Heart of Gold

Rainbow Chasers #1

by Tami Hoag

Elegantly handsome Shane Callan was trouble -- Dirty Harry in disguise -- and not quite civilized underneath! But Faith Kincaid was stuck with him. Her decision to appear as a witness in a bribery trial had placed her in peril so great, Shane had been assigned to protect her. He wanted her to be guilty -- he'd be safe then -- but he knew she wasn't, and he found her innocence irresistible. Faith had no business loving a fierce, dangerous heartbreaker, but she needed to know how it felt to have a man want her as much as Shane did. Lonely, haunted by demons, he'd spent too much time on the dark side, undercover in a world of betrayal. Faith was his shot at sanctuary, his anchor in a an unseen storm that threatened to overwhelm them both. But Shane had always lived in shadows, unwilling to share the risks that came with his job. Could Faith make him see that their two hearts shared one destiny, that he was the end of her rainbow -- and she'd dare anything to have him?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary, Modern, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Tami Hoag is the #1 internationally bestselling author of more than thirty books published in more than thirty languages worldwide, including her latest thrillers—BITTER SEASON, COLD COLD HEART and THE 9TH GIRL. Renowned for combining thrilling plots with character-driven suspense, Hoag first hit the New York Times Bestseller list with NIGHT SINS, and each of her books since has been a bestseller.

She leads a double life in Palm Beach County, Florida where she is also known as a top competitive equestrian in the Olympic discipline of dressage. Other interests include the study of psychology, and mixed martial arts fighting.


Visit her at www.tamihoag.com, Facebook.com/TamiHoag and on Twitter @TamiHoag

Reviews

[Delynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not super in love with this one. I like the main character and her family and friends a lot, but the love interest irks me. The story had a lot of potential but didn't live up to it, I think partially because the focus was on the wrong thing. It works better as a suspense novel with a side romance than a romance with a side of suspense.

The villain was certainly described as evil frequently, but the scene he appears in is... meh. The stakes should have been high, but at the same time it didn't feel like Faith was in any real danger. He didn't really get the chance to be a good villain because he was immediately tossed to the wayside and the day was saved - which I understand and expect in a book like this, but with a bit more teeth gritting nail biting than I had.

Faith and Lindy are very sweet, and I love the Fearsome Four (however corny the name is). Shane, however, is brutish, and at one point contemplates "pushing" Faith into having sex with him, which didn't sit right with me even though he resolves not to. I think this could be reevaluated and rewritten into a better book, but as it stands, it's definitely lacking.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Older work that did not age well... but passable.

[Esther · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was just freaking never ending and not in a good way, it's ironic how much i enjoyed the start but the "romance" was Tedious and i Just Wanted this to End (again ironic as this book isn't that long, but still FELT - Never Freaking Ending!!!).

I don't know why this romance/couple got on my nerves (OK i do know why, but so tired reading this, just want to put this behind me and forget, so lets say i don't know and move on...), they just did, didnt get/buy their "love story". And the conclusion wasn't anything to "write home about" let alone enjoy reading about.

As someone who has read loads of books written by Mrs Hoag, this is very very disappointing and i don't think i will be searching out the other books in this series.

[Season · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute story but needed more depth.

[Laura Aase · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been a good story line but was clouded over by passion. Faiths husband was a criminal and she is sent a body guard to protect her until she testifies. Shane is a hardened man with darkness in his past. Would love to have known the characters better and the in renovations in more detail and - spoiler - what ever happened with the trial and the threats from the company. Did they just disappear when the other guy got shot? Too many gaps, and too much gazing and not though meat to the story. Disappointing.

[Rachel Jett · Rating 2 out of 5]

The male move interests is hard to like (a bit chauvinistic), and I don’t understand what the main character sees in him. Their romance feels somehow rushed and a drag at the same time. The ending feels rushed as well, and it wasn’t tied up well in my opinion. Despite taking place in a beach town, most of the book occurs inside an inn, which was disappointing, I wish the beach venue had been utilized a bit more. Some cute elements like the main character’s daughters and friends, but overall a bit meh. Wouldn’t recommend.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, heartwarming romance with a dash of suspense thrown in. Faith is trying to start a new life with her daughter in a quiet little town while waiting for a trial in which she will testify against her ex-husband. Agent Shane Callan is sent (against her wishes) to protect her until the trial. From their first meeting, Faith and Shane fight their fiery attraction for one another. But when trouble finds Faith, will they be able to save each other?

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a ridiculous book. I read it because I really enjoyed a previous book by Hoag called Kill The Messenger. I can’t even believe it’s the same author. This book was so over the top with “romance” I had to laugh. For some reason I actually finished it - perhaps because it was mercifully short. But I will not read another of her books again. Life is too short to read bad books.

[Debra Barstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. Mystery, suspense, romance and just enough intrigue to keep me reading. I would recommend this book.

[Nancy Rundle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, fast paced romance read!

[Paschalis]

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[Carol Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart of gold is a 2nd-rate predictable romance novel, I love Tami Hoag’s thrillers, she is a better writer than is demonstrated by this novel!

[Annette Mardis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second early-in-her-career romance I've read by Tami Hoag, and unfortunately both have been mediocre.

Based on my reading of "Prior Bad Acts," one of her later suspense novels, Tami Hoag is a good writer. I enjoyed that book very much.

