1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Death Falls in Love in the Wild West, December 2, 2005
This review is from: A Pocketful of Paradise (Mass Market Paperback)
The paranormal historical romance, A POCKETFUL OF PARADISE by Kathleen Kane, was a pleasant surprise. I'm not a fan of Kane, so I didn't think I'd like the book, but boy was I wrong! I read this book non-stop, I found it so engrossing.
The premise of the book is that Death is punished to serve one month among humans in the wild west, and not only does he learn about his own humanity, but he also falls in love. His love interest is a widow who runs a ranch and has a little boy in desperate need of a father figure.
The story was sweet and unbelievably touching. I enjoyed all of Zack's responses to being human, and thought his relationship with Rebecca and her son was realistic and appropriate. I also thought secondary characters like the ranch foreman Buck and sick little girl, Ellie, were nicely portrayed.
The only thing I didn't like was the fact that the horse rustler was obvious, but I could forgive it. The horse rustling wasn't the most important part of the books. The relationships were, and they worked for me.
If you'd like to read a sweet historical romance that deals with the afterlife, then I'd recommend reading A POCKETFUL OF PARADISE. It's somewhat similar to the Brad Pitt movie "Meet Joe Black," but is set in the wilds of Colorado in 1875.
Please note this book can be purchased under the alternative title, THE SOUL COLLECTOR.
***If you like historical paranormal romances, I'd also recommend reading IMAGINE by Jill Barnett, THE WOLF OF HASKELL HALL by Colleen Shannon, THE SELKIE by Melanie Jackson, or TO CATCH A WOLF by Susan Krinard.***
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Keeper, February 18, 2002
This review is from: A Pocketful of Paradise (Mass Market Paperback)
I read this book a few years ago and from time to time will pick it up to read again. Wonderful storyline poignant from beginning to end. I've seen this plot several times since then but still no one has done it with so much meaning and feeling as Kathleen Kane. You won't regret purchasing this one. If you read this I also recommend "The Outsider" by Penelope Williamson.
Happy Reading
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5.0 out of 5 stars
This one has everything I look for in a romance!, December 18, 2002
This review is from: A Pocketful of Paradise (Mass Market Paperback)
P>Every now and then I'm lucky enough to come across a very special book that demands my attention and captures my heart. A book whose characters refuse to leave my mind once the last page is turned. A book that is filled with everything that I love about reading romance. A POCKETFUL OF PARADISE is my idea of a dream book.
Immortal spirit Zacariah has been a soul collector for eons and is getting a little lackadaisical about his duties. His job is to collect the soul of a dying human and usher it into the afterlife. Because he has a little problem showing up on time for his "collections" he has altered more than one human life span. His superiors are furious with his blatant disregard for human life and have decided to teach him a lesson. Hoping he will learn to respect humans, his punishment is to spend one month on earth as a mortal man and at the end of that time make a collection ON TIME!!
Zack appears in a haze of mist and clouds before the startled eyes of widow Rebecca Hale. Rebecca is determined to save her son's inheritance, the Hale ranch, even though someone has been stealing her horses at an alarming rate. A bit wary of this stranger who appears to have a strange sort of amnesia she agrees to take Zack on as a farm hand because he'll work cheap and she desperately needs some help.
Rebecca struggles to protect her heart from this drifter but there is something irresistible about him, a kindness buried beneath the gorgeous exterior. When she sees him treating her son with the compassion, respect and attentiveness he craves she becomes all the more determined to protect them both from heartbreak. But as an innocent kiss leads to a scorching attraction Rebecca finds it difficult to resist this desirable man who awakens feelings she didn't know existed.
Zack is one of the most original hero's I've read in quite a while. A virgin in the true sense of the word its great fun watching him attempt to function with his "clumsy" human body as he learns to walk, shave and discovers a certain part of his anatomy that he can't seem to control when he looks at the heroine. As he becomes more and more human he begins to realize he's falling in love but he cannot give Rebecca the one thing she needs from him; the truth and he still has that collection to make before he can return to heaven . . . Torn between hurting the people he's grown to love and further upsetting his superiors Zack must make the ultimate sacrifice.
Ms. Kane writes with a rare sensitivity that thoroughly draws you into the story. Her characters are people you care deeply about. A POCKETFUL OF PARADISE with its reluctant and sensitive grim reaper hero has humor in all the right places yet is jam-packed with heart wrenching emotion. You'll need a few tissues before you're finished with this uplifting story.
I loved every word.
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