The Kissing Stars

In Dawson's (The Bad Luck Wedding Cake) latest historical romance, a love is lost, then found again. Lawman Gabe Montana and Tess Cameron married as teens and were happy until tragedy pulled them apart. Twelve years later, at a Texas oasis in 1889, they rediscover each other and their love, but now they must work through the consequences of their shared tragic past. The relationship between Gabe and Tess (complete with the prescribed amount of sexual tension) is plausible, but the author takes so much time revealing each character's secret that the book drags. Dawson, who is known for her comic style, has a knack for creating hilarious secondary characters (in this one, a camel and a pig named Rosie), and this makes up for the slow-moving plot. Despite turning the occasional anachronistic phrase (""True, but your world had been rocked also""), Dawson moves nicely within the genre. (Apr.)