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Heaven on Earth
For Casey O'Reilly the world was supposed to be an orderly place where you met, married and had children with the man you love. But nothing had gone according to plan. Mr. Right never made an appearance, and now, at 'thirtysomething, ' Casey figured she had a better chance at being struck by lightning than struck by love. . .but then the unthinkable happened. . .
There was no time for questions as a man slowly, deliberately, walked closer, as though he had no fear of the lightning or the sandstorm. Casey's voice was stuck in her throat. She wanted to ask him who he was, but only garbled noises emerged from her mouth as she watched him unbutton his dark coat above her. His face was hidden by a wide collar turned up and the cowboy hat pulled low over his brow, but somehow the closer he came the less she feared him.
He knelt before her and, without a word, wrapped the edges of the raincoat around her, pulling her to his chest and sheltering her from the sandstorm. She could feel the strength of his arms around her back, and immediately sensed peace as she was gathered into the sanctuary of his body. She felt the strong beat of his heart reverberating against her face. She smelled something citrusy, very earthy, about him, and lifted her hand to cling to his soft shirt.
"You are all right, Casey O'Reilly."
She almost jumped at the proximity of his voice resonating from his chest and into her ear. The low soothing tone sent shivers throughout her body and she found herself clinging even more tightly to his shirt.
"Who. . .? Who are you?" she managed to mutter.
"I've come to help," he answered, holding her tighter as another crash of thunder made the ground shake violentlybeneath them.
"Thanks heavens." She sobbed.
Somehow she felt incredibly safe, more so than she had ever felt in her life. Her body was tingling with some strange and powerful energy that was unfamiliar and yet. . .so perfectly wonderful. She felt a renewed strength welling up in her muscles, spreading through her body down to her burning foot. Her chest stopped aching and her headache eased as this man, who had just walked out of a bolt of lightening and into her life.
There was no time for questions as a man slowly, deliberately, walked closer, as though he had no fear of the lightning or the sandstorm. Casey's voice was stuck in her throat. She wanted to ask him who he was, but only garbled noises emerged from her mouth as she watched him unbutton his dark coat above her. His face was hidden by a wide collar turned up and the cowboy hat pulled low over his brow, but somehow the closer he came the less she feared him.
He knelt before her and, without a word, wrapped the edges of the raincoat around her, pulling her to his chest and sheltering her from the sandstorm. She could feel the strength of his arms around her back, and immediately sensed peace as she was gathered into the sanctuary of his body. She felt the strong beat of his heart reverberating against her face. She smelled something citrusy, very earthy, about him, and lifted her hand to cling to his soft shirt.
"You are all right, Casey O'Reilly."
She almost jumped at the proximity of his voice resonating from his chest and into her ear. The low soothing tone sent shivers throughout her body and she found herself clinging even more tightly to his shirt.
"Who. . .? Who are you?" she managed to mutter.
"I've come to help," he answered, holding her tighter as another crash of thunder made the ground shake violentlybeneath them.
"Thanks heavens." She sobbed.
Somehow she felt incredibly safe, more so than she had ever felt in her life. Her body was tingling with some strange and powerful energy that was unfamiliar and yet. . .so perfectly wonderful. She felt a renewed strength welling up in her muscles, spreading through her body down to her burning foot. Her chest stopped aching and her headache eased as this man, who had just walked out of a bolt of lightening and into her life.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2000
33 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Constance O'Day-Flannery
28 books127 followersConstance O'Day-Flannery is a best-selling American author of romance novels.
Constance O'Day-Flannery has never taken a writing course or attended college. She began writing in 1986 when her son entered school. While reading romance novels during her recovery from a hysterectomy, O'Day-Flannery began to think about the type of book she would want to read. She finished her manuscript 18 months later and sold it quickly. Since then, she has published over twenty novels, all of which have appeared on a national best-seller list. Many of her novels are paranormal or time-travel romances. She has been awarded the Romantic Times BookClub Award for Best Time Travel for Timeswept Lovers and the Romantic Times BookClub Award for Best Contemporary Fantasy Romance, Second Chances.
In 2001, O'Day-Flannery took a hiatus from writing. She spent three years living in Ireland before returning to the United States and continuing her writing career.
O'Day-Flannery currently lives in Pennsylvania. She has two children.
