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Migrations of the Heart #3
A Treasure of Gold
When you follow your heart, never count the cost.
Migrations of the Heart, Book 3
Trusting in the One who orders her steps, Nettie Bledsoe is determined not to deviate from her route to the charity kitchen. Don’t stop for anything, her sisters say. Pittsburgh isn’t like Georgia, they warn.
Yet when low moans of unholy suffering drift from an alley, she can’t help but investigate. It’s a man. The most beautiful man she’s ever seen. Despite his scandalous reputation, something within her responds to his sinfully rich voice.
Jay Evans is trying hard to stay on the straight and narrow, and doesn’t want help from any church do-gooder. But until his wound heals, he needs help caring for his young daughter, Goldie. Especially since Nettie saw fit to fire Goldie’s barely competent nanny.
Despite their mismatched backgrounds, Nettie and Jay fight a losing battle against their growing attraction. But it’s only when Nettie is kidnapped that Jay realizes that if he doesn’t get her back safe and sound, his heart will shatter into uncountable pieces.
Contains a single father with a photographic memory for numbers, and a country girl out of her element in the city. It all adds up to a heart-winning tale.
Migrations of the Heart, Book 3
Trusting in the One who orders her steps, Nettie Bledsoe is determined not to deviate from her route to the charity kitchen. Don’t stop for anything, her sisters say. Pittsburgh isn’t like Georgia, they warn.
Yet when low moans of unholy suffering drift from an alley, she can’t help but investigate. It’s a man. The most beautiful man she’s ever seen. Despite his scandalous reputation, something within her responds to his sinfully rich voice.
Jay Evans is trying hard to stay on the straight and narrow, and doesn’t want help from any church do-gooder. But until his wound heals, he needs help caring for his young daughter, Goldie. Especially since Nettie saw fit to fire Goldie’s barely competent nanny.
Despite their mismatched backgrounds, Nettie and Jay fight a losing battle against their growing attraction. But it’s only when Nettie is kidnapped that Jay realizes that if he doesn’t get her back safe and sound, his heart will shatter into uncountable pieces.
Contains a single father with a photographic memory for numbers, and a country girl out of her element in the city. It all adds up to a heart-winning tale.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 10, 2015
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126 people want to read
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January 26, 2016I am a big fan of this series, set in early 20th century America. Piper Huguley is a really gifted historical writer, and her detail and settings are always fascinating. I loved Jay, the numbers man, running an illegal gambling game . I loved his superstition and resentment and his competence and hidden kindness, and his sharp angle to a rejecting, brutal world. I also loved that this sleazy no-good gets paired with an ultra-religious evangelist. /high fives author for perfect conflict set-up/
I also really liked the way the heroines and heroes of the first books become the antagonists here. We've seen Ruby and Mags through so much, we know what loving, caring people they are--but they are no more free of their cultural world view than anyone else . It would have been very easy to put this antagonist role on another family member, and a lesser writer would have because we don't come out of this loving Ruby and Mags. But that's the point: that even the best people, even heroines, can hold blinkered, reductive, unchallenged, hurtful views that lessen other people. Like Ruby, like Mags, like you, like me.
This is an inspirational series, which may not be everyone's cuppa, and this is a particularly religion-heavy book. It's not usually my thing but it's a different and fascinating perspective for me.
I will say, this is a bit less well edited/proofed than I would expect from Samhain, with a fair few errors, and I hope they sort that out. The cover is glorious.
I also really liked the way the heroines and heroes of the first books become the antagonists here. We've seen Ruby and Mags through so much, we know what loving, caring people they are--but they are no more free of their cultural world view than anyone else . It would have been very easy to put this antagonist role on another family member, and a lesser writer would have because we don't come out of this loving Ruby and Mags. But that's the point: that even the best people, even heroines, can hold blinkered, reductive, unchallenged, hurtful views that lessen other people. Like Ruby, like Mags, like you, like me.
This is an inspirational series, which may not be everyone's cuppa, and this is a particularly religion-heavy book. It's not usually my thing but it's a different and fascinating perspective for me.
