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Daughters of the Roaring Twenties #2

The Bootlegger's Daughter

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Of all the speakeasies, in all the world…

Mysterious city slicker Ty Bradshaw might have won her father's trust, but everyone knows Norma Rose is the true boss of Nightingale's resort. And it'll take more than that charming smile to shake the feeling that Ty is not all he seems…

He walks into hers

Ty is a federal agent on a personal mission of revenge. But he hasn't figured on falling for a bootlegger's daughter. Suddenly, flirting with headstrong Norma Rose seems far more exhilarating than chasing gangsters!

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 30, 2015

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75 people want to read

About the author

Lauri Robinson

174 books127 followers
Lauri Robinson's chosen genre to write is Western historical, and when asked why, she says, "Because I know I wasn't the only girl who wanted to grow up and marry Little Joe Cartwright."

With a degree in early childhood education, Lauri has spent three decades working in the non-profit field for Head Start, Child Abuse Intervention, the March of Dimes, and United Way. She claims the once upon a time and happily ever after premise of romance novels has always been a form of stress relief. When her husband suggested she write one, she took the challenge and has loved every minute of the journey.

Lauri lives in rural Minnesota, where she and her husband spend every spare moment with their three grown sons and their families, which includes three granddaughters, two stepgrandsons and two granddogs. She volunteers for several organizations, including her local library, and spends most fall weekends filling the freezer with homemade foodstuffs from the bountiful harvest of her husband's green thumb. She's a diehard Elvis fan (yes, she's been to Graceland), and loves to spend Sundays watching NASCAR, either live or on TV. However, she says her favorite weekends are spent in the woods of northern Minnesota on the land homesteaded by her great-grandfather.

Most of her childhood was spent in western Kansas, which is the setting for several of her stories. Lauri is a member of RWA, Northern Lights Writers,and Hearts Through History Romance Writers, as well as several online writing groups. She writes for Harlequin, Mills and Boon and The Wild Rose Press.


For updates on her writing please visit www.laurirobinson.blogspot.com

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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah Mac.
1,223 reviews
November 20, 2017
3.5 stars. Loved the unusual setting (both time & place) & really liked the supporting cast. Alas, the MCs were rather meh. Norma Rose annoyed me like woah (her martyr superiority kink was just beyond -- I don't blame the other sisters for rebelling) & Ty was your basic alpha mimbo with very little brain.

...That being said, Twyla, Josie, & both their men seem much more interesting, & the overall Bootlegger Feud/shady villain arc is good, so I'm continuing with the series.
Profile Image for Rosie Amber.
Author 1 book82 followers
July 24, 2019
3.5 stars

The Bootlegger's Daughter is an historical romance set during the American prohibition (1925) in Minnesota.

Ty Bradshaw is an undercover agent, who is searching for a notorious gangster. The trail has led him to a bootlegger's resort. Norma Rose Nightingale oversees the running of her father's resort and she distrusts the handsome Ty. She knows he's lying, but she can't help feeling attracted to him.

I enjoyed the era and the setting. This is a light read with a low level of romantic heat. I wasn't always convinced by some of the minor details, which is why it dropped half a star instead of being a solid 4 star.
Profile Image for Melissa.
428 reviews24 followers
August 31, 2017
*sigh* I should have DNF at 30%, but I already DNF'd two other books on my COYER reading list and didn't want to start a trend.


Norma Rose Nightingale was an unlikeable heroine - cold, unforgiving, mean. She wasn't that great of a business woman, even though the reader is told over and over again how the resort turned in massive profits due to her work. She was a caricature of the "hard dame" type of woman of the Jazz Age. Although she was smart and had opinions about Prohibition failing which turned true, she was pretty dumb when it came to people. Tyler Bradshaw wasn't much better - he had a single mission that gave him all the motivation for everything he did. Both had tragic back stories that rang false (Norma Rose doesn't want to nurse anyone if they are sick because she had to take care of her dead mother and brother during the Spanish flu outbreak; Tyler had his family massacred by the mobster he is searching for at the resort).

The plotline and scenes were really disjointed; the author seemed not to understand the balance of suspense and romance. Plot threads were brought up and drop with frequency. The whole point of the plot was for Tyler to bring Ray Bodine to justice....and the reader got one paragraph about how Tyler took him done after the fact. This was the major plot line, the whole reason for Tyler to be there at the resort in the first place, and it was resolved away from the resort and with no details. The ending was very abrupt and unsatisfying.
1,426 reviews25 followers
July 21, 2015
Norma Rose Nightingale runs Nightingales for her father. The speakeasy gets around prohibition by "giving" their guests drinks, after charging an exorbitant fee to get in. When Ty Bradshaw comes to town it is obvious to Norma Rose he's working for the government and she fears he will shut down her club.

Ty is after a notorious, murderous gangster who happens to be after Nightingales. Now Ty has two reasons to take the man down, for revenge and to protect the beautiful Norma Rose.

This is a terrific book that perfectly captures the period. The author weaved her history so seamlessly into the story that it didn't take away from the tale but completely enhanced it. The characters are wonderful people whose HEA was sweet and believable. There was a good mix of action and down time so that the h/h had the time needed to fall in love. I enjoyed this enough that I bought the first book in the series and plan to buy the others as they come out.

