Angel Falls: A Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Romance author Hannah's second hardcover novel is a heart-wrenching love story set in the Pacific Northwest. Last Bend is a close-knit small town tucked away among towering evergreens in Washington's Cascade Mountains. Lifelong resident Liam Campbell is a doctor, a compassionate, reliable man, married and fervently in love with his kind and beautiful wife, Mikaela. They have a comfortable life with their children--9-year-old Bret and 16-year-old Jacey, Mikaela's daughter from a previous marriage, but everything suddenly changes one morning when Mikaela is thrown from a horse in a freak accident. Her violent fall results in a severe head injury, and she is plunged into a deep coma. Liam and the family refuse to surrender her to the heartbreaking medical prognosis and hope valiantly that their love and devotion can bring her back to consciousness. Then one night, Liam discovers some long-hidden photos that reveal the improbable identity of Mikaela's first husband, which she has kept secret from him. It's Julian True, international celebrity heartthrob and millionaire movie-star, and Liam senses that Julian is also the true love of Mikaela's life. He must now decide if he loves his wife enough to risk losing her by finding out if Julian's presence can awaken her from her coma. Hannah ably uses her insights into small-town and family life as well as celebrity worship to explore the nature of love and commitment in a story sure to please fans of dramatic, romantic love stories. --Catherine Sias

Set amid the splendor of Washington State's North Cascade mountain range, Hannah's latest (after On Mystic Lake) borrows elements from soap opera, the silver screen and fairy tales to make a simple statement about the complications of love. Dr. Liam Campbell is devastated when his beloved wife, Mikaela, mother of two, suffers a horse-jumping injury that leaves her in a coma. His confusion escalates when he learns the identity of Mikaela's first husband: world-famous movie star Julian True. The biggest shock: True's is the only name she responds to. Liam senses that his Sleeping Beauty needs love to wake her up, but whose? Given the depth of his feelings for her, will he be brave enough to summon True for help, and so risk losing Mikaela forever in order to save her life? Scenes reminiscent of Kramer vs. Kramer occur where Liam tries to be mom to their nine-year-old son; the suds world takes over when Mikaela finally wakes, but with retrograde amnesia, thinking she's still married to True and with no memory of Liam; and It's a Wonderful Life brings the curtain down. In keeping with the popular convention of giving voice to spirituality, the novel employs religious overtones, which will please some readers while leaving others feeling molested by an angel. Mikaela and Liam are sweet characters, even relentlessly good ones, so many will find them likable even as they float smoothly toward an easy conclusion. 125,000 first printing. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Hannah's sequel to On Mystic Lake (1999) is yet another tear-jerker set in northwest Washington State. Perfect mother Mikaela ('Mike') Campbell takes a hard fall off a horse, hits her head, and sinks into a coma. In order to help bring her out of it, perfect husband-doctor Liam sits at her bedside and begins to talk to her about their life together. He brings her favorite music, scented potpourri, and, to place across her inert body, sweaters that may smell like home. He also tries to keep life as normal as possible for their two kids: Bret, nine years old, and Jacey, Mike's teenaged daughter by her previous husband. Going through Mike's closet to find a prom dress for Jacey, Liam stumbles on souvenirs of her first marriage and a picture of her ex'not just any old, anonymous first husband, but Julian True, a gorgeous superstar actor, the hero of women's fantasies all over America. Liam has always known that he got Mikaela on the rebound; she was honest about the fact that he was not the love of her life. But she is the love of his life, and when she doesn't respond to the sound of his voice, he contacts Julian in hopes that the actor can save Mikaela. Julian travels up to Last Bend, a cutesy town founded by Liam's larger-than-life father and filled with homey shops like the Emperor's New Clothes store and Zeke's Feed and Seed. When Mike finally comes out of unconsciousness and into her family's emotional upheaval, she apologizes to Liam and bids goodbye to Julian. Yes, she's discovered that it's that gentle guy who stays with you through years of cramps and decorating the Christmas tree who defines what love really is. The heartfelt soap appears to be Hannah's chosen romance niche, and she mines it skillfully. (First printing of 125,000)

