The Cowboy and the Angel

I enjoyed this story about a social worker helping Detroit's kids in need. The attraction between Duke and Renee was evident right away, and neither of them tried to deny it. There were certain aspects of this story that seemed a little unbeleivable, or hard to picture. But overall this story had a very good message, with realistic and likeable characters.

Marin Thomas is one of my favorite authors and her books are always something out of the ordinary. In The Cowboy and the Angel the romance centers around a business owner and a social worker. They are thrown together by a group of kids living in the building he's just bought and intends to demolish. The situation of the children is grim. It's unlikely that spots in foster homes will open up for them so close to Christmas and Renee, the social worker, refuses to send them to a shelter, informing Duke, the business owner, of the potential dangers for children there. While Thomas doesn't dwell on this or make the story depressing, she does give us a glimpse of a very real problem in America. Yet none of this detracts from the romance that develops between Duke and Renee. The characters are fully developed, each having experienced their own heartbreaks and holding their own hopes for the future. It looks as though this book will be followed by by two more, about Duke's siblings who are introduced in this story. I'll be watching for them.

In Detroit dedicated, some would say obsessed, social worker Renee Sweenee will do anything include standing in front of a wrecking crane and ball to prevent the destruction of the abandoned 1892 Screw and Bolt Factory Warehouse where six kids have taken shelter. Tulsa based Duke Dalton cannot believe what has happened to his simple deal. He realizes bad PR could rupture his plan. He decides to team up with the lioness protecting someone else's runaway cubs by helping Renee find homes for all of the children. As they work together, Renee and Duke fall in love, but her distrust of relationships due to a bad incident leaves her ready to bolt. Duke knows he has his work cut out to convince his beloved they belong together. The romance between the COWBOY AND THE ANGEL is cleverly done to serve as a backdrop in many ways to saving the children as Marin Thomas makes each of her teens and preadolescents seem fully developed with genuine flaws and fears. Thus besides a strong contemporary romance, the audience sees a powerful look at how complex and difficult social work can be. This is a great tale and perhaps Ms. Thomas can provide a futuristic anthology focusing on these children as adults (instead of where are they now - where will they be). Harriet Klausner