Book Review: Veins of Gold

Author: Charlie N Holmberg

Published: July 2018

Format Read: Library Ebook

Genre: romance, historical fiction (ish)

Spice: None!

My Rating: 3.5/5

I currently base my reviews loosely around the CAWPILE system developed by Book Roast on YouTube. I modify the categories depending on the format of the story I’m reviewing.

My star ratings are purely by my opinion and not measured by any particular metric.

SPOILER WARNING: This review will contain spoilers! Proceed with caution!

Summary

Desperate to save her siblings from poverty, a young woman discovers magic fueled by gold . . . and a love for the man who wields it.

Characters

Everyone was pretty mild overall. I really liked Winn and really liked Rooster. I’m not sure the character development for Gentry was really ‘won.’ Both Hoss and Winn accepted things too readily in the end. Immediately liked Winn, but maybe that’s because he was mysterious.

Atmosphere

True to western historical fiction, it’s hot, dusty desert with impossible odds. There was a little bit of dissonance with Hoss’s farm and Gentry’s garden. And then American Fork. There was the hint of desperation for Gentry’s situation, though it could have been stronger, more desperate.

Writing Style

The writing style is fairly easy to read and straightforward.

Plot

Overall, it followed the structure of a typical romance. I’m not sure the conflict was really sharp enough to be compelling. It’s like she didn’t want a big bad, so she went with “man is hurting nature and it’s rebelling.” Meh. Just about everything resolved a little too easily. I would’ve liked it if Winn got hurt instead of just tired after the egret ‘battle.’ I liked it overall, but I think it could have been better. Also, Rooster’s sickness could have been more serious.

Intrigue

There is the mystery of the magic. Perhaps the ‘will she be able to get out of this engagement so she can be with Winn’ was some intrigue. Otherwise… meh.

Logic

I mean… it made sense. The book explained the magic components well enough. Tough times in colonial towns in the west.

Enjoyment and Final thoughts

It was good enough. I may or may not buy my own copy. I do find myself thinking about Winn sometimes, so maybe I’ll come back to it.

Would I Recommend?

Yes. It’s a little bland as far as conflict goes, but I do like Winn and I like that there is NO SPICE. If you’re looking for a cute little romance with a smidge of magic and western charm, here it is.