Noble Metals by L.A. Witt

Ever since Robert Belton gambled away the money to stake his claim in the Klondike gold fields, he’s been stranded in Seattle working as a prostitute. When an attractive customer needs help hauling provisions to the frozen north, Robert eagerly volunteers.

Dr. John Fauth is only searching for one thing, and it isn’t gold. He needs platinum for the prototypes of his revolutionary inventions, and if he doesn’t find it in the Klondike, his university career—and his research—is over.

Getting to the Klondike is a grueling, dangerous journey, and just hours after leaving Seattle, John and Robert find themselves in over their heads. John is carrying an invaluable device that his competitors will do anything to get their hands on. And as the cold nights and mutual desire pull John and Robert closer together, they discover that they have much more to lose than gold or platinum.

You know the saying ‘It’s not you, it’s me?” Before you jump to conclusions, I’m not breaking up with anyone. I’m just trying to give you a frame of reference. I honestly love both steampunk and historical fiction/romance, it just takes me a while to get into. Kind of like dystopian worlds. Once I get my head wrapped around it and get comfortable in the world, I’m good. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get down to the review.

Robert was definitely my favorite character in this couple. He was a little bit broken and pretty much resigned to the fact that he was stuck with the hand he’d been dealt. That didn’t stop him from looking for a way out. Robert was pretty much an open book from the time he was introduced. He had one deep dark secret, but it wasn’t much of a surprise, at least not to me.

John was a different story. Even though the story was told from Robert’s POV, John thoughts and feelings were revealed in his journal entries. I kind of liked that approach, but I still didn’t feel nearly as connected to John as I did to Robert. These men were both driven by entirely different forces and I think I admired Robert’s drive more than John’s.

Regardless, I liked the story. There was danger, action, a new world to get used to and it was all laced with a sweet, yet hot romance. The best part is by the end John won me over. It took him a while though 😉