When the women starved men offered to share their rooms with the shocked Rachel, the City Hotel owner, Johnnie Parker, relents to her concern and offers her his old shack while he makes an early move into his new one. With just a little cash, Rachel is appalled at how expensive everything is, but is determined to work hard and earn enough to buy passage back east as soon as possible.

To make ends meet, she works for Johnnie, a former missionary turned gambler. While attracted to each other, they constantly lock horns as she is determined to keep as proper and Christian as she was raised and he is just as determined not to follow that path or marry again. He is amused by her interest in trees and “bugs”, but annoyed when she drapes his expensive Bartolini Lorenzo statue in burlap to hide its enticing features! Despite Rachel’s efforts and Johnnie’s interventions to keep her beautiful sister and brother safe, they are dazzled by the easy money and freedoms of the gold-fevered city and quickly fall under its spell. Determined to save them by being a proper lady or “sunbonnet”, Rachel fights off her growing feelings for Johnnie unless he gives up gambling. Then, with the arrival of the charming Christian naturalist, Henry Crocker, does Johnnie stand a chance with Rachel?

With her excellent research, Deeanne Gist instantly transports you to the sights and smells of 1948 San Francisco. A master storyteller, she gives a very human face to all her characters and the moral dilemmas they face. The dialogue between the characters sparkles and just keeps you digging for more as you enjoy the story. While I found Rachel’s fondness for grasshoppers a little at odds for a lady of her time, it made for an intriguing storyline to portray her growth as she discovers the true measure of a lady. A solid gold read!

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Mildly sensual

Reviewer: Audrey Lawrence
June 16, 2006