Review: Golden Touch by Sarina Bowen (Giltmaker #2)
Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.
We're back in Colebury, Vermont with the second novel in the Giltmaker series, and with Golden Touch, Sarina Bowen offers up a forced proximity romance with some major romantic suspense feels. This is Nash Giltmaker's story, Nash being the middle sibling, which has him between Leila (Good as Gold, the first book in the series) and Mitch (who I'm guessing will be the third book in the series). At thirty-four, Nash makes the trip back to his hometown after his father suffers a stroke, forcing the elder son to take the helm at the brewery that is his stubborn dad's legacy for six weeks. He may not have been expecting a red carpet welcome, but Nash certainly wasn't prepared to have the police attempt to arrest him. He has his father's office manager, Livia Willis, to thank for that. He can't really hold a grudge, not when it turns out she's the same woman who left a mark on him after hours of flirting months ago. Now, they're not only supposed to work together but share the same living quarters as well. Nash would love nothing more than to finally take his shot, but Livia is keeping secrets and her past is about to come a-calling.
The sparks were present and accounted for every single time Nash and Livia were together. That sort of connection is difficult to ignore, but things are complicated between our main characters. There's Livia's dark past that she's on the run from, and to a lesser degree, there's Nash's strained relationship with his father and a life in Boston. So, it was perfectly understandable why she was as hesitant and guarded as she was about starting anything, but Nash, well, he was persistent and wasn't willing to let this second opportunity pass. There was quite a bit of emotional investment on my end, not only when it came to the romance between Nash and Livia, but also the former's efforts to do his father proud while serving as caretaker of the brewery. The suspense aspect was more subtle, thrumming beneath the surface, but that climax stunned me speechless. From the steam and suspense to the romance and relationships, Golden Touch had me in its grip from start to finish, which is why awarding it 4.5 stars is no hardship on my part.
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Read my reviews for the Giltmaker series:
Good as Gold (book one) - five stars - My Review
Golden Touch (book two) - 4.5 stars - My Review (posted above)
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Release Date: 09 July 2024
Date Read: 29 June 2024
Learn more about Sarina Bowen.
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