Brighter than Gold

Rogues Go West #1

by Cynthia Wright

Feisty, independent Katie MacKenzie spends her days working at her father's saloon in the mining town of Columbia, writing for the local paper and dreaming of the Sierra's own heroic Robin Hood, known only as the Griffin. Though newcomer Jack Adams arouses her ire with his mocking words -- and her interest with his knowing eyes -- her heart belongs to the masked highwayman.

But her fantasy romance is shattered when her father is shot down by the Griffin. Disillusioned and enraged, she vows to bring her father's killer to justice -- even as she finds herself falling in love with Jack.

There is much that Katie doesn't know -- about her father's death, about the Griffin, and about Jack, who takes her to the limits of ecstasy, yet hides a secret that, once revealed, may destroy the fragile trust that Katie has so innocently placed in him....

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Westerns, Historical, Historical Fiction, Western Romance, Ebooks

420 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 13, 1990

About the author

Cynthia Wright is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, best known for her Rakes & Rebels series, 16 intertwining historical romances starring the irresistible Raveneau & Beauvisage families. Her other acclaimed series are Crowns & Kilts and Rogues Go West. Romantic Times Magazine hails Cynthia's novels as "Romance the way it was meant to be."

Cynthia lives in northern California. She enjoys riding a tandem bike and taking road trips in an airstream trailer with her Colombian-born husband, Alvaro & their corgi, Watson. She is also devoted to her two teenage grandsons who live nearby.

You are invited to visit Cynthia's website (where you can sign up for her newsletter and peruse the Books Page):
http://cynthiawrightauthor.com/

You are invited to join Cynthia's private Facebook reader group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/98606...

View her "Behind the Books" boards on Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/cynthiawright77/

RAKES & REBELS: The Raveneau Family series:
1 - SILVER STORM (André & Devon)
2 - HER HUSBAND, THE RAKE: a sequel novella (André & Devon)
3 - SMUGGLER'S MOON (Sebastian & Julia)
4 - THE SECRET OF LOVE (Gabriel & Isabella)
5 - SURRENDER THE STARS (Ryan & Lindsay)
6 - HIS MAKE-BELIEVE BRIDE (Justin & Mouette)
7 - HER IMPOSSIBLE HUSBAND (Justin & Mouette)
8 - HER SECRET ROGUE (Anthony & Frederica)
9 - HIS FIERY ANGEL (Benedict & Camille)
10 - HIS RECKLESS BARGAIN (Nathan & Adrienne)
11 - TEMPEST (Adam & Cathy)

RAKES & REBELS: The Raveneau Family intertwines with RAKES & REBELS: The Beauvisage Family series:
1 - STOLEN BY A PIRATE: a prequel novella to RESCUED BY A ROGUE (Jean-Philippe & Antonia)
2 -RESCUED BY A ROGUE (Alec & Caro)
3 - TOUCH THE SUN (Lion & Meagan)
4 - SPRING FIRES (Nicholai & Lisette)
5 - HER DANGEROUS VISCOUNT (Grey & Natalya)

CROWNS & KILTS: The St. Briac Family
1 - YOU & NO OTHER (Thomas & Aimee)
2 - OF ONE HEART (Andrew & Micheline)
3 - ABDUCTED AT THE ALTAR (Christophe & Fiona)
4 - RETURN OF THE LOST BRIDE (Ciaran & Violette)
5 - QUEST OF THE HIGHLANDER (Lennox & Nora)

ROGUES GO WEST
1 - BRIGHTER THAN GOLD (Jack & Katie)
2 - IN A RENEGADE'S EMBRACE (Fox & Maddie)
3 - THE DUKE & THE COWGIRL (Geoff & Shelby)
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Reviews

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Nothing really exciting to write home about. The California gold country setting was a plus, but the foot stomping too independent heroine wore thin pretty fast.

[Trashy Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book insulting.

I'm tempted to leave the review at that, but you probably want some evidence to back up my assertion. Here it is, but I warn you there are spoilers below....

