Heart of Gold [Kindle Edition]

Christine Pope (Author)

Book Description

The proper Miss Lavinia Greene believes nothing will upset her carefully ordered existence…although she rather wishes it would. But when she receives a letter from her uncle, the eccentric inventor Malcolm Greene, she finds herself drawn into mayhem and murder as foreign agents attempt to seize his latest invention.

Whether in the wilds of Romania or the elegant ballrooms of a London just slightly different from our own, Lavinia must find her way through a shifting web of loyalties and deceit, where nothing is quite as it seems and danger…and love…hides where she least expects it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a splendid, exciting gaslight romantic adventure, with just a hint of steampunk...gloomy castles, daring escapes, and more excitement than you'd find in a penny dreadful. I found it almost impossible to put down."--Joanne Renaud, joannerenaud.com

About the Author

A native of Southern California, Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family’s Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Her short fiction has appeared in Astonishing Adventures, Luna Station Quarterly, and the journal of dark fiction, Dark Valentine. Her paranormal novella, Playing With Fire, was released on August 5, 2010, followed by Sympathy for the Devil in December 2010. Releases for 2011 included Breath of Life, a science fiction reinterpretation of the classic Beauty and the Beast story, and Bad Vibrations, a paranormal romance romp featuring a psychic, a ufologist, and alien conspiracies. Not one to be pigeonholed into a single sub-genre of romance, Christine Pope writes as the mood takes her, and her work encompasses paranormal romance, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and historical romance. She blames this on being easily distracted by bright, shiny objects, which could also account for the size of her shoe collection. After spending many years in the magazine publishing industry, she now works as a freelance editor and graphic designer in addition to writing fiction. She lives with her husband and an explosively fluffy Pomeranian mix in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California, and in fact just returned to the town where she was born, thus disproving the theory that you can’t go home again.

Product Details

• File Size: 438 KB
• Print Length: 336 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0615599818
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Dark Valentine Press (February 2, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00754O88E
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #251,221 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read February 7, 2012

By Kristina Premachuk

Format:Kindle Edition

I really enjoyed this book and I loved the steampunk theme. There were twists and turns in this that actually surprised me, which definitely made it that much better. Lavinia, the protagonist, was a complex character, and you could tell the author put work into making her human, because there were definitely times when I didn't really like the choices the character made.

I've read almost all of this writer's books, and I love that she can cross the different sub-genres in romance with ease. This is one of her best stories thus far, and I'm sure I'll be reading it again.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gold-Plated Romantic Adventure February 11, 2012

By katherine tomlinson

Format:Kindle Edition

The story begins as adventures often do, with a letter from an eccentric relative. Before you can say "steampunk," the Honorable Lavinia Greene-Greene has embarked on an airship journey to Romania where her Uncle Malcolm lives in a castle-slash-laboratory where he invents wonderful things in collaboration with his enigmatic (but intriguing) assistant Joshua Jones.

Joshua isn't the only intriguing man in Lavinia's orbit. On the way to Romania she met the charming Richard Fortescue, an aristocrat with an old fortune and an even older title. (Richard's pursuit is a bit of a relief to Lavinia, who is wary of impoverished suitors and weary of her cousin's advances. (What's a wealthy young woman to do?)

Heart of Gold is a steampunk romance that does not stint on romance but keeps it sensual rather than clinical and appropriate for a lady of Lavinia's station in the time in which she lives. (Never fear, though, Pope gives good kiss.) The action is absorbing, with exciting chases in state-of-the-art steamship conveyances. Throw in some sinister Russians, a murderous plot, half a dozen secrets and a costume ball (the costume Lavinia wears is to die for) and the whole thing adds up to a delicious read.

This is a change of pace for novelist Christine Pope, whose previous contemporary romances include No Return and Bad Vibrations. This book could easily kick-start a series of stories set in her alternative Victorian universe. That would be good news for readers.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read. February 26, 2012

By Inharket

Format:Paperback

There were plenty of things I did love about this book- the twist concerning Joshua Jones made a pleasant enough change from the normal hero, and Miss Greene herself was exceptionally enjoyable.

The book was colourful, well-composed and a quick and easy read. I did feel that it was a bit too obvious in places, however, falling into the 'bad guy' stereotype. As long as you don't mind your story to be a bit obvious in its conclusion, I would recommend picking this up and reading it.

More About the Author

A native of Southern California, Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family's Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Her short fiction has appeared in Astonishing Adventures, Luna Station Quarterly, and the journal of dark fiction, Dark Valentine. Two of her short stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her tenth novel, Dragon Rose, was published in November 2012 by Dark Valentine Press.

Christine Pope writes as the mood takes her, and so her romances include a variety of sub-genres: fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, steampunk. She blames this on being easily distracted by bright, shiny objects, which could also account for the size of her shoe collection. After spending many years in the magazine publishing industry, she now works as a freelance editor and graphic designer in addition to writing fiction. She lives with her husband and an explosively fluffy Pomeranian mix in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California, and in fact just returned to the town where she was born, thus disproving the theory that you can't go home again.

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