Heart of Gold by Robin Lee Hatcher

Heart of Gold

by Robin Lee Hatcher

The truest treasure is found deep in the heart.

Back in her beloved Virginia, Shannon Adair loved nursing injured soldiers back to health. But in Grand Coeur, Idaho-the rough-and-tumble place where her father has been called to lead the church-she's not sure where she fits in. Then a critically ill woman arrives, and Shannon knows her place at last: to care for this dear woman and ease her pain.

Matthew Dubois is the fastest and most reliable stagecoach driver on Wells Fargo's payroll. But his widowed sister is dying and he's about to inherit his young nephew. So he takes a job at the Wells Fargo express office in Grand Coeur until he can find the one thing he needs to get back to driving: a wife to care for the boy.

What neither of them knows is that God is at work behind the scenes-and is lovingly bringing them together to discover the true desires of their hearts.

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

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Heart of Gold by Robin Lee Hatcher is a delightful faith-based historical romance. This novel takes place in Grand Coeur, part of the Idaho Territory during the Civil War. It touches on the north and the south, immigration, and accepting through faith people from all walks of life. At its heart it shares the struggles of Shannon Adair as she follows her heart.

Shannon is a minister’s daughter, who thanks to her deceased mother was raised in privilege in southern Virginia. She has lost her fiancé to the war, and has spent the past few years working as a nurse for the South. When her father feels a calling and accepts a job as a minister in the western gold town of Grand Coeur, Shannon makes the journey with him. She is heart-broken about leaving her friends and shocked by the people she meets. She meets and takes an instant dislike to Wells Fargo drive Matthew Dubois when he declares, no alliance to either side of the war. When Matthew seeks the minister’s help in finding someone to care for his dying sister and her young son; Shannon accepts the position. She soon realizes her opinions of Matthew may be wrong. The tale that unfolds is delightful, as the dying sister sets about finding a mother for her son and a wife for Matthew. The romance that develops between Matthew and Shannon is sweet but not without competition as a young southern gentleman, looks to court Shannon as well. It was a delightful experience watching Shannon discover that there is more to a man’s character then where he was born.

Hatcher captures this raw territory and the people who reside their beautifully. I found the tales regarding the Wells Fargo stage coach and the war to be fascinating. She touches on the trials of the gold rush, the brothels and the troubles Chinese immigrants faced in the West. While this novel’s faith-based message was a little too heavily salted for my taste, I still enjoyed the tale. The characters, especially Matthew’s sister touched my heart and made the love story all the more surreal.

I highly recommend Heart of Gold to fans of Christian historical romances and fiction. Heart of Gold is available in paper and eBook formats. I look forward to reading more of this award winning author’s work.


Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 19 February, 2012: Finished reading
  • 19 February, 2012: Reviewed