1. A stranger, Jack, comes to town and saloon owner Brian, befriends him. He (and frankly, most of the characters in this book) takes the stranger's advice over his daughter, Katie's. She is level-headed, capable, and practical so her advice should have merit. However, as soon as the stranger makes a recommendation (and an obviously self-serving one), Brian takes it and runs with it. Katie protests (quite rightly) and her father says he followed Jack's advice because he is a natural leader. This is a thread repeated throughout the book. Katie proposes a course of action and is ignored in favor of Jack's opinion on any given manner. When Katie is clearly angry at Jack about something, all of her friends continue to side with Jack and tell her to stop being so prickly because Jack is such a great guy. No one ever stops to wonder that their lifelong friend Katie might have a good reason for her animosity towards this relative stranger.

2. The source of Katie's animosity is the result of when Katie and Jack finally hook up, Katie is asleep and Jack is fully awake. That's rape, plain and simple. Talking to her afterwards he doesn't even take all the blame, but he is "gracious" enough to share it with her.

3. Jack, our stranger/hero/rapist is distantly related to John Adams. Samuel Clemens (yes THAT Samuel Clemens) is a character in the book and drives the plot at several points in the story. There is probably more historic name-dropping, but I am not a Civil War buff or historian so I couldn't tell you. It was obnoxious and unnecessary to include such a cameo. Quite frankly, it made me want to stop reading this garbage and pick up Huck Finn.

4. Jack is living a double life. He tells Katie that Jack Adams is not his real name and his not quite the drifter he appears to be while walking Katie to the church where they will be married. Katie is written to be a strong, independent woman who had been supporting herself on her own for several months. Upon learning this disturbing information she marries the man anyway with nothing more than a sense of trepidation. There is no reason for her to do so at all, except to drive the plot along.

5. Jack and Katie had sex twice months before even considering marriage. I'm fine with the morality of that, but less okay that Jack never made any effort to determine if Katie might be pregnant as a result. No mention of any sort is made, Katie doesn't seem to worry that she might be pregnant either. Do babies only happen when people are married in this world?

In conclusion, this book made me very, very angry. I would have thrown it at the wall, but that would damage my beloved e-reader. I finished it only so that I would have more scathing things to say about it in my review.

[Tracyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know there's been some negative reviews but i quite enjoyed this book even with the errors made on the year. I would not class this as a BR though.....more of a historical romance.

[Candace N · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was gold! Jack is a VERY magnetic character, you can’t help but be drawn to him. I liked Katie too, she was independent, headstrong and passionate. The storyline was awesome! It was interesting, full of humour and moves at a perfect pace. I also learned a few things I didn’t know and looked up afterwards. I completely enjoy when actual historical figures make their way into a fictional story. There is a lot of things going for this story! Brilliant read!

[D. Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed this read

It brought me back in time. Enjoyed the banter and love between them. Good read. On to the next book

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRIGHTER THAN GOLD is the first in Cynthia Wright's Rogues Go West (or sometimes called Western Rebels) series. Set in the mining town of Columbia, California in 1864, Kathleen (Katie) MacKenzie works at her father's saloon and writes for the local paper. She meets newcomer Jack Adams and takes him into instant dislike. Katie is more interested in learning the identity of the mysterious vigilante known as the Griffin, whom she sees as heroic. A tragic accident leaves Katie alone in the world and changes her opinion of the Griffin. Jack is torn about what to do with Katie, but the memory of his friendship with her father and her feistiness, intrigue him. Jack does his best to keep her out of trouble, and despite being at odds, their attraction is undeniable.

Wright pays close attention to details and the reader gets a strong sense of place. This time, her secondary historical figures are of more a literary bent and we meet the rascally Sam(uel) Clemens aka Mark Twain and his friends Bret Harte and Steve Gillis. Sam's friendship with Jack and Katie coincide seamlessly with his mining/literary/trouble-making activities of the time.

I haven't read BRIGHTER THAN GOLD in a long time, but I thoroughly enjoyed my reread. I had forgotten about the Samuel Clemens connection and was intrigued by the historical accuracy. I found Jack was not as much of an alpha male as some of the Beauvisage/Raveneau characters, but had more layers*. I'm not sure if that is more characteristic of the time period (setting) or the time period (copyright, 1990 as opposed to 70s/80s). Whatever the reason, I feel he was a strong, likable character.

