FALLEN ANGELS: Book One in the Millwood Hollow Series

Hickman kicks off her new series with this gentle, enjoyable yarn about four misfits cast adrift in Arkansas during the Great Depression. When Jeb Nubey flees Texas for Arkansas because of a possible murder charge, he picks up the three abandoned Wilbey children as unexpected hitchhikers along the way. After spending a stormy night in the Church in the Dell in Millwood Hollow, they wake up to the beaming faces of the parishioners who mistake them for the widowed Rev. Philemon Gracie and his three children. For Jeb, Angel, Willie and little Ida May, the misunderstanding is manna from heaven. "They's money to be had, Jeb Nubey, in God's work!" gloats 13-year-old Angel. With her coaching, the illiterate Jeb fakes his way through his new persona. Soon, the generosity of the smalltown folks and the attentions of a comely schoolteacher, Fern Coulter, soften Jeb's heart and he yearns to be a better man. But he knows it's only a matter of time until the real Gracie family shows up or someone recognizes him from the circulating "wanted" posters. Hickman tells her story with warmth, humor and some lovely descriptions. There are a few hitches: the early setup and pacing are a bit awkward, and the reader may stumble over the occasional confusion in names (there's a Willie and a Will, for example). The ending, however, is sweetly satisfying. Hickman (Katrina's Wings) is a talented writer, and readers will sympathize with her unlikely ragtag group of characters. (May)