Dream Angel

1850 Paris-Sean Kelley wants to open his own circus and he wants Petit Ange for his star attraction... and his wife. Working in Paris at the Nouveau Cirque, Angelique Aumont, aka Petit Ange or Little Angel, feels an instant attraction for the handsome man who visits her at the circus announcing he wishes to wed her. Sean's stepmother Hortense has other ideas however and through lies and half truths convinces Angelique that Sean is instead her husband and father of her present and future children. She requests that Angelique leave and remove any temptation for Sean. Heartbroken Angelique leaves Paris for America and the safety of her aunt’s home. Sean learns of the deception and uses P.T.Barnum and the singer Jenny Lind's American tour as a means to follow and search for his little angel. Even when they are reunited, the road is rocky and many obstacles impede the path to true love and happiness.

Dream Angel by Denise Dietz is a novella prequel to the novel Dream Dancer. Short and sweet, at only 51 pages, it is a quick read but by no means is it lacking. This tale is full of vivid, memorable characters and images of circus life in the mid 1800's; including famous songbird Jenny Lind and the infamous big top entrepreneur P.T. Barnum himself. It is an enjoyable ride to follow along the rocky path to romance with Sean and his Angel. I would definitely recommend reading Dream Dancer after this short to get the full experience, but this story is full bodied enough to stand quite well on its own.

Reviewed by: Johnna