While BRIGHTER THAN GOLD definitely has a more western feel, Wright's characters, details and historical accuracy makes it another winner for fans and new readers alike. This story is definitely a stand-alone. I could be wrong, but this might be the only story that does not have ties to others in the Cynthia Wright universe.

*I really wanted to resist an onion/Shrek reference, but apparently that is impossible.

[L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is another one of those books where the hero and heroine are on completely different levels. The kind of story where I keep hoping one of the main characters ends up with another character even though I know it is a lost cause.

In the once-booming-but-not-quite-bust town of Columbia, Katie MacKenzie helps her widowed father run his saloon. When she's not there she's working part time for the town's one newspaper. Her childhood friend is Lim Sung, the man I wanted her to end up with. He's known her forever, he's there for her in Katie's darkest hours, he supports her in whatever she sets out to do. C'mon, Katie, get with Lim Sung!

*Sigh* Instead, we get Jack Adams. I never liked this guy. He didn't earn my trust. Let this be a life lesson for everyone. If you are physically heading off to get married when suddenly your significant other casually mentions, "By the way, I've been lying to you all this time. My real name is ___," this is the moment when you apply the brakes. Pull that emergency brake while you're at it. Run for the hills, run for the border, lock all the doors and turn off all the lights. As long as you realize this is not right.

[Yasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book as a throwaway light read, good for queues and doctors' waiting rooms etc. But the more I read of it the more the charm of the simple tale won me over. I enjoyed the setting and the time period, and think the author did a good job with small details to really bring it all to life. The description of lavish dresses and foods was great! I liked the characters, although they were both annoying at certain points, which just adds to realism, in my opinion.I think a lurid cover is often misleading, because this one was well written, well researched and had heart- which belied the Mills and Boon cover that would stop some people giving it a chance. I will certainly give other books by this author a go now. My rating is 3.5 stars

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

2020 reading challenge category: A western

This was a total flop for me. I couldn't stand the plot or the main characters. Katie alternated between swooning and screaming at people about how she wasn't swooning; Jack actually told her that him kissing her made her a woman. Gross. This was actually a chore to get through.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calaveras County Gold Rush Love

A fun, romantic tale of life, love and controversy in California's gold rush. From Katie's journey into womanhood to Jack's struggle with himself, this is a sweet though passionate story of the human rites of passage on so many levels. Ms. Wright's telling of the diversity of lives during the growth of the nation is compelling and so much more fun than the dry history we learned in school. Katie and Jack's story is fun, wrenching and filled with emotion from beginning to end. I so enjoyed reading of the character of the young Samuel Clemens and his rise to literary stardom. He has been a favorite of mine since childhood! Ah, the escapades they all enjoyed and suffered through! A thoroughly enjoyable adventure.

[Svalora · Rating 4 out of 5]

With all of the negative reviews, I expected this to be a quick easy read to get me on to the next great book -- I really didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either! I found it to be a fun story -- especially the appearances of Sam Clemons! Being as it was a historical romance, one could surmise that it was going to have a happy ending, I just wasn't sure how that bow was going to get wrapped up and tied! I didn't appreciate some of the over the top vocabulary-- which I felt was out of place and impertinent! Sometimes trying to prove your "intelligence" just proves your ignorance!
Overall, not a horrible read! Not my favorite book of all time, but a fun historical romance set in California Gold country!

[Janejellyroll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very little about this rung true.

. . . he soon realized that Katie possessed a unique mixture of personality traits, many of which were rare in the women of his acquaintance. She was independent, intelligent, capable, adult beyond her years in many respects—all due, Jack supposed, to the responsibilities she had assumed after her mother’s death. In addition, Katie was blessed with a lovely face and form.

Any book where a male MC thinks to himself about how most of the women he knows aren't intelligent or capable makes me want to throw my Kindle at the wall. Why would I be rooting for such a complete jerk?

[Zena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful story about a young lady who takes responsibility for herself and her life and is happy to help everyone around her. All she wants in return is truth, honesty and love.
She meets up with a man who has secrets and this is when the story really begins.
There are many twists and turns to keep one interested and eager to find out what is going to happen next.
It is well written and very easy to read and follow and I am quite happy to recommend it as a great read.

