Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a sweet romance. The characters had believable and interesting backstories. I really liked the fact that our hero Nikolai - which by the way I have to say I'm IN LOVE with that name - wasn't the typical player who would be later "reformed" by the MC. He was very nice, he was sweet, even when he went all caveman on her, he was never that typical alpha. He admitted the connection he had with her and went for it. This was all SO REFRESHING.

The main character was strong and had a FANTASTIC journey of healing and seeing herself for what she really was. I liked her. All of her reactions were justified and understandable and I never was exasperated or annoyed by her - which was a first, and again: REFRESHING.

I will say, though: I did feel their romance falling a little into insta-love, which stopped me from absolutely adoring them.

I also felt the ending really lacking, and the "magic" of the book was a little disappointing.

I'm not sure if I'll read another book of hers, I guess depending on the plot, but for now I give Sugar and Gold 3 out of 5 stars.

It's hard to believe I've only been reading Emma Scott's books for a year now, but in that time I have discovered the of the beauty and grace of her writing. Her skill at easily drawing out my emotions for her characters has quickly made her one of my top auto-read authors. It doesn't matter what genre or subject matter she decides to explore, I'll be first to add it to my TBR.

That being said, sometimes I just can't shut off my inquisitive mind when reading, and in this case, that prevented it from being a big winner for me like they have been in the past. There were too many times I kept stopping to question the validity of different aspects of the plot. In other cases, I just wanted more of an explanation or closure. But judging my the overall excitement for this book, I know that I'm in the minority with my pickiness this time so please don't let me scare you off from checking this unique story out.

Fiona Starling is twenty-three, but only now is she getting her first taste of independence and freedom. After surviving childhood lacking in love, she reached adulthood vulnerable to the manipulative man who swept her into his web of lies. It took her years to escape the abuse at his hands, but his words still have the power to mark her every single day. His taunts and insults are a constant soundtrack to her psyche, tearing into her self-worth until she can forcibly turn down the noise.

Everyone has a dream. Hers is a simple one: finding peace. And Costa Rica is her plan to finally break free from the chains that still bind her.

Nikolai is a tortured man, struggling to just find some semblance of peace himself. Unlike Fiona, it isn't just one person who invades his head, it's him against the world. Every person he comes in contact with transmits emotions and sometimes even thoughts through a color and image aura he's named the ken, that only he can see. His unwanted ability to read people leads him to a lonely life on the road playing poker for a living and trying to limit human contact for his own sanity. Up until now, the only momentary escape he can find is the pain at the end of a tattoo needle. But his canvas is almost completely covered, and he's not sure how he can manage without that small comfort when it's gone.

Then he meets Fiona, and during their one night of passion something inexplicable falls into place.

Fiona is the first person he's met who radiates kindness, care, and compassion. The only ugliness surrounding her is the one that haunts her, and he wishes with everything he has that he can take it all away for her. When they're together, the buzz of their intense attraction is only a bonus. The real prize is the comfort and the quiet they both give each other. Though neither has any experience with a healthy relationship, and she doesn't want to alter her plans to leave the country they're both willing to try.

Until one devastating event knocks their lives off course in a way neither could have anticipated. I have to say, the direction that the story went took me completely off guard. To be 100% honest, I didn't love this twist. I felt as if there were too many details that didn't seem at all plausible.

The main characters were sweet together, the secondary characters endearing and supportive friends. I did enjoy this couple, and the PNR element was one that I was really interested to read about. But the nagging plot points were rearing their head.

Issues aside, what I loved most about this book was Fiona's journey to self-empowerment. Spousal emotional abuse is an important topic to be educated about, and I feel as if it was very delicately and respectfully addressed. Fiona came out stronger in the end, realizing that she alone was relinquishing her power to him, and she had to make the choice to own it and take it back.

While this wasn't a huge five star win for me, I know that many others loved it wholeheartedly, so I urge everyone to give this a chance if it sounds like something they would enjoy. It was an original story with a miraculous kind of love that had the strength to heal two very broken people.

Though Sugar & Gold is connected to How to Save a Life with recurring characters, this is a complete STANDALONE. I did not read HTSAL and had no issues whatsoever.

