GARNET

Author: Carolyn Brown ISBN: 0803496664 8/2004 HISTORICAL Publisher: Avalon Books
Time Period: Old West

Garnet Diana Dulan swung open the doors of the Silver Dollar Saloon, sucked up a lunch full of cigar smoke, and listened intently to the sounds of men playing poker and the scrape of boots across the wooden floor; she felt right at home. After just minutes inside the doors of the saloon she knew she’d made the right decision to leave her sisters and the wagon train of brides heading to California. Quickly she negotiates a job with the owner to play piano in the bar for room and board. Garnet is happy with her new arrangement and starts to settle into her new routine, that is until she runs into Sheriff Gabe Walker. Sheriff Walker is convinced that this unusual, blue-eyed beauty is not the kind of woman he needs taking up residence in his clean town, and he won’t rest until he runs her back to where she came from. But Garnet is a sassy Southern woman who speaks her mind and won’t listen to a word he says. In fact, Gabe is certain that he can see lightening streak across her blue eyes in brilliant, jagged lines when she’s angry. The two lock horns on more than one occasion, but when her life is threatened and she is wrongfully accused of murder and robbery, it is Gabe who saves her from lynching. Considering all the damage already between them, it will take a miracle for either of these two to put aside their stubbornness and admit their love.

>RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Garnet and her four half-sisters meet for the first time in St. Louis after their father summons each of them to his deathbed. Arriving too late, Garnet and her sisters discover that their father didn’t leave them much. The girls convince their father’s partner to allow them on his wagon train of mail-order brides. Garnet leaves the wagon train in a small town in Nevada. She has no desire to marry a man she’s never met. Relying on her skills and past experiences, Garnet gets a job playing piano in one of the local saloons. That is, until the sheriff mistakes her for a bank robber and murderer. Garnet falls victim to a vigilante group and is hanged. Luckily, the sheriff shows up and gets her down, but not before she is severely injured. Feeling guilty for falsely accusing her, the sheriff pays for her room/board and gets her medical attention. He doesn’t want her to stay in his town any longer than necessary, so he’s informed her that he will purchase her stage ticket to wherever she wants to go. Angry at his high-handed manner, Garnet refuses to give in to his demands.

GARNET is a delightful addition to the Promised Land series by Ms. Brown. Garnet’s bravery and spunk are endearing, and I cheered for her throughout the story. I just wanted the sheriff to get his comeuppance after treating Garnet so horribly! With plenty of action, this fast-paced story keeps you involved until the end. A sweet romance, GARNET is a lovely story that conveys the notion that first impressions aren’t always accurate.

Kendra Patterson