Can Olivia survive the crime and Gold Rush fever of 1849...and the countless marriage proposals?
A series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees.
The Daughters of the Mayflower series continues when Olivia Brighton finds herself widowed and working her brother’s restaurant in San Francisco during the height of the rush for gold. Even though she receives at least twenty marriage proposals a day, she will never marry a gold miner. Her brother’s friend Joseph Sawyer has gotten caught up in local politics and the plight of Chinese in forced labor. The more Joseph gets pulled into investigating crime in the city, the less Olivia sees of the compassionate man. And just when she thinks she could love again, a fire threatens to steal all hope.
My review:
I ran across Kimberly Woodhouse some years ago when I reviewed two suspense novels she wrote for Broadman & Holman with her daughter, Kayla. Suspense is my favorite genre', so I was hooked. However, not all of her books are suspense, though many do have some element of suspense in them. I blame this author for my foray back into romance novels. As a guy - and for other reasons, I have steered clear of romance books, other than romantic suspense for years. However, when you really like an author, you read whatever they write. So here I am reading romance novels. (Smile)
This is the eighth book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series. Woodhouse has written three books in this series: The Mayflower Bride (#1), The Patriot Bride (#4), and this one. I really enjoyed the previous two, especially Patriot Bride, but I enjoyed Golden Bride even more. Many of Woodhouse's books are historical, and she excels at historical accuracy, and I have learned a lot by reading her books. I am one of those readers who will Google things to see if it really did happen or exist, and she never disappoints.
The Golden Bride is such an example. I have read about the Gold Rush before, but she focused more on the city of San Francisco and what it was like at that time. This book was more suspenseful than her other two in this series, and had bad guys who were more evil and unlikable than the other two books. I did find the descriptions of life there in that time fascinating, and liked the three main characters: Olivia, Joseph, and Daniel. There was a lot to like and find interesting, including the running of a restaurant in that time and setting.
The illegal slave trade brought the reminder how evil can be, and how evil is not bound to any time or place. The secondary character Julia was a reminder that God can reach, save, and change any individual, no matter how wicked and sinful they are.
I try not to give spoilers away, but will say I also liked the minor character Luke, and how that played out.
The romantic element of the story was well done....not gushy or overdone, and I was rooting for it throughout the book.
The Golden Bride had a very satisfying and suspenseful ending, and I only wished it had gone on a little longer....a normal feeling when a good book ends.
This series can be read out of order, and each book stands independently of each other. I have only read the three by Woodhouse, and definitely recommend them....especially The Golden Bride...but I am sure the whole series is good and worth reading.
The Golden Bride is available from Barbour Publishing. I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
About the author:
Kimberley Woodhouse is the best-selling author of more than twenty books who loves the JOY of story. A lover of history and research, she often gets sucked into the past and then her husband has to lure her out with chocolate. She's spoken to more than 800,000 people at more than 2,000 venues and has taught the craft of writing around the country. Married to the love of her life for twenty-five plus years, she makes her home in Montana. You can connect with Kimberley at: www.kimberleywoodhouse.com www.facebook.com/KimberleyWoodhouseAuthor
2 comments:
Nice review and I saw no spoilers. I too enjoyed this book
Her stories are awesome. Have you read her and Tracie Peterson series? I highly recommend them
Yes I did. I loved them!
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