From the back cover:
Could this devil-may-care stranger be her angel in disguise?
Gabe Donovan's regrets for a life of gambling and drinking come fast and hard when he finds himself hanging from the short end of a rope, framed for a crime he didn't commit. But fate has a little detour on the road to the afterlife, complete with a bargain from Old Scratch himself. The deal: two months of life in exchange for the soul of the scoundrel who should have have hung in Gabe's noose.
Maggie Benson realizes that only a desperate woman would hire a dusty, down-on-his-luck stranger with a past, but she has a hotel to run in Regret, Nevada, and handymen aren't exactly lining up at her door. Destiny, however, comes in strange packages, and after one magical kiss, she knows Gabe is hers. Come Hell or high water, she's not about to let go of this fallen angel, even if she has to take on the Devil himself...
And my review:
This book was such a delight to read! I hardly know where to begin. I will state that Kathleen Kane also writes contemporary romances under the name Maureen Child, for anyone interested.
First off, the characters were great. I would have expected not to like a man who would literally make a deal with the Devil, yet I could see that Gabe had a heart of gold underneath his rogue exterior. Maggie was charming as well--she was more than just the cliche of a woman who can't even boil water. I loved how vibrant and alive she was. I thought that these two were a great match for one another. And the heroine's son Jake was adorable as well. Even the villains were more than just caricatures. They had motivations that the reader could understand, and even sympathize with to some extent.
I'd been starting to get sick of "small-town" books, but this one reminded me of why they are so popular. I loved the whole cast of characters, and they felt like more than just quirky cliches thrown in for laughs.
I also really liked that the hero and heroine fell in love with each other for more than just sex. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude, but I don't like romances where there is an overemphasis on sex. I like it as an added bonus to love, not as the sole reason for a relationship between the hero and heroine. While they were physically attracted to one another, this wasn't a "when can we hop into bed?" book. Nor was it an "I hate you, come here" story. It was refreshing to read about a couple falling in love without petty bickering, stupid misunderstandings, or overactive libidos. I also liked that the book didn't turn into a boinkfest once the hero and heroine did consummate their love, a complaint I often have with many historical romance.
I would have expected a novel where the hero makes a deal with the Devil to be dark and depressing, but this was not the case. I found myself laughing out loud several times will reading this book, and by the end, I had a serious case of the warm fuzzies. I absolutely loved the plot twist at the end. I will not give it away here--I don't want to ruin it for anyone.
I'm a VERY picky reader, but I thought this book was wonderful. Really, my only complaint is that at just over 300 pages, it was over too quickly! Recommended for anyone who reads romance.
