The Last Man in Town (An Avon Romantic Treasure) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Susan Kay Law (Author) "Late summer held the town of Maple Falls in a sweltering grip..." (more)
Key Phrases: Maple Falls, Lucas Garrett, Priscilla Wentworth (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Setting: Midwest America, 1860
Sensuality: 7

The very proper Priscilla Wentworth is handsome rake Lucas Garrett's best friend. There's never been the slightest hint of romance between the two, so Lucas feels perfectly safe in asking her to pose as his pretend fiancée in a scheme to deflect the attention of Maple Falls's lusty women. Priscilla agrees to help Lucas divert the pursuing women in return for his promise to find her a husband; she's given up on romance and is willing to settle for a solid man who wants children.

But once the bargain is made, Lucas starts seeing Priscilla in a new light. And Priscilla is having her own troubles dealing with her pseudo-suitor, especially after he stages a torrid kiss in front of the town's women to hammer home the fact that he and Priscilla are passionately engaged. While the two long-time friends struggle with their new status as pretend lovers, they're also thrown together by their deep commitment to keeping Maple Falls alive. Every man but Lucas has deserted the town to chase the dream of riches in the gold fields and the wives and children left behind are barely able to keep food on their tables. Will Lucas and Priscilla find a way to save their town only to lose each other in a game of make-believe love? Or will their years of friendship evolve into an even deeper commitment and a future together?

The Last Man in Town is a fresh take on the classic "lady and the rake" tale with a hero who sees beneath the heroine's prim exterior to the passionate woman beneath, and a heroine who recognizes in her man a goodness and depth of character that others cannot. All in all, this is a novel that's well balanced, warm, and a darn good read. --Lois Faye Dyer

Review
"A sinful indulgence of the best kind." -- Christina Dodd

"Susan Kay Law writes about love with joy and passion." -- Tanya Anne Crosby

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380804964
• ISBN-13: 978-0380804962
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #942,516 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars !!Thoroughly enjoyable!!, October 11, 1999

By A Customer

This book starred one of the most delicious heroes I've seen in ages! Lucas is heroic (in the very best sense of the word), sexy through and through, and downright easy to fall for. Watching two best friends discover their love for one another was a joy to read. Heartwarming, funny, charming, emotional, richly rewarding, and beautifully written. A keeper!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Story, May 23, 2000

By	Crazy for Words (Texas USA) - See all my reviews

Lucas Garrett was living every man's dream. Laundry done, good home cooking, and all the, um, tender, loving care he could handle. Only. . . he was tired of handling it. The demands of being the last man in town proved to be overwhelming and exhausting. He needs a way out. So he turns to Pricilla Wentworth, his best friend from childhood and the only one he can trust to get him out of this predicament. If they can convince the man-hungry females that his "engagement" to the very upstanding, proper Pricilla is for real, maybe Lucas can get some rest.

In the meantime, Pricilla has one condition of her own. In return for saving Lucas's neck, he must find her suitable candidates for a husband. Not an easy task, since all the men but Lucas have left town, following the rumors of a huge gold strike out west. She regrets not pursuing the matter of marriage while the iron was hot, especially since prospects are now so slim.

But while he is busy avoiding entanglement and she is chasing it, they discover feelings for one another that had never complicated their relationship before. Can he let go of the fear of losing his best friend if he complicates it with his heart? Is she better off playing it safe with a steady, established older man, giving up the dream of Lucas?

Ms. Law presents readers with an original theme and characters with spunk and sparkle. Way to go!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars There are better ways to spend ones time., August 19, 1999

By A Customer

A handsome man and an obstinate woman who has been friends for years. A town devoid of all other able-bodied males. A cast of multi-dimensional supporting characters. Sound like a good premise for a great romance novel? If only the author had delivered. While the premise sounds inviting, I find "The Last Man in Town" boring and completely lacking in intelligence. Since the readers unavoidably start out knowing what's going to happen between Lucas and Priscilla, this book would have worked much better if the author had allowed our two main characters to gradually discover that there's something more to their relationship than just mere friendship. Afterall, that's why we bought this book in the first place. Instead, from the moment Lucas steps into Priscilla's bedroom after escaping the attentions of an unwanted female, Lucas was presented with the knowledge that he actually wants his long-time friend "that way." And that was only in the 2nd chapter. The same revelation came to Prescilla not much later, and from then on, it's one scene after another in which the two main characters tries valiantly to control their lust for each other while feeling jealousy towards each and everyone of the townspeople who dares to encroach on their territory. And the reason Lucas and Prescilla cannot be together? Luca is the by-product of a broken marriage and therefore has resolved not to get married because he does not believe in the sacred institution. PLEASE!!! How lame can you get! This book could have been over in 20 pages with the kind of plot there is, or there isn't, and instead we had to suffer through pages and pages of sparkless interactions between the two main characters only because we've already bought the book. On top of that, I did not find Priscilla's prim and proper mannerisms the least bit likable. And did I mention that the dialogue between our hero and heroine can only be described as juvenile at best? You can bet that this is the last time I'm buying a Susan Kay Law book without borrowing it from the library first.