Book Review - Crazy Love by David Martin

From Goodreads:

David Martin has proved to be an unusually versatile writer, both of acclaimed thrillers like Lie to Me and of love stories like The Crying Heart Tattoo. Now, in Crazy Love, Martin has created remarkable characters and his richest story yet: a chronicle of passion and heartbreak.

Joseph Long, known locally as Bear, is a farmer ridiculed by neighbors for his strangeness. Lonely nearly to the point of madness and so desperate for human touch, he leans against the hands of the barber giving him a haircut.

Katherine Renault is a successful career woman, wondering why, if she has the perfect job and the perfect fiancé, does she feel so hollow inside -- even before the illness, the disfiguring surgery.

They should have nothing in common -- though he has a magical touch with animals, he considers them property, while she can't tolerate their mistreatment. She's a sophisticated city dweller who can't abide violence, and he's never traveled beyond the local town and has blood on his hands. But love is crazy, and soon they are rescuing the injured of the world just as they rescue each other. Enduring violence and loss, they live in a domestic bliss wide and deep enough to dilute most of life's dramas, until fate tests them again.

Funny, erotic, emotionally powerful, yet surprisingly unsentimental about our relationships with each other and with animals in our care, Crazy Love will heal broken hearts.

My Thoughts:

I really liked this book! I am definitely adding it as one of my favorite books of all time. The story was so different than anything else that I have ever read before. Part love story, part animal rescue story, it held my interest throughout.

I became attached to Bear and Katie and their farm. Their love for each other was unique and intense. Bear won my heart with his ways with his animals on his farm, and in his relationship with Katie. Katie falls in love with the quiet and gentle Bear while she is engaged to someone else. She knows for sure that she and Bear are meant to be together. Together they turn the farm into a sanctuary for homeless/rescued/abused animals.

This was a book that I would race to read upon arriving home from work. I couldn't put it down! It has earned a spot in my personal library. I look forward to reading more of David Martin's novels.