I received a free ecopy of Native Gold from the author for my honest review.
About the Book:
Mathilda Hardwicke, a rebellious artist rejected by her family and New York society, heads west to Gold Rush California to make a new life for herself as a mail-order bride. When fate leaves her at the altar in Paradise Bar–a ramshackle gold camp full of ragtag miners–she’s sure she’s leaped out of the frying pan and into the fire.
But unbeknownst to Mattie, she has a protector. Sakote, a fierce Konkow warrior, is bound by honor to watch over the white woman. And though his tribe is threatened by the encroaching miners, he’s strangely drawn to Mattie, who delights in making pictures of him and whose destiny seems entwined with his.
When a tragedy at the camp forces Sakote to steal Mattie away, she finds herself in an unfamiliar Paradise of savage wonder, and she soon discovers a forbidden love more precious than gold.
About the Author:
Glynnis Talken Campbell is an American romance author, composer, musician and voiceover artist, and is married to bass guitarist Richard Campbell. Glynnis Campbell studied music at California State University, Chico. Her first romantic novel, My Champion, was nominated for a Romance Writers of America’s RITA award for Best First Book, and in 2009 was awarded “Book Buyers Best” Historical Romance for her novel Danger’s Kiss, written under the pen name Sarah McKerrigan.
My Opinion:
Every so often I like to escape into a novel where I don’t have to think too much but can just read along and get lost in a romance. I’ve read several of Ms. Campbell’s works and they allow just that – delightful escape. Perfect beach reads – or in my case sitting on the deck reads.
In this tale a young woman, Mattie, is living with her aunt and uncle. She is a very talented artist – a free spirit. Her parents had encouraged her talents and her inquisitive nature in a time when young ladies were more seen than heard. When she embarrasses her Uncle AGAIN she makes a very rash decision and Mattie finds herself going to the gold fields of California in an effort to escape the strictures of her current life. What she finds when she gets there is not what she was expecting and yet a whole new world opens to her.
I find it best with historical romances to just sit down and enjoy the read. If you try and think too much you just ruin the mood. Native Gold is the first in a trilogy and could it have happened? I don’t know. Is the book entertaining, yes. I read it in one sitting, I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed the characters. I wasn’t looking for a history lesson, I wasn’t looking for plausibility. I was looking for escape and escape is exactly what I found. The romance developed at a perfect pace and I found myself rooting for the couple. I definitely want to follow the trilogy as the next two books come out.
Rating:
4
You can purchase Native Gold on Amazon.com
Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of Native Gold from the author for my honest review. I received no compensation for this post.