Pursuing Gold by Cynthia L Simmons

With his father dead and his business partner incapacitated, Peter Chandler inherits the leadership of a bank in economic crisis.

With only a newly-minted college degree and little experience, Peter joins his partner’s daughter, Mary Beth Roper, in a struggle to keep C&R Bank afloat while the Civil War rages around Chattanooga. Political pressure for unsecured loans of gold to the government stirs up trouble as tempers and prices rise. Their problems multiply when Mary Beth discovers counterfeit money with Peter’s forged signature. Can they find the forger before the bank fails? The two friends must pursue gold on behalf of their business, as they learn to pursue their heavenly Father to find hope and peace.

Pursuing Gold by Cynthia L Simmons was an interesting read and had a good mixture of romance, suspense, and mystery. The chapters were very short and the book as a whole was a quick read, but the tone and style made the novel very slow paced at the same time. I had trouble getting involved in the storyline at times due to this combination of features. Peter and Mary Beth were well developed characters, but I had trouble connecting with them and their relationship seemed forced at times. However, the book did seem to be well researched, and it was interesting to experience different aspects of the Civil War, such as banking and Tennessee politics, than your typical Civil War novel.

Overall, I found this novel to be an easy read, and once I was able to get engaged in the story, it was also an interesting historical read as well.

I received this book from Litfuse Blogging Group in exchange for an honest review.