The Healing

Rating:
Summary: Rich characterizations make for a terrific read
Review: Pregnant and desperate, Jenny Hanson shoots her lover at point blank range, burying his body beneath a pile of stones behind their lonely cabin. Her pregnancy has forced Jenny to reevaluate her life, and she knows she can only be free of Frank if he dies. She refuses to be a party to Frank Benz's thievery, or to allow him to continue to dominate her body and her will. He had once been the passionate lover who lured her away from prostitution with promises of wealth, but now his gambling gave way to thievery to feed his insatiable hungers.

Long ago Michael Finnegan learned to bury his fiery temper beneath a veneer of careful self-control. Mistakes of his youth motivate him to dedicate his life the North West Mounted Police. He believes himself to be unworthy of a wife and family. When he comes to Jenny's rescue in a whorehouse, however, he never expects her to repay the favor by saving his life. Mike cannot shake the feeling that he has met Jenny before, nor can he deny the passion that ignites his sensibilities when she is around.

Author Kathryn Fox's gift for creating flawed, endearing characters that touch reader's hearts results in another memorable read with THE HEALING. On one hand, Jenny's wayward past and intrepid spirit result in a dynamic heroine who determinedly survives devastating choices and circumstances. Remarkably, she makes no apology for how she has lived with her life, taking full responsiblity for her decisions. On the other hand, Mike's painful fast likewise endears him to readers, but it is his tenderness and understanding that truly endears him to readers. You have to love a hero that treasures his beloved's physical scars like badges of honor, recognizing them as testimony to her strength of spirit. Indeed, Mike does not regard Jenny's history as a prostitute or her child by another man as negative, always respecting the woman who can create a life for herself and her child in spite of the challenges thrown her way. Both Jenny and Mike are need of and find the healing that they want and deserve in this marvelously rendered novel. THE HEALING comes very recommended.