Review: Two Lips Review
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2012
Reviewer SheilaLaurel sits in the coffee shop fighting her attraction to a man. Trying to avoid eye contact causes him to come to her table to drink coffee with her. When he sees that her book is the Bible, he tells her he is an atheist. Laurel decides not to argue with him but she also does not tell him she plans on becoming a nun. As their attraction grows, Julian feels Laurel may be the one for him in Dee Dawning's Sister Laurel and the Atheist. What will Julian do when he learns that Laurel is planning on giving her life to God? Will Laurel remain faithful to her choices made several years ago before being attracted to a man like Julian?I liked the premise of Sister Laurel and the Atheist. It was fun. I wanted to know why Laurel made her choice to go into the sisterhood. When I learned it was a promise made to God years ago when her father was ill, I wanted to know how she would keep her promise but acknowledge her attraction to Julian. Laurel did not make her choices lightly. There were times when I was not sure whether I would have my happily-ever-after in this story.I liked how Mr. Dawning took the point of view of each person as they were telling their part of the story. Sometimes we'd get the same story through two characters' eyes. It gave a fuller story so that I could understand each person's motive. I may not have always agreed with them but I knew that they had Laurel's best interests at heart.I liked Julian. While he may have started this relationship with a lie, he was a good person who knew that he had to tell the truth even if it hurt him. I liked both Laurel's and Julian's sisters. They were different but wanted only the best for their siblings. I felt the openness of the relationship between Laurel and her dad was wonderful. She could always rely on his strength and honesty. Sister Sue, Laurel's Mother Superior, was an angel. She was not about getting a woman into the sisterhood but what was best for each woman under her tutelage. She was very realistic about life, religion, and love--probably my most favorite character after Laurel and Julian.Sister Laurel and the Atheist is a delicious read that makes you remember your first love and your first time. There was more talking about sex and how it feels than there was sex in the story but I liked how open the talk was between Laurel and her sister and between Laurel and Sarah, who once dated Julian. It was good to see the support between them and the joy they felt in sex. Mr. Dawning has written a sex-positive story with wonderful characters who I would like to have in my life.