Days of Gold

By: Jude Deveraux

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's Summary

New York Times best-selling author Jude Deveraux returns to her roots in this sweeping historical romance with a dazzling story that spans two continents and unites two people who are separated by class, wealth, and education.

In 1766 Scotland, the laird of the clan, Angus McTern, has everything he wants in life. That is, until Edilean Talbot shows up. Breathtakingly beautiful and born of privilege, Edilean represents everything Angus despises. Still, she dazzles him, and when Angus can no longer hide his feelings, she rejects him, leaving him deeply wounded and humiliated. Soon, though, Edilean needs his help to reclaim the gold she inherited from her father. At first Angus refuses, but her haunting beauty and her tears convince him to put aside his pride.

However, when Angus tries to intervene, he is accused of kidnapping and theft. To avoid being prosecuted, he must leave behind all that he knows and escape with Edilean to America. There they will overcome almost insurmountable obstacles as the man who claims the gold for his own endlessly pursues them. Despite all that tries to keep them apart, Angus and Edilean also find a love as wild and free as the land itself. Filled with passion, humor, exquisite detail, and pulse-pounding adventure, Days of Goldis Jude Deveraux at her best.

©2009 Jude Deveraux (P)2011 Simon & Schuster

Critic Reviews

"After dozens of novels, Deveraux has a sure hand evoking plucky heroines, dastardly villains and irresistible heroes, as well as a well-rounded supporting cast… the pace moves quickly and the romance sparks with enough voltage to keep readers turning pages." ( Publishers Weekly)

"With the promise of future books about surprising and interesting Edilean, veteran storyteller Deveraux incorporates her trademark sweet and salty characters into a pair of entertaining romances, one past, one present, to create one of her most fun and pleasing tales." ( Booklist)

"Family ties, small town values and unexpected love in a picturesque settings have made Deveraux a longtime bestselling author, so it's no surprise that she again delivers.... Readers will find it hard to resist the charms of Edilean, the manor house, the town, the woman of many secrets and, of course, the series to come." ( Publishers Weekly)

Days of Gold

Any additional comments?

This is one of the better Jude Devereaux romances. The chemistry between lead characters is great. Although there is adult content, I wouldn't hesitate for a teen interested in historical romance to read. I'm not sure where this story fits in the chronology of exactly when it was released in the series by Devereaux, but it is the background story of the town named Edeline This town appears in Lavender Morning, and if I'd known, I would have read Days of Gold first.

The real star in this story is the reader, Davina Porter. She is, hands down, my favorite female reader and I have no doubt I enjoyed the story partially because of her narration. Her diction is superb, the male voices excellent. I highly recommend anyone interested in the world of audio books listen to Davina at least once. In addition to Devereaux books, Davina Porter is the reader for the Outlander series by Gabaldon. The lead male character in Days of Gold is a man named Angus. He has the same voice as Jamie in the Outlander books ... but that won't bother you, in that both characters are authentically represented as Scotsman, kilts included with the brrr of their Scottish brogue.

It's all in this story, the reluctant hero, the feisty beauty, forbidden love, and a wonderful supporting cast of good guys and bad guys. Fun listen, and not likely my last Jude Devereaux.

This book reminded me of the outlander series

This book was like Diana Gabaldons Outlander series. It was a good book and I recommend it. The only problem with buying another in the series is that the characters are all different. Instead of following people it seems to follow a town that the original character founded and named. The biggest problem I see in buying another in the series is the change in narrator's. You just can't replace Davina Porter.

Great pick for those who love Outlander!

What did you love best about Days of Gold?

Loved the story because of the strength and determination of the main character (Edilean)! Despite the chauvinistic main male love interest of the determined heroine the book keeps you hooked! Davina Porter's voice(s) can never be topped!!

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

She has an amazing voice range and makes the characters come to life. I fell in love with Outlander before hearing Davina's audible narration but in the 3rd or fourth book I bought the audible book and it brought the story to a whole new level! I went back to buy the 1st few books just to hear Davina tell them. In fact, I found this book by searching for books narrated by Davina. I love her Scots voices!!

Rushed the ending...Wonderful Narrator

What made the experience of listening to Days of Gold the most enjoyable?

Davina Porter, the Narrator brings the story to life as always. This story reminded me of the all famous Novels by Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series but wasn't up to DG's captivating story line. It is probably unfair to compare, but I am spoiled I guess. In my opinion this story started out well but the ending seemed rushed. Overall, without the Davina Porter's famous narrating abilities to breath life into stories, this book would be a mediocre book.

Would you be willing to try another book from Jude Deveraux? Why or why not?

Overall, I usually like some of Jude's stories for a quick read. So probably.

I love this series! This one is my favorite.

Where does Days of Gold rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'm a huge fan of audio books. This one is fantastic. I found the story so interesting and the narration is fabulous! Davina Porter does it best!

What did you like best about this story?

This isn't just a simple love story. I love books that teach me something about culture, history, and different points of view. This book had it all, plus a great love story. I love all the personal growth the heroine (Edilean) goes through. She went from naive to self reliant and savvy. There are so many great characters to love in this book.

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

I listen to a lot of audio books and Davina Porter is my favorite narrator. It's one thing being told the social status of a character and another being able to hear the social status of the character. It's so much more fun to actually hear the angry Scottish burr than be told that the Scottish guy is angry. Its so much easier to know the true feelings of each character when listening to an audio book. Listening to audio books heightens all the emotions that the author is trying to get across.

Very entertaining

This book proved much better than I actually hopes for initially. The first 3/4 of it were great and some scenes were very funny and memorable. It lost steam towards the end though and ended very flat. The narrator did a great job with it.

A good romance

The storyline kept me interested and the narrator was good.
the ending fell flat however.

Fun but predictable

This book was so predictable I didn't need to finish it. I enjoyed it mostly, but didn't like the far fetched plausibility of some things for the times. I'm not putting this one on my "I should have skipped" list because it does entertain and isn't a waste of time.

Great narrator, mediocre story

What did you like best about Days of Gold? What did you like least?

I love Davina Porter and her ability to bring the characters to life. I also love the dialogue between Scots.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I can't say anything was extremely interesting. I was very frustrated by the lead male's propensity to "protect" the female by leaving her. The second time it happened I had to stop listening. If it weren't for Davina Porter, I wouldn't have continued.

What about Davina Porter’s performance did you like?

Her pacing, her tone, her accents - everything

Do you think Days of Gold needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No - the story wasn't strong enough for 1 book.

Any additional comments?

I usually like Jude Deveraux, but this one didn't have much substance.

Enjoyable read.

I initially downloaded Days of Gold because Davina Porter is such a brilliant narrator and because I really needed to find another favourite author. I was not disappointed - Jude Deveraux's descriptive writing immerses the reader (or listener) into the time and place she has created. Well worth the credit.

I do not recommend.

What would have made Days of Gold better?

Unfortunately this story was poorly written. The author dwelt on a problem ( and there where many) for pages and pages and then all of a sudden there was a solution. There was no change there was just a solution. Then at the end when some of the decisions where explained it was so far fetched that it was ridiculous.

Would you ever listen to anything by Jude Deveraux again?

Probably not.

Have you listened to any of Davina Porter’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Yes. She was good.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I was annoyed and disappointed that I paid money to listen to this book.