See my full review at http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com...
292 reviews
August 24, 2020
I believe this is the first book I’ve read written by Lauri Robinson. The Bootlegger’s Daughter was published in 2015. It’s a Harlequin Historical which was the first in a series of four books.

This book is set in 1925 during Prohibition America in Minnesota. Apparently there was a well-known illegal whiskey made in that part of the U.S. and mobsters were keen on getting into the racket there.

Norma Rose Nightingale (who I kept referring to as Norma Rae or Norma Jean in my head) is the oldest daughter of a man who owns a resort near a lake in Minnesota. The family started out very poor inheriting, basically, cabins, a party room and a camp ground from Norma Rose’s grandfather and built it into a high class resort with tricked out — for their time —cabins, hotel rooms, a ballroom, the best music, and illegal hooch. Although her father is in charge, Norma runs the day-to-day operations of the resort, ordering her three younger sisters about. Her sisters are resentful and would love more freedom leading to much acting out. In fact, the youngest sister runs away, following a musician, who was working at the resort, to Chicago. But, that’s the least of Norma Rose’s and her father Roger’s concern. A man has come into town attempting to take down a murderous gangster who is trying to move in on this Minnesota whiskey business. This man is a federal agent who has a tragic past with the gangster that has filled him with a desire for revenge.

Norma Rose is suspicious of Ty Bradshaw who says he is an attorney. When Norma’s uncle is poisoned while off trying to drum up business in town, Ty butts in and uses that event as an opening to put himself in the service of the Nightingale family. Despite Norma Rose’s best efforts to shake him, Ty travels back to Nightingale’s resort and, before long, he is ingratiating himself into her father’s circle and bothering Norma Rose in a way she’s not been used to in a while.

But Ty can’t afford to romance Norma Rose, even though he can’t stop himself. He’s on a mission to take down a gangster and possibly destroy Norma and her family’s life in the process. After all, despite Prohibitions shaky future prospects, Nightingale’s is breaking the law.

I have mixed feelings about this story. It clearly has the period down pat with the clothes, the slang, the dances and music, and the activities. In fact, it’s a little too on point, as the overuse of the slang almost lends itself to parody. However, the author does dial it back over time … or maybe I was just getting used to it. But what really bothered me was the choppiness of the plot. First we’re trying to solve the case of who poisoned Uncle Dave, then we’re trying to find out what happened to Ginger — Norma Rose’s youngest sister — which is clearly a set-up for a future book. But instead of only covering that in a few pages, we end up spending 25% of the action on that. Then we’re back to Uncle Dave which leads to the uncovering of other nefarious characters in town, let alone the anticipated gangsters. And then we have Norma Rose’s remaining sisters who have their own beefs. Seriously, there was just a lot going on and, although I don’t usually mind that, it was just presented in a very convoluted manner. Considering all of this, it did surprise me that one major player in this story was never seen on the page. Since it’s a spoiler, I won’t mention who but it was a let down as one would expect to meet a character who is being anxiously anticipated by the hero for a classic showdown. Oh well. I’d give this book a B- because I did enjoy the period and would love to read more romances set in this time.
Profile Image for Genevieve Jordan.
64 reviews1 follower
March 19, 2023
Ty Bradshaw is a federal agent working under cover looking for a gangster. What he WASN'T looking for romance or a relationship, but Norma Rose Nightingale - the daughter of the gangster Ty is looking for - makes an impression on the special agent.

I knew going in to this that I was probably going to like it - I really love the Roaring Twenties time period. Norma has just the right spunk for a woman of this time.

The romance is a slow build. We know they're going to get together but author Lauri Robinson keeps teasing the reader as to when it's going to happen.

This was not the steamiest read, but it was romantic and hot. Perfect for fans of historical romance!

Profile Image for Ingrid Hahn.
Author 17 books209 followers
July 18, 2017
Extremely enjoyable. So glad I picked it up.
Profile Image for Robert Forbes.
11 reviews
April 7, 2024
Good read

I enjoyed very muc. I kept my interest Al the way except for the tragic sex which I skippe
d this section was over my limit.
Profile Image for Susan.
4,806 reviews126 followers
August 16, 2015
Fantastic book. With the popularity of Regency, medieval and western romances, one taking place in the 1920s really stands out. The idea of a federal agent and a bootlegger's daughter falling for each other shows great promise, and the author really delivered.

It's the middle of Prohibition and running a resort isn't easy. It takes some clever maneuvering to provide the guests with the amenities they expect without running afoul of the law. Norma Rose makes sure that everything is taken care of, as well as watching out for her three younger sisters. Her father is busy with the not-so-secret distribution of the whiskey made in another part of the state. One night she is called to the jail to pick up her uncle, who has been picked up for being drunk, even though he doesn't drink. There she encounters Ty Bradshaw, who claims to be a lawyer there to post her uncle's bail. From the moment she meets him, there's something that tells her that he isn't exactly what he claims.