Constance O'Day-Flannery has never taken a writing course or attended college. She began writing in 1986 when her son entered school. While reading romance novels during her recovery from a hysterectomy, O'Day-Flannery began to think about the type of book she would want to read. She finished her manuscript 18 months later and sold it quickly. Since then, she has published over twenty novels, all of which have appeared on a national best-seller list. Many of her novels are paranormal or time-travel romances. She has been awarded the Romantic Times BookClub Award for Best Time Travel for Timeswept Lovers and the Romantic Times BookClub Award for Best Contemporary Fantasy Romance, Second Chances.
In 2001, O'Day-Flannery took a hiatus from writing. She spent three years living in Ireland before returning to the United States and continuing her writing career.
O'Day-Flannery currently lives in Pennsylvania. She has two children.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 6, 2023
The heroine wakes up in pain and blinded and in the middle of a sand storm. She then sees a handsome man appear out of a bolt of lightning and thinks she's going insane but he's her only hope for salvation.
The hero brings her to safety but tells her she's traveled back in time and must blend in with the locals. Of course, typical for your B-plot book, she throws a hissy fit and adamantly denies she's now in the 1800's and that the hero is crazy despite all the prove around her sayings he's right.
They travel to the big city at her demand so she can meet up with her sister, only to discover, shocker, that he was right all along. They get a villa and the hero slowly teaches the heroine patience, understanding and the ability to find joy in life.
I'll say now that I didn't enjoy this book at all. For a hero who's so adamant about the balance of light and dark, the author wrote a very muted, happy go lucky book that featured little to no struggle. I despise easy going characters when they have no darkness in them and the hero was so one dimensional. He was so sickly sweet and understanding that I wanted to smack him especially since I know for a fact that no one could bare to be in the heroine company for that long without kicking her in the face. She was ghastly. She whined about everything and thought that just because she crossed her arms or put her hands on her hips that everyone was supposed to take her seriously. About halfway through the book she got it into her head that she wanted the hero's baby...just out of the blue. Known the guy for 4 days, seen him hold 1 child and thought he's be a perfect sperm donor. It was madness and it made no sense considering she's still trapped in the past with no idea how to get home or what to do with a child even if she got one. Top that off with a boring plot and cook cutter setting and characters and it makes for a 1 star rating. I wasn't a fan of this addition to the series.
The hero brings her to safety but tells her she's traveled back in time and must blend in with the locals. Of course, typical for your B-plot book, she throws a hissy fit and adamantly denies she's now in the 1800's and that the hero is crazy despite all the prove around her sayings he's right.
They travel to the big city at her demand so she can meet up with her sister, only to discover, shocker, that he was right all along. They get a villa and the hero slowly teaches the heroine patience, understanding and the ability to find joy in life.
I'll say now that I didn't enjoy this book at all. For a hero who's so adamant about the balance of light and dark, the author wrote a very muted, happy go lucky book that featured little to no struggle. I despise easy going characters when they have no darkness in them and the hero was so one dimensional. He was so sickly sweet and understanding that I wanted to smack him especially since I know for a fact that no one could bare to be in the heroine company for that long without kicking her in the face. She was ghastly. She whined about everything and thought that just because she crossed her arms or put her hands on her hips that everyone was supposed to take her seriously. About halfway through the book she got it into her head that she wanted the hero's baby...just out of the blue. Known the guy for 4 days, seen him hold 1 child and thought he's be a perfect sperm donor. It was madness and it made no sense considering she's still trapped in the past with no idea how to get home or what to do with a child even if she got one. Top that off with a boring plot and cook cutter setting and characters and it makes for a 1 star rating. I wasn't a fan of this addition to the series.
April 29, 2025
I love time travel books and Constance O’Day Flannery is a master at wearing them. I had forgotten that I had read this book before and only gave it three stars at that time. The book drags and I found myself skimming through all the protagonists many thought rants just to get to end. I would only give this book two stars except for the good advice given throughout the narrative to live in the present. Solid 2 1/2 stars.
January 16, 2010
Why can't heroines stop fighting what everything around them is telling them. She goes sky-diving near Las Vegas, turns around, and it's not there anymore. No roads, no skyline, no lights from the casinos. Even as she sees this, she still keeps fighting it for about half of the book. I got to the point where I started skimming the parts where she argues with everyone about where/what time she is in now. I may have liked the book more if she weren't so irritating.
January 4, 2016
I am a fan of time travel books, but I could not finish this one because it was so bad. It was like a never ending episode of the old tv show, Kung Fu, "snatch the pebble from my hand..." where the hero is constantly advising the heroine.
January 27, 2023
Given it was written in 2000 and there were some cute interludes, but there was also ridiculousness with gender and ethnicity.
