I recently read The Golden Bride and enjoyed it! This book is part of a series of stories about brides throughout history. Each one is set in a unique time period and faces challenging situations. I love how each story threads our need for God in our everyday life.

Olivia is heading to California with a foolish husband when tragedy strikes. She must reach her brother in San Francisco when she becomes a widow. Olivia is a serious young woman who has experienced a hard life. Readers may feel she is forced to handle too much throughout the book but life is often difficult and we must turn to God for strength to keep going.

Joseph is a gold-miner turned town leader in the story and he is best friend to Olivia's brother. He must help keep San Francisco safe from an unscrupulous and anonymous business leader. Together Olivia and Joseph learn to trust and work together. There is danger and secrets as Olivia and Joseph make the city safe for the abused and disadvantaged immigrants.

This is an enjoyable, somewhat predictable novel.

This is another great addition to the Daughters of The Mayflower. I have read all the other books in this series and find them all educational and entertaining. Even though they are fictional novels, there are a lot of parts to the books that are taken from our history. I look forward to reading the authors notes at the end to learn which is historically accurate and what parts are from the author.

Kimberly has a special way of making a scene come to life. That along with her ability to craft interesting, believable characters makes for a very good read.
The story is set in San Francisco during the Gold Rush. I have read several stories with that location and during the same time period. That was a very hard and lawless time. It has been referred to as the Sodom and Gomorrah of America. I liked the way Kimberley included these facts without going into great detail. I am sure it would be hard to write about, it is hard to read some of what went on. I think Kimberley did a wonderful job of drawing light out of this darkness.

This book is about sacrifice, forgiveness, hope, romance,faith and family trees.

If you are a fan of Christian historical romance, you will not be disappointed with Kimberly Woodhouse's new book.

I received a copy of this book from Barbour Books through NetGalley. The opinions in this review are my own.

I have to admit that this book had everything that a great novel should have. It had a rich blend of historical facts and mystery that made it difficult to put down. For every somber historical fact, there was also a lighthearted moment often between Olivia, her brother or Joseph.
The characters were lifelike in their emotions and actions, especially Olivia. Despite everything she had gone through, she eventually came to find hope through reading the Bible with Joseph and her brother, Daniel.
I would recommend this delightful tale to anyone who is in need of a historical mystery with a touch of romance.
Personal Rating: 5 Stars
Content Rating: 4 Stars
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A story of a young woman that journeys to San Francisco to live with her brother, she endures hardship as her new husband dies. She continues on to find her brother, and she meets his best friend. The story gets more interesting toward the end, with spying, danger, and fire that nearly destroys the city. An exciting tale that I enjoyed reading!

The Golden Bride takes you on a journey to historic California. A land of gold, danger, & full of men starved for the opportunity to make money. Some who were willing to make it by any means available. Yet for all those men, there were few women. So why does a Godfearing woman head to this lawless town? Will she be able to stand, or once her faith is tested by the firery trials headed her way, will her faith be left in ashes? Find out for yourself in this well researched novel by Kimberley Woodhouse. I've enjoyed reading this book, and once again glimpsing some of the trials that people went through to help form this great country. The history buff in me was able to enjoy the descriptive background, while the romantic side of me appreciated the journey to finding love.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher under no obligation. All opinions expressed are entirely my own:-)

Of the series, this has been my favorite! One thing I really liked about it was how it incorporated the story lines of the previous books in the series into the plot. She learns from the stories of strength her ancestors share in their journals, and that helps to give backstory for those readers who may not have followed the series from the Mayflower on. There is a lot of great history about San Fran and this era, including the dangers and debauchery that is so often glossed over, and the characters are very realistic. Looking forward to what historical event Emma brings us next!

THE GOLDEN BRIDE by KIMBERLEY WOODHOUSE is an historical romance novel with the Christian message beautifully woven through it, and making up a large part of the main characters' lives.
The story takes place in San Fransisco during the gold rush and we are made aware of the horrors that took place during that period, when gold and the accumulation of wealth led to human trafficking, prostitution and general degradation. The author has obviously done a great deal of research into this period of history.
When Daniel Livingston's sister, Olivia, comes to stay with him in San Fransisco and work at his restaurant, she turns quite a few heads, including that of his best friend Joseph. The three of them start a bible study at the restaurant in the afternoons and really try to live out their faith in improving conditions in the rather lawless community in which they live.
Danger and intrigue follow our three main characters and this makes for an exciting read.
I wa given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing Inc. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

The newest addition to the Daughters of the Mayflower series brings interesting history, strong characters, and a lot of faith, plus a tender romance. Newly widowed Olivia Brighton needs all the courage and wit she can muster to face the daily challenges of life in chaotic 1849 San Francisco. Her kind and industrious brother Daniel provides a safe place to live and work at his busy restaurant. Along with his good friend, Joseph, they hope to bring light and order to the dark and dangerous city.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Olivia has a lot to overcome from the loss of her parents and short-lived marriage. It was heartening to see her growth from being fearful and guilt ridden, to becoming a woman of faith and courage, reaching out to help others, instead of focusing so much on her own perceived shortcomings. I liked the journal entries from her ancestors, which were a real encouragement, boosting her faith and reminding her that she wasn't alone. Daniel and Joseph were great men of faith and integrity, noble and willing to sacrifice to help others. They were real lights in a dark place. The author does a good job of painting the picture of how crazy the city was at the time, and doesn't shy away from the dark side of the boom town era. The ending was exciting with some mystery and action adding interest to the plot.