SUGAR & GOLD was such an unusual story that I was grabbed by the uniqueness very early on. This is light-touch PNR with an equal contemporary feel. Nik has a gift that is really a curse and his nomadic lifestyle helps him to just deal with existing. Nik rides into town and he and Fiona cross paths. Fiona was a mouse in some ways but eventually a fierceness emerged and despite her desire to just sink into the background, she had substance and I did like her very much. I wanted life to be fair to her and for her to be safe. Nik was a troubled guy but there was more to his and Fiona's connection that just chemistry and I must say the chemistry was electric. Nik was the character that immediately drew me in, I loved him.

The story was largely unpredictable and I enjoyed that sense of fog about what would happen. The emotions of the characters were so well written that I felt it all. The highs were great but the lows made me feel hopeless. Emma Scott can write these emotions so that the resonnance just vibrates through.

The connection of book one to book two is tenuous as the characters standalone, yet I must advise reading in order to fully enjoy Evan's place in the story. I enjoyed the small snapshot into Evan's life.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley in return for an honest review.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

5 BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN STARS!!! The book was so good I could not put down, it held my attention from page one until the end. This was my first book by Emma Scott and it will not be my last. I loved seeing this story play out for Nikolai and Fiona two broken souls for different reasons. I highly recommend this book, it should be on you tbr list. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book from publisher via NetGalley.

3.5 stars

I am a huge Emma Scott fan, so Sugar & Gold was a must read for me. It has a little paranormal, a lot of romance, some suspense and overall a great read.

Nikolai Alexei Young has a gift. He doesn't see it so much as a gift than other's would. He views it as more of a curse. He sees the heart and soul of everyone he comes across. He can see everything which helps him win poker games (how he makes a living) but also feels the pain of other's.

When he meets Fiona Starling, everything changes for him. He wants something more out of life than what he has been doing. He is sick of doing place to place, relying on poker for money. He wants to be a normal guy. But if he tells Fiona the truth.... will she stick around?

I always make sure I read books by Ms. Scott when I can dedicate the entire day (and a box of tissues) to being consumed by the story. Ms. Scott has a special way of penning the most heartfelt tales with characters that are simply magical. There is always a unique draw into the story and oftentimes I find myself to be not only the reader but also a bit of a voyeur as I vividly watch the story unfold in my mind. Nik and Fiona's story is intriguing, heartwarming and consuming, with a journey that is fraught with challenges that make you root hard for this couple while feeling/sharing their emotions to the very end. By completion, Sugar & Gold has become my favorite of Ms. Scott's books and I didn't think any story would surpass Full Tilt for that position. Kudos on yet another excellent story!

This was a nice read. The characters of Nik and Fiona are what really drove the story. Each have been through so much in the past and are used to keeping people at arm’s length. However when the two meet, there is something there that needs to be explored. Will they pursue it or let it slip?

What I did like about this book was the exploration of Nik and Fiona. Emma Scott went into depth about their pasts and their turmoil and I enjoyed it because it helped me understand them more. Nik is what made the story that much interesting. I couldn’t help but be all for this young man. I was rooting for him throughout and hoping that things would work out ok. The relationship between Nik and Fiona was alright. The attraction was strong and how they balanced each other was great. There were times that the pacing/flow was a little off for me but as the story continued I was able to get back into it. There are things that occurred that made the book intriguing and I was interested to see how it would play out. There is a little paranormal aspect but that’s what makes the story pop. I did find the first book in this interconnect series satisfactory so I wanted to delve into this book and explore these leads. Sugar and Gold is about two broken people with a strong bond and what would happened. Overall this was a unique pleasant story.

***5 ‘I Want to Walk in the Sunshine’ Stars***

The cover caught my eye, but it was the description of the story that peaked my interest and had me taking a chance on it and I loved the rabbit hole it nudged me into as I savored every moment of Nikolai and Fiona’s journey. It had a little bit of everything that makes for a great read: heart, heat, humor and suspense and that little thread of paranormal/extrasensory that runs through the story only served to make it that much better.

I loved Nikolai and Fiona, separately and as a couple. They’ve both been through hell and have survived with at least a bit of their hearts and souls intact. Fiona amazed me with how she chose to live her life after what she’d been through. She was still haunted by it, but she didn’t let it douse her spirit. Instead she used it to ensure that she stayed in the light as much as possible with the care she showed others as well as her bucket list.

Nikolai’s past is filled with pain and loneliness which had my heart breaking for him and yet he’s still going. I wouldn’t call what he’s doing living per se, but he is surviving and though the means to his survival is definitely set in a gray area, he does no harm to the innocent. His gift/ken is a blessing and a curse and I found it quite fascinating how it worked, affected him and how he dealt with it.

