TBR Challenge Review: Physical Therapy by Z.A. Maxfield

When Jordan Jensen moves to St. Nacho’s he has one goal in mind: starting over. He wants to reconnect with best friends Cooper and Shawn yet is uncertain of his welcome. He has the skills to get a job, but isn’t sure any prospective employer can get past the time he spent in jail for alcohol-related vehicular homicide. He’s past the worst part of his life but knows it will haunt him forever. So Jordan plans a life of quiet service. One thing he knows for sure: finding love is entirely too much to ask.

On the first day of his new job, Jordan meets Ken Ashton. Ken has every reason to hate Jordan for his past and only one to seek him out: Ken’s baseball career was shattered in a drunk-driving accident. But for some reason he can’t explain, Ken needs Jordan’s touch and finds healing within Jordan’s warmth and strength. Jordan wants to give Ken everything his new partner needs.

Without entirely understanding it, Ken and Jordan develop a powerful emotional and erotic connection, but Ken must help Jordan find the faith to trust it. Unexpected help comes from the people of Santo Ignacio–and the town itself–a place where Physical Therapy can be a path toward spiritual healing and powerful, passionate love.

Jordan, in his previous years, had been a terror in his small town in Wisconsin. He would get into trouble and have no problem with not getting caught. But at one point he made a rash decision and ended up killing a small child while driving drunk. Jordan has served his time and though he knows he can never repay his debt to the family he wants to be able to give something back to society. After his bouts with rehab he gets his personal training certificate as well as his massage therapy license. He moves to Santa Ignacio after having hearing about it from his first love, Cooper.

Jordan, on his first day in St. Nacho’s, heads to the local gym where he gets hired on the spot. He starts to meet the locals and finds that he really likes both the town and the people in it. He also meets Ken Ashton who is recovering from an accident caused by a drunk driver. Jordan comes clean about his past and though Ken is understandably mad Ken feels a strange connection to Jordan.

Ken, after his accident six months prior, came home and has been a shell of his former self. He doesn’t talk to people, hardly leaves his room at his parents house and is downright belligerent. When he meets Jordan however he feels the need to open up. He wants to be touched by Jordan even though he’s not sure what it means. Ken starts to pursue Jordan and Jordan’s just not sure how to take it all.

When I first met Jordan in book one of this series, St. Nacho’s, I didn’t care for him at all. Yes, he was going through some really heavy shit but he just seemed so self-destructive to me that I really wasn’t sure that I wanted to read a story where he was one of the heroes. So why did I finally give in and read it? A) I should have known that ZAM would come through for me. B) The TBR theme this month was catch up on a series that you’ve been reading but are behind on. C) Renee finally talked me in to it the last time I saw her.

Jordan in this book is determined to do well in life. He wants to give back and be the person he knows he can be without falling back on all of his old habits. He’s afraid though. He’s afraid of losing focus and with that loss will come his emotional demise. Ken is something/someone that Jordan never expected – A totally hot, loving, caring man that sees him to his core and still loves him. Jordan tries to fight it all but how could he not love Ken?

Ken is coming from a place where he’s just not sure what to do. He’s completely attracted to Jordan and feels so comfortable talking to him but he never actually expected to have to come out to his family and friends. He figured that he would move on with his baseball career after college – make it to the big leagues (and he was headed that way) and then just have a series of one night stands with random me. Life doesn’t always work out the way we plan, does it? In Ken’s case, thanks to a drunk drive he now has no baseball career and his best friend died. He now knows he has to come out and though his parents are supportive of him being gay – which was surprising – they are not supportive of him and Jordan. They don’t like Jordan at all and feel that he isn’t good enough for Ken. Ken has to deal with his emotional upheaval as well as his parents, his family and of course his need to be perfect and “whole”. He really was pretty messed up.

Between Ken and Jordan they were certainly a pair of misfits, but together they found a place where they could find love and acceptance.The book was engaging and well written and frankly I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

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