cover image Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver

Kathleen Kane. St. Martin's Press, $5.99 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-312-96808-3

In what otherwise could have been a stock plot--Conner James is the lonely, rugged horse rancher and Meara Simons the spunky Irish girl with amnesia--Kane incorporates the same tender (and fantastic) touches as in her previous novel, This Time for Keeps. Meara is a spirit who helps children master their bad dreams, but her headstrong way has incurred the wrath of the master dreamweaver. With the help of a friend, she temporarily escapes the eye of the master by becoming mortal and enters Conner's life in secluded Lake Tahoe, Calif., in 1876. Meara befriends Connor and helps him outfox the destructive strategies of the man who lost the ranch to Conner in a card game. True to her talent, Kane keeps the conflicts lively to the end and fills the plot with many surprises. (Dec.)