Several months of hard work and low pay show Michael that they must seek their fortune in America. Unfortunately, he only has enough money for his ship fare. Desperate, Michael sends a letter to his estranged stepbrother, a successful Philadelphia banker, asking for help. In his reply, Thomas Fitzgibbon states he will help Michael establish himself once he arrives, but Thomas refuses to pay for Kathleen’s fare. Michael accepts the offer, promising to send for Kathleen as soon as he earns enough money.

Though Kathleen misses her father, she finds love and happiness in the O’Brien home. But just when all her dreams are about to come true, tragedy strikes. With her world shattered, Kathleen scrapes together enough money to join her father in America, but when she arrives, she can’t find him, so she turns to the only person who can help her, Thomas Fitzgibbon.

Thomas informs Kathleen that her father has traveled west to mine silver and offers her a place in his home as his sickly wife’s paid companion. Soon after accepting, Kathleen learns Thomas wants her to be his mistress. As she fights her uncle’s advances, she watches the man she loves, Dr. John Hayden, court her selfish, shallow cousin, Shana. Will John see through Shana’s kind, caring facade and realize Kathleen is the woman for him?

Although it seems as if I’ve covered a lot of the story in the summary above, I’ve barely scratched the surface. Set in the mid 1800s, KATHLEEN is the rich, complex story of a brave young woman’s search for happiness. It’s a long, arduous journey for Kathleen, one that allows her to explore her sexuality with more than one man along the way. Ms. Pascoe does a great job of setting up the romance, using dynamic characters and shocking twists to hold your attention, but she does it very slowly, which means the romance between John and Kathleen isn’t developed deeply until late in the story. Don’t let that put you off, though. KATHLEEN gives you a wonderful and highly sensual look at a woman’s sexual exploration and her struggle for control over all aspects of her life in a time when those things were forbidden.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Renee Burnette
October 22, 2004