O Little Town of Bethlehem

Bestselling romance author Boyle (Six Impossible Things) riffs on It’s a Wonderful Life in this enchanting tale of redemption and time travel. After TV star Madeline Drake finds her producer boyfriend in bed with another woman, she takes a ride from a rugged car service driver named Shandy. The pair get into a nasty wreck and she wakes up to find she’s traveled from present-day Los Angeles to 1907 Bethlehem, Wyo., the setting of her western series in which she plays a saloon keeper. When Madeline realizes she’s not on set, she starts drinking heavily. Shandy, the novel’s guardian angel character, chides her for getting drunk (“You’ll stay stuck forever if you can’t learn from your mistakes”) and explains that she and the other residents of Bethlehem have all been sent there to mend their lives. As Madeline finds a love interest in the town’s handsome sheriff and a friend in the lonely and secretive postmistress, she must choose whether to go back to her old life or stay in Bethlehem, where she’s found happiness. The plot requires an inordinate suspension of disbelief, but readers will fall in love with the colorful characters. This has charm to spare. (Self-published)