Scan barcode
A review by kaje_harper
The Road to Silver Plume by Tamara Allen
5.0
Tamara Allen is one of my favorite writers and I was delighted to see this new novel appear. This author has a gift for both accurate, immersive historical detail and great characters whom I come to care about. This book was no exception (and even had a little more on-page erotic content than her normal fade-to-black.)
The romance is a very slow burn, which is fitting since we begin with a Secret Service operative, Emlyn Strickland, and a counterfeiter, Darrow Gardiner, natural opponents (the more so because Strickland's testimony sent Gardiner to prison.) Although they are nominally working together, with Gardiner trying to gain an early release from Sing-Sing prison, in exchange for informing on his former partner-in-crime, Gust, this is true enemies-to-lovers, with hidden motives. Unlike some books in this category, Allen gives these men enough time to work past conflict and mistrust slowly.
I enjoyed both characters. Emlyn is brilliant, confident in his narrow sphere of detecting counterfeit money, but inexperienced in fieldwork and in life. Darrow grew up very rough, losing his mother as a small child, and living on the streets and under the tutelage of other criminals. He has all the social skills and confidence Emlyn lacks, but not the moral compass, or the long vision. Each of them complements the other, if they can get beyond working at cross purposes.
The setting is fascinating - that time in US history when the nation left the bi-metal standard in the late 1800's. Moving away from the silver standard had significant repercussions on the silver mining state of Colorado, the men who worked and owned the mines, the towns the miners supported, and on down the layers of society. This roadtrip story takes our heroes into the heart of that crumbling situation, in search of counterfeit silver dollars, and dangerous men.
Once or twice the story bogs down in historical detail, but it is always quickly rescued by the delightful main characters. My only real complaint was that their first names sound like last names, and it took me a few chapters of alternating POV (with associated switches from first to last names) to firmly link Emlyn = Strickland and Darrow = Gardiner, without having to think about it. But the mental exercise was a small price to pay for the joys of this story. (and better yet, it's listed as a series. Be still my heart. I can't wait for more.)
The romance is a very slow burn, which is fitting since we begin with a Secret Service operative, Emlyn Strickland, and a counterfeiter, Darrow Gardiner, natural opponents (the more so because Strickland's testimony sent Gardiner to prison.) Although they are nominally working together, with Gardiner trying to gain an early release from Sing-Sing prison, in exchange for informing on his former partner-in-crime, Gust, this is true enemies-to-lovers, with hidden motives. Unlike some books in this category, Allen gives these men enough time to work past conflict and mistrust slowly.
I enjoyed both characters. Emlyn is brilliant, confident in his narrow sphere of detecting counterfeit money, but inexperienced in fieldwork and in life. Darrow grew up very rough, losing his mother as a small child, and living on the streets and under the tutelage of other criminals. He has all the social skills and confidence Emlyn lacks, but not the moral compass, or the long vision. Each of them complements the other, if they can get beyond working at cross purposes.
The setting is fascinating - that time in US history when the nation left the bi-metal standard in the late 1800's. Moving away from the silver standard had significant repercussions on the silver mining state of Colorado, the men who worked and owned the mines, the towns the miners supported, and on down the layers of society. This roadtrip story takes our heroes into the heart of that crumbling situation, in search of counterfeit silver dollars, and dangerous men.
Once or twice the story bogs down in historical detail, but it is always quickly rescued by the delightful main characters. My only real complaint was that their first names sound like last names, and it took me a few chapters of alternating POV (with associated switches from first to last names) to firmly link Emlyn = Strickland and Darrow = Gardiner, without having to think about it. But the mental exercise was a small price to pay for the joys of this story. (and better yet, it's listed as a series. Be still my heart. I can't wait for more.)