Review: Time-travel that works
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 14, 2013
A Cheyenne Dog Soldier from the 21st Century and a 19th Century white woman orphaned by the brutal realities of frontier life find a love that transcends time, ethnic barriers, and mystical interference in WHERE THE RAIN IS MADE.Though the notion of time-travel sets up the adventure, it doesn't play a large role in the story. When hero Ethan Gray is Dog Soldier Meko (the majority of the story), he is a man of the times, not a transplanted 21st Century scientist with all the baggage such characters typically drag along. Meko pulls no 21st Century rabbits out of 19th Century hats. He is aware of the fate eventually suffered by The People, but he's equally aware he cannot change the past. He doesn't try. Instead, he lives the life into which he voluntarily stepped, determined to help his people weather the passing of their way of life with dignity. The source of his angst is the ultimate fate of the Cheyenne, not separation from the "modern" life he once lived.In a similar way, heroine Francesca Duvall is not the clichéd white-woman-captured-by-savages character one might expect. She suffers few illusions about her situation and doesn't "magically" fall in love with larger-than-life Meko simply because he's sexy as sin. The pair's romance develops organically amid trying circumstances, making the relationship a believable pairing.Of equal importance for readers who usually shy from time-travel stories, the mechanics of the process make sense within the mystical framework Diablo establishes. Time-travel, in this case, is neither laughable nor intrusive. At its heart, this is a historical romance with mystical elements based in Cheyenne folklore. Nevertheless, fans of time-travel will find plenty to enjoy about the story.WHERE THE RAIN IS MADE seamlessly evokes a time and place that disappeared into the mists of time more than a century ago. Though Diablo's research must have been painstaking and time-consuming, she never gives in to the temptation to beat readers about the head and shoulders with an encyclopedia. Details about daily life, family and band dynamics, spirituality, and warfare are woven into the larger tapestry in a way that doesn't distract. More impressive: The author hits every emotional note from poignant to heartwarming with a strong voice that never falters.Read this one for the historical perspective as well as for the romance. You won't be disappointed.