cover image A Spark of Heavenly Fire

A Spark of Heavenly Fire

Kathleen Knowles. Bold Strokes (boldstrokesbooks.com), $16.95 trade paper (264p) ISBN 978-1-62639-212-0

Beth Hammond and Kerry O'Shea live together happily in early 20th century San Francisco until financial and career considerations threaten their partnership in Knowles's charming second novel about the pair (after Awake Unto Me). Beth is a nurse at the Presidio army base and Kerry a line cook at the prestigious Palace Hotel. Beth's colleague and mentor, Addison Grant, thinks Beth would make a good physician and recommends she attend medical school; never having considered her own potential, Beth decides to try. Her long hours of study conflict with Kerry's need for fast cash, and the pair must learn to balance the needs of their future with the needs of their relationship. While the prose can be labored, this thoroughly researched, well-nuanced tale of what happens after happy ever after is unusual, touching, and sweet in its portrayal of a good marriage during a bad time. (Nov.)