Elaine White's Life in Books

Book – Good as Gold (Heroes at Heart #4)
Author – Susan Laine
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages – 57

Cover – Nice
POV – 1st person, one character
Would I read it again – Maybe.

Genre – LGBT, Writing, Contemporary, Romance, Serial


** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine


For me, this was a story of two halves. The actual emotional aspects of the story – the plot, the relationship etc – took me way back to book 1 and how authentic and evocative these two characters could be. However, the other aspect – the sex – felt so foreign and almost as though someone else wrote it. That part of the story wasn't true to the characters at all.

Maybe it's been too long since I read the rest of the series, but some parts felt almost as though another author picked up the story to fill in the gaps with things that these characters wouldn't say or do. The dirty sex talk especially didn't fit them at all. All the sex scenes felt disconnected from the rest of the story. There were even some over the top descriptions – like pointing out that a nudge is done with a hand and that the heart lies behind the ribcage – that felt forced and not at all like the genius I know Susan Laine's writing to be.

On the plus side, the story really did take me back to book one. The issue of plagiarism is a real threat to all authors out there, but to have it done so callously, in Yancy's face, by someone he knew, is worse than an anonymous computer screen, because it could have been prevented and it's much more personal. At the same time, exploration of how to prove intellectual property theft is a sticky road and one that not many people can successfully navigate. It was nice to see some vindication for all the faceless talent that Hume stole from, as well, which is something that doesn't always happen in the real world. Just because someone is accused of plagiarism and one author can prove it, doesn't mean that the others in the past can or will get their just credit for their work.

Though I do think it's an exaggeration to state that Yancy felt suicidal, at the thought of someone stealing his book – considering the amount of times he's never really understood the darkness inside of Curt and how positive he's always been – I do know how heartbreaking it can be. Especially about a story so close to his heart. But, comparing what he felt after having his work stolen to what Curt went through in book one was a little too much for me. Yancy's pain was so fleeting and could have been avoided had he only properly questioned how Hume knew where he lived and what his motives for such extravagant behaviour were. Curt, on the other hand, had no real control over his thoughts – shown frequently throughout the series, because of his depressive nature.

The way Yancy constantly compared his situation to Curt's made it feel wrong – as though he was lessening the constant, crippling pain Curt had been in that day. I'm not saying that Yancy wasn't depressed, but he showed no real suicidal thoughts or inclinations, besides one fleeting thought of how he didn't know he'd continue, if he couldn't get his story back. The two, for me, can never compare.

I still feel a little cheated that it ended at 88%, though.

~

Overall, it was great to go back to the roots of these characters, who finally felt more authentic to book one than some of the other books in the series (if you ignore the sex scenes entirely). Sure, there are spelling and grammar issues (it is an ARC after all) and one instance where a laptop on a cushion, sitting on Yancy's knee, mysteriously disappears. Those things happen and will no doubt be addressed before publishing.

But, the bones are great. The plot is believeable and well formed. The addition, at the end, of how Curt's career is continuing and taking off, along with a follow-up of how Yancy's career has taken off, makes me think this could be the last novel for these guys. And, I'd hope so.

After everything they've been through, it would be nice to end on a positive note.