Jessie Madsen has her hands full helping her parents run their small farm and boarding house while every fortune-seeker in the country seems to be flocking to her small town in search of gold. It’s bad enough that claim jumpers won’t quit trespassing on her property, but geologist James Kelsey, mildly intriguing and surprisingly handsome for an Easterner, seems more interested in her than the … mining business. Jessie is certain she doesn’t have the time or the need for a man, and after getting her heart broken, she has resolved never to fall for an outsider again. Add stolen cash, a fast-talking con man, and a pair of bandits, and Jessie is indeed up to her eyeballs in trouble. Will she soften her rock-hard exterior and let the geologist discover the hidden treasure in her heart?
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A great story. I loved the unique interaction of Jessie and James. Recommend this book to those who love historical fiction set during the gold rush.
What I think you should know:
Jessie and James is part of the Gold Digger series, but can be read as a stand alone novel. It is set in Eureka in the 1880’s. Jessie is a fierce young woman who was raised in a boom town. James is a geologist who wants to make his family proud.
What I enjoyed about this book:
Jessie is such a FUN character, such a great deviation from the damsel in distress routine is in many stories. I enjoyed her gun toting spunkiness, and her heart for helping others. She was a great character that showed that just because you are a Christian you don’t have to be a pushover. James was a great contrast to her, he was raised in a wealthy family in the East and had a much more formal education, I enjoyed their interactions. Jennifer Beckstrand, the author created supporting characters were designed perfectly to captivate you and your emotions. This was a great relaxing read!
Who will enjoy this book ( just to name a few):
Fans of Historical Fiction
Fans of Western Fiction
Fans of Christian Fiction
Fans of Romance
I received a complimentary copy for this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.
Jessie and James
I loved their story. They were such a fun couple. I love the way they meet. James fell hard for Jessie from the start. She is doing her best not to be attracted to him. They love to argue.
This is part of a series. It is a stand alone book, so don’t need to read the other book. I do need to check out the other books in the series though. James is a gold digger but Jessie doesn’t like it. Read the book to find out why.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. This review is my own opinion.
My Thoughts on Jessie and James:
This author is fast becoming one of my favorites! I loved the book I read by her about one of the Peanut Butter brothers and have been queuing up some of her other books on Amazon or the library to read in between my other books. Most of those are Amish books though and this one definitely is not!
Jennifer Beckstrand does an amazing job crossing over from Amish fiction into the realms of the Wild West and gold mines. It’s a great read and written with her standard care.
I love reading her books as I feel I’m right there and they just suck me in! The characters are amazing and truly believable.
Jessie is like her name. A girl with an attitude. Or really she definitely knows how to handle herself and isn’t afraid to fight for what she wants.
James, on the other hand, is a gentleman. He’d rather defer to her than fight because heavens a gentleman would never fight a woman! He’s all sophistication to her wild.
Can James convince Jessie she’s truly the diamond or gold he’s looking for? Will he even get the chance? Can they survive?
Great read! It’s a romance first and foremost with some twists and turns thrown in for good measure.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
This has been such a wonderful story to read. The author delivers a strong female character named Jessie. I loved everything about her. She is fierce, protective and has a heart of gold. Losing her mother was hard for her, but I think she has become closer to her dad and step mother as she deals with the loss. The way Jessie takes cares of the place is amazing. There is no way I could chop wood, take care of animals, go to the mercantile and never rest till all the chores have been completed. What I liked most about her is that she never complains about her chores and is willing to help her father out anyway she can.
The way James is introduced into the story is priceless. He tries to do a gentlemanly thing and it literally almost blows up in his face. Jessie is not keen on men helping her or coming to her aid . James makes a huge mistake in trying to hep her and well you must read how it turns out. I laughed when Jessie finds out that James is staying at the boardinghouse she happens to help run. Oh this is going to be such a journey for these two.
I love how the author describes the way Jessie felt when her father married Alice so quickly after her mother died. She describes it as ,” Like someone digging my heart out of my chest with a spoon.” It is a perfect way to describe the pain she was feeling. I felt that way when my dad married six months after my mom died. It hurt so much that I couldn’t believe he would disrespect my mother like that. Jessie seems to understand that her father remarried because he wanted Jessie to have a mother and he was hurting for companionship.
I loved how the story was about mining for gold and other things that could be found to make people rich. I understand how Jessie feels about mining by how much it affected her father’s health. Will James be able to convince Jessie that he really is a good guy? I love the faith James has and how much he keeps his word about things. He is just what Jessie needs to let her guard down and learn to trust someone.
