Book Review and Giveaway - Gold Rush Bride Caroline - Author - Linda Shenton Matchett - On Tour with Celebrate Lit

 

About the Book

Book: Gold Rush Bride Caroline

Author: Linda Shenton Matchett

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: July 21, 2022

She thinks he’s high-handed and out for her gold. He thinks she’s difficult and money-hungry. Will they discover that love is the true treasure?

Scarred in a childhood accident, Caroline Vogel has yet to find a man willing to marry her, so she heads to the Pike’s Peak goldfields to pan enough ore to become a woman of means. When she and the handsome assistant trail boss hit it off, she begins to hope her future may not be spent alone. Then she catches wind of dark secrets from the man’s past, and she’s not sure what or who to believe.

Orphaned as a teenager, Oliver Llewellyn stole to survive, then used his skills for the army during the war. Nowadays, he applies his knowledge to catch dangerous thieves for the Pinkerton Agency, so guarding a young woman during a wagon train journey should be easy. But he didn’t count on the fact she’d angered a man bent on revenge. He also didn’t count on losing his heart.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Linda Shenton Matchett writes about ordinary people who did extraordinary things in days gone by. A volunteer docent and archivist for the Wright Museum of WWII, Linda is a former trustee for her local public library. She is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry. Linda has lived in historic places all her life, and is now located in central New Hampshire where her favorite activities include exploring historic sites and immersing herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.

 

More from Linda

Dear Readers,

 

Have you ever heard the quote about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers that says, “Sure he was great, but don’t forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did, backwards…and in high heels?” Originally seen in a 1982 Frank and Ernest comic strip, the line has been used by many people from comedians to politicians.

 

A slight twist on the statement can be made about women in the centuries before modern attire allowed them to wear slacks…they did everything men did, but in floor-length skirts (to say nothing of when they had to wear corsets!). A few examples include cooking over an open hearth, hauling water before the invention of pumps and indoor plumbing, farm work such as milking cows or gardening, and riding a horse.

 

One of my favorite aspects about writing is developing the characters, especially the female protagonists. Mine are typically…well, untypical. The gals in my books are war correspondents, mechanics, spies, doctors, pilots, and midwives, just to name a few. While thinking about what to write next, I stumbled on an article about female prospectors, and I knew I had my story. The few images I found confirmed my suspicion. These women prospected alongside the men,  swirling their pans of silt hour after hour…all while wearing a dress.

 

I continued to dig and was delighted to find journals and diaries of these stalwart women who either followed their husbands, brothers, or fathers to the gold field or actually set out on their own. The first book in the series, Gold Rush Bride Hannah takes in northern Georgia during the rush of 1829 when more than one million dollars of gold was unearthed.

 

Today’s tour book, Gold Rush Bride Caroline, is about Hannah’s daughter and takes place during the 1859 Pike’s Peak Gold Rush in Colorado. I hope you enjoy Caroline’s story.

 

Blessings,

Linda Shenton Matchett

My Thoughts 

 Gold Rush Bride Caroline is written by  Linda Shenton Matchett. I have been fortunate enough to read several books from this author this year and they have all been amazing. Her stories are always so well researched. In this story, we start off in St. Joseph, Mo. Caroline is getting ready to head west to try her hand at panning gold. Her family had made some money doing that and she wants to be independent. What she does not know is that her family has hired a Pinkerton Agent to follow her to ensure that she arrives safely. 

Caroline is disfigured from a childhood accident, she is very self conscious about this. She keeps the area covered up with a bandana. She makes up for this by being very spunky and not afraid to go toe to toe with a man. The book actually opens up with her trying to help a Native American woman who has been severely abused. Little Doe becomes her travel partner. 

Oliver has had a bumpy road. He  has done some things that he is not proud of. However, he know works for the Pinkerton Agency and has been assigned to watch over Caroline. She just does not know it yet. He is amazed by her boldness. What he does not count on is the feelings that he has for her. Can he convince stubborn Caroline there is more to her then her scars? 

I really enjoyed this story. I felt it was historically accurate. The author moved the story along at a comfortable pace. I felt I learned a lot about gold panning in Colorado. I thought the characters were well developed. 

Thank you to the author, publisher and Celebrate Lit for allowing me to read a copy of this story. All thoughts are my own. 

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 13

Texas Book-aholic, August 14

Inklings and notions, August 15

For Him and My Family, August 16

Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 17 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, August 17

Bizwings Blog, August 18

deb’s Book Review, August 19

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 20

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, August 21

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, August 22 (Author Interview)

Book Looks by Lisa, August 22

Betti Mace, August 23

Connie’s History Classroom, August 24

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 25

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 26

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Visa Gift Card and signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/20a89/gold-rush-bride-caroline-celebration-tour-giveaway