The Healer's Gift

The Healer's Gift by Willa Blair

Coira MacDugall has been returned to her people in disgrace.  After attempting to kill the new Lady of Clan Lathan in a fit of jealous rage, she was healed of more than just the mortal injury inflicted upon her.  She was also cleansed of her anger and hatred and given an odd gift and a second chance with her own Clan, but first she must earn the trust of her people and help the new MacDugall Laird to cleanse their own Clan of treachery.

Logen MacDugall never expected to be Laird.  His connection to the ruling family was tenuous at best, yet here he is, the elected leader of the Clan and fighting against the same hidden danger that killed the last short lived Lairds.  If he wants to remain living he must discover whom he can trust and flush out the traitor among them.  As if a gift from God, his newly appointed ward exhibits an incredible ability that just might be what he needs to save them all and put life to rights again.  Can he earn her trust...and maybe something more?

As the first book (and the remainder of the series) centers around Clan Lathan, this story is an opportunity to glimpse the life of one of their allies and discover why Coira acted as she did in HIGHLAND HEALER.

Willa Blair takes special care to help the reader contemplate exactly what it would be like to feel the emotions of others around you, and what it would cost to allow someone to actually bond with you intimately under such circumstances.  The process that Coira must go through to not only understand her new gift, but to control it enough to be of use is heart wrenching and breathtaking all at once.

The character development is necessarily sparse, so we really only get to know the two main characters well.  Logen is a recovering hot head learning to function with what we now know as PTSD, all while trying to rule a Clan and not get killed.  Coira is a recovering narcissist who has always struggled with abandonment issues and is trying to come to grips with her new world order.

Overall, though this story is short, it is a great read and will particularly intrigue fans of Willa Blair's Highland Talents Series.  Not only is it worth the read, but it will entice you to pick up the rest of the series.  Job done!

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 4 

Characters – 3

Storyline – 5

Overall – 4