It is evident that the author has does research about mining. The details make you feel like you are mining for gold with others around you. They have expectations in their eyes as they dream of getting rich. It can be a dangerous task as mines can collapse and trap people with little hope of getting out. I was very intrigued as the story progressed. I wanted James to reassure Jessie that what he was doing would be safe and her land would not be disturbed. Mining for gold does bring men from all across the states. They have dollars signs dancing in their eyes. For some, they have no respect for safety and push forward as danger gets close to them.
It was very hard to put the book down and I loved being back in the western days where gold miners were everywhere, men were out to get rich and action takes center stage. Jessie has been deeply hurt in the past and finds it hard to trust James. The action in the story is one you would see in the movies. Men trying to steal money, putting Jessie’s life in danger and James ready to do what he needs to rescue Jessie and the money. The author writes a story that not only has a bit of romance, sneaky men who will do anything to stake a claim and a lesson in forgiveness, letting go of the past and most of all learning to depend and trust God.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
I loved the characters and I loved the humor that ran through the whole book. I enjoyed reading about some of the miners. I just enjoyed the whole story. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I loved this sweet story by an author I’m familiar with, but in a different genre, that being said, I knew I wanted to read this!
I was quickly drawn into this story with the offer of a strong young woman, who with a few chuckles on my part, could really take care of herself. Then we are offered what at first look could be a dandy, a New Englander, college educated, man wearing a ridicules hat!
Add in greed and danger, and even then, we find a “silver lining”, and surprises abound and I could not figure out how everything could work out.
With dreams of delicious cherry pie, you are set to embark on quite an adventure, and in the end, I wanted to continue on with the lives of these characters.
I received this book through Celebrate Lit Blogging Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.
Author Jennifer Beckstrand has written a Christian Historical Western Romance novel for the Gold Diggers Series. This is a sweet, humorous, inspirational novel that had me giggling many times.
It is the story of feisty Jessie. She is a pretty, family loyal heroine that always can be seen with her trusty gun. It is also the tale of geologist James. Poor James has been sent to the Western mining town and gets teased about wearing the wrong hot. When he and Jessie meet, one of them gets hurts, they both get a surprise and sparks start.
The author has done a wonderful job with this. It captured my attention from the beginning and I was eager to see what would happen to this mismatched pair. The characters seemed real and were easy to imagine. The plot was well planned and researched. Humor, mystery, faith, and romance were all woven together into one magnificent novel.
This book taught me a few things about mining. I love books from which I can glean tidbits of knowledge. It is readily apparent this is a Christian book. I love that, too. Author Beckstrand seems to know what readers want and delivers.
I would highly recommend this book. It is a delightful tale that will take you out West and give you a taste of the mining life, which wasn’t easy. I give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Celebrate Lit provided a copy but these are my honest opinions.
What a fabulous heroine! Jessie and her gun, a force to be reckoned with and one you really don’t want to cross. James, an Easterner wearing totally the wrong hat, finds this out early on in this wonderful story set during the time of the gold rush. Amid fiery comments from Jessie, the plot takes James into the mountains to find this illusive mineral. Add in stolen money, kidnapping and gold seeding and you have the makings of a tale you won’t want to put down until finished.
I must admit that I laughed out loud at times and at other moments wondered if Jessie’s mouth would get her into more trouble than the gun she always had with her. I learned more about mining gold and silver and the joys and dangers of bringing such wonderful minerals out of the ground. In the time we live in, its almost hard to imagine those conditions and how anyone survived them.
I received an ARC through CelebrateLit. The impressions and opinions given are my own.
Jessie and James is a quirky, witty story of a woman who resists change and a man who would welcome a change in fortune. It’s a fun, lighthearted read, and I fully enjoyed it.
The saucy banter between Jessie and James is one of my favorite parts of the book and will have you laughing out loud (beware if you are reading at work!). They may be opposites in personality, but they complement each other well.
James is always the gentleman, and I loved how he treated everyone (unless they pointed a gun at him) with his big heart. And I loved how he counteracted Jessie’s resistance with either charm or pure sarcasm. It made the growth of their relationship quite entertaining!
Jessie is a little rough around the edges, and her stubbornness can gnaw at your patience. But I loved watching her let down her guard for James and being honest and vulnerable for him. She made quite a transformation as she found a way to heal her heart (with God’s help).
Overall, I thought the book was a fun story from beginning to end. If you like historical fiction on the western frontier with a little romance, then this book is for you!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.