I will say, this is a bit less well edited/proofed than I would expect from Samhain, with a fair few errors, and I hope they sort that out. The cover is glorious.
September 7, 2023
I will start this off by saying I am not a religious person. I did know this was labeled as Christian or Inspirational romance. I have read other books labeled as such and the religion felt minimal. This was the the most religious of the books I've read, but I'm not going to fault the book for being Christian when it's clearly marketed to be.
I was drawn to the historical setting of 1920s Pittsburgh since that's where I live. It was great seeing it through the lens of the black community in that time.
I was also drawn to the premise. I love the "I guess I should help this dying man in the alley way trope" I appreciated that while Nettie was very pious, she had a backbone as well. And while there is nothing more explicit than a kiss, I also appreciated that Nettie can have a relationship with God and still feel sexual desire. I think Jay being the total opposite of Nettie gave it just enough zing so it didn't feel too preachy. Nettie's family was pretty insufrable but overall not a bad story
I was drawn to the historical setting of 1920s Pittsburgh since that's where I live. It was great seeing it through the lens of the black community in that time.
I was also drawn to the premise. I love the "I guess I should help this dying man in the alley way trope" I appreciated that while Nettie was very pious, she had a backbone as well. And while there is nothing more explicit than a kiss, I also appreciated that Nettie can have a relationship with God and still feel sexual desire. I think Jay being the total opposite of Nettie gave it just enough zing so it didn't feel too preachy. Nettie's family was pretty insufrable but overall not a bad story
June 5, 2018
4.2 stars
This review contains some spoilers.
After reading Huguley's novella in The Brightest Day, I knew I wanted to read more of her work. The cover of book three in her Migrations of the Heart series, A Treasure of Gold, caught my attention and I decided to start there.
Like its predecessors in the series, A Treasure of Gold is set during the Great Migration, the movement of African Americans from the Southern United States to other parts of the country between 1910 and 1970.
More specifically, the story takes place in 1923 Pittsburgh, and begins with Nettie Bledsoe’s discovery of an injured man in an alley.
Nettie is a recent arrival in Pittsburgh, having moved there from Winslow, Georgia only two weeks earlier. Nettie is walking to Freedom Christian Church, where she volunteers in the charity kitchen, when she hears the injured man’s groan.
Although she has been warned by her sister Ruby not to stop for any reason, Nettie stops to help the man. He tells her he has been shot and she helps him reach the home of Ruby and her husband, Adam, since the latter is also the nearest doctor.
Adam identifies the injured man as Jay Evans, the man who runs the local numbers game. Adam fears that lending his assistance to a criminal could be dangerous to his family, but Nettie insists that he aid Jay, so Adam treats Jay’s wound. In the process, Jay explains that his young daughter will be worried by his absence.
The sight of Nettie distresses Jay. He recognizes her as the woman who participated in the traveling revival circuit that came to Freedom Christian Church two years earlier. At that time, Jay’s wife Clara was ill, and he blames Nettie, who prayed over Clara and offered what he sees as false hope, for Clara’s death that same night.
Nettie has for years had a feeling of special connection to God, and she’s certain it is God who guided her to the injured Jay. She hears an inner voice command her to go to Jay’s daughter, and she does.
The little girl, Goldie, opens the door and greets Nettie by asking if there’s a number she wants Goldie to take down for her father’s policy game. Nettie is further shocked to find Goldie’s babysitter, Eva, passed out on the couch and smelling of cigarettes and alcohol. She fires Eva and takes Goldie to Jay, then helps them get back home.
While Jay sleeps, Nettie and Goldie clean the house and make a nourishing soup Jay savors later. When Nettie returns home, Adam sternly warns her to be careful of her reputation. But the next day Jay and Goldie show up at the charity kitchen, and Jay insists that since Nettie fired Eva, she must temporarily watch over Goldie until a replacement can be found.
Nettie takes the position, but as time passes and her sisters keep insisting that she quit, she becomes less sure that working for Jay is the right choice. Is the position a calling from God to care for Goldie and her father, or is her growing attraction to Jay clouding her judgement?
