Paula Vince has tackled a difficult subject in A Design of Gold. The death of a close friend is difficult enough but when the main character feels her actions may have contributed to her friend’s death, it is seriously complicated. Paula handles her subject matter well and the story feels realistic. Characters behaved in a way that is consistent with those suffering grief and loss.

From this tragic beginning the story develops into a slightly unconventional love story with many bumps and twists along the way. There are a number of characters in this story but I managed to keep track on them all. This is something I sometimes have trouble with because I tend to skim over descriptive passages but Paula’s characters have depth and uniqueness.

I enjoyed the way subtle life lessons were weaved into the plot. God’s plans for a person’s life often take a different path to the one we expect and this idea was well fleshed out.

Overall a good read.