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ABOUT THE BOOK

All that glitters is not gold. It’s 1890, and Golden, New Mexico, is a booming mining town where men far outnumber women. So when an old wealthy miner named Philip Smith finds himself in need of a nursemaid, he places an ad for a mail-order bride—despite the protests of his friend Jeremiah.

Hoping to escape a perilous situation back East, young Madeleine Mercer answers the ad and arrives in town under a cloud of suspicion. But just as she begins to win over Philip—and Jeremiah himself—the secrets she left behind threaten to follow her to Golden…and tarnish her character beyond redemption.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Love Finds You In Golden, New Mexico, go HERE.

“Love Finds You In Golden, New Mexico is a well-researched novel brimming With emotive conflict. Lena Nelson Dooley has crafted a historical romance that demonstrates that courage comes in many forms, but the courage to love is the most difficult of all.”

─DiAnn Mills, author of Sworn to Protect and A Woman Called Sage

 “Two strangers are presented with a ‘golden’ opportunity for love in this quintessential East meets West tale by well-loved author Lena Nelson Dooley. I found myself swept away by the beautiful writing and enmeshed in the lives of the players, who face many twists and turns in their journey toward the ultimate happily-ever-after. Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico is truly one of the loveliest historical romances I’ve read in ages. Highly recommended.”

─Janice Hanna Thompson, author of Love Me Tender and Swinging on a Star

MY THOUGHTS

I’m about halfway through this book and am finding the story quite fascinating. Author Lena Nelson Dooley does a great job of laying the groundwork of the character’s lives.

The heroine, Madeleine Mercer, comes from an affluent Boston family but finds herself staring at an arranged marriage after her father dies. The only escape for her and the remaining members of her household staff is Philip’s ad for a mail-order bride. Throw in compassion, haste, and an old western town and you have the making of a good story.

Each of the characters in Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, is unique and not a “cookie cutter” character. I like the mix of personalities and how they blend as well as clash with each other. (The storyline is told from the perspective of different characters.) Another aspect of the characters that I like is they are “identifiable” meaning they are like people we know in real life – the father figure, the compassionate one, the hothead, etc.

My only complaint about the book, and this is very minor, is the jump in timeline. The story initially goes back and forth between Boston, Mass., and Golden, New Mexico. The Boston storyline takes a big jump from Madeleine planning on leaving Boston within a week to arriving in a neighboring town to Golden. The in-between events are alluded to but some indication that two weeks (or however long) had passed between the two chapters would have been easier on the reader.

At this point, I haven’t been able to figure out how the story will end – which is wonderful because I don’t like reading predictable plot lines. I think I’ve figured out one part of the plot line, but I can’t decide who Madeleine will be with in the end – Philip or Jeremiah. Of course, she’s only been in Golden for a little over 24 hours at this point, so I’m eager to see what happens in future chapters.

If you’re looking for an unpredictable historical fiction book with unique characters, pick up a copy of Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico. You won’t be disappointed. (After reading half of the book, I’d say that it is acceptable for teenagers as well.)

A special thank you to Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for sending me this free copy to review. All of the words under “My Thoughts” are my own and this post contains no affiliate links.

Related posts:

1. Review: Love Starts With Elle
2. Review: Love Will Find You …
3. Review: Love’s Pursuit by Siri Mitchell
4. Embers of Love by Tracie Peterson
5. Love’s First Bloom by Delia Parr

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