A Dime Novel Hero
After capturing the man responsible for his father's death, Jake Cordell, bounty hunter and lawyer, is returning home to Chaney, Wyoming. He wants nothing more than to find his favorite saloon girl, Maggie, and to trade in his reputation as a gun slinging hero for that of a respectable rancher.  When he arrives in town, he learns that Maggie is dead, Kit Thornton has bought his ranch, and the hated image of a dime novel hero, created by a certain T.K. Thorne, is not easily forgotten. To Kit Thornton, ever since he stood up for her when she was a plump, bookish kid, Jake Cordell was what every hero should be.  So, it seemed only natural to record his adventures in dime novels and to adopt Jake's son, Johnny, after his mother Maggie died in childbirth.  Kit is reluctant to tell Jake that Johnny is his son because Maggie told her Jake would never settle down, an opinion Kit begins to share after witnessing several bouts of Jake's drinking.  Kit gets her friend Freda, a German widow, to take Jake in as a border even though Freda can't stand drinking.  Jake wants to buy the ranch from Kit, but she refuses to sell Johnny's birthright.  Jake teaches Johnny to ride, and Kit and Jake begin to fall in love, rediscovering the friendship they shared as two lonely teenagers.  But what will Jake do when he discovers Johnny is his son?  And can he ever forgive Kit for being the infamous T.K. Thorne? I thoroughly enjoyed Maureen McKade's second book, A Dime Novel Hero.  Throughout the text there are excerpts taken from Kit's latest dime novel, a delightful touch!  Johnny is one of the best child characters I've had the pleasure of reading in a romance - consistent in vocabulary and speaking style, something which all readers who have suffered through five year-olds who come off sounding fifteen will appreciate.  The secondary characters are unique, and the story of Kit and Jake helping each another heal the wounds of neglect is sweet without a hint of saccharine.      Maureen McKade is a fabulous new talent in the romance genre! Original, funny, and sweet -- A Dime Novel Hero is a romance you'll fall in love with!Phoebe Imel  --Copyright © 1998 Literary Times, Inc.  All rights reserved--FromLiterary Times