Gabriel's Atonement

November 24, 2014
Gabe Coulter regrets having to kill the desperate cowboy who attacked him after losing everything at the gambling table. To assuage his guilt, Gabe tries anonymously returning the money to the man’s widow. Strong frontier woman Lara Talbot, however, refuses to take what she sees as charity, though her family dearly needs it. She would rather help her grandfather gain a tract of free land in the upcoming great land rush. Without revealing his role in her husband’s death, Gabe befriends and assists Lara. Their feelings for one another are complicated by his deception and fear, her stubbornness, and the constant danger from land-hungry “sooners” and revenge-minded thieves. McDonough (Whispers on the Prairie) paints a compelling portrait of the spirit of the 1889 Oklahoma land rush. Themes of faith, forgiveness, and guilt are woven realistically into the characters’ motivations. Secondary characters are a bit flat, and the subplots are left open, perhaps in preparation for a sequel. Regardless, Frontier-fiction fans will find this inspirational and heartwarming. Agency: MacGregor Literary Agency.

January 1, 2015

Professional gambler Gabe Coulter easily wins all of Tom Talbot's pay in a poker game. When Tom demands his money back, Gabe shoots him in self-defense. Gabe's feelings of remorse drive him to help Tom's widow, Lara, and their young son. As Gabe learns about the poverty in which she lives and her family's desperation to claim a section of land in the Oklahoma land rush, he begins to understand the true cost of gambling. He also finds himself falling in love with Lara. Lara, however, is determined to never again marry a man who gambles. She also has her hands full caring for her son, grandfather, and strong-willed younger sister. VERDICT McDonough's (Song of the Prairie) series opener has a few problems with chronology near the beginning, and there are also some repetitive passages about Lara and her sister's dreams of a better life. These are minor distractions in a story that should appeal to readers of Janette Oke and Lori Copeland as well as McDonough's fans. The land rush also adds an exciting background to this historical romance.--Margaret Bentley, Shiawassee Dist. Lib., Owosso, MI

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