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GAMBLING
ON AN ANGEL
ISBN 1-60154-012-4
The Wild Rose
Press
Paty
Jager
When saloon owner Bas Slocum
uncharacteristically intervenes to save the beautiful Letha Harrison
and her sister, Lottie, from ruffians, he isn't prepared for the
feelings of protectiveness and longing the determined Letha inspires
in him. That she is a "sister of the temperance movement",
as proclaimed by the ribbon around her neck, is an ironic twist that
Bas is eager to ignore.
Letha has good reason to be
against the "demon rum", having been brutalized at the
hands of a drunken father while her sister was left almost
speechless from his abuse.
Recognizing his means of
livelihood would not be acceptable to Letha, and desiring to
continue his acquaintance with her "to keep her safe" as
she seeks a long lost brother, Bas decides to put off telling Letha
about his saloon business until the time is right. That the time
never becomes right until it is too late is the major source of
tension in the story. But though Bas and Letha may be miles apart in
values with regard to alcohol, they share an unusual bond as a
result of difficult childhoods. While Bas' formative years were
defined by maternal neglect, Letha's was characterized by paternal
violence. Both are understandably scarred. Bas confides in no one,
Letha trusts no one and both prefer to "go it
alone"-before they meet, of course.
Ms. Jager adeptly portrays the
growing attraction between these two characters, as well as how that
attraction threatens the core values of each. The squaring off of
saloon interests and temperance limits creates an interesting layer
of complexity in an already complicated situation. The hero, Bas, is
a flawed man who has his own code of honor-one he is violating every
day he fails to mention his saloon to Letha. And the heroine Letha,
has a fragile grit that makes you root for her, especially when the
appearance of her brother gives the reader a chilling perspective of
the abuse that was once part of Letha's daily life. Ms. Jager has
written a poignant tale of love's power to heal the soul and fill
the heart.
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