The Test of Gold
by Renee Yancy

The story is set in the Golden age in figh Avenue where Lindy has been groomed by her mother to marry into British aristocracy but unfortunately Lindy is completely uninterested as she is a bit of a bookworm and rather spend her time in the family library reading literature.

I was a tad disappointed in this book as it could have had such potential but it fell flat the characters were very dysfunctional and didn’t gel together. Very slow and drawn out. Not got me I’m afraid. 2.5/5

Failed to catch any chemistry between the leads, and both protagonists felt very wooden and not at all like fully embodied people... Was really looking forward to this story, but the relationship itself just never clicked to engage me

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good historical fiction romance novel.

I enjoyed this book immensely and I would definitely recommend it. It had everything I love in a book and who doesn’t love a forbidden romance?

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
A sweet historical romance that did not completely thrill me, but I finished nonetheless.

It is a sweet Historical Romance. I enjoyed reading it. Though the plot is very fast paced but the story is good. I wish to read more of this author's book because this is my first read of this author.

In general I enjoyed this book but it did not hit the sweet spot for me that I would go back and reread it. This is a new to me author and I would try some other. books before making a decision on whether to recommend this author to others.

DNF for me. The characters seem to be moving very quickly with each other dispute nothing really happening. They just seem overly familiar right off the bat and when information is shared it seems more like an information dump than what would naturally progress. Otherwise I thought the blurb was good and the characters seem nice so far it is just the writing style does not seem all that natural.

I couldn't garner much interest in any of the characters and it seemed the H and h were both rather shallow and self-centered. I thought the entire story line was rather formulaic without much development. Cannot recommend. #NetGalley #TheTestofGold

If you are looking for a introduction into Sweet Historical Romances this is the book for you!
Jack Winthrop is your typical nerdy guy studying for the ministry and doing dual degrees. He happens to be allowed into the home of the Lindenmayers because they have a library that is top notch!
Lindy is the only daughter and so she has been groomed by mommy to make a match and her mother covets one from the British overseas! Lindy on the other hand is a secret blue stocking and privately has been meeting Jack,
You see where I am going! Mommy Dearest erupts and the outcome is not pretty! Read this book because you won’t believe what all happens!!

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

I am very delayed in reviewing this book, mainly because it is the first among three total books I have read recently that all resulted in an overall negative impression. So I am in the midst of a dreaded "book slump," so take my negative impressions with a grain of salt. It's been a rough month.

I actually really, really enjoyed the first half of this book. I thought this might just be a 5 star read for the year, because the heroine was kind and strong, and the hero was the same way. They seemed to really love each other, their romance growing from a slow burn, and I saw such potential. Then things took a turn into the ridiculous, and it just kept getting worse and worse. Observe...

1. The heroine's absolutely godawful mother locks her in her room for freaking weeks. WEEKS. To keep her away from the hero and in punishment for not wanting to marry the duke who is interested in her. The heroine practically starves herself, and beats on the door until she's literally bloody, and no one cares. And then her mother FAKES an illness to make her daughter guilty - although why her daughter would feel guilty at this point was mind-boggling - and out of this unreasonable sense of guilt, the heroine agrees to marry who her mother wants. SO.....that makes sense to me. That she still holds a sense of love towards her mother after that abuse. AND did I mention her psycho mother threatens to shoot the hero if they marry? What a loving mother.

2. Then the wedding. Because the second half of this book contains an absolutely comedy of errors, the heroine ends up not marrying the duke. Rejects him at the walter, which HUZZAH. FInally she shows backbone. But of course, the hero is watching from the balcony and leaves before he sees that she's rejected the duke. The hero is now off to work at a summer camp of all places, and the heroine is left to go live with her aunt.

3. The hero, heartbroken, resists the charms of another woman at the camp for a little while, but then he finally succumbs and begins to court her. Even though she is vapid and not an appealing woman. It made no sense, that he would move on so easily without much care for the other woman's feelings.

4. The heroine's aunt decides that she needs a break and sends her off to...where, you ask? Well, of course, the camp that the hero has been working at. She sees him with the other woman, and when she speaks to them, the other woman says they're engaged. Which is not true. Of course, the hero is slow to correct her, and the heroine runs off thinking he has already moved on. She goes back home with her aunt.

5. The hero returns to NYC to see his uncle, and his uncle tries to convince him that the heroine left without letting him explain because she doesn't feel the same way towards him. Because that makes sense. And then the hero starts to doubt the heroine. Because she ran away after seeing him with another woman...because she DOESN'T care. Really, folks, it's amazing I kept reading.

And what ensues after that is a bunch of near misses where they keep trying to find each other and missing each other. The other woman goes batshit crazy, but then once she "realizes the hero truly loves the heroine," all of a sudden she's cool with it. It was all just so ridiculous and unrealistic. I read until the end, and by then, I wished I hadn't. Two stars for the great first half of the book. That's all I can give.