Romance author Hannah's second hardcover novel is a heart-wrenching love story set in the Pacific Northwest. Last Bend is a close-knit small town tucked away among towering evergreens in Washington's Cascade Mountains. Lifelong resident Liam Campbell is a doctor, a compassionate, reliable man, married and fervently in love with his kind and beautiful wife, Mikaela. They have a comfortable life with their children--9-year-old Bret and 16-year-old Jacey, Mikaela's daughter from a previous marriage, but everything suddenly changes one morning when Mikaela is thrown from a horse in a freak accident. Her violent fall results in a severe head injury, and she is plunged into a deep coma. Liam and the family refuse to surrender her to the heartbreaking medical prognosis and hope valiantly that their love and devotion can bring her back to consciousness. Then one night, Liam discovers some long-hidden photos that reveal the improbable identity of Mikaela's first husband, which she has kept secret from him. It's Julian True, international celebrity heartthrob and millionaire movie-star, and Liam senses that Julian is also the true love of Mikaela's life. He must now decide if he loves his wife enough to risk losing her by finding out if Julian's presence can awaken her from her coma. Hannah ably uses her insights into small-town and family life as well as celebrity worship to explore the nature of love and commitment in a story sure to please fans of dramatic, romantic love stories. ((Reviewed February 1, 2000)) Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews

Most people expect romances to be a tad unrealistic, but Hannah's latest really stretches that notion. After Mikaela suffers a serious head injury in a fall from a horse, Liam, her physician husband, tries to do everything to awaken her from her coma. When he accidentally discovers some old photos and a beautiful diamond ring in her closet, he realizes that Mikaela's brief first marriage to Julian True meant a lot more to her than she ever admitted. Liam contacts Julian, now a very famous and attractive movie star, and asks him to come to his ex-wife's bedside and talk to her. Aided by Julian's voice, Mikaela rallies from unconsciousness and finds she must choose between the two men. In spite of how unbelievably sappy and insipid this plot sounds, Hannah does manage to instill a sense of pathos and sentimentality that pulls the reader along to the inevitable homespun and teary conclusion. Definitely not as strong as On Mystic Lake (LJ 12/98), this title should still appeal to Hannah's fans and will be an acceptable if somewhat uninspired purchase for any public library romance collection. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/99.] Margaret Ann Hanes, Sterling Heights P.L., MI Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Liam's wife, locked in a coma, could be saved by her first husband a glamorous movie star. Should Liam risk it? Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Set amid the splendor of Washington State's North Cascade mountain range, Hannah's latest (after On Mystic Lake) borrows elements from soap opera, the silver screen and fairy tales to make a simple statement about the complications of love. Dr. Liam Campbell is devastated when his beloved wife, Mikaela, mother of two, suffers a horse-jumping injury that leaves her in a coma. His confusion escalates when he learns the identity of Mikaela's first husband: world-famous movie star Julian True. The biggest shock: True's is the only name she responds to. Liam senses that his Sleeping Beauty needs love to wake her up, but whose? Given the depth of his feelings for her, will he be brave enough to summon True for help, and so risk losing Mikaela forever in order to save her life? Scenes reminiscent of Kramer vs. Kramer occur where Liam tries to be mom to their nine-year-old son; the suds world takes over when Mikaela finally wakes, but with retrograde amnesia, thinking she's still married to True and with no memory of Liam; and It's a Wonderful Life brings the curtain down. In keeping with the popular convention of giving voice to spirituality, the novel employs religious overtones, which will please some readers while leaving others feeling molested by an angel. Mikaela and Liam are sweet characters, even relentlessly good ones, so many will find them likable even as they float smoothly toward an easy conclusion. 125,000 first printing. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.