KIRKUS REVIEW

A Native American may be destined to find the love of her life and become her tribe’s most powerful medicine woman in 200 years in this debut romance novel.

Kay Baker, who grew up outside her Clatsop tribe, enjoys life as a New York artist. Her parents’ deaths in a car accident, however, take her back to Ilwaco, her Washington state hometown. Kay doesn’t believe in fate, but this may change when she meets Sam Morandi, a neighbor helping her care for her Alzheimer’s-ridden grandmother, Hannah. Sam’s the spitting image of Motorcycle Man from a series Kay painted back in New York. She also realizes that her mother may have had the power to see the future. Kay has that, too, and then some: she learns she’s a legendary medicine woman, or keelalle, with further abilities of healing and controlling the weather. Destiny, it seems, has something in store for her, and she’ll have to wait to see what that is. The novel, despite Kay’s apparent supernatural capabilities, doesn’t play like a fantasy. Manthey aptly focuses on the dramatic overtones, starting with Kay coming to terms with her new existence. She, for example, doesn’t just lose her parents, but her New York life as well, since she’d promised her mom not to put Hannah in a nursing home. Her powers, too, aren’t otherworldly, as they’re often tied to her loved ones, such as predicting a friend’s undiagnosed cancer or creating a snowstorm when saddened by recent losses. Kay and Sam fall in love rather quickly, but the notion that they’re likely soul mates gives credence to their swift romance. And there’s plenty of starry-eyed moments: “In love, all things are possible,” says John Lane, the tribe’s council chairman, after Kay’s thoughts of Sam explain why the snow may be melting. Where Kay’s destiny takes her is something Manthey saves until the end. This includes her fascinating back story: she’s a descendent of Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark), but the historical claim that Lewis died childless has erased her lineage. Lewis’ missing journal pages and his possible murder, meanwhile, add a dash of mystery to the plot.

There’s magic in an artist’s newfound powers, but it’s her fated love that’s truly magical.

Kay had never planned to settle back in her tiny, small, barely-on-the-map hometown of Ilwaco and its nearby cape named Disappointment. She wanted more out of her life. She was determined to make her own way and become a success in New York as an artist. Her plans go awry, however, when her parents are killed in an accident, leaving Kay to care for her grandmother. Once back in her hometown, Kay begins to learn more about her family. She always knew that they were descendants of Meriwether Lewis, but she never knew that she was part of a family legacy that helped keep Cape Disappointment and its people safe. Kay also meets the new next-door neighbor, Sam, and finds that he might be someone special. It’s up to Kay to decide if she will help the people of Cape Disappointment or let her fear drive her away.

The Magic of Cape Disappointment, by author Julie Manthey, is a fun spin on a romance novel. It centers on Kay and her early life crisis when her life is thrown into chaos with the death of her parents. Kay’s determination to lead a different life than the one her parents led is evident from the first pages of the book. She is adamant about not following in their footsteps and being a healer and getting invested in family history. Kay holds onto that determination even after she realizes that she will need to stay in Cape Disappointment and care for her grandmother. When she starts getting to know Sam, she is both interested and fearful. She is terrified of feeling stuck in one place and not being able to live her own life. Things change slowly for her over the course of the book. Her growth as a character creates an enjoyable character arc for the reader. The supporting characters in the book are well written and each has a specific purpose in the story – no superfluous characters here. The plot unfolds steadily and has a nice mix of magic, history, and romance. Overall this was a satisfying read that fans of romance and general fiction novels will enjoy.