Even if Jay can realize Nettie did not wrong Clara on the day of the latter’s death, there are still other obstacles between them. One of the biggest is that Jay resists going to church, while Nettie is devoted to her faith.
Then there is Jay’s life of crime, which is hardly compatible with Nettie’s beliefs, or her need to maintain a good reputation, especially given the snobbery of some members of Freedom Christian and her family’s resulting determination to keep Nettie away from Jay.
There is also Jay’s belief that he isn’t good enough for Nettie – and Nettie’s corresponding belief that Jay would never want her, since she is infertile due to a childhood illness. Can Jay convince Nettie that whether or not she can bear children, she deserves to be treasured?
I enjoyed this novel on several levels. First, the characters were interesting people who quickly became real to me. Jay could have been a banker, but for the color of his skin. Because black people were barred from using white banks, much less working in them, and there were no black banks nearby, Jay used his policy game to raise money for his own needs and occasionally for the needs of others in the community too. He also knew how to charm Nettie when he wanted to, and he saw her worth even when she did not.
Nettie was a strong minded heroine with a soft spot for Jay and his daughter, and she followed her sense of purpose despite her family’s interference. She contributed to her community in multiple ways even when people judged her for the time she’d spent with Jay. I was especially moved by Nettie’s fears (stoked by her family members’ assertions) that no one would ever want her for a wife because she was infertile. It was clear she had so much to offer and that Jay at least appreciated that.
This is a partial review. The complete review can be found at Dear Author, here: http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...
This review contains some spoilers.
After reading Huguley's novella in The Brightest Day, I knew I wanted to read more of her work. The cover of book three in her Migrations of the Heart series, A Treasure of Gold, caught my attention and I decided to start there.
Like its predecessors in the series, A Treasure of Gold is set during the Great Migration, the movement of African Americans from the Southern United States to other parts of the country between 1910 and 1970.
More specifically, the story takes place in 1923 Pittsburgh, and begins with Nettie Bledsoe’s discovery of an injured man in an alley.
Nettie is a recent arrival in Pittsburgh, having moved there from Winslow, Georgia only two weeks earlier. Nettie is walking to Freedom Christian Church, where she volunteers in the charity kitchen, when she hears the injured man’s groan.
Although she has been warned by her sister Ruby not to stop for any reason, Nettie stops to help the man. He tells her he has been shot and she helps him reach the home of Ruby and her husband, Adam, since the latter is also the nearest doctor.
Adam identifies the injured man as Jay Evans, the man who runs the local numbers game. Adam fears that lending his assistance to a criminal could be dangerous to his family, but Nettie insists that he aid Jay, so Adam treats Jay’s wound. In the process, Jay explains that his young daughter will be worried by his absence.
The sight of Nettie distresses Jay. He recognizes her as the woman who participated in the traveling revival circuit that came to Freedom Christian Church two years earlier. At that time, Jay’s wife Clara was ill, and he blames Nettie, who prayed over Clara and offered what he sees as false hope, for Clara’s death that same night.
Nettie has for years had a feeling of special connection to God, and she’s certain it is God who guided her to the injured Jay. She hears an inner voice command her to go to Jay’s daughter, and she does.
The little girl, Goldie, opens the door and greets Nettie by asking if there’s a number she wants Goldie to take down for her father’s policy game. Nettie is further shocked to find Goldie’s babysitter, Eva, passed out on the couch and smelling of cigarettes and alcohol. She fires Eva and takes Goldie to Jay, then helps them get back home.
While Jay sleeps, Nettie and Goldie clean the house and make a nourishing soup Jay savors later. When Nettie returns home, Adam sternly warns her to be careful of her reputation. But the next day Jay and Goldie show up at the charity kitchen, and Jay insists that since Nettie fired Eva, she must temporarily watch over Goldie until a replacement can be found.
Nettie takes the position, but as time passes and her sisters keep insisting that she quit, she becomes less sure that working for Jay is the right choice. Is the position a calling from God to care for Goldie and her father, or is her growing attraction to Jay clouding her judgement?
Even if Jay can realize Nettie did not wrong Clara on the day of the latter’s death, there are still other obstacles between them. One of the biggest is that Jay resists going to church, while Nettie is devoted to her faith.
