Gold Digger (Special Forces Spin-Off) by Aleksandr Voinov

SYNOPSIS

Not all that glitters is gold.

Nikolai Krasnorada leads the life of a corporate nomad. Working for a gold explorations company, he’s never put down roots, and he likes it that way. Roots can be dangerous, as everyone from his “man-hating” sister to his manipulative mother to his war-traumatized father has proven.

But when his CEO sends him to Toronto to strike a deal with LeBeau Mining, Nikolai meets Henri LeBeau, crown prince to the resources conglomerate and inveterate flirt. Sparks fly immediately, despite the business deal that threatens to go sour and Nikolai’s own reluctance to give Henri false hope about him being Mr. Right. He’s barely come to terms with his bisexuality, and getting involved with Henri would get messy.

When LeBeau Mining launches a hostile takeover bid, Nikolai and Henri find themselves on opposite sides of the negotiating table. But fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—for Nikolai, Henri’s not nearly as interested in his company as he is in his heart.

Available to purchase below:

✲✲✲✲

Reviewed by Gitte and Jenny

“Once you know what you want, you can make the rest happen”

Gitte:   My love affair with Mr. Voinov continues in Gold Digger.  I do believe wholeheartedly that this man is a genius, his writing completely flawless where each word is diligently written and shown to be important. He is one of the few Authors where I do not feel as if I am reading about the characters with me looking in from the outside, rather I am immersed so completely to the extent of voyeurism. Yes, Mr. Voinov, you have made me into a voyeur.  But I like it…..in fact I love it!

Jenny:  This book was my first introduction to Aleksandr Voinov (doesn’t he have the best name in author world?) and I am now on a mission to devour more from this very talented writer.  I was absolutely absorbed in this book and its characters and am totally in love with his writing style.

Gitte:   I thought Gold Digger was packed full of emotion and I felt every bit of it. It was extremely flirtatious sensual and romantic, in that intense and descriptive way Mr. Voinov so effortlessly conveys. The story also packed a powerful punch despite this one being one of the lighter books I have read of his. I almost want to call it sophisticated…can you call a book sophisticated without it sounding odd?

Jenny:  I didn’t know until I finished Gold Digger that it was a spin-off of The Special Forces series…guess what I’ll be reading very soon?  This author has such a way of describing a situation or a scene that has you there, in the moment.  Some of the poignant scenes between Henri and Nikolai had me believing I was witnessing their exchanges first hand, that I was there with them, watching them and not merely reading about them. He has beautiful writing style that I thoroughly enjoyed.  This was indeed a really sweet, romantic yet at times erotic and fast paced story that had me riveted from page one and pulled at my hearts strings more than once.  I loved the corporate setting and going through the world of mergers and takeovers.  This really added to the story for me and I don’t think I came up for air the whole time.

Gitte:  Mr. Voinov’s characters never disappoint. They are pretty solid, fascinating and delicious.
The journey of Nikolai and Henri, both of whom I loved, was not only emotional and physical. It was intellectual and full of classic banter.
I have to say I loved the scene with them in the restaurant; I felt almost embarrassed to be watching and listening because it was so beautifully written, so detailed with such few words, a forte of this Author.  I was there; could even taste the food.

Jenny:   I loved the characters in this book. From the very loyal, intelligent and sexy Nikolai, the sweet, forthright and knowing Henri to all the supporting characters in this book, every one of them was so wonderfully written and so engaging that I felt I knew them on another level.  Great feat in only 175 pages I have to say!   I loved the relationship between Henri and Nikolai. . As you say, both highly intelligent men whose banter was a delight to experience..  And yes…I did feel like a bit of a voyeur standing by and eavesdropping on these two because that’s how the author makes you feel.  He really does draw you into a scene so you are not simply reading words, you are experiencing a moment.

Gitte:    The story is read from Nikolai’s point-of-view; we got to hear his voice and understood the why’s and the how’s; his inspirations and his love. I immediately fell in love with him and not only that, I respected him. Which may sound odd, but I felt him fiercely. He was so strong, so gorgeous and so adorably introverted.

Jenny:  Nikolai was such a wonderful character. He is intelligent, fiercely loyal and extremely sexy with a touch of naivety that I found so endearing.  Both in how he interpreted Henri’s advances and how he viewed the business world. .  You warmed to him immediately.  From the opening scenes where he is to give a pitch on behalf of his company you feel a mixture of confidence and vulnerability from this man.

Gitte:   Henri was a man, who to me, came across as if he was at a cross roads in his life. Functioning and living on autopilot not feeling or living completely free of shadows and manipulation.  He craved Nikolai for so many reasons. He was almost desperate for him to ‘free’ him. However, he understood that this must ultimately come from himself. He was cocky, smooth and very flirtatious.

Jenny:  Henri is a playboy.  He is used to having emotionless entanglements and seems to be just going through the motions in business and his life.  He has an intense desire for Nikolai, knows what he wants and sets out to pursue it.  I loved his directness, his wit, his charm and all his flirtatious ways.  But I especially loved his interaction with Nikolai.  His feelings for him were palpable.  You felt it with every breath.

Gitte:  Nikolai and Henri meet in the process of corporate mergers and takeovers. Both men are successful in business but their personal lives are strained, complicated and they are a mess emotionally.
Henri is immediately attracted to Nikolai whose cautious approach is endearing. They complement each other in their differences. The tenderness with which Nikolai dealt with Henri was so touching…and then, well we have the sex, which Aleksandr Voinov ROCKS as per usual!!!

Jenny:  I was dying to see how their relationship played out.  It seemed like it could have been doomed from the start with both on opposing sides of a hostile takeover bid.  I loved how Nikolai recognized his feelings and acted accordingly. The two had chemistry overload and whilst the physical scenes were as hot as hell, it was the intimacy between the pair that I loved.  Yes, I love me some man loving but I really did love the emotion we got to experience with these two – the tender, warm moments crept into my heart.   To make their relationship work they must show absolute trust and faith in one another both inside and outside the boardroom.
I do have to say that I loved that the relationship and interaction with Vadim and Nikolai – this part of the story had me spellbound.  This was a very special relationship and one that was so lovingly handled in this book. The whole story felt so real to me.

Gitte:   This book can be read as stand-alone despite the character of Vadim first being introduced in Special Forces.  I read Gold Digger first and immediately moved on to Special Forces because I fell in love with Vadim in this story.

After finishing the Special Forces series last night I immediately went back to Gold Digger as I needed to re-read it with the knowledge I now had and to say I love Vadim even more would be an understatement. His relationship with Nikolai in Gold Digger broke my heart and I actually cried the second time reading this story.

So I guess what I am saying is if you love the brilliant words of Mr. Voinov; having read Special Forces first will in my opinion enhance your reading experience of Gold Digger. However, it is not necessary.
Where Special Forces is a dark, disturbing and a physically emotional ride; Gold Digger is almost its contemporary counterpart.
I would love for more with these characters and the secondary characters as every single one has a story I would love to hear.

Jenny:  It is my mission to read Special Forces when I finish Dark Soul because my thirst for more of Mr Voinov’s writing needs to be quenched.  You can bet this is just the beginning for me!
I absolutely loved this book.  I found the characters engaging, warm and beautiful.  I found the story intelligent, interesting, heart-warming and the writing absolutely second to none.
Every character, every word was truly something special to me and I know that I have just found a very special author indeed.

4.5 Stars