Review by Gillian: The Only Gold, by Tamara Allen

The Only Gold, Tamara Allen
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: April 1, 2012

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Jonah Woolner’s life is as prudently regulated as the bank where he works. It’s a satisfying life until he’s passed over for promotion in favor of newcomer Reid Hylliard. Brash and enterprising, Reid beguiles everyone except Jonah, who’s convinced Reid’s progressive ideas will be the bank’s ruin. When Jonah begins to discover there’s more to Reid than meets the eye, he risks succumbing to Reid’s charms-but unlocking the vault to all of Reid’s secrets could lead him down a dangerous path.

Losing his promotion-and perhaps his heart-is the least of Jonah’s difficulties. When the vengeful son of a Union army vet descends upon the bank to steal a government deposit of half a million dollars during the deadliest blizzard to ever sweep New York, Jonah and Reid are trapped, at odds and fighting for their lives.

M/M Pairing
Gay Characters
Historical
Mystery
Hurt/Comfort
Slow Burn
Workplace Romance

If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for something new to read. For many of us, that means scouring trusted blogs, author websites or even Goodreads for the latest releases. Often, though, we overlook older books that have been lingering on our TBR shelves while we chase down the latest and greatest.

So, I’m going to mix things up a little at Just Love today. Instead of reviewing a new release, I thought I would give a little love to a slightly older book that I recently read and thoroughly enjoyed. I hope you enjoy it too.

The Only Gold by Tamara Allen is the kind of book I find myself enjoying more and more lately. Thanks to authors like K.J. Charles and Cat Sebastian, I have developed a real love for historicals and this book ticked all my boxes.

On the surface, a novel about two bankers might appear to be dryer than yesterday’s toast but I can assure you that this is far from the truth. There is an amazing, almost teasing slow burn of a plot which builds up steadily throughout the book until it reaches an action-packed climax.

Jonah is an assistant-cashier at a small but very respectable bank. Fastidious, thorough and a stickler for the long established rules that have kept the bank running for years, he is surprised to find himself passed over for a long-expected promotion and instead, must answer to his new boss, a rather flashy upstart who seems to have little respect for the old ways.

Reid is smart, charming and eager to find innovative ways to make improvements in the way the bank is run, much to Jonah’s chagrin. He also seems determined to win stubborn Jonah over the way he seems to easily win the admiration of everyone else at the bank – from employees to valued customers.

Eventually, Jonah does relent, even if it’s only to ensure the continued success of the bank that he seems to love beyond anything else. But eventually, Reid’s charm and good looks are no match for Jonah’s defenses, and suddenly buttoned-up Jonah is being un-buttoned in the most delightful way.

Jonah’s capitulation is a delight, especially since Reid seems so sincerely eager for his friendship and respect. But while the relationship that blossoms between the two of them is immensely satisfying, there is an underlying sense of dread that things may not be as they seem. That’s when things get rather more exciting than either one of them could have predicted.

While there were a couple of small things I took issue with, none of it really affected how I felt about this book as a whole. In every way, I found it engrossing and entertaining. The love scenes are rather more subtle than most romance novels I’ve read, with the author choosing fade-to-black over graphic descriptions, but I wasn’t bothered by that in the least. I still enjoyed it immensely.

Ultimately, I learned that banking can be sexy when plenty of UST is involved and if you think that can’t be true, then maybe this will be the book to prove you wrong.

Tamara Allen resides in the South Texas piney woods, where she spends her time on administrative work, taking care of her family, and writing when she gets the chance.

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