March 4, 2022
While the plot deals with something that is more improbable like traveling to the past than something that is at least theoretically possible like traveling to the future doesn’t mean you discount whatever evidence is in front of you.
The book would have been amazing if the h had simply behaved sensibly like any normal human with basic survival instinct such as camouflaging and trying to understand what is going on like any normal 31 year old. Considering she had multiple interactions with different members of the community, had an opportunity to look at the newspapers, etc., when offered explanation rather than listen she shuts it down.
Imagine if time travel was real and someone offered mathematical proof and explanation, only an idiot like this h wouldn’t want to listen and try at least to comprehend it.
The book doesn’t just go into time travel it also goes into H mind reading / reading emotions like tuning in and out intuition and servicing love rather than darkness and other philosophical discussions around invisible air that ‘exists’ and life outside earth and the vastness of the universe and calls her viewing of the Milky Way galaxy poster a signal and how nothing happens without a reason etc., and alludes to H being an angel.
If the author didnt want to provide a rational explanation behind the time travel plot and the how, she could have avoided an explanation by ensuring the H was trying to also learn why the laws of physics weren’t working as expected rather than making us suffer through an idiotic h who never takes up the H when he volunteers to take her through an explanation.
The book would have been amazing if the h had simply behaved sensibly like any normal human with basic survival instinct such as camouflaging and trying to understand what is going on like any normal 31 year old. Considering she had multiple interactions with different members of the community, had an opportunity to look at the newspapers, etc., when offered explanation rather than listen she shuts it down.
Imagine if time travel was real and someone offered mathematical proof and explanation, only an idiot like this h wouldn’t want to listen and try at least to comprehend it.
The book doesn’t just go into time travel it also goes into H mind reading / reading emotions like tuning in and out intuition and servicing love rather than darkness and other philosophical discussions around invisible air that ‘exists’ and life outside earth and the vastness of the universe and calls her viewing of the Milky Way galaxy poster a signal and how nothing happens without a reason etc., and alludes to H being an angel.
If the author didnt want to provide a rational explanation behind the time travel plot and the how, she could have avoided an explanation by ensuring the H was trying to also learn why the laws of physics weren’t working as expected rather than making us suffer through an idiotic h who never takes up the H when he volunteers to take her through an explanation.
September 13, 2019
Lots of laugh out loud parts as a modern girl deals with being sent back in time. Casey has a hard time adjusting to life in 1878, especially having to use chamber pots! With Luke’s advice and help, she learns to live in the moment and not linger in the past or worry about the future. He tells her he’s a Time Traveler and is sent by a higher power to help people. She has fallen in love with him and he tells her she should not fall in love with him. He never knows when he will be sent somewhere to help others. She tells him too late!
December 29, 2017
Heavenly!
Just what you want and need in a great romance......a little tension.... a little chemistry....a little learning about each other and themselves.... and a happy ending!
...
Just what you want and need in a great romance......a little tension.... a little chemistry....a little learning about each other and themselves.... and a happy ending!
...
December 18, 2018
Time travel, science, love and many more! Another good book. Ferdig 9.12.18
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February 6, 2021I read a few pages and decided I did not like this book. I accidently hit the "I've finished this book" when I haven't. Wish I could return it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2025
First impressions: I’m about a third through the book. How did this get published? Was there an editor at all? The level is about 6th grade. Is this a YA/ juvenile novel that I picked up by mistake? Some of the Spanish is even wrong—“una momento” for example, and there was one Spanish phrase that had misspelled words and made no sense at all.
I’m going to try and finish it, even though so far it’s disappointing.
Finished the book: I enjoyed the premise. The writing and editing are not great, I have not changed my mind on that. But I liked where the author went with the story. I would recommend it if you like new age thinking and can get past the very basic writing style and the errors in the Spanish.
I’m going to try and finish it, even though so far it’s disappointing.
Finished the book: I enjoyed the premise. The writing and editing are not great, I have not changed my mind on that. But I liked where the author went with the story. I would recommend it if you like new age thinking and can get past the very basic writing style and the errors in the Spanish.
July 20, 2009
This was an ok book. The way the heroine couldn't accept the fact that she traveled back in time 100 years was very annoying. Would I be able to accept that? Who knows? But the theme was: accept where you are in the moment & don't worry about yesterday or tomorrow. A nice romance thrown in there.
July 31, 2009
This book was a fun read - kind of sci-fi with the time travel. Intriguing in that it dealt with a real life unexplained spiral staircase in a chapel in Santa Fe. The book gave a spin to the theory as to how that staircase came to be.
January 7, 2012
Love all of her books!!!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews