Rivers of Gold

Yukon Quest #3

by Tracie Peterson

Rescued after being swept off a boat, Miranda must find her way back to those she loves. Assisting her is a botanist carrying a package that could put them both in danger.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Christian, Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical

383 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Tracie Peterson is a bestselling author who writes in both historical and contemporary genres. Her novels reveal her love for research as well as her strong desire to develop emotionally meaningful characters and stories for her readers. Tracie and her family live in Montana.

pen name: Janelle Jamison

Reviews

[Andrea Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful, rich finale! I adored this entire trilogy, but this book might be my favorite.

Teddy and Miranda were adorable together. I wouldn’t have thought to put their personalities together, but it worked beautifully. I loved that he was a botanist. That isn’t a career I often see featured in books I read, but I enjoyed it.

I really liked that Grace’s mom made an appearance. She was a great character in book one, so it was fantastic to see her come back to help wrap up the series.

A certain event involving Crispen made me weep. He had an arc that surprised me.

The plot was completely complex and tied up all the loose ends. This was a well-rounded, beautifully expressed story. I enjoyed seeing how each character’s journey fit perfectly into the overall tapestry of the series.

Content: alcohol, mentions of prostitutes and “kept women,” saloons, gambling halls

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. The historical setting and likable characters return here, and the ending is better this time around.

[Hannah Beth (Hannah's Book Cafe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

100 percent one of my new favorite series. I was just informed the other day that Tracie also wrote about Leah and Jacob in another series. Definitely going to be reading those too!

This book has everything I want: adventure, intrigue, romance, and great characters that you truly care about. I wanted to see all of these characters succeed and be happy. I was happy for them when they came to Christ, sad with them in their heartaches and rejoiced with them in good news. How happy I am to see a happy ending for almost all of them.

This will not be the last time I read Tracie Peterson's work, you can count on that!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Great Story by Tracie. Great Characters from the first 2 books, FYI Alaskan Quest series continues on with Leah and Jacob.

[Jacquelyn 💐 {This Rapunzel Reads} [Jesus Christ, my Living Hope] · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book deals with Miranda, Peter’s sister while still revisiting Karen, Adrik, Grace and Peter. This wasn’t my favorite series by Tracie Peterson. They weren’t her best sadly.

[Natasha Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of the trilogy, and a beautiful ending.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a fitting end to the series, and the characters (especially Karen, Adrik, Leah, and Jacob) were in alignment with who I knew them to be from the companion series (Alaskan Quest).
I liked that the romance between Miranda and Teddy was not the main focus of the novel, but was about Miranda and the rest of the characters were seeking to find each other and make decisions about their future lives. I enjoyed the way the characters chose to live out their faith in God, encouraging each other during times of difficulty.
(I did have to chuckle at all the 'near misses' that Miranda et al had when she was searching for them, though.)

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ending to a great series! So glad the story line is continued with the Alaskan quest series!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The weary group minus Miranda and Crispin have set up their tent by the river near Dawson. When arriving they didn't have enough funds for a cabin or a claim as hoped. Grace has her baby, a boy, Andrew or Andy. She is left in dawson as the others go share a claim and cabin with Adrik's friend, Gump. They come back later to get Grace when she is recovered and the baby is stronger and the weather more mild. There is a misunderstanding in the telegraph that is sent about the accident on the lake...Grace is assumed dead not miranda. Peter is heartbreaken and lost but finds that he still needs to go and retrieve his sister. This is after he has been returned the Colton shipping company and met Grace's mother who informs him he is wealthy from the trust that grace has. He heads north and discovers that his sister is married to the man that nursed her back to help a botanist, Teddy Davenport. As Miranda finally gets to Dawson she looks for her friends, but isn't fruitful in finding any only glipses of them until Peter is there. When the baby gets sick, the group comes back to Dawson and everyone is reunited. However, Jacob and Gump are left back at the claim, where a misunderstanding and murder are taking place. Cec, loosing patience in not finding what he's looking for, uses force to enter the cabin and kills Gump, when jacob tries to help he is the one caught with the gun when the neighbors come to help and he is accused of murder while his friend is dead. Peter, Miranda and the baby head out for callifornia, Miranda wishes to visit her family, but sticks by her husbands side and stays in Dawson so he can continue discovery for his book. When Adrik and the rest of the family head back to the claim, they learn the news of Gump and Jacob and go to see what help they can offer. Karen discovers she is expecting and the decision is made to return to Dyea before winter. Jacob is excused after much prayer and help from friends.

