A GENTLE RAIN – Deborah Smith
A Perfect 10
Belle Books
ISBN: 978-0-9768760-7-6
November 2007
Contemporary Romantic Fiction

Ocala, Florida and Brazil – 1970’s to the Present

Ben Thocco lives in the Florida backwoods with his brother, Joey, who was born with Down Syndrome. As they grow up, Joey remains childlike and takes delight in the simplest things. After the death of their parents, Ben has cared for his little brother with utmost devotion. Ben runs a ranch with the help of seven men and three women, all with special needs. Although they may be simple, they are good with the cracker horses and cattle, work hard, and live in a close knit family atmosphere. Around their environmentally friendly ranch are a pet alligator, a grey mare that bites, and various other animals. Ben is devastated when he is told that Joey has only a short time left to live and is not a candidate for a heart transplant.

Kara Whittenbrook lives in Brazil with her wealthy environmentalist working parents who love her dearly, but in her own mind, she always thinks she never quite measures up to their intellectual standards. Her best friend is Mr. Darcy, a macaw. Kara is heartbroken when her parents are killed in an airplane accident when she is thirty-two-years-old. Shocked to discover that she had been adopted, and that her biological parents, Mac and Lily, are both mentally disabled and living in Florida, Kara leaves for Florida with Mr. Darcy, her harp, and her art supplies. Because she is wealthy and her adoptive parents are soon to receive a very prestigious award for their environmental work, she goes under the alias of Karen Johnson, not knowing how she will be received in Florida.

Kara arrives to find an angry horse trying to run off, an alligator, as well as deer and egrets, in the yard, and a handsome man caring for his employees -- a very eclectic and unusual group of animals and people. They all take a liking to Kara, and before she knows it, she has a job as cook, plus other chores on the ranch. Strangely enough, she feels at home with this motley group.

Deborah Smith has a wonderful way with words, and A GENTLE RAIN is another story to savor from this talented. The people and animals are funny, quirky, offbeat, and delightful, and Kara finds herself fitting perfectly into this unusual household. She and Ben are very likeable characters, as is the supporting cast. Kara and Ben are attracted to each other as she shares a special bond with the mistreated grey mare and gets acquainted with her birth parents. She becomes totally enmeshed into this loving family.

Well written with excellent dialogue, A GENTLE RAIN is well paced and a charming heart-felt story. This group of caring people is so wonderful, readers will want to hug them all. Written in first person from the viewpoints of Kara and Ben, it is a book that readers will not want to end, and will elicit some laughs and some tears. I loved it and so will you. It is a Perfect 10.

Marilyn Heyman