Lucky in love is lucky enough… Bright-eyed housekeeper’s daughter, Laurel, has her eyes and, more importantly, her heart set on marrying her childhood friend, and soon-to-be Earl, Harry. After having her fortune read at the local fete, she discovers that her fate is to be wealthy and of high rank someday, and, most of all, to marry a fair boy. Her heart full of her wonderful future, she meets a young disenchanted soldier, Daniel, who is blighted by the woes of war. Little does she know that, in handing him her lucky penny, his star will rise as hers falls, and their fates will be irrevocably and tragically intertwined forever. Sure enough, soon after leaving Daniel, Laurel finds her sweetheart is sent to war, and, not only that, but has met a young Belgian notable, fallen in love and eloped, leaving Laurel stricken. Meanwhile, Daniel is rising fast through the military ranks, moving through battles from strength to strength. Jilted, Laurel waits in anguish for Harry’s return to Norley to see how things will have changed, but to her surprise she finds they haven’t, he is even more passionate than before. All is well for a while, until Napoleon strikes again and Harry is called away to battle once more. Now Laurel finds herself alone and pregnant in a world that spawns such a thing. When Harry’s uncle, Joshua, steps in and offers to raise the child as his own, Laurel is in no position to refuse and soon she finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage and questioning her husband’s motives. Why had Harry’s Uncle been so keen to marry a ruined, young woman? Will Laurel and Harry ever find their happily ever after? And are Daniel and Laurel’s path’s destined to cross forever more? Set in 19th Century England, Crown of Laurel is a passionate novel of star-crossed lovers in a time that did not believe in true love over social ascent.
Author
Christine Sparks was born in England, UK. She wanted to be a writer all her life, and began by working on a British women's magazine. As a features writer, she gained a wide variety of experience. She interviewed some of the world's most attractive and interesting men, including Warren Beatty, Richard Chamberlain, Charlton Heston, Sir Roger Moore, Sir Alec Guiness. Single life was so enjoyable that she put marriage, and even romance, on the back burner, while she went about the world having a great time. Then, while on vacation in Venice, she met a tall, dark handsome Venetian artist, who changed all her ideas in a moment, and proposed on the second day. Three months later they were married. Her friends said a whirlwind romance would never last, but they celebrated their 25 anniversary, they are still married, still happy and in love. After 13 years on the magazine Christine decided that it was now or never if she was ever going to write that novel. So she wrote Legacy of Fire which became a Silhouette Special Edition, followed by another, Enchantment in Venice. Then she did something crazy gave up her job. Since then she has concentrated entirely on writing romances for Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Silhouette and has written over 75 books. Her settings have been European and her heroes mainly English or Italian. Christine now claims to be an expert on one particular subject. Italian men are the most romantic in the world. They are also the best cooks. A few years ago she and her husband returned to Venice and lived there for a couple of years. This proved the perfect base for exploring the rest of Italy, and she has given many of her books Italian settings: Venice (of course), Rome, Florence, Milan, Sicily, Tuscany. She has also used the Rhine in Germany for Song of the Lorelei, for which she won her first RITA Award, in 1991. Her second RITA came in 1998, with His Brother's Child, set in Rome. Eventually Christine Fiorotto and her husband returned to England, where they now live. She write and he paints, they have no children, but have a cat and a dog.