But "Heart of Gold" isn't a good indicator of her talent. The romance seems forced and pretty unrealistic, unless you subscribe to the idea that women love cavemen and turn to mush when they're bullied.

The supporting characters, except for the heroine's young daughter, were mostly forgettable.

"Heart of Gold" is the first in a series, but after reading it I didn't feel compelled to run to the library to find the books that came after this one. I didn't even feel like passing it along to my parents, who both love to read.

My dad prefers stories about crime and war, but this book would make him roll his eyes and abandon it partway through. The federal agent who is the male lead in "Heart of Gold" does a shoddy job of protecting the female lead, and he acts pretty unprofessionally, too.

The author's idea of building a relationship between the two characters basically is to repeat the same type of phrasing throughout the book. Okay, these two are lusting after each other (inexplicably, I might add). We get it already.

For a story that revolves around lust, there's not a whole lot of chemistry between these two. And what chemistry there is seems too obviously manufactured.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good romance. Much better than some I have read by authors that only do romance. This is an early work by Tami Hoag and I really liked it. I have read several of these early works and an surprised at how well they have aged. This is the first of four books about frients who went to college together.

Heart of Gold is the story of Shane and Faith. Faith is the owner of a B&B on the coast about 2 hours north of San Francisco. Her ex is a Senator under indictment and Faith is a witness. Shane is a Justice Dept. agent in charge of keeping her safe. He thinks of it as glorified babysetting, but since he was shot on his last assignment, it was either this or forced R&R. Faith wants nothing to do with him, he pushes the sexy button in a big way. Threats start coming and things heat up with Shane and Faith. Great romance, good mystery and a dash of humor.

For those looking for a book like Ashes to Ashes - this ain't it. This work is nothing like Tami Hoag's later work.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book. You kinda have to suspend disbelief a bit here, since Faith falls in love so quickly with a guy who has been nothing but a prick to her so far. And even though Shane is an ass to start out, he does soften up (although its a little lazy to show how this guy is really quite sensitive because he can play the piano with such emotion). There isn't really a big misunderstanding so much as there's a nobility complex on the part of the hero. You know, the I-can't-be-with-you-cuz-you-might-get-hurt complex. And then there's a bad guy and kidnapping thing going on too, but that was pretty much no too suspenseful in my opinion. The romance was really sweet though, and Faith's daughter Lindy was really adorable (not something I typically think of kids in romance books)

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only thing that kept me from giving it 4 stars is the premise of the plot being the danger the heroine is in because of her upcoming testimony in a major trial, it seemed as if she was not being guarded too well by the agents that were sent for that purpose. Too many times she was on her own or allowed to go out in the open with no regard to her safety. I realize this is basically a romance and those are "incidental" to the love story, and Ms Hoag definitely fine tuned her writing when she branched out into the suspense genre.

[Debi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished Heart of Gold !! I wasn't to impressed with this book and got close to putting it down more then once. I was expecting more suspense/mystery in the book then there was and it disappointed me. More romance then anything else but for a romance it still didn't impress me to much either!! 2 stars. No I won't be continuing this series.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book at a Borders sale based on good reviews this author has received for her writing. I could not get through this book. It is a trashy romance novel which is fine if you are into those things. I found some of it so corny that I just could not continue to read it. I think this author write suspense novels now so I will give one of those a try in the future.

[Sharyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Heart of Gold" is the 1st in a series by Tami Hoag. I had listened to #2, so of course had to find the rest. This is a 1990 Loveswept, so I was prepared,and I will read the other 2 in the series, but this is just a quick read romance, with a lot of sex and a little mystery. Broken hearted Faith meets broken hearted cop, and love heals all.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally! This TH romance kept my interest so much more than her others have. I read this trilogy out if order; that didn't really make a difference in the stories. However, the other 2 in the trilogy simply held no candle to this one. I think it was because of the mystery that went along w/this one that helped. Much better!

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. The heroine is a witness in her ex-husband's bribery trial, the hero is the FBI agent assigned to guard her. (Does the FBI do that, or the Marshall's office?) He thinks she had to know what the guy was doing, but changes his mind as he gets to know her. It's a romance. What did you think would happen? But it's an enjoyable ride. I liked it.

[Miss Kim]

This is an older book, and I usually don't have a problem with that, but it just couldn't keep the pace up enough when I had a few other books I really wanted to read waiting for me. Perhaps another time...

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think gooey love irks me right now. and this book is full of gooey love, self-deprecation and a certain will they - wont they vibe. i was expecting the predictable ending, but I was hoping for a little more action.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beach read, luckily, that's where I am. Intrigue, love, mystery, it's all there. Beguiling and innocent heroine, handsome and damaged protector, add a hitman trying to kill them both, and bingo, there you go.

[Emily Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faith Kinkaid and her friends are opening a bed and breakfast on the coast of Northern California when Shane Callan shows up to protect Faith from a man who is threatening her life. Eliminating the threat is the first priority, but falling in love is not ignored.

[Stephanie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical. Wouldn't read again.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started: July 15, 2010
Finished: July 16, 2010

Book #71 for the 2010 52 Books in 52 Week Ravelry Challenge.

This book was okay. I will give this author another changes.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Certainly not what I expected based on the other Hoag books I have read. This could have been sold on the trashy romance isle. Could have been a better story. Just OK

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

story line was not well developed beyond a physical attraction between characters. The exciting part of the story lasted 2 pages.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, not great. I would give it 3 1/2 stars.