I loved Nik and Fiona’s journey to their HEA. What started out as one thing turned into so much more without either one expecting, or wanting it in some regard, but it felt natural and from their first collision their chemistry was off the charts. There were a lot of sweet moments, but also heart wrenching ones, and that big ‘ole pothole in their journey I most definitely didn’t see coming, but each one only served to make them stronger individually and realize that though they may not have known each other a long time, they had something worth fighting for. And that ending? I loved how it ended and do hope that we get glimpses of them in future books.

When I requested this book, I honestly had no clue what I was getting myself into. I hadn’t read the first book in the series, or any of the author’s books for that matter, though I do have a couple of them sitting on my Kindle AND one in paperback (Thank you very much Romance Reveal Box), that currently resides in my purse because I love the cover and am hoping that I’ll find the time to dive into it. So I went in blind and loved it. I loved the flow of the writing and story. It was so easy to get lost in the story and I simply sat back and enjoyed how everything unfolded. I really liked how Nikolai’s ken was explained, it felt natural and not over the top at all. All of the characters were well written and I loved the depth they brought to the story without overshadowing Nik and Fiona’s journey. There are somethings that could be triggers for some readers, but they are an integral part of the story and not used gratuitously. This most definitely can be read as a standalone, but I personally want to go back and read the first book. So, if you’re looking for a well written romance with just a touch of the paranormal, you should give this one a go!

4.5 - 5 GORGEOUS STARS

"No rules. Live out loud. Find the sunshine."

Simply stunning!! Emma Scott writes THE most lyrical and gorgeous fiction. Nik and Fiona have a permanent place in my heart!

Called a contemporary romance "with paranormal elements," I found this book to be incredibly moving and very, very touching. I would not exactly characterize the story as paranormal but more the tale of a deeply empathetic man who is simply searching for love and acceptance. And please don't be put off by this being the second book in a series. I have not read the first book and I absolutely fell in love with these characters and the plot. This book is a total standalone!

Nik and Fiona are both lost and simply wishing for a better life. For Nik, he only wants to silence the cacophony of sounds and colors he sees and for Fiona, it is the hope of a new life in Costa Rica. And when they meet, it is pure magic.

"But it wasn’t what was wrong with me, anymore. It was what was right. The girl exuded a calm that danced along my skin, and when I inhaled, it was like breathing in the scent of something delicious but far away. The thrumming life all around me grew quiet. For the first time, I felt close to peace, and I wanted more."

What begins as a one-night stand with zero expectations for the future turns into a burning hot love and a deep, unbreakable connection. Emma Scott's love scenes are beautiful and SEXY and a joy to read!

“Nikolai Alexei,” she whispered and cupped my cheeks to look at me in the dimness. “Who are you?”

There are very important messages in this book as well as some very gritty and heartbreaking scenes. But ultimately the message is one of hope and acceptance and unconditional love. Once again, I won't soon forget the characters created by Emma Scott. A must-read!

“Love and hope,” she said. “That’s life to me."

I just want to start by saying wow, Emma Scott is an incredible writer, her writing has a way of reaching into your soul and making you feel EVERYTHING her characters feel.

Nikolai is an interesting characters, he's strong and handsome and very reserved. He keeps himself to himself unless he needs to do otherwise. His "claustrophobia" and "agoraphobia" has him constantly needing to be away from everyone but things aren't as they seem when they come to Nik, he's a dark horse and it's quite amazing and heartbreaking at the same time getting to know him and what his life is all about.

Fiona is a loving and caring character who's had a hard past. She's constantly worrying and doubting things but still manages to smile in the company of others. Getting to know Fiona was interesting, seeing her background play out is upsetting and makes you feel for her more than you already do, she's an amazing woman.

Watching Nikolai and Fiona's relationship kick off is a beautiful thing to watch. We see the life getting brought back into Fiona and see Nikolai begin to feel more than what he used to. It's absolutely beautiful.

"I've loved you before, I'll love you forever."

The secondary characters were amazing! It was awesome to see a married couple of the same sex in the book. Griff and Nate made me giggle quite a few times, they're amazing best friends. Opal was the best friend Fiona needed, she's there when she needs her and makes her laugh. She's protective of Fi and it's good to see her friends have her back at all times.

The storyline was amazing. I haven't read a book with this kind of thing in before so to say it interested me would be an understatement. I was hooked from the get go. Reading what Nik could do was fantastic, I couldn't imagine ever having to deal with that myself but even through the bad he managed it quite well with the help of Fiona.

