Just West of Heaven

Gee, had I remembered that Kathleen Kane also wrote DREAMWEAVER, I would have never ordered this book. Thank goodness I forgot. Unlike DREAMWEAVER, this is a great book. Wonderful characters that you'll love and worry about. The not so typical woman in jeopardy book with our heroine and her young sister "blessed" with second sight. A hunky hero to take care of them. A crafty villian to threaten them. Humor, sexy love scenes. . .hey, what more could you ask? If you're looking for another good one, try NOBODY'S DARLING by Teresa Medeiros. A five star keeper!

The Dolan women have always been different. They see things that only God should, and people don?t even pause long enough to let them explain. When Jenna?s life is endangered by a man who wants her gift, her sister Sophie does the only thing she can think of, she kidnaps her own sister. Tanglewood, Nevada is a small sleepy town, where Sophie believes she will be safe and unnoticed, until she meets the sheriff. This book was wonderful, a page-turner. My husband got mad at me, because I wouldn?t put down the book. I simply HAD to see what happened next! The author seemed to weave a spell around her characters that pulled me in and refused to let go. Highly recommended! Reviewed by Kim Blair

In 1889 Albany, New York, Sophie Dolan argues with Charles Vinson over the care of her half-sister Jenna. Sophie's recently deceased mother gave guardianship to Charles. He plans to lock the little girl up in a room except when he wants to use her gift for predicting the future to make his fortune on the stock market. Sophie wants Jenna to live a normal, happy life. A desperate, Sophie, accompanied by Jenna, flees to Tanglewood, Nevada where she accepts the job of schoolmarm and pretends to be a widow and Jenna's mom.In Tanglewood, Sophie has a run in with the sheriff Ridge Hawkins when Jenna calls him "daddy." Sophie remains worried because she believes the "gift" that Jenna has is a curse since it makes people afraid. Although she has fallen in love with Ridge, Sophie assumes that the townsfolk will soon ostracize the little girl for her accurate predictions, making it time to flee again. Ridge must persuade her otherwise.JUST WEST OF HEAVEN is a heavenly western romance that contains an amusing paranormal twist of a precocious little girl speaking out loud the future of the townsfolk. Sophie and Ridge are wonderful lead characters, but the novel belongs to Jenna who not only innocently saves lives, but also talks to the horses on a first name basis. Fan of western romances with an entertaining sidebar will fully relish Kathleen Kane's refreshing novel and search for the author's previous works such as WISH UPON A COWBOY and CATCH A FALLEN ANGEL.Harriet Klausner

In 1880, Sophie Dolan considers the gift of sight more curse than blessing. In a world of conformity, the ability to see the future or form an empathetic connection to others merely sets her apart from the town folk of Albany, New York. Now the gift threatens to make her little sister Jenna a prisoner of her guardian's greed. Consequently, Sophie flees with the four-year-old child, answering an advertisement for a schoolteacher in Tanglewood, Nevada. Perhaps if they start over, their new anonymity will allow her to protect the child. Too bad Sophie can't hide a vibrant child like Jenna in a world of gray.Ridge Hawkins once rode with gunmen until a good deed resulted in a pardon and a chance to start over. With a new, intense respect for the law, Ridge sees the world in black and white, never dreaming that Tanglewood's new schoolteacher will bring the concept of "shades of gray" a whole new meaning. Sophie's fiery red hair, passion for rebuilding the school and love for her "daughter" capture Ridge's imagination and set him aflame. Sophie makes this sheriff want far more than a tin star and a fast horse, but he knows she's hiding secrets. The question remains as to how Ridge will react when he realizes that Sophie's a kidnapper. Indeed, with four-year-old Jenna inexplicably insisting upon calling him Daddy, Ridge finds his heart a risk to both females.Kathleen Kane brings a paranormal element to the Wild West, giving JUST WEST OF HEAVEN a marvelously original, entertaining flair. With strong, loveable characters, well-balanced tension and a vividly realized background, Kane brings a rare sensitivity to her writing style; indeed, JUST WEST OF HEAVEN is perfect for an afternoon's escape from the mundane. Humorous situations and repartee kept me giggling even as emotional by-play touched my heart. I couldn't put this book down as Kane wrapped me in her spell, luring me into a world of romance, friendship, and magic. Very highly recommended.