The first book in the Hearts of Gold series a story that kept me turning pages. The story is well written with a very good storyline. Heiress Evangeline "Lindy" Lindenmayer and Jack Winthrop who is studying for the ministry at Union Theological Seminary's story, this writer makes it feel like you are there watching as things happen to this couple. I received a copy of this book via Net Galley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Test of Gold is the first book in Hearts of Gold series.
Evangeline "Lindy" Lindenmayer is ready to be presented to high society. Her mother will make sure of it, it's has to be just so and she's been planning this presentation for years. Her mother is planning further and will do anything to make sure her daughter catches the eye of a Duke for marriage.
When Lindy tries to stand up to her mother she is impossible to reason with and turns to her husband for his support. Now one thing her father has never been able to do is stand up to her mother.
Lindy is her own person and is a modern woman with her own mind. She wants to marry a man of her own choosing she has fallen in love with and do something very few women did back then .
There is a general halabaloo with this modern minded woman not bowing and scraping to her mother and I was glad to see she is standing up for herself.
This is my first read by this author and I look forward to reading more by her.

Pub Date 15 Mar 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I had to wait awhile for this book but it was ohhhh so worth it!
I enjoyed it to a T.
I finished it one day it was so good!
This is a different kind of story from this author that I was thrilled with completely!
My heart ached for Lindy yet I really admired her for her strength, determination and love among many other things!
I found myself rooting for her and Jack the whole entire time!
People can be so cruel and selfish! But it really surprised me that this person would be. I didn't like her at all. Heaven help them whomever crossed her path.
You know, in a way this book reminds me of Disney's Tangled.
This book was better than that.
I highly recommend
My thanks for a copy of this book and was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own

Sorry, I really tried to get into it. But it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I don’t think I’ll be recommending this book. A little too dull for my taste.

While I really enjoyed the Gilded age setting and getting to see parts of New York in this time, this story and the romance was just missing something for me.
I really enjoyed how much our characters loved reading and their discussions on literature were great. But the characters had such a short time together before having to go their separate ways I just didn’t believe they were truly in love. They are apart for a big chunk of the book and basically pining after each other but I just needed more chemistry to believe they could still fight for each other after that long.
It should also be noted that this book is very low on the steam level and I would have loved to see at least a kiss but if that is something you like in your historicals this one might be for you.

I had a difficult time getting into this book. The premise of this story sounded really interesting. A bookish heroine, who is trying not to follow society’s expectations and a hero who is studying to follow in his uncle’s footsteps.

I felt that the writing style was too fragmented for my own liking and led me to having difficulty getting into this book.

So - this book and I had a love hate relationship. I adore golden age stories and I loved the author's detailed descriptions of the fashion and the surroundings. But here's the thing - the hero and heroine could not have had more than 7 scenes together in the entire book - and I'm not even sure if they even kiss at any point - I don't think they did. And this was not a short book. In fact I reached the 26% mark and was shocked that the book wasn't over yet. I did read the whole - thing - but at the end I wasn't satisfied or even happy I did.

Beyond the lack of interaction between the hero and heroine - I also took issue with the number of characters that appear and disappear throughout the book. Like Lindy's cousin Emma - who was fascinating - and when she appeared I thought we might be getting to a transition point in the book, but no. She disappears never to be seen again. Or the introduction of the truly unstable Gillian at the end of the book.

I also thought Lindy's mother Vera, who is truly abusive to all around her, and a complete sociopath was handled in a way that was shocking. The woman locks Lindy in her room for a long time and then fakes serious illness to force Lindy into doing what she wants - ending with serious threats to murder the man Lindy loves. Even with all of this, Lindy is upset that her mother won't talk to her and hopes she'll forgive her someday? What??? There is absolutely no satisfying resolution there.

In fact, I really left the book feeling wholly unsatisfied. Yes Lindy and Jack finally find each other and vow to get married. But that is the end of the book. No glimpse in to what happens to them - no resolution with Lindy's parents. Nothing.

Overall - and I never say this - I would not recommend this book. The author wrote so beautifully about the time period - that it pains me to say that. But the story - the story just wasn't there for me.

I received this as an ARC from Goodreads, but these opinions are my own.

Heiress Evangeline "Lindy" Lindenmayer has been groomed since childhood to marry into the British aristocracy as her mother's ultimate ambition is a royal title for the family name. But literature fascinates Lindy far more than ballroomss, and she spends all her free time in the library, the only room in the Fifth Avenue mansion where she can safely indulge her passion for reading and find refuge from the prying eyes of her mother. Jack Winthrop is studying for the ministry at Union Theological Seminary and has been invited to use the Lindemayer's library for his studies. His sole experience of upper-class young women has occurred at his uncle's church, where he has found these young debutantes universally featherbrained. When he meets Lindy, he is pleasantly surprised to discover she has wide-ranging interests and is highly intelligent.
A new author to me & it certainly won’t be the last I read. A well written book with charming characters. I really liked both Jack & Lindy & how their secret & forbidden romance progressed. I also perversely liked Lindy's mother even though her aspirations were annoying but humorous. I loved how Lindy grew throughout the book. An engaging read which kept my interest all the way through
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I received this copy from NetGalley as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was was long and drawn out at times, And it took a while for Lindy and Jack to get things right. I did like the setting of the gilded age in America.