When innocence is stolen, is it possible to move forward? Melissa A. Hanson helps explore the possibilities in A Healing Touch: Riverview Series Book 3. She introduces nineteen-year-old Natasha Wakefield. Natasha’s first year in college ended with her not remembering who took her innocence. No longer feeling secure, she neglects her friends and family and escapes. Taking up a dream internship at a local architecture firm, she did not expect her pain to resurface. Troy DeLuca, who is twenty-three and is taking over the family architecture practice, did not expect his life to be flipped inside out as painful memories haunt him from his past after meeting Natasha. Will they be able to help heal each other?

Melissa A. Hanson did an excellent job of highlighting the mindset of sexual assault victims and what they and their families and friends experience using Natasha and Troy. In A Healing Touch, Natasha shows that with support you can face what happened and hope to regain a stable and thriving life again, if you decide not to let the event control your life. I was emotionally moved by the strength Troy gave Natasha and his sensitivity. Natasha was brave and chose to be a support system to help him work through his guilt after learning what happened to his sister. I love that the author provided information at the end of the story to help those who may have had a similar experience. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy suspense, drama, and realistic fiction.

A Healing Touch by Melissa A. Hanson is a slow-burn romance between two souls struggling with painful experiences, past issues, and PTSD. Natasha is a talented and smart Southern California freshman studying on a full scholarship at one of Oregon’s schools of architecture. Things were going well until she was drugged and raped during a party. This caused her to experience social anxiety, severe panic attacks, and to withdraw from family and old friends. She tries to distract herself from the trauma with the dream internship that she got from DeLuca Architects and her new office mates, more particularly her boss’s son whom she met in the office. Troy is dedicated and hardworking and, being the son of the boss, he’ll inherit the firm. Troy has his share of devastating heartbreak and regret brought about by the untimely death of his sister. He finds himself inexplicably drawn to the new intern, Natasha. Will their mutual attraction be the source of strength and healing that both of them need? Will they be able to help each other regain wholeness and achieve closure?

The dramatic plot, timely content, and themes are tough and relevant, tackling the difficult issue of campus sexual assault. The author deals with trauma and its healing and eventual resolution. The characters are well-written and are still on the cusp of being independent, establishing a career, defining their worldviews, and creating networks and relationships for the kind of lifestyle or purpose they want. But as young adults, they unfortunately also have to deal with and learn to survive the harsh and cruel realities of a very complex world on their own. A Healing Touch is written using the first-person point of view but shifts from one character to another which can be a bit confusing at first. Melissa A. Hanson does this so the reader empathizes with the major characters firsthand. Although it is a romance novel, the author quite skillfully incorporates a little amateur sleuthing and suspense along the way in their effort to get to the truth and bring the guilty to justice. Recommended for fans of new adult fiction that goes beyond romance and deals with both the positive and some dark aspects of young adulthood, maturity, relationships, and mental health.