- Read my reviews of the previous books in the White House Men series.
Like many others, I anxiously awaited the final book in this amazing political romance series. This book tied together not only the remaining characters who more than deserved their happily ever after but also acted as a sort of epilogue for the series as a whole. While it might seem contradictory, Phoenix wrote a low-angst romance that is still packed with intense emotions. Like the title suggests, a significant part of this story revolves around Del healing from tragedy; however, his newfound love does not “fix” or “erase” his history. Issa is a new chapter in his life that Del must embrace wholeheartedly (which he does, with lots of fun, sexy bits).
We’ve known Del as the President for this entire series, but it was lovely to finally visit his point of view. This narrative aspect is especially poignant in contrast to Issa’s bright personality that does much to help Del finish out his presidency even before a deeper friendship develops between them, much less a romantic relationship. Issa completes the found-family around which this series developed and expanded upon based on the longtime connection between Del, Calix, and Milan. We get scenes with almost all of the men we’ve come to know so far as they both move on in their lives and complete the final bits of the overarching mystery that has wound through this series.
As someone who originally put down the first book in this series and didn’t think I’d ever come back to it, I’ve come full circle and highly recommend it. This collection of unique romances that develop over the course of an intriguing political plot was a fun and sexy adventure that continues to solidify Phoenix as one of my favorite authors. And while Serve and Friends are my favorites of the seven, Heal will always have a special place as the story that features the President I’d be proud to have and who exists as the true heart of this series.
Rating: 5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.