Whippoorwill

By Sharon Sala

Set in the territory of Kansas, after the Civil War but before the turn of the century, the story brings together a cast of characters to the dusty town of Lizard Flats, all of them coming for one reason: to see the preacher from back East, the Reverend Randall W. Howe.
Rev. Howe is headed West to make a new life for himself and put aside his lustful ways and rededicate himself to his holy calling. He was invited to Lizard Flats to perform the marriage of the town's two leading citizens, banker Alfonso Worthy and his wealthy, widowed, eager bride Sophie Hollis.
Headed to the town, among others, is Henry Wainwright, a grizzled trapper, bringing the body of his partner, Parson Sutter, whose last request was to have burial presided over by a real preacher. And there are Hetty and Charity Doone and Wade James, seeking a reckoning with Rev. Howe, who took Charity's innocence.  Also headed to Lizard Flats are Miles Crutchaw and Truly Fine, who want to get married. Miles is a miner who has struck pay dirt and Truly is the saloon whore who is the light of his eyes. Another couple desiring to be married by the preacher are Joe Redhawk, a gunman, and Caitlin O'Shea, a young Irish girl. Redhawk rescued Caitlin from captivity by a half-blind Arapahoe brave. And finally there are the Jessups, Isaac, Minna and their adolescent son, Baby Boy. Isaac and Minna have decided it is about time Baby Boy got a real name and they want the preacher to christen him and make it official.
Meanwhile, back in Lizard Flats, Eulis Porter, town drunk and Letty Murphy, town whore, are about to spoil everyone's big plans when the lusty Reverend Howe dies in Letty's bed. Fearing she will be hanged because of the preacher's death, Letty talks Eulis into helping her. Together they will hide the body in a newly dug grave and, with a bath, shave and wearing the preacher's garments, they will try to hoodwink everyone and pass Eulis off as the Reverend.

This was quite the tale. I found it a bit hard to keep track of all the characters and had to make a list. But it was well worth it. The story is amusing, heartbreaking at times, and with overtones of tragedy but mostly is it just hugely entertaining. Well done!

The Healer

By Sharon Sala

The amber-eyed toddler was led out of the Alaska woods by a she-wolf and into the village of Snow Valley. No one could figure out where he came from. But the village embraced him and gave him the name of Jonah Gray Wolf. The local doctor adopted him.
Jonah was different. He communicated with animals. He had the healing touch. So when an out-of-state hunter was attacked by a bear and the doctor was out on a call, the villagers sent Jonah to help the man, Bourdain, who was dying of his wounds. Jonah used his healing gift to save the man's life. But Bourdain, instead of being grateful and moving on, decided that if he had Jonah with him all the time,  he could live far beyond his natural life span.
But Jonah wasn't interested. So Bourdain decided to just grab him. It didn't go well. Jonah's adoptive father was murdered and Jonah was forced to flee his home and Alaska. He ended up on the run for many years, with the wealthy Bourdain hiring bounty hunter after  hunter to capture Jonah. But they all failed.
Living life on the run is not fun. Jonah was afraid to set down roots anywhere for fear of Bourdain using anyone Jonah cared about as a bargaining chip against him. But when he met Lucia, it all changed. He fell hard and Lucia felt the same way too.
They met when Lucia's dog got caught in a leg-hold trap. Jonah saved the dog's life and healed him up good as new. Lucia invited him to stay the night at her place, an isolated house in the woods. The chemistry between the two was immediate and intense. Jonah began to wonder if there might possibly be a way that they could be together, safely, without the obsessed Bourdain ruining it all. And Lucia actually needed Jonah's help too. Because she was being stalked by someone who was sending her threatening and obscene messages. Probably the same person who set the trap that injured her dog.
Together Jonah and Lucia will confront the dangers surrounding them and try to find their way to the life of love and togetherness that they have been lacking for most of their adult lives.

This was a good read. Jonah is a kind of angel come down to Earth, with his godlike healing powers and his ability to communicate with animals. It's kind of a silly story in a way, but once you accept Jonah's exceptionalism, it becomes less silly. I liked it, it brought tears to my eyes a couple times.

Here is a review by Publishers Weekly.