Gold Rush

By: Jennifer Comeaux

Narrated by: Emily Stokes

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Liza Petrov's entire life has been about skating and winning her sport's top prize - Olympic gold. She's stayed sheltered inside her bubble, not daring to stray from her destined path.

Until she meets Braden Patrick.

He makes her heart flutter with possibility, and for the first time she gets a taste of a normal teenage life. She longs to have both the boy and the gold, but stepping outside her bubble comes with a price. As Liza begins to question both her future and her past, can she stay focused on the present and realize her ultimate dream?

©2016 Jennifer Comeaux (P)2017 Jennifer Comeaux

A charming coming-of-age romance

Would you listen to Gold Rush again? Why?

Yes. Gold Rush is a sweet coming of age story of a young girl with a competitive edge for ice skating learning what it's like to fall in love.

What other book might you compare Gold Rush to and why?

Titles in the Edge and Ice series!

Which character – as performed by Emily Stokes – was your favorite?

Don't have a favorite character. Each character has their own quirkiness and distinct personalities for readers to love.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

FULL REVIEW:

Note: This review contains NO spoilers

Well, I'm no stranger to stories by Jennifer Comeaux. So when I saw the opportunity to review another book by this amazing author, I signed up. Again, she has published yet another sweet Young Adult/New Adult romance in the world of ice skating. With characters that are familiar, especially if you have read titles in the Edge and/or Ice series, Gold Rush focuses on Liza Petrov's life as a skater, a young adult growing up, and a young woman learning about falling in love for the first time. Not only that, Emily Stokes, the narrator of this audiobook, does an amazing job telling this story.

Jennifer Comeaux, again, takes us into the world of competitive ice skating with these characters. Although this is a standalone novel, characters from her other series are intertwined into this new story. For fans familiar to the Edge and Ice series, much of the setting is recognizable. But this time, this world has been expanded with this new book. As for the characters, I found these simple, yet complex, characters likeable and funny. Although the dramatics throughout is subtle as the romance blossomed, it was enough realism for a young adult to relate to. Of course, there is no denying that Liza's passion for ice skating is apparent throughout even with the ups and downs of falling in love and growing up. Well, enough of that... Gold Rush is a sweet...I guess a coming-of-age... romance with a touch of a competitive edge to it that Jennifer Comeaux fans will enjoy.

Now, as for the narrator, Emily Stokes... I love how she takes the story and tells it in an animated voice. She even changes her tone and/or accents with different characters. With her animated storytelling, listening to this audiobook made it even more enjoyable. It is a great pairing, a good story and an animated narrator, that makes listening to this audiobook all worth while.

Gold Rush is a charming coming-of-age romance of a young girl with a competitive edge.

Cute figure skating romance

If you could sum up Gold Rush in three words, what would they be?

Sweet skating romance

What does Emily Stokes bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I really enjoyed the narrator's voice. She sounded like I wanted Liza to sound like in my mind!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, it made me very unproductive because I couldn't stop listening! :)

Any additional comments?

I'm a sucker for first love stories, as well as sports-related stories, so this was perfect for me! I was actually bummed when it was over, the true sign of a good book!

swoons on and off the ice!

Would you consider the audio edition of Gold Rush to be better than the print version?

Jennifer Comeaux has done it again with Gold Rush! I'm such a huge fan of her work as I've also listened to (audiobook version) and loved her novels Crossing the Ice and Losing the Ice. Emily Stokes narrates all three of these novels, and I can relax and let her voice carry me away from my stress. She is an excellent choice to read these stories.

What did you like best about this story?

Comeaux really does her research for competitive skating. If I didn't already know she's a huge fan, I'd think she was an Olympic ice skater herself. Her stories reflect her passion and depth of knowledge for the sport. I feel like I know so much about the world of ice skating and what goes on behind the scenes with all of the blood, sweat and tears Comeaux's characters shed to put their all into their performances.

Which character – as performed by Emily Stokes – was your favorite?

Liza and Braden are adorable together. There's no getting around that! They don't play games but communicate openly and honestly, and that was refreshing to read. It's also a very realistic portrayal of a young girl who wants to accomplish her Olympic dreams but also wants to make time for "normal" teenager things like dating. I loved them together, and the overprotective reaction of Liza's dad endeared him to me even more (he coaches the couple in the previous books Crossing the Ice and Losing the Ice along with his wife, Liza's stepmom, Emily).

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

If you're looking for a refreshing romance, Gold Rush is it because how often do you get to read about a romance set in the ice skating world? Not often enough!

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet!

Really enjoyed this book. It is ver sweet and clean and it would be a good read for young teens and older readers like me who enjoys YA.
I liked the narrator's voice, but she was slow at at times, and there were quite a few pauses and I could hear her breathing sometimes.
I think the narration just needed a little "cleaning up" but overall a great book. I recommend it.

This book was gifted to me and I volunteered to give a honest review.

Fun Cliche Read

Would you listen to Gold Rush again? Why?

Yes because its adorable and Liza and Braden's Chemistry is so cute

Who was your favorite character and why?

Liza her drive

Have you listened to any of Emily Stokes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was just cute, fun, and easy to read.

Any additional comments?

Super cute read would recommend for any age. I received this audiobook in exchange for unbiased review.

