Book Reviews

Book Blurb

While Max’s biggest fear is being touched, his greatest dream is to be loved. Can he let Jeremiah close enough to heal, or will he turn away all that he wants for the safety of what he knows?

Max Eisner suffers from haptephobia, the fear of being touched. He refuses to let that stop him from living, though every second outside his house compounds his distress. Nor does it prevent him from yearning for that one man who will crash through those barriers and make Max his in every way.

Jeremiah Sandburg has watched the handsome man walk past his office door every morning for the past three months. Every day he has the same pained look on his face, flinching whenever someone brushes against him. Jeremiah isn’t sure if Max will trust him enough to work through whatever is bothering him, but he’s not willing to wait another day to claim the smaller man for his own.

Will Max listen to the call of his heart, or will he shut himself off once and for all?

Book Review

Everyone has an area around them that they consider their personal space. For most people, having someone encroach upon their space is annoying, but something they can just shake off and go on. For Max Eisner of 'Impossible to Resist' by Em Woods, it's Earth shattering. Max suffers from PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – that was originally identified as shell shock by the military. However, anyone who has experienced major trauma can suffer from PTSD. Max suffers severe anxiety attacks whenever anyone touches him. Due to the severity of his panic attacks, he's terribly embarrassed, so he tries to hide it by avoiding situations that may cause him distress. His new boss, Jeremiah (Miah) Sandberg, is puzzled and annoyed by his odd behavior, mainly because Miah is attracted to Max and wants to touch him literally and figuratively, which is obviously a huge problem for Max.

My heart went out to Max. Anxiety attacks are such devastating occurrences and Max makes such a valiant effort to contain his. Unfortunately, his fear of humiliating himself keeps him from enjoying many essential things in life, one of which is having someone to love. I could feel Max's longing for Miah and ached with him in his despair, thinking he wouldn't ever be able to be with him. Max needed to be held, comforted, and loved so badly, but his fear of intimacy kept him from doing so. In an effort to keep people away, Max seems brisk and unapproachable. Unfortunately, Miah, doesn’t understand this and is angry and frustrated with Max's attitude. Miah is used to getting what he wants, but can't have Max and it drives him crazy.

I didn't like Miah at first. He was pushy, arrogant, insensitive, and crude in his dealings with Max. Granted, he didn't know about Max's problem, but he was too heavy-handed for me. He was attracted to Max and considered his indifference as a challenge, which made matters worse. He was unbelievably obnoxious and demanding. Fortunately, after Max explains the situation, he goes out of his way to be as tender and loving as possible; he works very hard to find ways to help Max cope and ends up winning his trust and his heart. Underneath all of his arrogance is a loving man who needed Max as much as Max needed him.

Em Woods packs a lot of emotion into her story, especially considering its brevity. Her characters are interesting and compelling. I particularly admired Miah's growth when he showed the depth of his compassion and affection for Max. Realistically, it would have taken longer to win Max's trust, but considering the length of the story, I think Em Woods did a good job of portraying the healing process. Miah's therapy for Max was surprisingly effective and created some steamy, passionate moments for them. ‘Impossible to Resist' pleasantly surprised me with its passion and depth. I thoroughly enjoyed it and heartily recommend it.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Short Story, 35 pages/11596 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	09-May-2011
Price	$2.50 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/impossible-to-resist