You know when you get a book and you know you’ll like it because everything the author has previously written has been great? Yeah, well I didn’t like this book… I absolutely freaking loved it! E.J. Noyes has just blown everything she’s written prior out of the water because this book is by far her best and I am still coming down from my Gold high.
Aspen is an ex Olympic skier, she now spends her time chasing the white gold also known as snow around the world as a Ski Instructor. After an injury changed her life (much worse than her exterior shows), she shies away from being broken again especially heart broken. Cate Tierney appears to have herself together; she has a great job, a loving daughter and wonderful friends. While falling for Aspen could be really easy, she has so much to loose and can’t bare to make another mistake that could effect not only her heart but her daughters. With so much emotional growing to do, can either of these women find a way to make their destined love work?
Gold is written solely from Aspens point of view and what a view on her life she has. Seeing the relationship develop from Aspens eyes was at times exciting and a little funny, other times it’s was heartbreaking. I wanted to hop in the book and give her a big hug.
I really love Aspen. She’s incredibly sweet, loving and wears her heart on her sleeve even to the point in the book that her sister says she has a “Dictionary and Translation service” mapped on her face. But there is a flip side to Aspen; she’s had a tough time. She’s a little timid about love due to her fear that she will get swept up and get left even more broken than the last time she was hurt emotionally and physically. She has her secrets and worries of them often. In saying that, all these things have just made her even more genuine and I felt more connected with her after her emotional scars were known, she seemed more real. I mean this book had me in tears sometimes because my heart was about to burst with all the love and other times because damn, it was just heart breaking.
But in walks Cate and Aspen thinks she hung the moon. She’s falling fast and it looks like Cate is feeling the same way. Cate is completely supportive of Aspen in almost every way except how she deals with her injuries from her Olympic skiing career. It’s the only major sticking point between them but what would romance be without a little angst. I have to mention the sex scene because… Damn! E.J. Noyes certainly turned up the heat in this book. Sexually it was Cate that really shocked me and boy, did that get Aspen all hot and bothered!
I reckon the secondary characters could be revisited in years to come (book years not actual years) with a relationship between Stacey and Gem. I just get the a warm feeling about them in the future… ‘The Geek and The Jock’ trope always has me swooning.
Exceptional book from E.J. Noyes! 5 stars
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Excellent review!