#HFVBT Blog Tour: The Golden Van Dorens by Nicole Strycharz

The Golden Van Dorens by Nicole Strycharz

Malcom Van Doren made his fortune in the California Gold Rush of 1849. By 1853, he spent it all, drowning in debt, and returned to his mine out of desperation. Steadily, over the years, he went mad. Known for his lunacy, when Malcom claimed to have discovered gold a second time, no one believed him… not even his family. Too paranoid about his creditors to prove his finding, Malcom Van Doren told everyone he hid his fortune away. Now, in the year 1880, twenty-seven years after his second discovery, his daughters are each as desperate as he once was for wealth. All of them, for different reasons; revenge, love, or greed. Three sisters battle to discover their dead father’s gold, but only one will win this race as their own little gold rush ensues. God help the man that stands between a Golden Van Doren and all that glitters.

Available on Amazon

After the Van Doren patriarch squanders his fortune, claims to strike it rich a second time and ends up dead, his daughters are out for gold!  This story pits sister against sister against sister in a striking tale realistically set in 1880. 

I really enjoyed the characters.  Tabitha, Morgan, and Verity are so well written and they have incredible depth!  Each sister is tough, headstrong, and set on a specific goal.  There are lots of side characters as well who help to fully flesh out the world.  My favorite was Morgan, mostly because I identified with her the most.  Tabitha was spiteful, certainly and flawed, but she was a close second.  Verity came in third for me, though it wasn’t for lack of trying.  I did also really like her, but Morgan was the best.

There wasn’t much worldbuilding since this is a historical fiction book and the settings are realistic.  I was able to get more than enough context from the character interactions.  I felt the pacing was really well done, there was no waiting around for the narrative to pick up steam here!  Beautiful cover art, great plot with so many twists and turns!  I would recommend to fans of historical fiction, specifically America in the 1800s and books with intrigue! 

Thank you to HFVBT for having me along on this tour!  This was a treat to read and review!

About the Author

Nicole is a multi-genre author of over a dozen books. “The Divorce” was nominated in the 2016 Indie Book Awards and won second place in the 2016 Best Cover Design in ‘Urban Literature Magazine.’ She was featured on the cover of Words + Magazine for her book “The Affair.” She’s known for delving into sensitive and real topics such as in her title “The Love That Hurts” which explored domestic violence with the hopes of giving victims a voice while exposing the red flags of an abusive relationship. Most of her lead female characters are depicted as survivors or evolving overcomers of trauma. Sending a message to readers that every moment and every day they fight for is a victory. Being of mixed ethnicity, she keeps her cast of characters diverse and tries to highlight the different cultures around the world. Nicole lives in Virginia with her partner, three children, three stepsons, their amazing Grandparents, and one pretty Pocket-Pittie. She is always reading or working on the next book between mommyhood adventures.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, September 1 Review at YA, It’s Lit Wednesday, September 2 Review at Passages to the Past Thursday, September 3 Review at Book Bustle Review at Bitch Bookshelf Feature at Books In Their Natural Habitat Friday, September 4 Feature at Gwendalyn’s Books Saturday, September 5 Review at Reading is My Remedy Monday, September 7 Review at Books and Zebras Tuesday, September 8 Feature at Chicks, Rogues and Scandals Wednesday, September 9 Review at Books, Cooks, Looks

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a 12″ by 8″ canvas painting of The Van Doren Sisters! To enter, please use the Gleam form below. The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on September 9th. You must be 18 or older to enter. The Golden Van Dorens https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js v