Then there is Jay’s life of crime, which is hardly compatible with Nettie’s beliefs, or her need to maintain a good reputation, especially given the snobbery of some members of Freedom Christian and her family’s resulting determination to keep Nettie away from Jay.
There is also Jay’s belief that he isn’t good enough for Nettie – and Nettie’s corresponding belief that Jay would never want her, since she is infertile due to a childhood illness. Can Jay convince Nettie that whether or not she can bear children, she deserves to be treasured?
I enjoyed this novel on several levels. First, the characters were interesting people who quickly became real to me. Jay could have been a banker, but for the color of his skin. Because black people were barred from using white banks, much less working in them, and there were no black banks nearby, Jay used his policy game to raise money for his own needs and occasionally for the needs of others in the community too. He also knew how to charm Nettie when he wanted to, and he saw her worth even when she did not.
Nettie was a strong minded heroine with a soft spot for Jay and his daughter, and she followed her sense of purpose despite her family’s interference. She contributed to her community in multiple ways even when people judged her for the time she’d spent with Jay. I was especially moved by Nettie’s fears (stoked by her family members’ assertions) that no one would ever want her for a wife because she was infertile. It was clear she had so much to offer and that Jay at least appreciated that.
This is a partial review. The complete review can be found at Dear Author, here: http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...
November 12, 2015
While I really enjoyed the first two books from this series, this one wasn’t for me. Whereas the first two books dealt with prejudice and narrow-minded viewpoints, this book quieter in its outlook and deals more with a crisis of faith. God and religion has been a strong theme in this series so far, but this was the first time it dominated the entire plot, almost to the exclusion of anything else. Which is not really my thing.
Nettie was very naive at the start, and also exceedingly stubborn. I found her kind of annoying, the way she wanders about ignoring warnings and not thinking too highly of the people around her, yet absolutely positive that Jay is a good man – despite his actions (when she first meets him) being the complete opposite. She’s an okay character, but after the strong leads of Ruby and Mags in the previous books, she’s was just a bit light-weight.
Speaking of Ruby – what’s happened to her? She’s awful in this book, so judgemental and cold. You’d think after all she’d been through, and the way she never let her gender hold her back, she’d have been more supportive of Nettie. But no, instead she’s so snobby and narrow-minded. I thought she’d have a good effect on Adam and his priggish tendencies, but it seems like she’s turned into him and he’s grown worse! I never expected Mags’ mother-in-law to be the voice of reason.
So I found that side of things sadly disappointing. A bit like the romance, which never caught light for me. Jay is an okay character too, but his feelings are all over the place. One minute he’s attracted to Nettie, the next he thinks she killed his wife, then she’s too good for him, then he doesn’t know what he wants. And when I think he’s made up his mind, suddenly he hasn’t, or he might have, or… who knows? There was never really a decent connection between the pair of them, since Nettie’s too busy trying to get him back to church to notice him as a man, and he’s got other things on his mind. I wanted to see something between them, but it felt kind of forced.
Thank goodness for Goldie. What a precocious little miss she is. I loved her, bossing her way around the place, trying to take her father in hand, wanting to sort out Nettie’s clothes. She’s great fun and was the one thing in this book that I really liked.
The plot itself is pretty much laid out in its entirety in the blurb (minus the religion), so you won’t find any surprises here. It’s well written, like the rest of the series, and the historical details are wonderful. However, if you’re not a fan of Christian Fiction, then you probably won’t enjoy this one. Overall, it was just okay for me, but I’ll still keep an eye out for the rest of the series and hope that there’s a little more substance to the next sister’s tale.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
Nettie was very naive at the start, and also exceedingly stubborn. I found her kind of annoying, the way she wanders about ignoring warnings and not thinking too highly of the people around her, yet absolutely positive that Jay is a good man – despite his actions (when she first meets him) being the complete opposite. She’s an okay character, but after the strong leads of Ruby and Mags in the previous books, she’s was just a bit light-weight.