Ty is actually a federal agent who has come to Nightingale's in search of a mob boss that he has been after for years. This same mobster is responsible for the deaths of his parents and brother, as well as a bunch of other innocent people and Ty has vowed to bring him down no matter what it takes. He doesn't expect a distraction like Norma Rose!

Ty and Norma Rose struck sparks off each other from the very beginning. Norma Rose has excellent instincts, and she suspected that Ty was a government man of some kind the first time she met him. She is determined to get him away from the resort before he can make trouble, and can't believe that he fools her father so easily. No matter what she says or does, he won't go away. Instead she discovers that he's actually enjoying giving her a hard time. He's also getting under her skin in ways no one has before.

At the same time, Ty finds himself fascinated by Norma Rose. He's never met anyone quite like her before. It surprises him that she is suspicious of him from the outset, as he's never had any trouble before in convincing someone of his cover story. While he still has his goal of catching the mobster firmly in mind, he also discovers a deep desire to spend more time with her.

I loved seeing these two together. Norma Rose is usually a very calm and in control woman, but every time she and Ty get together he gets her worked up. He sees that she is always so serious and intent on making sure the present and future are secure that she hasn't allowed herself to have any fun. I really enjoyed seeing him tease her into doing things she doesn't usually do. The dance-off scene was especially fun. Norma Rose also found herself leaning on Ty when one of her sisters turns up missing, another thing she never expected to do. The feelings that she's beginning to have for him both scare and thrill her. The more time he spends with Norma Rose, the more Ty becomes conflicted over what he has to do. He's developing feelings for her, but his mission is likely to destroy her life as she knows it.

I really enjoyed the story line of the government man versus the bootleggers and mob. Usually the bootleggers are shown as straight criminals, but in this story we get the perspective from their side. I loved the way that Norma Rose showed Ty another side of the issue. As he came closer to completing the mission, he discovered that he cared about effects it would have on the entire community. It was interesting to see the way that Ty worked his way into Roger Nightingale's confidence and used it to get the information he needed. As it came closer to the time the mobster was due to arrive, the sense of impending danger increased, especially as Ty and Norma Rose uncovered more information about what was happening. Things got really tense when Norma Rose was kidnapped, and I loved seeing Ty's protective instincts really take off. He had to get very creative to save her, bring down the bad guy, and secure a future for him and Norma Rose. I loved seeing how he pulled it off.

I also loved getting to know Norma Rose's sisters. Each of them is a distinct personality and the interactions among them were fascinating. It was terrific to see how they stood up to Norma Rose, tired of being treated like children instead of grown women. They definitely stepped up when things started going wrong, and I loved their support of Norma Rose. I am really looking forward to their stories.
Profile Image for Jo .
2,679 reviews68 followers
July 31, 2015
I loved the research that Robinson did for the book. The dialog and the history used make a much more interesting and believable story. I also liked the different take on bootlegging. Showing it as a way for people to earn a living instead of just presenting it as a crime was a refreshing way to make the characters much more appealing.

While the history was great this is also a love story between two characters on different sides of the law. It helped that Ty was after one man and not trying to shut down the Nightingale Resort and that Norma Rose’s father was making the whiskey while she just running the resort.

Both characters were strong enough to support the story line. Ty had to do some very creative thinking to get he and Norma Rose a HEA but he was up to the job.

I have been a fan of Lauri Robinson from before she became a Harlequin author. It is great to see her doing new things now. Before her historical romances were set in the 1800’s. Moving to the roaring twenties was a very good choice.

The Bootlegger’s Daughter is part of a series but does well as a stand alone. Norma Rose does have three sisters so there are more characters ready for their HEA’s.
Profile Image for Amy.
840 reviews10 followers
September 26, 2015
I gave up on this story on page 76, Chapter 5. It is more of a history lesson on Prohibition than a romance between two people who might even be the slightest bit attracted to each other. I did a term paper in high school on Prohibition, so I don't need the history lesson. Ty Bradshaw, at first, claims to be a lawyer for Norma Rose's uncle Dave, who is vomiting all over the place. Then he tells her that he's a "private investigator." Norma Rose helps her father with a resort in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. She is a stand-offish, cold fish towards Ty. No chemistry by this point. The story is going absolutely nowhere fast.
2,246 reviews23 followers
August 27, 2016
Really fun; great establishment of time and place (a little heavy-handed in the very few pages, but quickly settled in), good chemistry between the leads, and a suspenseful plot that seemed super dramatic but nonetheless believable. (It's about bootleggers, for goodness's sake; be as dramatic as you'd like, author!) The sex scene was a little awkward and felt kind of tacked on; for most of the book I was assuming there just wouldn't be one. (There was plenty of chemistry between the leads without sex so it didn't seem necessary.) Very quick read.
Profile Image for Harlequin Books.
18.4k reviews2,804 followers
Read
January 12, 2016
"Robinson moves easily from cowboys to bootleggers in the first of her trilogy. There’s plenty of atmosphere of the Roaring ‘20s provided by slang-infused dialogue, lively dance steps, gangsters and FBI agents" (RT Book Reviews).

Miniseries: Daughters of the Roaring Twenties

This was a fun read! I loved the time period and getting a new look at it. Can't wait to read the rest of this series.~ Kim
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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