Book Review: Gold Fire

Author: Starr Ambrose
Publication Date: November 27, 2012
Publisher: Pocket Books

Reformed wild-woman Zoe Larkin meets her match in saloon-owner Jase Garrett in this lighthearted, steamy romance set in a picturesque mountain resort town.

Welcome to Barringer’s Pass, Colorado—a mountain paradise with a long memory. The Larkin sisters have tried for years to make the town forget the wild ways of their youths, but Alpine Sky Resort assistant manager Zoe Larkin can still feel the judgment, despite her guarded manner and sensible skirts. Her big chance to be taken seriously as a business woman comes in the form of a land deal: all she has to do is persuade the owner of the rundown Rusty Wire saloon to sell so the Alpine Sky can build a golf course on the land.

Jase Garrett made a name for himself as a world-class competitive skiier and won four Olympic medals. But the tragic death of his best friend nine years ago threw him off course, and the Rusty Wire is both his sanctuary and his hideaway, so he will never sell. No matter what.

Zoe goes back to the drawing board with a little assistance from her very attractive boss. But when Jase is the victim of arson, Zoe becomes the number one suspect. Has she sunk to new lows to gain a promotion? Or is she the victim, too?

Zoe and Jase must work together—very closely together—to clear her name, save the Rusty Wire, and see if the sparks fly as well in the bedroom as they do at the negotiating table.

 

 

“The tiny pause before her name gave it all the impact it needed to remind her that the two older Larkin sisters had a reputation in this town, one Zoe was beginning to think they might never live down.” – Paperback Copy pg. 27

“Beneath his scowl, his blue eyes were piercing, searching hers for the answer.” – Paperback Copy pg. 63

“He didn’t want to think it, but her words buzzed like hornets in his ears, insisting he pay attention.” – Paperback Copy pg. 94

“He gave a bitter laugh and rubbed his forehead. ‘Why’ again. Hell I don’t know. Maybe I’m crazy. Something about you scrambles my brain. Maybe it is because you kissed me, because for a second there I saw the real you without your guard up.’ He cocked his head, looking her up and down as if they’d just met. ‘You’d make a lousy poker player, Zoe. Or a liar. You’re not good at hiding your feelings once you let them see daylight, are you?’ – Paperback Copy pg. 190

 

Just from the cover I knew that I would enjoy this book. I love stories that are set in western towns and filled with hunky, sarcastic cowboys. That description definitely fits Jase Garrett. Zoe Larkin, on the other hand, is a little uptight and is just wants to escape the nasty reputation that her two older sisters left behind that have soiled the Larkin name. Zoe plans to go straight to the top and is about to close the deal of a lifetime and she is bound and determined to not let the lets of some stupid cowboy get in her way. Their story takes us to Barringer’s Pass, Colorado where a lot is about to go down in a rather short amount of time! Zoe and Jase cut straight to the chase; they both know what they want and they stop at nothing to have it!

 

I really enjoyed Jase’s character a whole lot more than I liked Zoe’s. It honestly took me a few chapters to warm up to Zoe, and that hardly ever happens to me. Usually it’s the other way around. I usually love the female character and completely despise the male character because of how they are written. Zoe was just too uptight at times. I respect her decision to want to live a different life than her sisters have, and to recover from a rather rebellious teenager but at times I feel like she just takes it too far and I wish I could see her more laidback from the start. She is all about structure and focusing on her career. Zoe did grow on me a little more as the book developed and so did her relationship with Jase!

 

Jase, on the other hand, I loved from the first page. He was sarcastic and loved to give Zoe a hard time as soon as he met her. Some of his dialogue is very well written and I could always hear that cowboy voice pop into my head when I got to his lines. He is a simple man who is also as stubborn as Zoe, and she just doesn’t know that she has really met her match. My favorite parts of the book were when Jase challenged Zoe. He was always putting her on the spot and forcing her to face her feelings. The relationship of these two was very well developed and I actually felt like they were a real couple. Their relationship became so real while I was reading it that I almost forgot it was just a story.

 

This book was so fast paced and full of highly suspenseful moments. Without these two elements I don’t believe that I would have enjoyed the romance in the story as much. The suspense that Starr used came in at just the right moments and was just the right pace. I was very impressed with this aspect of the story. Jase handled every situation with complete charisma and poise, I might add, and he just stole my heart from the beginning!

 

***A copy of the book was so kindly sent to me by the publishers at Pocket Books in exchange for my honest review***