MoonglotexasThe Daughters of the Mayflower series has grown to be one of my favourites and The Golden Bride by Kimberly Woodhouse is a wonderful addition! In this novel, we head to California at the time of the Gold Rush. When greed is at the heart of San Francisco, trouble abounds. Grieving and world-weary, Olivia arrives exhausted and desperate at her brother’s restaurant.
Coming to terms with both her guilt and the criminal activity around her, Olivia learns about both judgement and forgiveness. Her tussle with her faith whilst exploring both is interesting and empathetic.
The humour and light-hearted banter between siblings and their friend, Joseph, breaks the building tension of the abuse and horrific conditions those in forced labour are enduring.
Mystery abounds as the one lurking behind all the evil happenings is hidden until right at the end of the book and I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way.
I can’t wait to read more in this series and highly recommend this one! It’s five out of five on the en-JOY-ment scale.
From the back cover:
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.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
