Medicine Man by Saffron A. Kent
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

6 AMAZING, EMOTIONAL, HEART RENDING STARS

It isn’t his fault that I’m slowly going insane and it has nothing to do with my illness, and everything to do with him, the man who’s supposed to fix me. My medicine man.

Wow... This is one of the first times I don't really have words to describe how much I loved a book...

"Medicine is in his blood. Like illness is in mine. My blood is tainted with poison and his is laced with the antidote.

Medicine Man was such an emotion, angst filled, beautiful journey of self discovery and the most deliciously forbidden kind of unending love.

I absolutely LOVE Saffron A. Kent! She wrote one of my favorite books A War Like Ours and this is another of hers going on that list!
One of the reasons I love her is her ability to create a story that is so unique and so freaking engaging you can not put it down. I was up reading till 3 AM because I just had to get to the end!
All of her characters are SO WELL DEVELOPED and they just engrave themselves in your heart. I always know when I have read a great book if I continue to remember the characters long after I have read the story and Saffron has such a talent for writing characters like that.
OK, so now that I am done with my author Fan girl-ing, Lets get on with the plot!

Medicine Man Starts out with 18 year old Willow Taylor on the "Inside" at Heartstone Mental Illness Treatment Facility after a reported suicide attempt. She maintains that it is a mistake and she doesn't belong there and doesn't need treatment. During her treatment, a new Psychiatrist is hired to take over care of the patients, Dr. Simon Blackwood, whose father was actually the founder of the hospital.
From the first time they set eyes on each other they both feel an unusual connection. Willow has never trusted doctors/psychiatrists, ever, but she finds herself opening up to Simon about her secrets and demons. Simon finds that he has a certain fixation on his new silver haired patient that he can't control.

"Isn’t that the most miraculous thing in the world? It’s more miraculous than magic. Who needs magic if you have that? Him. Wanting me like I want him."

During her 6 week stay, we watch as Willow makes great lifelong friendships that help to push her toward recovery as well make great strides towards self discovery and acceptance (Simon being one of the biggest influences in the book on Willow). It's beautiful to see how she is working towards not Repairing/"fixing" her illness and mind, but to learn to accept it as a part of her and deal with the challenges it presents in her life. Learning that there is noting "wrong" with you for having struggles, that it doesn't make you weak but strong, was one of the best parts of this story. This is all of course happening at the same time as the love story of Willow and Simon unfolds.

This was just an amazing read. I loved the forbidden aspect of it because, quite honestly, that is why I picked it up (and it was by Saffron Kent) But there is so much in this story to love beyond the TABOO nature. I CAN"T WAIT FOR RENN AND TRISTAN!!

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