Sweet Laurel [Mass Market Paperback]

Millie Criswell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1996

Laurel Martin leaves her hometown in search of a husband, hoping to make her father's deathbed wish come true. She arrives in Denver, determined to sing at its fabulous opera house, but she is the only one who thinks she is qualified to do this.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Following her dream of becoming an opera singer, sweet Laurel Martin ends up in Denver, auditioning for the local opera house. While Laurel's voice certainly has the volume needed to sing opera, she is unable to carry a tune, and after several unsuccessful tries, she is told in no uncertain terms that she will never be hired, no matter how much she practices. Discouraged but not defeated, Laurel comes to the humbling realization that her alternatives are very limited. Thus, when Chance Rafferty offers her a job singing for miners and gamblers in his saloon, the Aurora Borealis, Laurel accepts on the condition that singing is all she will be required to do. Chance Rafferty has no idea why he hired Laurel. She can't sing worth a hoot, her womanly attributes don't even come close to filling out the satin dresses he provides for her, and to top it off, she is constantly preaching about the evils of drinking and gambling. Add to that negative list the fact that she has somehow drawn the attention of the town=s most notorious and dangerous pimp, and Chance now has a full-time job protecting the saloon-singing sweetheart's virtue. But who's going to protect her not-until-I'm-married virtue from him? And who's going to protect his live-for-the-moment heart from her? The Aurora Borealis is home to a menagerie of social misfits, including a black couple, Bertha and Jup, who are substitute parents for Chance and his childlike cousin, Whitey; Pearl and Flora Sue, the barmaids who earn a little extra money in the upstairs rooms; Bull, the bartender, who somehow manages to gain the ire of a local temperance worker; and Percy, the bar's resident parrot, who cusses like a drunken miner, but does so with wonderfully impeccable (and embarrassing) timing. When taken into consideration that this unlikely group is Chance's adopted family and that he takes care of and provides jobs for all of them, it's not surprising to the reader that Chance also takes Laurel in. It also comes as no surprise to the readers that Laurel slowly eases her way into Chance's heart without even trying, but it sure as heck surprises Chance, and he does everything he can think of to deny that he is Laurel's Prince Charming, complete with white charger.Sweet Laurel is the second book in Millie's Flowers of the West trilogy. Packed with well-drawn characters who don't act entirely as expected and aren't quite what they appear, Sweet Laurel delivers the romance in typical, humorous Criswell style. Ms. Criswell includes snippets about the other Flowers in her trilogy, Heather and Rose, in the form of letters written to Laurel. The stories are happening simultaneously, and these sisterly letters will make the reader anxious to complete the entire series. Millie Criswell's romantic style keeps the reader happily turning pages. Ms. Criswell writes with humor and love, creating characters and situations that charm the reader into believing. Flowers are more romantic when delivered by Millie Criswell.Gerrie Shepard -- Copyright © 1994-97 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446601721
• ISBN-13: 978-0446601726
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,109,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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