Publisher:
Riptide
Publishing
Published: July
14, 2014
ISBN: 978 1 62649 143 4
Genre: Romance, M/M, Steampunk
Book
Format: E-book
Obtained
via: Publisher
Reviewed
by: Helena Stone, helenastone63@gmail.com
Rating:
4
When
Robert Belton and his brothers reached Seattle it didn’t take them long to lose
the money their father had loaned them to stake a claim in the Klondike gold fields.
In order to survive, Robert has been working as a prostitute while trying to
find a way to make it to Klondike, since going back home is no longer an
option. When an attractive customer offers him the opportunity to travel north
together, Robert doesn’t think twice.
Dr.
John Fauth isn’t looking for gold. He is on his way to the gold fields in the
hope of finding the platinum he needs for his revolutionary inventions. This is
his last chance. If he doesn’t find the platinum and get his invention to work
it will be the end of both his university career and his research.
Getting
to Klondike is a dangerous and gruelling journey under the best of
circumstances. The invaluable device John carries with him makes the journey
even more hazardous. Three men are determined to get their hands on it and will
do anything to either Robert or John to achieve their goal. And that’s before
other prospectors discover what the device is capable off.
As
the relationship between Robert and John slowly develops it becomes clear that
they have far more to lose than ‘just’ riches and fame.
This was a fun, exciting and fascinating romance for a host of reasons.
The
two main characters in this book were fascinating, both together and
separately. Robert Belton finds himself working as a prostitute after he and
his brother have lost the money that was supposed to take them to the gold
fields. When Robert spends the night with Dr. John Fauth it is the first time
he’s experienced anything resembling pleasure with a man and it is a
revelation. Still, he will be travelling with the doctor for a while before he
dares to believe that the man is more than just another ‘john’ and sees him as
anything other than a prostitute.
Dr.
John Fauth is a man on a mission. Determined to make it to the gold fields in
order to find the precious metal he needs to make his invention work and his
dreams come true he doesn’t realise how much danger he’s putting himself and
his travel companion in.
The
mixture of constant danger and slowly developing relationship is perfectly
balanced and kept me turning the pages as quickly as I could without missing a
word. The suspense is constantly lurking in the background and the growing
relationship between the two, at first glance incompatible, men takes the edge
off while at the same time introducing a whole new level of tension.
Then
there is the time and place in which this story is set; the most northern parts
of America during the late 19th century. Hordes are flogging to the
Klondike gold fields to strike it rich before the precious metal runs out. But
this is not quite the 19th century as we know it. Thrown into the
mix are automatons unlike any ever invented. The steampunk twist gives the
story that extra level of originality without taking anything away from the
underlying romance.
The
story is mainly told from Robert’s point of few, but interspersed are diary
entries written by John. I liked this
set up. It made a nice change from the more common switch between narrators
while still giving us both perspectives.
As
always Mrs. Witt’s story was a delight to read. Her writing is smooth, her
dialogue sparkles and her plots are clever and never fail to capture me from
the start. Noble Metals was a wonderful read and yet another confirmation (if I
needed one) of this author’s talent for telling a captivating story.
This is an objective review
and not an endorsement of this book.
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