Incredible, absolutely incredible is what this story boils down to. The storyline, the characters, the writing everything was just perfect for me. I'm so honoured to be able to review this little beauty for this amazing lady and I can't wait to read more of her work.

This story was unique, the writing pulls you right in and the characters were perfection. I loved this book so much! It was such a change from the books I have been reading lately. This author is really gifted in her storytelling and I can't wait to read whatever she writes next.

Have you ever found an author that you found randomly and blew your mind? Each book is better then the last and you can't help but want more of her writing? That is Emma Scott for me. This book again grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go. The hook will immediately draw you in and you can't help but get consumed by the story. The characters are easy to relate to and have so much depth that you can't help but connect with them on so many different levels. This story is original and so refreshing from most out there. It came at a time when I was in a book slump and nothing could hold my interest. I was so blown away by the writing, everything is done to perfection. The emotions are gripping and pouring from the pages allowing you to experience it with the characters. The plot unfolds in such a way that you have no idea how everything will work out. This is one of those books that you just need to read. I can't wait to read the next book Emma writes. I'm sure it will be my new favorite.

I would like to thank Emma Scott and Netgalley for giving me this book for my honest review.
Review By Stephanie
5 Stars
Ok so while looking on Netgalley I see a new Emma Scott book and I click request...without reading the description. Why would I need to read the description? I mean all the Full Tilt series Emma is seriously one of my all time favorite writers! She is amazing!
When I got the book I dove right into it and could not put it down under the very last word. No small disclaimer...this is book two in a series, I had no problem reading it without reading book one...but guess what I am reading now!?!?! Ding Ding Ding book one!
Emma's writing and storytelling is hands down amazing! Paranormal isn't really my thang....but WOW let me stress don't judge a book by its genera!
I can not wait for Emma to release another book!!!!!!

4.5 stars .

Sugar & Gold, is the new book by author Emma Scott, and although it has some paranormal aspects in the book (which I don't know if I'd like) I didn't hesitate to open up this story and this story, because I knew that any book of this author would disappoint me. And as soon as I finished that story I saw I was right.

Emma Scott is one of the authors that reading your books I have the impression that her puts your heart in every story you write and maybe that's the formula for your stories are so good.Each book of this author presents an unforgettable story, with characters that touch your heart.

And if have two characters that touched my heart are Fiona and Nikolai. I loved these two from the start and knew that they presented an intense story.Fiona is a woman who is running away from the past and trying to build your future, I think the weaknesses she showed Fiona was a strong woman who's been through a lot and survived.Nikolai is someone who has a special gift but for him this gift that I can't use ends up being your torment.In so many ways Fiona and Nikolai couldn't be more different at the same time they have something in common: both are comfort, peace and safety in each other and I loved the way that Emma Scott built the relationship of these two characters.

Sugar & Gold is an emotional story that takes you to a journey along with Fiona and Nikolai by searching for acceptance and a beautiful love story full of sweet moments, romantic, warm and surprising.

"Love and hope. Love and fucking hope…"

Although this isn't my genre, I usually don't like NA books at all, the blurb caught me and I had to read it. I'm so glad I did, it was different enough to catch my attention. The story line was engaging from start to finish and I loved the epilogue.

I loved Full Tilt, so I was excited to read this book, but the blurb left me a little hesitant. I'm so glad I decided to dive in because I ended up loving it! I loved both Fiona and Nik, and my heart broke for both of them. But watching them learn to trust and love was wonderful and heartwarming. I didn't read the first of the,Dreamcatchers series, but I think I need to backtrack because I loved this story!

Nikolai has a special ability. An ability he considers a curse. He's so weighed down that he can't lead a normal life. He's rejected by his parents and can't get close to anyone. He's been severely treated by professional who should have helped him, but just hurt him worse. He breaks free and just exist the best way he knows how.

Fiona is desperate to save enough money to move to Costa Rica. She doesn't want anything or anyone to stand in her way. She meets Nikolai and she struggles with her longing for him and her longing to move to away. As the story unfolds, you learn what is driving her to want to go so far away but she finds in Nikolai what she thought could never be.

This author has such a talent for getting me right in the feels. One of my favorite things she does is bring two people together who has suffered tragedy and show how they heal each other, pieces at a time. It's a slow burn love that builds and builds to a point that their bond seems unbreakable. By the time you get to the end, I'm filled to the brim with happiness for the couple.

