A good book that had a perfect mix of mystery, romance and thrill.
Wonderfully written and very well paced. Definitely recommend!

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

An engrossing mystery novel with enough suspense and romance to keep me wanting more.

I have seriously waited so long for this book. Ever since another author read an early manuscript and gushed about it being so amazing, I knew I had to read it. So I waited, waited and waited some more. But in the end it was so worth it. The only bad thing I can say is it ended way too quickly. But I couldn’t put it down. Every free second I was inhaling this story.

Leilah and Connor have a past. One riddled with immense pain and tons of regret. When Leilah calls on him for help, he has to choose between traveling down that broken road with the risk of being torn into all over again or just walking away.

Pace did not disappoint with this book, with her words or with the delicious chemistry that was thick between Lie and Connor. I could not get enough. I loved how the story played out and how we received bits and pieces of their past through out. It’s grittiness pulled me in but it was the raw secrets revealed every so often that kept me intrigued and immersed in the story.

The romance had my heart and the mystery kept me guessing. I could definitely go for more of these characters, as I am not ready to let them go just yet. TRUE GOLD is one book I would absolutely recommend. It is an incredible 5 Star read!

theres a lot of drama in this one. personal, petty, stupid drama (most of the time). If you like that kind of drama it's the book for you! Otherwise, it's still a well written story with a decent story line of broken trust, and lost treasure.

I was drawn to Michelle Pace’s TRUE GOLD because it’s set in True, Alaska—and the cover is beautiful—but enjoyed it because of the story. I had a terrible accident a few years ago that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and about three weeks of memory loss. Since then, I’m fascinated by stories with characters who struggle with memory. True Gold really takes place over about a ten-year period, starting with Delilah Campbell and Connor Garrett were teenagers and in love. After a bad breakup and life happening in the interim decade, they’re still drawn to each other when Delilah needs Connor’s help in finding her missing mother (which tells you they had a lot to build on to begin with). There are a lot of characters, and a lot of explaining (because the story is complex, both in terms of the timespan and flashbacks, and Delilah’s period of amnesia), and it’ll run you through the emotional wringer, but it’s good. This was my first romance from Pace, and I’ll definitely check out more of her stuff.

*Originally published on Frolic: https://frolic.media/june-and-july-romantic-suspense-round-up/

I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.

Growing up in Ture, Alaska, the only truth I knew was that Delilah Campbell was an arrogant pain in my butt. She was also my everything, and still haunts my every waking moment. I don't have a single memeory that doesn't include Lie, and I can still taste her, even thought Alaska is no longer big enough for the both of us. After our savage breakup, I fled chasing my dream of becoming a decorated Green Beret. Ten year later, one bad jump propellled me straight from Special Forces back home guiding rich idiots into the wilderness, where I struggle to keep them from getting themselves killed. It's not the life I planned, but at least I'm not behind a desk somewhere. Then one night, my cell rings, shattering my peaceful existence. "Connor," Id' recognize her voice anywhere, and it's like I'm sixteen again, crazy in love, and cocky as all get out after finding all those gold bars everyone's been searching for since before we were even born. I want to tell her to go away and throw my phone in the river, but it seems Delilah's visceral grip on me is permanent. "It's mom. She's missing. I need your help...."

This is the story of Connor and Delilah who have known each other since they were little. When her mom's plane disappears she needs helpt and calls Connor. He just happens to be her ex and never thought that he would hear from her again. The search is on but will Connor help her since thier breakup was so bad? Where did her Mom's plane disappear to and will they ever find her? You have to read to find out. I really liked these character's but this book at times was a little slow paces is why it wasn't a five star read for me. I kept waiting at times for things to happen. Other than that I thought it was a good story.

The blurb got me with this book...well the location.....Alaska (I love it there!!!)

I loved the mystery that was weaved into the story. The suspense!!!! Another aspect that drew me one was second chance romance. True Gold had everything in book that I gravitate towards.

I can not wait to read more from Ms.Pace.

This was definitely an interesting read. The blurb 100% pulled me in and did a really good job in describing what the book was about.

What happens when you get amnesia and forget who you are and live the life you have come to known for a year then all of a sudden get into another accident and get your memories back, all except the last year of your life?

What would you do if you see a man that looks at you with nothing but love in his eyes, but you have no clue who he is?

These are all questions that our leading lady Toni has to face. She was known as Jenn by the friends that she made in the past year, that she has no recollection of.

These thoughts are absolutely terrifying that I thought that the author did a great job of explaining that.

The mystery, the plot, the characters, and their steam were all extremely enjoyable to read and I liked this book. KL Ramsey also did a great job of setting up the entire series, I am 100% wanting to read the next one!

4 outta 5 stars from me and looking forward to more!

PS: I received this book as an ARC but am voluntarily reviewing it!