[Aurora Harner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read

I found this book very entertaining and definitely one of the best romance novels I have read in a long time. There were parts that I read and I would think I knew what would happen next and then I would be surprised all over again. The relationship and banter between the heroine and the hero was comical and we'll entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan on reading more from this author.

[Sandie Parrish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brighter than Gold

This is a fun book to read starting with Katies' birthday celebration then ending with the following years.birthday party. During that year she meets and falls in love with a Robinhood, her father is accidentliy killed, she gets married and is expecting her first child. She has quite a ride during the year. I hope you enjoy the book.

[ann cheeseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not want to put this book down... I was either lulled into a sense of either happiness, understanding, anticipation and emotion. Then I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see the hero right many wrongs that a gready pair of men who had no morals. This almost clean romance was thoroughly worth reading... Thank you Cynthia. 💯 % Enjoyable.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy well written to read book. Has some good history in it even if it has some errors on the year. There was a lot of research done. It shows how the chemistry goes between men and women. I loved the descriptions given on the dresses and the many different foods. Keep up the good work.

[Hanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my taste

I stopped reading early in the book because I found the personality of the hero to be positively repulsive. In my long life, I have found that in real life, men with his combination of arrogance and suaveness tend to be egotistical if not narcissistic. Sexy, but very bad bets for marriage.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brighter than Gold (Rogues Go West Bk #1)

Fun book to read. A little longer than needed! The ending court room scene was a little flat. I do feel the author was trying to present her story using historical references to help the story seem real. Sometimes that made it funny. The story is what is is! Pretty predictable!

[John Boles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brighter than Gold

This book was so good I could barely wait to read it all to see how it turned out. It was full of adventure, suspense, and intrigue. The love between the two main characters was so satisfying to me particularly with the happy ending. I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Katy Carkuff]

Gold can make or break a life!

Katie was a beautiful girl, and Jack was handsome! However, just like gold, it doesn't always enrich a relationship! Great story about the gold rush and how it could make or break people's lives! I encourage you read this story about challenges in life, and how love can overcome them!

[Sandy Frediani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me long enough to finish. No fault of the book, which I enjoyed very much. More the fact that I don't read on my tablet very often. Anyway, as mentioned, I did enjoy this. The characters are interesting, especially Jack with his double life. The story line flows and is well written enough to hold my interest even over such a long span of time.
Very well done.

[Esther Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice and honor pervale

The variety of characters keeps the reader engaged at all times. Adding the character of Samuel, also refereed to as Mark Twain adds a wider cup twist to the plot and outcome to the story. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy diverse characters and a dynamic female character.

[Carissa Beattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good read.


The characters were believable and very interesting. The storyline moved at a good pace. The historical line was informative and interesting. I highly recommend this book.

[pat white · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read

I have just discovered this author, and read her book which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was full of wonderful characters with a hero and heroin that you fall in love with. A truly fabulous storyline that you will love and enjoy. I adored it.

[Mary E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Story!

I hated for this book to end! Brighter Than Gold had it all: romance, intrigue, conflict, and danger. The addition of Samuel Clemens was a nice touch. Very well done, Ms. Wright!

[Barbara R. Cady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gold fever

As I'm sure really did happen, this story of gold rush times had villains, heroes,, historical figures and a headstrong female! It was well written, very enjoyable and full of a variety of emotions. Well worth the read.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read. Small town caught up in the later gold fever in west. Declining town and the robber baron guys who were ripping off small miner and people of the town and using hydraulics to tear up the town to find more gold underneath. The came the Robin Hood of the west called The Griffin..

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What A Charming Read!

This writing captures the hints of time gone by and makes it come to life. The characters become real through the story telling. This book gives you mystery, deception, human kindness and love. Sit back and enjoy as you turn the pages.

[Ada Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstandingly told story with many twists and turns. Very difficult to put down. Wonderful characters.

I loved Katie and Jack both. Each so strong and sure what they wanted to accomplish. Put together, they are an irresistible couple.