The other day, I saw that Heart Sings, book 2 in L. Dreamer’s Heart of Gold series, would be coming out soon (tomorrow!). I had not read book 1, so I checked the reviews, and since most of my favourite reviewers seemed to have enjoyed it, I decided to go for it.
When I opened it, I realised I hadn’t read the blurb (I don’t always read blurbs) so I didn’t expect to find myself in 1894. I don’t read historical fiction often, but I don’t dislike it at all. I just tend to forget it exists.
Heart of Gold opens with Thomasina buying men’s clothes after her father introduced her to his new business partner and announced that she will marry him. The older man is a widower with four children and becoming his wife is not what eighteen-year-old Thomasina wants out of life. So she runs away and becomes Thomas, a young man on his way to Klondike and the gold rush. During the journey, Thomas meets Rachel, a young woman married to Ron, a less than impressive guy. Soon, Thomas falls for Rachel, to Ron’s noisy displeasure.
I liked Thomas from the start. She’s brave and determined and so very sweet, with the cutest dimples (I can almost see them in my mind). She’s also annoyingly stubborn in her desire to do the right thing. Honestly, I don’t know how Rachel, who deserves so much better than Ron, could have resisted her. I also love how Thomas navigates between genders, the way Dreamer describes the physical differences depending on whether Thomas is in character or not.
There were a few editing glitches and I wasn’t always sure the tenses were right, but I enjoyed this story very much. There’s a lot happening and many endearing characters (including none other than Jack London…). I look forward to book 2, which I will get to real soon.
Jude in the Stars 