The Gold Coin (Sonnet Books) (urspr publ 2002; utgåvan 1999)

Gold Coin by Andrea Kane 2012 edition
4 STARS

Gold Coin by Andrea Kane is now a ebook. It is a historcal romance novel that was first published years ago. The book starts in 1803.
Two six year old cousins are playing together when one fell into a puddle of mud. Breanna knew her father would be mad that she got the dress grandfather had bought them dirty. Anastaia wished she was the one dirty because her father would not get mad at all. So since everyone at times had problems telling them apart. Anastaia suggested they trade and be each other.
Thier fathers are twins and they married sisters who looked really close to each other. Thier manners are different and they wear thier hair different but they could pull it off. It worked except with their grandfather he could tell that they were being each other.
Grandfather had a conversation with them letting them know that he knew and would give them time to switch dresses. He also gave them each a coin and told them to hold onto them one had gold and the other silver. They were to never show them to anyone for no matter who wanted it.
Thier fathers never got along but now it was worse than ever. So Anastasia and her parents were going to America to open a branch of the family business. Breanna's father would stay and run the England branch.
1817 Anastasia is back home in England. She just lost her father and had already had lost her mother. Her Uncle had offered her a home with her cousin.
Anastasia and Breanna had stayed close through letters and were happy to be reunited.
When they went to the reading of the will thier were some surprises for everyone.
Stacie was left with a finacial gaurdian the Marquess of Sheldrake for three months till she turned 21. Her Uncle got left with only 10,000 to spend on presenting her to Society. He was expecting to have all control of his niece's money and the half of the company he expected to recieve. Instead Stacie's father left everything to his daughter.
Then the lawyer asked both girls if they brought the coins like he asked them too.
They did not bring them but did admit to having them still. He said if they would turn the coins into him that thier grandfather will left them fifty thousand pounds in trust for each of them.
George hates anastasia only invited her to stay with them to get his hands on her money. He owes a lot of money and is doing a lot of schemeing to get money. He has different plans how to get out of his mess.
Breanna and Anastasia make plans of their own to give them a happier life.
The characters are interesting especially all the changes Breanna can now show. Anastasia will not just be a empty headed girl she has plans for her money and ideas how to help others.
Thier are few love scenes that I skimmed over at the back of the book.
I can not wait till I read the Silver Coin soon. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.
10/02/2012 Pub. Open Road ( )

I read The Gold Coin by Andrea Kane 3 stars

Back Cover Blurb

As children, identical cousins Anastasia and Breanna Colby swore always to protect each other. Now that Anastasia's beloved parents have died, she has come to live with Breanna...and Breanna's father, whose raging temper has locked his daughter into a life of fear. What is more, Anastasia soon realizes that her uncle is involved in a sinister scheme that places both young women in deadly danger. Fearing most of all for her cousin, Anastasia turns to the only help she can think of, the man who holds the reins to her considerable fortune-the fascinating, enigmatic Damen Lockewood, Marquess of Sheldrake.

From the moment Anastasia and Damen meet, blazing passion flares between them. But in the face of overwhelming peril-and threats on Anastasia's life-thoughts of love cannot be indulged. Not unless the mystery that entraps them is solved will they at last be able to pursue the future their feelings command them to share. But is the danger stalking them really gone?

My Thoughts

I liked somethings about the book (plot) and disliked other things (characters). First my dislikes,

1. Identical cousins? Really? I know their fathers were twins and their mothers sisters but to be alike enough that their parents can't even tell the two apart? Come on. Only a minor qiuibble I know but annoying enough to jerk me out of the story anytime it was mentioned.

2. Too perfect characters. There were no shades of grey in this book. You had the good guys (where you could all but see the glowing halo's over there heads) and the bad guys who you could imagine walking about in a cloud of their own toxic miasma they were so evil.

3. Romance? What romance? Yes there was a couple in the story but that was it. This is the amount of time devoted to the romance.

Anastasia: Hi, I'm Anastasia I'm incredibly smart, business minded and I won't let you boss me around.

Damen: Hi, I'm Damen. I find your intelligence and business-sense incredibly attractive.

Anastasia: I love you.

Damen: I love you.

Breanna: Thank God you showed up Anastasia to take this rich, charming and incredibly handsome gentleman off my hands. Too think I almost had to marry him - the horror!

And that's it. Yes for awhile Anastasia had to pretend to be Breanna so Breanna's father wouldn't find out but that's it. And there was no conflict in the relationship since they were both perfect. How can there be?

4. Wallpaper Historical - while I don't consider my self an expert on history by any stretch of the imagination I find it incredibly hard to believe any of the characters in this story acted true to the time period. Viscount's and Marquieses as business men. The girls had entirely too much freedom with zero consequences.

After all this what did I like?

The plot moved along quite well. It was actually quite a good suspense plot although I'd consider it suspense light since you always knew what the bad guy was planning and so did the good guys so you could be pretty certain it was going to work out well for the good guys. Even so it kept me turning the pages and was left on a bit of a cliffhanger so although I'm luke warm about the characters I'll be reading the second book. I'm hoping to enjoy the next one a little more as Breanna didn't appear to be the "fiesty" heroine stereotype that Anastasia was. I also hope her hero has some flaws and they have a few internal challenges to work out. ( )