[Annalise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great ending to the series!! I totally loved it!

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rivers of Gold was an adventurous end to the Yukon Quest series. It was just as interesting as the other two books, and once again we got to see a new side of life in the North at this time. Botany, a mining town, and life on a claim wove together throughout this story adding unique facts and occurrences throughout. I really appreciate how in each of these books we get to learn so much about a different aspect of life in this area at this time. Miranda's story was wonderful. From Teddy's unique personality to the search for her friends to her newfound love of learning, Miranda's story was a highlight of the book. Most of this book is about reconciliation and reconnecting with lost loved ones, and for the most part, this left me feeling rather antsy while reading. With all of the almost meetings, missed possible connections, and time it took to finally get everyone together, it continually made me want them to reconnect faster so we could get on with less predictable aspects of the story. You know they are going to reconnect eventually, so the length of time it takes for this to occur may be seen as more of a frustration even though I appreciate how everything came together rather nicely in the end. Everyone had good endings. They were happy and settled, and this made for a heartwarming wrap up to a great series. The story of Bill Barringer throughout the books was disappointing for me. It never seemed fully formed or fully played out. Hopefully, this storyline will be more complete after the Alaskan Quest series. The threat that is woven throughout this book is thrilling and climactic, but it also left me wishing it had been something that had been in play throughout all of the books rather than just the last one. That would have made for a more dramatic execution of the story as a whole, but it was still an exciting plot point for this final book. Overall, I found this book a fascinating addition to an enjoyable series.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Not as good as the first two. Miranda’s story wasn’t great and seemed unrealistic which hurt her character in my estimation. She kept saying she desperately wanted to find her friends but did little to search persistently. Just didn’t seem consistent. Crispin’s part was emotional but I feel like he could’ve had a much better story. Overall, too much harping on how gold turns men mad (I read that countless times). By the end of this book, each character went through hard times where their trust in God was hard, which was a bit redundant also by the end having the hear how God turns all things for good for each character, it would’ve been nice to have different messages mixed in, rather than the same one played out for each person. The plots were good, not all great, but I liked some a lot. A few parts where characters weren’t being logical which comes across as fake/unrealistic. Nice endings for them all though.

[Ana Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t like this book as much as the two previous books in the series but it was still good. I just felt like the many miscommunications and misunderstandings dragged on for too long.
I didn’t love the chemistry between Miranda and Teddy because I just felt like it seemed a little forced and even though you expected it, at the same time we didn’t get a lot of lead into the relationship so it just kind of happened. I don’t know I just wasn’t really feeling them.
Another thing that I felt was a little unnecessary was the drama with Jacob almost towards the end of the book because it just felt like that came out of nowhere.
What I did love about the book was how everyone was able to be reunited with their family and their friends.
I just realized that the Alaska Quest series is a follow up series to this one so I’m definitely going to have to read that one in the future.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rivers of Gold could be a "stand alone" book, since I read it out of order. (Our inter-loan Library system has a habit of sticking information on the book fronts, and I didn't notice it was the last in the series.) It was a good lunch companion with several interesting characters, so I'm planning on reading the other two books in proper order. Another reviewer mentioned that botany was listed as a career for a main character, and they found the information provided about it quite unusual. I also found it made the book more fun.
I'm not too familiar with the Yukon and I did enjoy the feature of this locale which made for interesting reading.
A friend told me Tracie Peterson was a favorite author of hers and I'm so glad she did. At some point I'll probably read another of her titles after trying these.

[L8blmr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This final story in the Yukon trilogy was a much better read for me than the second book. I am a sucker for reunions and there were many, relationships of varying kinds began while others were altered or ended, and some characters even succeeded in their quest for gold. If there is a theme to this story, I believe it would be "resolution." In that regard, though, one thing annoyed me. The status of one minor character (related to two more important characters) has been in question since the first book and I didn't feel like it was ever completely resolved. It was more like, "Oh, well, I guess..." and it was just glossed over. However, each of the three featured couples found or re-discovered their HEA and you can't ask for more than that.

[Deborah Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical and faith filled story of Alaskan gold rush, Rivers of Gold is the third and final book in the Yukon Quest series and no loose ends are left, leaving me quite satisfied. I became very vested in the lives of Grace, Peter, Karen, Adrik, Leah, Jacob, Miranda and her parents. The growth and changes as each came to the understand and accept the purpose that God had for them was both difficult and rewarding to listen to. The birth of little Andy and other surprises brought so much joy to the story. The ruggedness and harsh beauty of the Alaskan wilderness and of its people really depicted what life must have been like in 1899-1900. Wish this series was longer. However, I will be listening to more of Tracie Peterson's books.

