Eliza Woodpen has no option but to help the wounded man brought to her door by one of her students. Forced into such close contact she is shocked to find herself becoming more and more infatuated with Copper Reeves as the days pass. But Copper is a bounty hunter, and Eliza has secrets that must be kept. After three years on the run her past catches up, and she must decide whether Copper is to be trusted and whether he can save her from a man bent on revenge.

Eliza’s Copper Penny is a lovely tale of what a woman will do for those she loves. Eliza is brought to life with great skill, and it isn’t long before you want her to have her happy ever after. After every thing that’s happened in her life, she deserves one. Copper has secrets of his own and his rough around the edges character compliments Eliza’s prim and proper one excellently. The attraction between them is dealt with in a way that has you living in the restricted time of the 1800’s, I found myself thinking don’t do that your reputation will be ruined. Ciara Gold has done a wonderful job with her secondary characters as well; she mixes different personalities together in a melting pot of small town life with such skill that even when she didn’t describe the scene in intimate detail, I found myself picturing the town and people in vivid color. Her revenge seeking villain is well crafted, and I had no problem believing he was able to be as evil as he was but still a well respected member of society. And Eliza’s clumsy suitor, Ted, is both annoying and likable. His inability to take no for an answer and the lengths he goes to in order to win her hand are at times laughable and frustrating. I’m not a big fan of Historical Romance, but Ms. Gold had me thoroughly enthralled and I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another of her historical novels.

Reviewed by: Rachel C.