Also by this author: Set the Stars Alight, Yours Is the Night, All the Lost Places
Published by Bethany House on June 18, 2024
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Historical
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When newcomer Mercy Windsor arrives in Mercy Peak in 1948 after a scandal shatters her gilded world as Hollywood's beloved leading lady, she is determined to forge a new life in obscurity in this time-forgotten Colorado haven. She purchases Wildwood--an abandoned estate with a haunting history--and begins to restore it to its former glory.
But as she does, her every move tugs at the threads of that mountain's lore, unearthing what became of her long-lost pen pal, Rusty Bright, and the whereabouts of the infamous Galloping Goose Engine No. 8, which vanished years ago, along with the mailbag it carried, whose contents could change the course of countless lives. Not to mention another fabled treasure that--if found--could right so many wrongs.
Among the towering mountains that stand as silent witnesses, the ghosts of the past entangle with the courage of the present to find a place where healing, friendship, and hope can abide amid a world forever changed.
I would be the first to admit, I have waited far too long to write this review. I eagerly opened Born of Gilded Mountains by Amanda Dykes, and it embraced me like a warm hug. But I read it prior to some craziness at my job. And then a trip…and then another trip…and then more work stuff. It led me to pushing back reviewing anything farther and farther to the back of my mind. Born of Gilded Mountains, however, has stuck with me. Amanda Dykes’ books are “insta-buys” for me. I don’t need to know the plot or setting. She announces a new book, and I pre-order it. Born of Gilded Mountains is one of my favorite books of 2024.
As young children, fate paired up Mercy Windsor and Rusty Bright as pen pals. While many of their classmates stopped writing, Mercy and Rusty never did. They formed a friendship that spanned decades until their communication went silent. To escape the insanity of Hollywood, Mercy purchases a broken down estate in Colorado in Rusty’s small town. After reuniting with Rusty, the two women work together to hunt down the truth about what really happened to the missing Galloping Goose Railcar No. 8. The train’s contents—a mailbag and potentially treasure—could impact the lives of everyone in the town. But only if Rusty and Mercy can unlock the clues.
The women’s friendship reignites and grows with every page. So many Christian novels I read have two underlying themes: faith and romance. Particularly the novels written by female authors. I may be a woman, but I don’t always like to read romance. The books all begin to run together, and I lose track of which plot has which characters. Born of Gilded Mountains by Amanda Dykes is about friendship. Two single women, supporting each other to reach a common goal. This was such a refreshing change of pace, and I adored it.
It reminded me of my own relationship with my closest friend. We met for the first time in 2011, though we didn’t forge a deeper relationship until 2012. We live in different cities, and most of our communication is via texts and phone calls. But the distance between us does not matter. Like Misty and Rusty, she makes me a better person. We do not always get along, but we work through our issues and put them behind us. We learn and we grow, and we make new memories while remembering the last ones.
Misty and Rusty have an imperfect friendship, which is what makes the book so realistic. Amanda Dykes creates a beautiful, relevant story, with marvelous characters, vivid imagery, and moments of humor. The plot is unlike any I have read. Intricate and thought-out, Born of Gilded Mountains flawlessly transports readers to historical Colorado. It is a story of forgiveness, memories, healing, and new beginnings.