[Rachel B · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The lead characters in this installment are supposedly Miranda and Teddy, but their story seemed rushed, shallow, and just a way for the author to glue together other plotlines. Their personalities are not very distinct; yet, Miranda's personality seems different from what it was in the previous books.

There's more talk in this book about characters being incomplete without a spouse.

A lot of the talk about God in this book felt forced and preachy. It was just a bit too much.

Side note: Money and jobs seem to come very easily to all these characters. I wish more authors would write about regular people.

[♏Vanessa♏ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is good but the constant bible talk is really off putting. Despite the many positives of the story and writing I can't get over the bible talk.
So, this book has made me realise 3 things:
1) Christian novel are most definitely NOT FOR ME;
2) a good story can be spoiled by something little
3) I'm quite aggressive, because every time I hear preaching (may it be vegans, religious types, politics fanatics, healthy freaks, etc) I feel like punching them in the face AND balls/uterus plus scream from the top of my lungs in their faces too😤😡🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬.
Any way, great book (if you don't mind a ton of bible talk) and it's free on uk plus catalogue.

[Susan J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Times Is A Charm

Interesting plots for all three of the books. I loved the characters and they matured and evolved over the course of this Alaskan trilogy. Strong female leaders in all three books. Three very different H’s. And the worst antagonist ever. Resolution takes a long winding journey. Secondary character grow as well. The location played a huge part and is also a life altering adversary. Lots of scriptures and speaking of God’s importance in our lives. I would recommend this author as very talented, consistent story arch’s in all three books. Love, adventure and serious danger. Looking forward to more…please

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another Tracie Peterson book that was hard to put down. This one being the final book in the Yukon Quest trilogy. Honestly I have few complaints with Rivers of Gold. The majority of it has to do with some of the characters nearly running into each other multiple times. Other then this it was a fantastic read and a great way to end the series. Her Alaskan Quest trilogy is the sequel to this. It continues Jacob and Leah’s story. I’ll definitely be checking that out next. If you a fan of Mrs. Peterson or of Christian Fiction in general I highly recommend reading the Yukon Quest trilogy.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up the first book in this series for free from a public library while we were vacationing in Newport, Oregon. I loved the story and have now completed the last two books in the Yukon Quest series. These novels have nurtured my prayer life as much as any nonfiction book on the subject ever has. Written in the book are signatures of women who have read this book over the past twenty years.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I’m blown away in how Peterson tied up all the lose ends up in the final book for the Yukon Quest series. The lovable characters from the start to the new ones were paired beautifully with their skills and personalities. The faith message with the history, picturesque landscapes and events shined brightly. This may just become one of my favorite series by Tracie Peterson. I sure hope I can find more books where these characters are brought back to life.

[Mrs. Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trust is hard to accept, yet Peterson showed how in unexpected ways.

This book, the final in the series, was so full of adventure, twists, and turns showing the importance of trusting in God. Read the whole book in less than 24 hours! Tracie Peterson is a masterful writer and storyteller.

[Sandra Nofziger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The three books, "Treasures of the North", "Ashes and Ice" and Rivers of Gold" all by Tracie Peterson, were and excellent read. They are historical novels and well written. Rod and I both enjoyed them! The story line takes place in the late 1800's and covers the Alaskan Gold Rush and the difficult lives of four families.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

the last one in the series until we read Jacob and Leah's stories. I loved the way the three books were summed up in this one. But as I said before, even though I am a Christian, the message was almost overbearing. What rang true most of all was the story of Crispin. Good book nonetheless.

[Mary Ann Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting!

Such a smooth read. Just enough adventure, mystery and romance! I couldn't wait for the happy ever after! Hope you will have the Yukon Quest Book continue!
Blessings!
MA. Tucker

[Carol Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fine book by Ms Peterson

As much as I enjoy the story, I have also been grateful for the use of the scriptures. They both challenge and reaffirm my faith. Thank you from the bottom of my heart

[Stefanie B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If England is a refined and elegant lady, then the Yukon is her defiant and rebellious grandchild" Tracie Peterson did such an amazing job on this book. Loved everything about it. By far my favorite series by her.

[Mary Maze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional read

Totally enjoyed the adventure of this book. The characters were intriguing and not always predictable. I had a hard time putting down the three book series. Therefore, I have not gotten a lot if sleep in the last three days.