Review: Love Can't Conquer by Kim Fielding

Bullied as a child in small-town Kansas, Jeremy Cox ultimately escaped to Portland, Oregon. Now in his forties, he’s an urban park ranger who does his best to rescue runaways and other street people. His ex-boyfriend, Donny—lost to drinking and drugs six years earlier—appears on his doorstep and inadvertently drags Jeremy into danger. As if dealing with Donny’s issues doesn’t cause enough turmoil, Jeremy meets a fascinating but enigmatic man who carries more than his fair share of problems.

Qayin Hill has almost nothing but skeletons in his closet and demons in his head. A former addict who struggles with anxiety and depression, Qay doesn’t know which of his secrets to reveal to Jeremy—or how to react when Jeremy wants to save him from himself.

Despite the pasts that continue to haunt them, Jeremy and Qay find passion, friendship, and a tentative hope for the future. Now they need to decide whether love is truly a powerful thing or if, despite the old adage, love can’t conquer all.

Kim Fielding is an author I always forget I like, so when I pick up a new book from her I'm generally utterly pleasantly surprised by it. I totally need to keep her more on my radar because with enjoyable reads like Love Can't Conquer she really should be an auto buy author for me.

This is the kind of angst I like. It's very... person orientated. Drama for the sake of drama is a big turn off for me, any drama and angst needs to be a part of the story, part of the characters, and not just there to rack up tension for the sake of it. In order for me to love a story I need to be able to feel the characters and for that to happen I have to trust them. However they act on paper I have to understand the reasoning behind actions and reactions. This author does this well.

Drink, drugs and an unhappy childhood coalesce to make this an intricate story balancing pain with hope. The part of the blurb that really drew me in was the last lines "Despite the pasts that continue to haunt them, Jeremy and Qay find passion, friendship, and a tentative hope for the future. Now they need to decide whether love is truly a powerful thing or if, despite the old adage, love can’t conquer all." and it encompasses the whole feel of the story for me. The tentative flowering of trust and friendship that lights the way through a dark past. A great read.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

For more information see Dreamspinner Press or Goodreads.