Take a photo of a barcode or cover
marysesbooks 's review for:
Golden Trail
by Kristen Ashley
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Kristen Ashley's books have always been a favourite of mine and a go-to when I'm in a book slump. I was excited to see that Golden Trail was on Kindle Unlimited and even though The "Burg series isn't one of my top series from her, I couldn't wait to dive in.
Rocky and Layne have unresolved history. They were madly in love in their early 20's and then Rocky left Layne without a reason and the secret was kept for 18 years. This all changed when Layne was shot while investigating a dirty cop. It would have been a perfect story if this was all that Golden Trail was about. Kristen Ashley does second chance love so well. The big reveals are usually gut wrenching, the characters connect so well, the Alpha males are swoon-worthy and the sex scenes and romance are so sexy.
Unfortunately, Golden Trail missed all of those marks for me. This was a 664 page slog and I can't believe I'm saying that. I know her books are usually a bit wordy and some of the dialogue and explanations can be lengthy and convoluted but this was ridiculous. There were paragraphs that I couldn't make out what was going on.
Tanner Layne is definitely not one of my favourite Alpha men. It's his way or no way, he pushes Rocky all the time and overrules what she says often. He, of course, thinks he is in the right and though a lot of the time it is in Rocky's best interest, this was a red flag for me.
Rocky is also not a favourite for me. She is impetuous and goes off half cocked so often which forces Layne to come to her rescue. Then they get into arguments about it until she finally concedes that he is right. She is supposed to be 38 years old and a high school teacher but the way she acts a lot of the time, it's hard for me to believe that. I felt no connection and struggled to care about them. I would have preferred to read more about Jasper and Tripp rather.
The lack of connection is one thing but the biggest problem I had with this book is how many subplots were stuffed into it. Not only was there the mystery of why Rocky left 18 years ago, we also had the investigation into the dirty cop; the dodgy guy who had moved in with Layne's ex and was into illegal things; the Youth Group and why there were so many girls attending it; Rocky's ex and why he was playing dirty with the divorce and the abusive Coach of the football team and his treatment of Layne's son. Granted some of these plots connected but a few were just adds on and with them came so many extra characters. I started needing a character list just to remember them all.
The problem I found with all of this is it lost the impact it needed to be realistic. By the time the secret was revealed of why Rocky left years ago, I couldn't care less and it seemed ridiculous that it was kept for so long. Also the way her family handled it when it happened makes no sense.
By 65% into this book, I was skimming which never happens with Kristen Ashley's older books but I wasn't feeling these characters or what was going on. Merrick's book is the last in the series that I haven't read but I think I need to give myself a break before giving that one a chance.
Rocky and Layne have unresolved history. They were madly in love in their early 20's and then Rocky left Layne without a reason and the secret was kept for 18 years. This all changed when Layne was shot while investigating a dirty cop. It would have been a perfect story if this was all that Golden Trail was about. Kristen Ashley does second chance love so well. The big reveals are usually gut wrenching, the characters connect so well, the Alpha males are swoon-worthy and the sex scenes and romance are so sexy.
Unfortunately, Golden Trail missed all of those marks for me. This was a 664 page slog and I can't believe I'm saying that. I know her books are usually a bit wordy and some of the dialogue and explanations can be lengthy and convoluted but this was ridiculous. There were paragraphs that I couldn't make out what was going on.
Tanner Layne is definitely not one of my favourite Alpha men. It's his way or no way, he pushes Rocky all the time and overrules what she says often. He, of course, thinks he is in the right and though a lot of the time it is in Rocky's best interest, this was a red flag for me.
Rocky is also not a favourite for me. She is impetuous and goes off half cocked so often which forces Layne to come to her rescue. Then they get into arguments about it until she finally concedes that he is right. She is supposed to be 38 years old and a high school teacher but the way she acts a lot of the time, it's hard for me to believe that. I felt no connection and struggled to care about them. I would have preferred to read more about Jasper and Tripp rather.
The lack of connection is one thing but the biggest problem I had with this book is how many subplots were stuffed into it. Not only was there the mystery of why Rocky left 18 years ago, we also had the investigation into the dirty cop; the dodgy guy who had moved in with Layne's ex and was into illegal things; the Youth Group and why there were so many girls attending it; Rocky's ex and why he was playing dirty with the divorce and the abusive Coach of the football team and his treatment of Layne's son. Granted some of these plots connected but a few were just adds on and with them came so many extra characters. I started needing a character list just to remember them all.
The problem I found with all of this is it lost the impact it needed to be realistic. By the time the secret was revealed of why Rocky left years ago, I couldn't care less and it seemed ridiculous that it was kept for so long. Also the way her family handled it when it happened makes no sense.
By 65% into this book, I was skimming which never happens with Kristen Ashley's older books but I wasn't feeling these characters or what was going on. Merrick's book is the last in the series that I haven't read but I think I need to give myself a break before giving that one a chance.