The Book Bandit's Library : Book Review: The Test of Gold (Hearts of Gold, Book 1) by Renee Yancy

The Test of Gold

(Hearts of Gold, Book 1)

By Renee Yancy

Publication Date: 15 March 2021 Publisher: Vinspire Publishing Page Length: 335 pages Genre: Historical Romance

Raised in the shadow of a mother who defied convention, but won’t allow her own daughter the right to make the same choices, heiress Evangeline Lindenmayer has been groomed since childhood to marry into the British aristocracy.

When Lindy challenges her mother’s long-laid plans by falling in love with a poor seminary student, the explosion is bigger than the Brooklyn Bridge fireworks on Independence Day.

Book Rating:

📚📚📚📚📚 = I could not put this book down. I Highly Recommend.

📚📚📚📚 = A really great read.

📚📚📚 = It was enjoyable.

📚📚 = It was okay.

📚 = Um...! 😕

My Review

The Test of Gold

📚📚📚📚📚

Hands up - who does not love a forbidden romance? I most certainly do. But Test of Gold is so much more than the typical Regency romance novel. Firstly, this book is set in America. But Vera, Lindy's mother, is determined that her daughter has a season in London, with the hope that Lindy will find herself a duke to give the Lindenmayer family, or Vera in particular, the ability to boast that they are connected with the British aristocracy. What Lindy wants is neither here nor there. She has been groomed her entire life to become a duchess, but that was until she met Jack Winthorp. Unfortunately, Jack is neither a duke nor British nor is he particularly well connected. In fact, he is so below Lindy's social standing that they would be ridiculously stupid to fall in love with each other!

Another thing that makes this book different from other historical romances is that the heroine is not rescued by the handsomely heroic love of her life. Instead, Lindy must save herself. This, I thought, was really refreshing. If Lindy wants to marry the man she loves, she is going to have to fight for him.

I cannot write a review without mentioning Vera. If ambition had a face, it would be hers. Vera is so self-absorbed in achieving her own greatness and living the life she wanted through her daughter that she never stops to think where her actions will lead. She is a dominating and incredibly cruel woman who will not think twice about playing dirty to get her daughter to comply with her commands. This formidable woman is truly awful, but in a way, she sums up how many mothers must have felt in the aristocracy - a love match was not what they desired for their daughters; what they wanted were titles and wealth.

This is a novel that really got under my skin because of the emotional abuse that Lindy has to go through. But I also think it gives the reader a sense of hope - but I feel that I really need to add a link to Refuge: https://www.refuge.org.uk/ for anyone who might read this book and recognise themselves in Lindy's situation.

I thought this novel was a wonderful, written and a very insightful story. I will certainly be checking out more novels from this very talented author.

You can find this novel on Amazon UK • Amazon US • Barnes and Noble

Renee Yancy is a history and archaeology nut who writes the kind of historical fiction she loves to read – stories filled with historical detail that immerse you in another place and time. When she isn't writing historical fiction or traveling to see the places her characters have lived, she can be found in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband and two rescue mutts named Ellie and Charlie.