Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Army veteran Harmon Wheeler lost his voice and his future dreams with a single bullet. He knows he's large and intimidating, but he can't assure people he won't hurt them when he can't talk to them. Losing himself in books is one of his few pleasures. That and the patiently kind librarian who takes the time to help him.

Derek Willow sees past Harm's menacing appearance to the gentle, intelligent man within, which intrigues him. Starting a sign language class seems like a way to both help Harm communicate with others and boost Derek's candidacy for library director, pulling them closer.

Notes, text messages, and ASL facilitate the blossoming of Derek and Harm's relationship. But Derek has a stalker who's determined to have Derek for himself. Harm might not be able to speak, but he hasn't forgotten anything he learned in combat. Can he protect Derek without scaring him away?

 

Book Review

What a wonderful romance between two men who find themselves attracted to each other despite the obstacles they encounter. Harm is an Army veteran who has lost his physical voice while deployed and because he is huge, many people shy away from him in fear when he can’t quickly say something to reassure them. Derek is a librarian fighting for a promotion, and he is extremely inclusive in everything he does. Andrew Grey has a knack for creating characters toward whom I immediately feel empathy, and this is especially true when they have a disability. Showing that anything can be overcome when you find the right partner is one of my favorite storylines.

 

Harmon Wheeler (Harm) may have lost the ability to speak, but he is very expressive in other ways – people just have to be open to communicating with him. This is difficult while he is still angry about his current lack of ability to talk and grieving his change in circumstances. Instead of bursting into action, he loses himself in books, hence his many visits to the library, but he has not been ready to really do anything about his situation. And it isn’t easy, so I could totally understand why he hasn’t gone out to learn ASL or to find new friends. So he tries to look even more menacing when he comes into the library, just to make sure nobody approaches him, making it necessary for him to speak.

 

Derek is a librarian, always ready to help people find new stories, or information, or to look for whatever it is they come to the library for. His superpower is to look beneath the surface of whatever mask people present him with. He is gentle and friendly and generally trusting. He figures out that Harm needs help finding enough courage to open up and decides an ASL class held at the library might just be the ticket. He is also trying to become library director, and the creativity he shows when coming up with new ideas to attract people to the library and create a real community is impressive.

 

Both men are immediately attracted to each other, but they take their time to get to know each other better before becoming physical. There is also the matter of Derek’s increasingly aggressive stalker, and Harm and Derek both need to learn how to deal with him. He is truly creepy; I can tell you that! Other secondary characters are much nicer, and I enjoyed the unwavering support they give Derek – who really deserves better than being stalked!

 

 

If you like stories about wounded characters who fight their back to a new normal, if gentle giants finding love are your thing, and if you’re looking for a story about two men who find new ways to express themselves, then you will probably like this novel. I look forward to the next volume in this series!

 

 

 

 

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

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 222 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	03-March-2026
Price	$6.99 ebook, $16.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Hero-Gentle-Giants-Book-ebook/dp/B0GLTDHM1X