This is such a beautiful read but it also has a bit of darkness to it. It's deserves the 5 stars I gave it. ARC provided by NetGalley.

A poignant tale about finding true love in an unexpected manner.

Whew! what a beautiful journey this is. I must say that I didn't expect to be emotionally invested with the characters but I did. Especially since it all started with insta- attraction/lust, one of my pet peeves so my initial thoughts was "not again!"

Really, I've had enough of stories with too much sex with no depth in it. I'll be honest that the first part does contains a lot of sex. But rest assured that the story is so much more than that.

A man who possess the ability to read a person's feelings and a woman who is damaged because of her past. Together, they find solace as both seeks acceptance for who they were.

The story unfolds beautifully as it covers every aspect. Nothing is rushed, everything flows perfectly, even the epilogue. It was satisfying and I loved it.

I didn't just read their story, I lived in it.

This was my first book from Ms. Scott and it definitely won't be my last.

Highly recommended! A must read.

I read the first book in this series about a year and a half ago and I fear that I have the same problem with Sugar and Gold as I did with How to Save a Life. I quite liked the book, but I just love Scott's other work more.

I like Scott's writing style as it flows nicely and the story is unique as well. Unfortunately, though, I have to say that I prefer her slower burning stories (e.g. RUSH) to this type of stories where two strangers have a rather instant connection after a chance encounter. BUT I like the fact that while these young people have an instant connection, there's no insta-lust in the form of a bulging or dripping nether region when one character sees the other as that would've been too much for me. I wouldn't also say that their love proclamation is instant as it takes them a few weeks of dating before the L-word and I thought that they were rather adorable together, but maybe could've done with one or two lesser intimate scenes.

I liked both Nik and Fiona and I loved how they finally found their happily ever after in the epilogue as it was really sweet and brought a huge smile on my face. I may not have agreed with all their choices, but I think these choices were actually quite realistically written. For example, I disagreed with Fiona's reaction to one particular thing, but in hindsight I actually thought that if something like that happened to me, I could actually act in a very similar fashion.

I also liked how Emma Scott included Evan and Jo from How to Save a Life (they're very minor characters) as I found it a very sweet glimpse into their life. Evan's fans are bound to be delighted with that.

Nikolai walks through life with the attitude that we are all pawns and that life is a hoax and maybe it is or maybe it isn’t it really depends where one looks and for sure Nik has been looking in the wrong places. It’s not to be found in a cellar or a shed. But at Club 91 where he finds pink kindness and compassion. He feels peace an unknown feeling. A want to keep it is so strong.
Fiona Starling is pure light, she has an innocence about her that no one can take away from her and she has fought so damn hard for it. No rules. Live out Loud. Find the sunshine. She finds a whole lot more but there are choices that need to be made, which road to take and if a detour is worth it in the end.
The characters emotions come off the pages, be it the hopelessness of wanting something but thinking that one is undeserving of adapting of making the choice for yourself.

Wistful at times you feel the loneliness of the our characters and that fate intervened and gave one another each other in the most heart breaking yet equally soul lifting way. If there is one thing that can be the most rewarding and yet the most destroying in the world it is love. There is one love that tops all and that is unconditional love.
This started with a prologue which already set a tone for the book where you knew that this was going to be unique yet you were going to walk away with scars no matter how much you don’t. With each part of the book we all somehow have the devil inside us, the Doe should be saved by the Black Prince cause if not then where is the magic?
When you start a book by Ms. Scott it’s like a box of chocolates cause you never know what you are going to get. Sugar and Gold is the same. It took a lot out of me but it also gave me a lot but that is something I will be telling the author. It doesn’t belong here.
We have a story so complex and intricate that there is not one thing that I can see that specifically stood out to me but here it is the overall package, the book. In no way will my review ever do the book justice. Gosh there is so much I would love to say but somehow the words just don’t seem to come. They are there in my heart but they won’t compute to my brain let alone trying to get them from my brain down to my hands to type it.
So many shades, so many emotions, so many colours but only two count the most here pink and gold. Throughout the book I was beaten black and blue metaphorically speaking of course. My soul took a beating and I was slayed by the beauty of the story. The unfairness of life, yet the true depth that is shown when it comes to love and to hope.
Without a shadow of a doubt but this is a book that one must read with a slight touch of the mystic it is worth the 5 stars but different strokes and all that but take a chance. As I said box of chocolates peeps.