Readers who enjoy historical Christian fiction with some romance and faith, may like this one. It easily reads as a stand alone, with a few recaps from previous books. The author notes at the end highlight facts included in the story, sharing resources for further reading.
3.5 stars

I am very much enjoying the entire Daughters of the Mayflower series. Each book builds my knowledge of history and appreciation for our country. While each book stands alone, I eagerly look forward to each new installment.

This book, like the ones before it, has characters that bring history to life. Some of that is not so pretty. I was unaware of the atrocities that happened during the gold rush of 1849. The human trafficking, crime, and pitiful living conditions that most of the newcomers to San Francisco endured were things that I was unaware of prior to this book. With that being said, the author did a very good job of keeping the book from being a downer.

I enjoyed this book and the characters within. I plan to follow up on the historical notes at the end of the book and learn even more about this fascinating period of history.

I follow the GoodReads rating system. Please note that this means even the 3-star books are ones I liked.
1 star – didn’t like it
2 stars – it was OK
3 stars – liked it
4 stars – really liked it
5 stars – it was amazing; I’ll read it over and over and/or it will impact my daily life.

This is a great book! If you are looking for a book that is full of suspense, drama and romance, this book is for you! It is very well written and keeps you on the edge of your seat, This book is set in San Francisco during the Gold Rush of the 1880's, and is very eye-opening about how nasty and lawless it was back then. I highly recommend this book. Thank you Barbour Publishing via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. This is my honest review.

This book gave me a whole new insight into the 1800's and the city of San Francisco during the gold rush. It was crowded, dirty, full of mostly men searching for their share of gold. People were coming in on boats by the thousands and by horse on land. The heroine began her journey with her husband of a few weeks, Hezekiah. He was such a dreamer but sort of likeable. His head was full of excitement when he heard about the gold in San Francisco and he and Olivia started to the city to make their fortune. But not everything goes as planned, but i don't want to spoil anything for readers, so i won't tell. Olivia finally reaches the city and finds her brother and lives with him. She meets his friend Joseph who owns a goldmine. They are Christians in a town that seen few moral people and find themselves in perilous situations. The story is both a mystery and a bit of a love story. It builds slowly and of course they get their happy ending. This book will really open a lot of eyes about the way San Francisco was during the gold rush period and the greed and desperation of some men and some men were too evil to believe. The events in the story were a surprise as i had never considered those events happening before. Sad to say the least. So I recommend this book to people who enjoy a mystery, love story and historical time periods. There are so many interesting things in the book i could not mention them all, so i encourage everyone to read this book. Another great book in the Mayflower Bride series.

I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. The opinion is my own, freely given.

I just loved The Golden Bride. I have read all of the books in this series and they are all equally good. Each of them are written by great authors and each from a different period of time.

The Golden Bride is from the mid 1800's and set in San Francisco during the gold rush. Olivia Brighton has lost both of her parents and her husband whom she had only been married to for six weeks. She married him after only knowing him for a day and their brief marriage was not good. Now Olivia finds herself in San Francisco. She is working and living with her brother, Daniel, in his restaurant. The town of San Francisco is dirty and dangerous. But in Daniel's restaurant, Olivia is safe. Daniel is a Christian and in him she finds hope again. Daniel gives Olivia a box that belonged to her mother. It was a treasure that had been passed down from generation to generation. In the box, Olivia finds the journals of three wonderful women. In those journals, Olivia finds strength and healing.

Joseph Sawyer is a gold miner that has been very successful. He is Daniel's best friend and he is a Christian. He, Daniel and Olivia begin a Bible study in the afternoons. Olivia has a wall built up around her heart due to feeling unworthy of love, but as those walls fall down she finds herself longing for love again. Joseph and Olivia have found a way into each other's hearts. But they live in dangerous times and Joseph has become aware of a danger that he cannot ignore. As Joseph goes undercover to try and rescue imprisoned men, women and children, his safety is in jeopardy. He longs for a future with Olivia but must try to fulfill a promise he made to rescue his foreman's family.

The Golden Bride is beautifully written. The romance between Olivia and Joseph is so endearing. There is enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. The ending is just perfect.

I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest feedback.