Typical romance/crime. Two people who were once in love are brought back together when one of their mothers go missing. They’re forced to work together while working through what tore them apart years before. Every single question I had was answered by the end! I loved that this was set in Alaska ❤️

True Gold is a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat! There are culprits, thieves, mysteries, and a second chance at love.
Searching for her lost Alaskan bush pilot mother, Delilah is reunited with pilot Connor after years of remorse, anger and difficult feelings to say the least. There is more to the disappearance than a plane crash…so much more!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A very fast paced story with alot of twists and turns. Lilah with the help of her ex Conner returns to her hometown after her mom vanishes in her plane but it doesn't end there. They soon learn the reason for her disappearance and the possible trap they have walked into. It was exciting and emotional and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Connor, Delilah and Alaska and the gold bars made for some entertaining reading. And I must confess for me the passion and excitement of those teenage years made the book.
I loved how the chapters went back and forth being told by Connor or Delilah, seeing how totally they were apart of each other even when apart.
Watching the second chance at love unfold got me through the blood and gore.

When they were 16, Connor and Lilah found one of two remaining lost pallets of gold tossed from a hijacked plane before they were ever born. Now years later, Lilah’s mother Lu is missing and Connor is the only one Lilah trusts to help find her.

This was a pretty good book. It was well paced and easy to read. Connor and Lilah both have a lot of baggage to deal with, so that is unpacked over the course of the book too as they search for Lu. The cast of characters is large but not overwhelming. The story is intense, too, in a good way.

This exciting escape is a great vacation read.

3.5 Stars

Michelle Pace is a first-time author for me. So, going into this book I had no clue what to expect from her writing. I just knew that cover and synopsis was intriguing, and I really wanted to read it.

Overall, I enjoyed True Gold, and would most definitely read another by her. I do have to admit, though, the first quarter to half the read was a rough start. I contemplated DNFing.
Lie and Connor frustrated the hell out of me. Their angsty push/pull and lack of communication drove me insane. Head meet wall. I had to walk away a few times. On top of that, the slow pacing in which the author reveals their past made it hard for me to connect, to either one. I cared more about what happened back in the day and finding out those answers than I did about their current situation and growth. I was losing steam and interest, fast.
Ms. Pace is a favorite of a few readers I trust, which is what kept me pushing through, hoping to find that somethin' somethin' they all really seemed to love.

I’m so glad I did; the second half of the book was where all the magic was at. This was the Michelle Pace I was hoping to go gaga over when I started. This is where Lie and Connor shined. This is where this frustrating as hell couple started to communicate and work through their issues. This is where I grew attached and began to care about their end game. This is where the action started, and the suspense played out. This is where the “true gold” was. This is where I saw exactly what made other readers fall so in love with her work.

True Gold by Michelle Pace

I almost gave up on this book in the beginning. Why? Because I found Connor and Delilah so mean to one another. I realized there had to be a back story but couldn’t understand how the two, with so much anger between them, could ever find a happily ever after. As I read further the flashbacks began to show how the two of them might have ended up feeling and acting as they did and still having mega-chemistry between them. By the end of the book I was rooting for them to end up alive and safe together.

This book, set in Alaska, was a roller coaster ride of emotions, dysfunctional families, relationship problems, poor communication, greed, secrets, a treasure hunt, kidnapping, murder, mayhem and a second chance romance and it kept me reading till the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

This book didn't work for me. I am declining a full review at this time......................................................................................................................................................................

<b> I received an arc copy via Netgalley for my honest review </b>

I went into this thinking it was something different than it was. I’ve read The Simple Wild by K.A Tucker which is a romance set in Alaska, and no I don’t ever compare books to another but I was thinking it was something like that. This one is darker, and more of a mystery/ gritty read.

I liked the characters. It was clear they were toxic in their younger years and had a rocky relationship and break up. However I liked them towards the ending when they started to grow up and stop holding grudges. But there were parts about their past brought up that were real triggering (abuse). This also involves a sort of treasure hunt, they solved when they were younger and gangsters that have caused a lot of issues and attempted murder. Hence the darkness. Also towards the end there is a attempted rape scene and multiple times rape is mentioned. A lot of violence.

Overall I think if it was more tailored to their relationship I would have liked it more. I almost dnf because at the beginning Conner mentioned his private parts about 6 times in one paragraph and it seemed like we were literally going to hear nothing other than what his dick thinks from his perspective but it changed.

The ending was crazy and wild. I liked it but I kind of wanted maybe an epilogue with them years in the future or something?