Fun read, memories of my daughter and her experiences with skating

As an adult and father of a little girl who loved skating, I very much enjoyed the parts of the story that were about the actual skating. The two tangents that filled out the story were enjoyable as I remember scenarios that would attempt to come between her and her skating. Tweens would really appreciate this story. I'm glad no sex took place.
I was given this audio book for free in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Loved the sweet romance and the gorgeous music.

GOLD RUSH has a great balance of story/romance/sports. And not a dull moment. This is how Young Adult novels should be written. It was realistic with positive characters. The hero and heroine were respectful of each other, and the build-up to their love was perfectly paced. Although they were both adults, I appreciated that their love was sweet and that this novel is clean aside from kissing.

The heroine had a strong sense of self and self-worth and a goal to make it to The Olympics as an ice dancer. There was a great storyline with heart-strings being pulled in many directions because the Olympics dominated the heroine’s life as she tried to balance a love-life, ice practice, family, work and friends. The general atmosphere in the book was one of warmth and caring. The family unit here was strong and loving, and the portrayal of the heroine dealing with her parents who lived apart, was another layer adding depth to the story. People who appeared to be “the bad guy” were more complex than first met the eye.

I loved the skating details and the build-up of love. Plus, I looked up every piece of music mentioned and listened to it to enhance my experience of this book. It was an extra pleasure to go on a trip down memory-lane with beautiful music I had forgotten.

This is the 7th book by Jennifer Comeaux. The books are written in the following order: THE EDGE SERIES (3 books); followed by THE ICE SERIES (3 books); and then GOLD RUSH which includes characters from the first 6 books as secondary characters.

I read GOLD RUSH first and out of order, but it didn’t matter. It can easily be read as a standalone and you won’t be lost. I’ve now also read THE ICE SERIES and loved that too.

I listened on Audible and enjoyed narrator Emily Stokes’ excellent characterisations as she brought Ms Comeaux’s books to life. Unfortunately, the first 3 books, THE EDGE SERIES, is not yet on Audible so I must read it on Amazon’s Kindle next.

Highly recommended.

Rough Start, but Pulled Me In

The book started out as a slower, more Young Adult contemporary 3-rose-worthy story. Not bad in any way, but I did find myself having to actively stay with the story, as it didn't really pull me in and keep me there, the way a really good book does. It was sweet, very one-dimensional, and somewhat stereotypical for what I'd expect an ice-skating story to be. It honestly felt like all the others out there about ice-skaters in high school - not bad, but...typical.

Then things kicked up a notch. I'm honestly not sure what happened, but the author's voice changed about a third of the way into the book. The pace picked up, the story became more aggressive, and several layers appeared out of no where. The "hook" this book lacked in the beginning, grabbed me hard, and it was awesome.

In a way, it felt as though the character grew up a bit, and the story grew up with her. As she got stronger, the story got stronger, and more gripping. Fitting, for a coming-of-age story. There were enough plot twists and layers in the last half of the book to make it feel as though I'd experienced an entire series. Many authors probably would have chopped it into at least two books, if not three, and it would fit today's market. I loved it as is.

This book is deep, emotional, realistic, and well written. The slow start at the beginning simply ended up being a "calm before the storm" for the rest of the book, and once I hit the meat of it, I was enthralled. The family dynamics were dramatic and modern enough to fit a television script, and the multi-cultural aspect was wonderful. I also enjoyed the fact it was a sweet romance, and while the author could have made it much more inappropriate, she cleverly dropped hints where she wanted the readers' imaginations to go, without spelling it all out. I prefer that - I don't like reading romance scenes on paper, but it is something that happens in real life. Any author who can add it in with tact and finesse, earns my respect as a skillful writer.

Just as skillful as the writer, was the narrator. Between her portrayal of all the characters, accents, ages and culture, she had her work cut out for her. She did amazing, and I had no problem picturing everything easily. Her voice was relaxing, while delivering all the inflections I could imagine the author had added, and made the characters come to life. I was impressed, and couldn't have imagined a better narration.

Overall, this book blew me out of the water. I adore sports-related stories, however finding a good one these days seems to be a challenge. I was somewhat wary going into this one, but was incredibly pleased. I would definitely recommend this book to others, and do plan to listen/read it again.

*I received a complimentary audiobook copy of this book, from the author via YA Bound Book Tours, to listen to in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks the author and the promotion company for the opportunity.

~Rose
@Desert Rose Reviews

Cute

Any additional comments?

I was sent this audiobook to review for a blog tour. I was drawn in by the cover, and actually seen this in an earlier blog promotion and was interested in finding out what it was about. So, when I was given the chance for review it, I jumped on it.

I feel the writing was a little choppy at times, which made the audiobook choppy. You could also hear the narrator move around (or papers moving) in the background. It was a little distracting. Otherwise, I enjoyed the narrator.

You will love this if you are a fan of figure skating. There is lots of skating scenes and information about moves being completed. I actually enjoyed learning more about skating and seeing the stress and struggles Liza was facing during her track to the gold.

This is not your typical romance where the characters get together easily or right away. This deals more with Liza finding herself as an Olympic athlete and a normal adult (college aged). She has never really loved anyone, and is dealing with her feelings for Braden while juggling her crazy skating schedule. I liked how Braden and Liza were friends and built on their relationship. The romance was cute and sweet.

I actually happy cried in this as you will find yourself routing for Liza.

Overall, I recommend this if you are looking for a quick and fun read.