The Golden Bride (Daughters of the Mayflower #8)

Title: The Golden Bride

Author: Kimberley Woodhouse

Series: Daughters of the Mayflower #8

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publishing Date: April 1, 2019

Format: ARC e-book

About the Book:

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.

More in the Daughters of the Mayflower series:
The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1620 Atlantic Ocean (February 2018)
The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo – set 1725 New Orleans (April 2018)
The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep – set 1760 during the French and Indian War (June 2018)
The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1774 Philadelphia (August 2018)​
The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear – set 1794 on the Wilderness Road (October 2018)
The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall – set 1814 Baltimore (December 2018)
The Alamo Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo – set 1836 Battle of the Alamo (February 2019)

My Review:

I sincerely hope that they once again decide to add more books to this series. I’ve enjoyed each one so far and I really loved how it was formatted to slowly move forward through time. While each of the books can be read as a stand-alone, the knowledge that the characters are related through the generations ties a stronger bond to the history of our nation. We are a product of the generations before us, and how this series ties that concept together is remarkable. While this book is similar in that it can be read as a stand-alone, it also contains journal entries from previous characters. It wouldn’t necessarily lead the reader to feel lost in any way, but if you’ve read the previous books it will certainly give you a deeper appreciation for their connections.

I enjoyed each of the books in this series, but I have to admit that the ones written by Kimberley Woodhouse are my absolute favorites. The author’s love of history is clearly observed in her writing. Not surprising, I read this book in a single evening. It was well written and highly engaging. I appreciate Kimberley’s intent to be respective of history while wanting something a bit more light-hearted. In my opinion I think she was able achieve a satisfying balance.

I think my favorite piece of this story is the concept that life often doesn’t turn out as we expect–both the good and the bad. When Olivia’s brother Daniel moved to San Francisco, there was no way he would know how quickly the area would boom. With the reason for that growth circling around a wide-spread, selfish desire for wealth–it’s no wonder that it brought with it a whole lot of trouble. Yet despite the conflict, Daniel continues to seek the Lord in his steps for the future. In the beginning Olivia was hit with the recent death of her parents which resulted in a quick marriage of convenience followed by unexpected widowhood. How does one move forward when life throws the unexpected at you? I really liked how the author fleshed this out in the story.

I honestly don’t think I can recommend this series enough. While I admit I had my favorites, I’ve enjoyed each story and appreciate the generational history contained in the pages (fictional or not). I sincerely hope they continue to add more books to the series!

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

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