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

Connor looked at the unmarked beauty of the Kenai peninsula lured Connor home after years abroad. Though his memories of Alaska are mixed and complicated., this land had been in his family for generations. There was no place where Connor would rather live after being hurt and jarringly discharged from the Army ,after ten years, that he had planned on being his career. Neither surgery or months of physical therapy changed the fact he was only eighty percent of his former self, which wasn’t enough for the Special Forces. He was faced with a desk job or discharge. Connoe refused to go from green beret to paper pusher. He found a way to use his unique skills. Leading tourist on hunting and fishing expeditions which paid the bills. And Connor volunteered for Search and Rescue, He just finished a ten day hunt and always scheduled seven days of solitude after an expedition. He didn’t want to answer the phone but his gut told him and his gut was never wrong. Even as a chill ran through Connor. Than Connor realizes Delaila/Lilah/Lie was on the phone. This woke up his temper as well and his dorment libado. It had been a long time since he had heard her voice. Lilah sounded nervous which is rare as she was the cockiest person Connor had ever met. Lilah had been Connors first friend- since they were babies, first kiss, first time, first heartbreak. Lilah had been the only girl Connor had ever loved and their disastrous breakup had whipped Connor’s but ten times worse than his terrible father ever had. Connors mom Claire had been friends with Luann since elementary school. Connor had to move away in fourth grade but they moved back to Fort Richardson when they started Junior High. Than they showed up on their doorstep Claire with a black eye and Connor looking like he had went three rounds with Mike Tyson. At sixteen Connor told he wanted to be more than friends. Than Lilah said “Connor are you there?” . She had a lot of nerve calling him, once upon a time they had been inseraple . Lilah said she needed his help her mother was missing. Lilah’s mom Luann was Connor’s godmother and the only Campbell still had anything to do with him. Than Connor asked what happened? Lilah said she took the plane out to make deliveries four days ago and she never came back. With rare exceptions, very few pilots go missing in the bush and live to talk about it. As much as it pained him to admit Luann was probably dead and they just hadn’t found her yet. She said it took her thirty minutes to get Boone to finally text her Connor’s number. Connor hadn’t heard about Luann and Lilah said her sister Andi had just told her yesterday. Andi was a local. He asked if she could talk to Search and rescue and find out who was in charge and have them give her a call. She asked Conor to guide her and he said no. Lilah said she was going to find her mom and who could he suggest that she hired as a guide within the next seventy two hours the search for Luann would end. Lilah always had mad wilderness skills. Her sense of direction put his to shame. Experienced or not the Alaskian wilderness is no place to wander by yourself. Even well equipped and seasoned, dangers are plentiful. There were few guides Connor trusted and the final frontier can turn deadly in an instant. When a woman looked like Delialah….. Delilah’s ex husband Josh used to say she had an overdeveloped sense of adventure. She had never put much stock in peoples opinions and being an oddity never bothered her much. Luann was a commercial supply pilot., delivering groceries and other necessities to people who live far enough out that driving or boating into town isn't a practical option. Luann had a reputation for always making the right call, and she always always finds her way home. Until now. Lilah hadn’t slept much since receiving a strange phone call for her mother from her mother on the morning she was reported missing. Whereever she’d been whens she;d called Lilah she had very poor reception and she had only managed to catch a few words” Li found -Aurora - your father” than Lilah said “Mom” than her mom said “ low - don’t - home” Than “ I - Connor”. Than her mom said “Don’t trust anyone”, that one sentence was clear. But her mom was slurring her words and she would have never expected that from her dad yes but not her mom. There was something more though beyond that she sounded off…. Afraid maybe. The call dropped then, Lilah tried calling Luann back several times but no answer than she got busy and put it aside. Two nights later her younger sister Andi called with the news and said check her email before hanging up. Lilah went to her laptop and saw an email from Boone, her unofficial brother back home, who worked for Search and Rescue. The email contained a bunch of links to news stories about her mom and her missing plane. With or without Connor, she’d be searching for her in some pretty remote areas. Some places she'll be traveling have no roads at all. Connor tried to call her back but Lilah didn’t answer. Connor knew he had no choice but to help Lilah find Luann.
I enjoyed this book. I loved the suspense, danger, and action. I didn’t want to put this down. This book grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept it until the very end. Delilah and Connor had hot chemistry. This story had me guessing a lot. I loved the double point of view. It did seem like Delilah and Connor just pushed their joint past away. Although bits and pieces did come out throughout the book. I loved the pace and plot. I loved that Luann hadn’t turned her back on Connor no matter what. I loved the characters and the twists and turns of this book and I recommend it. I wish I could rate this 4.5 .

True Gold by Michelle Pace is a romantic thriller that I really enjoy. Conner is a former Green Beret who guides rich people on wilderness trips out of True, Alaska. Delilah Campbell, Conner's former girlfriend, calls him for help in finding her missing mother. Unfortunately they had a bad break up, and Conner wants nothing to do with Delilah, but he is fond of her mom, so he agrees to help. I enjoyed this book. Kept me interested all the way through. Would recommend this book to any one who enjoys this genre. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.