Speaking of Ruby – what’s happened to her? She’s awful in this book, so judgemental and cold. You’d think after all she’d been through, and the way she never let her gender hold her back, she’d have been more supportive of Nettie. But no, instead she’s so snobby and narrow-minded. I thought she’d have a good effect on Adam and his priggish tendencies, but it seems like she’s turned into him and he’s grown worse! I never expected Mags’ mother-in-law to be the voice of reason.
So I found that side of things sadly disappointing. A bit like the romance, which never caught light for me. Jay is an okay character too, but his feelings are all over the place. One minute he’s attracted to Nettie, the next he thinks she killed his wife, then she’s too good for him, then he doesn’t know what he wants. And when I think he’s made up his mind, suddenly he hasn’t, or he might have, or… who knows? There was never really a decent connection between the pair of them, since Nettie’s too busy trying to get him back to church to notice him as a man, and he’s got other things on his mind. I wanted to see something between them, but it felt kind of forced.
Thank goodness for Goldie. What a precocious little miss she is. I loved her, bossing her way around the place, trying to take her father in hand, wanting to sort out Nettie’s clothes. She’s great fun and was the one thing in this book that I really liked.
The plot itself is pretty much laid out in its entirety in the blurb (minus the religion), so you won’t find any surprises here. It’s well written, like the rest of the series, and the historical details are wonderful. However, if you’re not a fan of Christian Fiction, then you probably won’t enjoy this one. Overall, it was just okay for me, but I’ll still keep an eye out for the rest of the series and hope that there’s a little more substance to the next sister’s tale.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
February 26, 2016
Nettie has been stuck in the middle all her life. With two older sisters and two younger ones, she's the odd sister out. She takes comfort in her faith and the whole family believes that she is destined to remain unmarried so that she can serve the Lord with her spiritual gifts. And then she meets -- rescues really -- Jay and her whole world shifts. Suddenly the biddable, predictable sister develops a backbone and strives for independence. What a conundrum for her family!
Jay has reached a turning point in his life when he meets Nettie. Deep down he knows he's ready for change but that doesn't mean he's not ornery about it. Great dynamics between these two who spar more than woo their way through a rocky romance. And Jay's daughter, Goldie, is an endearing scamp -- a real scene stealer.
Faith-filled and heartwarming right to the very last page.
Jay has reached a turning point in his life when he meets Nettie. Deep down he knows he's ready for change but that doesn't mean he's not ornery about it. Great dynamics between these two who spar more than woo their way through a rocky romance. And Jay's daughter, Goldie, is an endearing scamp -- a real scene stealer.
Faith-filled and heartwarming right to the very last page.
October 18, 2015
Let me start by saying that I did everything in my power to love this book but I just couldn't. I would have loved to see more romance tied into the conflict of forbidden love. I was looking for a deeper connection between the male and female lead and I just didn't quite get it.I found myself flipping throughout the chapters looking for action. I am really not into historical but I enjoyed the author's description of the times. I need more heat with a good plot. This was my second book by this author. I was given an ARC for my honest opinion.
November 8, 2015
Nettie's story didn't intrigue me as much as her sisters in the previous books in the series, but it was still enjoyable to read. Piper continues to do an excellent job of her use of imagery and transporting her readers to an earlier time period. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!!
November 12, 2015
Bring in the next one please
I loved this story. I didn't appreciate the way her sister's and their husband's tried to make her do what they wanted. Piper is definitely at the top 3 of my favorite author list.
I loved this story. I didn't appreciate the way her sister's and their husband's tried to make her do what they wanted. Piper is definitely at the top 3 of my favorite author list.
November 18, 2015
Stereotypes
Growing up with Stereotype being held as truth is awkward and convincing. What can change your mind? True love and opening yourself to life!
Growing up with Stereotype being held as truth is awkward and convincing. What can change your mind? True love and opening yourself to life!
March 8, 2016
Great.
Great heart warming story. I'm glad Nettie found happiness. Sometimes family can be your biggest obstacle. Nettie is a great blessing to all.
Great heart warming story. I'm glad Nettie found happiness. Sometimes family can be your biggest obstacle. Nettie is a great blessing to all.
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