Good as Gold is a new release by author Sarina Bowen. I am fairly new to her work, only having read two of her books. Both of which I enjoyed. So when I learnt that her latest release was available for review I immediately signed up for it. In Good as Gold Bowen delivered a sweet and emotional friends to lovers romance.
A swoony, heart-wrenching small-town romance . I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: Good as Gold
Author(s): Sarina Bowen
Series: Giltmaker #1
Published by Tuxbury Publishing LLC on June 1, 2023
Pages: 312
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Source: Publicist
Format: eArc 
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating: 
Series Rating:
Heat Level: 
Leila:What I meant to do: Quietly divorce my lout of a husband and then have a child all on my own. What happens instead: My crush comes back to town when I’m at my most vulnerable. After too many cocktails, I ask him to be my baby’s father. In my defense, it’s been a rough couple of months. Seeing Matteo Rossi again after fourteen years has done a number on my emotions. And my libido. In the morning, I’m hoping he’s forgotten the whole thing. But no such luck. In fact, Matteo has a few clarifying questions. And a few naughty ideas, too…
Matteo: What I meant to do: visit Vermont for my brother’s wedding. Make amends to my family, and mourn the loss of a friend. What happens instead: a hot affair with the one who got away. But it can’t last. My life is two thousand miles away, and Leila deserves everything. She’s as good as gold.
The hero, Matteo Rossi, is an entrepreneur currently living in Colorado. He is mourning the loss of his best friend and business partner. He left Vermont fourteen years ago to carve his own path. When he discovered his best friend from high school was dating the girl he loved, he chose not to return home. Since then, he has built a successful business. Now, with his brother’s upcoming nuptials, he no longer had an excuse not to return to Vermont.
The heroine, Leila Giltmaker a recent divorcee, is slowly trying to get her life back together. One of her greatest desires involves experiencing motherhood, an opportunity she never got while married. Matteo’s return and several shots of tequila had her asking him to be the father.
Matteo and Leila’s story drew me in. I adored them both. These two went through so much and one could easily relate to their pain and grief. Matteo is such a sweet and caring guy. He went all out for those he loves. Now i see why the story is named Good as Gold. He embodies the phrase perfectly. Leila independence and determination shined throughout the story. She knows exactly what she wants and nothing or no one could stop her. Not even a disgruntled and drunk ex husband.
While reading, I recognized that some of the secondary character had their own stories so now I have added several more books to my TBR. Now, as much as I enjoyed the story, I had issues with the story line relating Leila’s ex. Neither Matteo nor Leila dealt with him the way I expected, given what he put them both through.
Overall, Good as Gold was a delightful, heartfelt friends to lovers romance which will appeal to fans of the genre.
| Story Evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Characters | |
| World Building | |
| Writing Style | |
| Pacing | |
| Cover | |
| Enjoyment | |
| Ending | |
| Overall: | |
About Sarina Bowen
Sarina Bowen is a twenty-three time USA bestselling author, and a Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance novels. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University. A New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country in the 1760s, Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. She lives with her family on a few wooded acres in New Hampshire. Sarina’s books are published in over a dozen languages with fifteen international publishers.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
