Review: Voinov hits gold.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 17, 2013
My first instinct was to give this book four stars, not because I didn't think it deserved more, but because I had it in my head that Voinov's Special Forces: Soldiers was so epic, so powerful, how could a spin off on it be on par with it? Then I realized Gold Digger wasn't on par with SF: Soldiers, it exceeded it. If I could I would give SF: Soldiers a four and half stars in comparison to it's spin off. Soldiers is Voinov's cult classic hit. Gold Digger is brilliant. Most enjoyable Voinov I have read so far. It is also the only Voinov I have read that is not a collaboration with another author. Should I make any speculation on that fact and it's correlation to a piece I find so successful? No, well I will at least say that you shine on your own, Mr. Voinov.Nikolai is poised, intelligent, thoughtful and genuine. Henri is classy, witty and reminiscent of Keir Warrick in The Administration Series. The politic professional who is confident in his particular sexual desires. Both were simply likeable. The banter was quick witted and engaging. The unfolding relationship was beautiful to read. Henri's unexpected and undemanding directness mixed with Nikolai's awkward, but unabashed curiosity in their first sexual encounter unfolded one of the hottest scenes I have ever read. Their chemistry was impeccable.This was an all around enjoyable read, where the characters were too smart to fall into the usual traps romance authors often set for them and yet the book continued to entertain without any absurd drama. It is simply smartly written. Cleary developed genuinely likeable characters who lost nothing by easily resolving the tension.That being said, I don't believe that Gold Digger will be as popular as Soldiers. It lacks the outrageous drama that is eaten up by the masses, even though that is where I believe it succeeds. It is smart in it's subtleness. As enjoyable as the banter is in this book, the silence between them is capable of conveying as much as their dialogue. A nice skill of Voinov's. Nikolai and Henri manage to keep it real, there are no drama queens here (and I hope none to come in Pure Gold). Looking forward to Pure Gold and keeping my fingers crossed that Nikolai and Henri are not lead astray from who they are intrinsically by any soap opera plot detours in their sequel.