Alexandra is a desperate young woman who has disguised herself as a man and lit out to the gold mines of California. Her secret is a tough one to keep—especially after Alex strikes gold in a previously unremarkable mining town called Motherlode. Alex fights for her place among the crude miners, winning herself some friends as well as enemies- even a confused admirer. Swept along by events over which she is not really in control, Alex gets help from the town’s founder and self-appointed matriarch. Emaline is hardcore – a graduate of the school of hard knocks. She is a big woman with a bigger heart, and not much gets by her when it comes to the people of Motherlode, where everybody comes with a past. As for Alex, she discovers a lot more in Motherlode besides gold.
This is the first novel by Volmer, and it’s an engrossing story, rich with wonderfully colorful characters. The California gold rush years can easily be romanticized, and girls disguised as boys is nothing new, but here the gritty atmosphere of the place and time is never glossed over. I hope the author plans more well-told historicals that pull me in this way.
Deann
