known as a curandero. I was also impressed with the love and respect with which the author wrote about Latino traditions. I was pleased with Harlequin for publishing such a book. This is one of the best romances I've read.